Blood test hydrocortisone

[Meno27]

Hi

Got blood test for thyroid and adrenals before 9am do I still take my first hydrocortisone tablet before blood test

Many thanks

[endomad]

Someone who knows will comment soon but I think for hydrocortisone you need to leave a week. Iv just had bloods done for rheumatologist appt I checked them and my C relative protein has never been that low, the penny dropped I hadn't stopped my hydrocortisone before the test. I only take 15mg a day as I have extremely low cortisol but it affects inflammation results. It will definitely affect cortisol/adrenal test.

[McPammy]

You need to leave hydrocortisone tablet for at least 48hrs before a cortisol test or it’ll skew your figures. You need to see how your adrenals/cortisol is doing on their own without the help of steroids. However, if your Dr is checking if you are on the correct dose of hydrocortisone then you’ll need to take it.

[Hidden]

It depends on what they are trying to show, if it is to see if you are on enough Hydrocortisone first thing in the morning then you need to take your HC. If they want to see if your adrenal glands are making any cortisol then you need to stop your HC for 12 hours before the test. If you are steroid dependent then you CAN'T stop your HC for a week or even 48 hours prior to the test, I would go into crisis & become very unwell if I stopped mine for that long!

[Meno27 in reply to Hidden]

Hi

Test is for U & e, testerone ,lh &fsh, tft, prolactin, and cortisol plus FBC

Before 9am

Had MRI on pituarty but came back clear, sounds like still pushing for that,

[Hidden in reply to Meno27]

So it sounds as though they want to see if you are producing your own cortisol. So you need to take your last dose at least 12 hours prior to the test & take some as soon as the blood has been taken. If you find that you are becoming unwell & risk going into crisis then you need to take some HC. What was the cause of your adrenal insufficiency? It's often not easy to see tumours on the pituitary gland, the MRI needs to be done with contrast for a better view.

[Meno27 in reply to Hidden]

Hi

Had MRI with contrast

Thyroid is hypothyroidism, don't know what caused adrenal deficiency specialist said 4 months ago before coronovirus they were hoping it could be one of those things that rights it's self

But unfortunately not

I know I am being vague but thats as much as I know

Thxs

[olga67 in reply to Hidden]

How many hours before the blood test do I need to take HC to see if I am on the right dose? Thank you.

[Hidden in reply to olga67]

HC only lasts in the body for between 4-6 hours when taken for adrenal insufficiency so the optimal time is 2 hours after you have taken your HC. Ideally a day curve is the best way to see if you are on the right dose, where they take blood through the day. People can metabolise the HC differently, I metabolise fast so need to take my HC every 3-4 hours split into lower doses through the day.

[olga67 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you, Pauline. My last cortisol blood test was 40 (150-500) 5-6 hours after first dose. I was on 25 mg split 3 times through the day. I am on 40 mg now.

[Hidden in reply to olga67]

So it looks like you are a fast absorber as well as that's very low! Are you on Facebook? There is a great group there called UK Addison's & AI info & support group with some many knowledgeable people in the group. Many of us find that taking our dose more often means that we can take less HC which is always good. The trouble with taking it just 3 times a day means that just after you have taken the dose you are over replaced but then drop low in between the doses. Happy to chat more if you'd like to.

[olga67 in reply to Hidden]

Can I PM you? I don want to highjack this thread

[Hidden in reply to olga67]

Yep - no problem

[endomad in reply to Hidden]

That's handy to know as I will have to have my CRP test again and I'm not keen to go too long without the small amount I take. It also helps with the pain which is the reason for my rheumatologist appt. So if I leave 12 hours will that be long enough to get a correct C reactive protein/ inflammation test? The nurse said a week 😮 the rheumatologist should take it into consideration when looking at my tests. I was reading on another thread that 5htp can help boost cortisol which might be handy.

[Hidden in reply to endomad]

It should be, I've never stopped my HC when I've had tests for rheumatology & they tested for CRP, as far as I'm aware it hasn't been affected. I'm also on MTX & biologics for my RA.

[Hidden]

If you are taking Levothyroxine then you need to miss your morning dose if that's when you take it.

[Liyaelize]

Has anyone tried to use Korean Red Ginseng to increase cortisol rather than. steroids?