have recently had the strangest experience, would appreciate comments on this

Earlier this year, I managed to wean off Medrol for adrenal fatigue. I had been taking it since late 2011, took 6 mg daily at one point, then 4 mg daily for the last two years on it. I decided to wean off it as I had read that drugs like Medrol and HC will suppress your own adrenal function rather than strengthen it, and that it would be preferable to replace them with OTC products such as adrenal cortex or Nutri Adrenal Extra.

Since going off Medrol, I have tried both various brands of ACE and Nutri Adrenal Extra, with spotty success at best. Then, about a month ago, I read about a product called Adrenal Performance Plus. It contains vit B12, pantothenic acid, rhodiola rosea, ashwagandha, and an energy blend consisting of eleuthro, acai extract powder, pomegranate powder, and goji berry extract. The recommended dosage is two capsules per day and contains 300 mg of rhodiola, 250 mg of ashwagandha and 150 mg of energy blend.

I was not very hopeful when starting it, I just chose it because it had been getting consistently good reviews and I was desperate to find a long-term solution for my adrenal fatigue, to enable me to stay off Medrol.

I don't know if this product can explain what has happened to me but, in the past week or so, I have turned seriously hyperthyroid on NDT, after being stable on the same dosage for the past couple of years. I have had to decrease my daily dosage by 1 grain, but I continue to have hyperthyroid symptoms such as racing heart and extreme sweating (no, it's not just due to the hot weather here in Belgium, it's more than that, I'd even say pathological). I wake up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat, and have to shower several times a day. I will have to lower my NDT dosage further it these symptoms persist.

My question is: could this product have anything to do with it? It's the only thing I have changed/added in the past couple of months, so I can think of nothing else that could cause symptoms of hyperthyroidism/overmedication...and, even if the summer heat could make you require less thyroid meds, would you really turn as hyperthyroid as I seem to have...? For me, this came out of nowhere, and did not start as slight hyperthyroid symptoms, but rather I went from normal to seriously hyperthyroid in 24 hours.

Any input would be greatly appreciated. It's not a problem requiring less thyroid meds, far from it, but I'd like to understand what is happening to me...

[greygoose]

It could be that the rhodiola rosea and ashwagandha just don't suit you. They don't suit everyone. They are stimulants.

HC will not suppress your adrenals if taken properly - i.e. just in the morning, never after 1.0 pm.

[Hidden in reply to greygoose]

Interesting...would you recommend HC instead of Medrol? And how much? A full replacement dose, that is, 20 mg daily? Or just 10?

[greygoose in reply to Hidden]

I took 60 mg when I first started, because my adrenals were in a bad way. It all depends how bad you are, but I doubt you need a full replacement dose. Perhaps 10 first thing, and five at lunch time?

I've never tried Medrol, so I can't compare them.

[Hidden in reply to greygoose]

Thanks, as always, GG The Hertoghe doctors prefer Medrol to HC if you tend to retain fluid...however, as most if not all of us are hypothyroid when they first see us (after years on T4 drugs only), that could also explain our tendency to retain fluid...it's really a vicious circle, isn't it?!

[greygoose in reply to Hidden]

Yes, it is! I don't know if being hypo is the only reason one retains water - I suspect it is, but I don't know. But it's true, HC makes it much worse!

[Xanthe]

Could it be that the Medrol had, in fact, caused some suppression of the adrenals so that when you weaned off it the adrenals were able to "bounce back" to stronger operation. If so, that, in conjunction with your previous thyroid hormone dose could cause you to go hyper? I'm not a doctor but I've had a similar, but less dramatic effect recently when I discontinued HC . I've got "jitters", internal trembling and increased blood pressure. I checked my adrenals and they'd changed from barely in the normal range (on HC) to high normal (off HC). Because I feel so hyper I also checked my thyroid - but it came up with results at the low end of the range.

[Hidden in reply to Xanthe]

Thanks a lot for this really useful input!