Hydrocortisone

[ter1461]

I have adrenal fatigue. Low low low high. I’m taking hydrocortisone but wondering when I should be taking it as I don’t want to completely shut down my ACTH if that’s possible. Is HC addictive and how long could I be on it or until I can come off of it normally?

[Hidden]

How much Hydrocortisone are you taking? How low was your cortisol when you started it? HC isn't addictive as such but the benefit you may feel you get from it could be the addictive part. It;s never good to take steroids if you don't actually need to as you say it can shut down your HPA pathway as the adrenal glands think that if they are getting cortisol from HC then they don't need to produce it & so they stop working. If this happens then you will be on steroids for life which you certainly don't want! I'm have adrenal insufficiency & it isn't a fun condition to deal with, I need to carry an emergency injection of HC with me all the time & take steroids several times a day. You need to reduce your dose very slowly so you don't get too many side effects, so just 25mgs every few days until you stop. If you are still feel that you may have compromised adrenal glands then you need to be checked out by an Endocrinologist to get a true picture of what is going on.