Take hydrocortisone and adrenal cortex together? - Thyroid UK

Thyroid UK

140,928 members166,050 posts

Take hydrocortisone and adrenal cortex together?

cc120 profile image
13 Replies

To give my adrenals a rest I am planning on taking 1 x day 5mcg of hydrocortisone for 2 weeks, then 10mg x day for for 2 weeks..

Then follow with Thorne Adrenal Cortex to help restore/support adrenals.

Or should I start the adrenal cortex at the same time as the hydrocortisone?

Written by
cc120 profile image
cc120
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Read more about...
13 Replies
Clutter profile image
Clutter

CC120,

I'm sorry you've had no replies. Feel free to repost your questions.

Kitten1978 profile image
Kitten1978

cc120 There is an adrenal support group on yahoo: rt3-adrenals.org/ Link to join is in the top right corner.

Peope who take HC usually take it for months, even years. Few weeks seems pointless. Taking HC and ACE at the same time is also pointless: HC is supposed to give your adrenals a rest, ACE is supposed to encourage your adrenals to work. ACE is generally considered a safer option. Some people find CT3M helpful.

cc120 profile image
cc120 in reply toKitten1978

Thank you Kitten1978, very informative and helpful.

A link for CT3M for anyone interested: stopthethyroidmadness.com/t...

Kitten1978 profile image
Kitten1978 in reply tocc120

No problem. HC is really the last resort option. ACE of CT3M are generally considered safer. Moderators from the yahoo group will be able to advise you. Paul Robinson had a group on facebook where he was advising members on the use of T3, including CT3M. Unfortunately he has decided to close the group down ;(( He has written a book on the CT3M: it's available on amazon. Whatever you decide to do I wish you all the best of luck xx

cc120 profile image
cc120 in reply toKitten1978

Thank you Kitten1978, as I now have the hydrocortisone, I may as well take them, splitting 10 into half, take 5mg x 20 days, then 10mg x 10 days. Which will make a month.

I guess I should be taking them away from levy and T3. Should I take hydrocortisone on an empty stomach?

Kitten1978 profile image
Kitten1978 in reply tocc120

cc120

You can take HC with thyroid meds. First dose when you wake up, second at lunch time.

I strongly advise against taking HC on a empty stomach: it can cause stomach upset. It's best to take it with food.

HC should be withdrawn slowly: it should be reduced by 2.5mcg every 2 weeks. If you don't have adrenal problem stopping HC cold turkey won't affect you much but if you really suffer from adrenal fatigue you will need to reduce it very slowly.

I do advise you to join the yahoo adrenals group: their moderators have used HC themselves and they are in a better position to advise.

I took HC for a month. It didn't work for me but it helped me realise that something else was the problem: insulin resistance. HC made my GI issues worse so I'm not a great fan of it.

I hope it will work for you.

Take care xx

Kitten1978

cc120 profile image
cc120 in reply toKitten1978

Thank you so much Kitten1978. :-)

pinkjess17 profile image
pinkjess17

I take both together, 5mg HC and 100mg Thorne cortex in the morning only. It works the best for me, after trying various different methods and combinations :-)

cc120 profile image
cc120 in reply topinkjess17

Thank you pinkjess17, are you on thyroid meds as well?

pinkjess17 profile image
pinkjess17

No I'm not at the moment, I had a TSH of 3.5, 3.9 and 4.6 but couldn't tolerate levothyroxine or NDT despite positive antibodies. Started adrenal support on the advice of Dr Peatfield and have gone from there, my tsh has come down actually to 2.24 on adrenal support.

cc120 profile image
cc120 in reply topinkjess17

That is very interesting pinkjess17. It appears as though your thyroid issues are secondary to your adrenal issues, thus have settled once your adrenal issues had been treated.

What do you think of the point kitten1978 made earlier in this post:

'Taking HC and ACE at the same time is also pointless: HC is supposed to give your adrenals a rest, ACE is supposed to encourage your adrenals to work' ?

pinkjess17 profile image
pinkjess17

Yes I think the adrenals were knocking my thyroid out of kilter as they work together. I do have positive thyroid antibodies tested on numerous occasions, so will have to keep an eye on that. In my experience both HC and ACE have steroid in them, I get the same effect from both. If I feel draggy, with low temp etc I take ace and within approx 15 mix it normalises my blood pressure, temp goes up, dragging lifts etc. I decided to take both as some say ACE repairs the adrenals, will see.

I would say definitely only take them in the am on as little dose as possible as to not shut the adrenals down, very important to stick to that.

cc120 profile image
cc120 in reply topinkjess17

UPDATE on 19/08/17

I started on 5mcg Hydrocortisone x day for approx a fortnight. After approx a week I found I was feeling as week as a kitten. Thought this may be due to T4/T3 dosage. Increased to 50mcg T4 and 20mcg T3, was taking this dosage for a few days, then increased Hydrocortisone to 10mcg. The following day that I was feeling weaker still. It dawned on me that it was the Hydrocortisone causing the weakness. So I stopped taking them. After about 5 days I felt a little stronger and my strength has been increasing steadily since then.

I will soon be buying Adrenal cortex, maybe Thornes or a cheaper brand if I can find a recommended one and hope this heals my adrenals.

Not what you're looking for?

You may also like...

How much Thornes adrenal cortex extract to take?

Hi guys, I've been taken Thornes adrenal cortex extract for 4 weeks now. I took one a day for a...
BexyLS profile image

Adrenal Supps Vs Hydrocortisone (HC)

Can anybody clarify this? I read that adrenal supplements feed the adrenals whereas HC actually...
jc72 profile image

Should I take adrenal support? - Hashimotos.

After a couple of years of being on thyroid medication (T4 then NDT then T4+T3) and it seemingly...
HarrietJW profile image

Does anyone know of an Adrenal Cortex I could use. Also does Thorne Adrenal Cortex have cortisol in it?

Hi there, I just wondered if anyone knows of an Adrenal Cortex I could use. I've been using Nutri...
TJM3 profile image

Adrenal Cortex

On reading reviews about Thorne Adrenal Cortex a customer said, do not take if you have high...
Jose651 profile image

Moderation team

See all
helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator
Jaydee1507 profile image
Jaydee1507Administrator
PurpleNails profile image
PurpleNailsAdministrator

Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.

Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.