How much prednisone should you take for adrenal fatigue?

I have seen many posts here by patients treated by Dr. P in the UK and who were told to take either prednisone or Nutri Adrenals Extra or both for the rest of their lives.

From the posts I´ve read, it would seem they were prescribed a full replacement dose of pred (5 mg or more daily).

I consulted a doctor in Dr. Hertoghe´s clinic in Brussels about six months ago, and was told to take half a dose of Medrol (2 mg daily) in order not to shut down my own adrenal glands, but simply support them as the 24 h urine analysis showed they were struggling.

I decided not to go back, for various reasons (very expensive + got a prescription for ten different hormones to start all at once which I felt uncomfortable with), so I found another doctor in private practice also prescribing T3/NDT and treating adrenal fatigue.

He also said that I should take half a replacement dose of prednisone (which for some reason he prefers to Medrol), so 2.5 mg daily rather than 5.

My question is: thyroid hormone is not supposed to complement but replace your own hormone production. So, if you only take half of the dose you need, you will shut down your own thyroid hormone production, ending up more hypo than you were to begin with. Makes sense if you consider that the pituitary gland senses the extra thyroid hormone and decreasaes TSH production, causing your to make even less thyroid hormone.

So, my question is: don´t the adrenal glands work the same way? Their output is also controlled by the pituitary gland. So, if you add a low dose of pred (2.5 mg), will the pituiatary gland not sense that and make the adrenal glands produce even less cortisol?

I have even considered ordering Adrenal MAX Support which contains bio-identical HC, but the doctors say I should avoid that since I have hypertension (treated with meds).

[Hidden]

A quick answer to your question about taking Prednisolone for adrenal fatigue in NONE - you need to find out for sure that your adrenal glands are compromised, 24 hour urine is not designed to measure low levels of cortisol, cortisol only overflows into the urine when there is too much of it. By taking prednisolone long term your adrenal glands will shut down, you're right the HPA axis (Hypothalmus, pituitary, adrenal glands) will be broken so they will sense that there is enough cortisol in the body from the Pred so will not produce cortisol & the adrenal glands will atrophy, so that you end up needing to take steroids in order to live. Due to removal of a pituitary tumour & needing steroids following the surgery my adrenal glands have now stopped working so I am steroid dependent. It is a life threatening condition, I have to carry an emergency Hydrocortisone injection with me all the time in case of an accident. I need to take steroids several times a day in order to have a life. I wouldn't wish it on my worse enemy! I;m sure you know that adrenal fatigue isn't a recognised condition but rather something thought up by a chiropractor in order to sell supplements. The adrenal glands don't store cortisol but rather produce it as it is needed in pulses of cortisol. You really should consult a GP & ask for an early morning serum cortisol to see how much cortisol your adrenal glands are producing, if it is under 350nmol/Ls at 9am then you need further investigations.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thank you, Pauline, I have to admit I did not feel comfortable about taking all those hormones, including and, especially, hydrocortisone/prednisone...the problem as I see it with the anti-aging/functional doctors is that they seem to assume every hypo patient has compromised adrenal glands and needs cortisone to make thyroid hormone work...which is what I was not ready to accept. As far as I know, having hypothyroidism (hashimoto´s) does NOT mean your adrenal glands are dysfunctional as well. And I have read about people taking pred/HC short-term for "adrenal support", only to end up struggling once they go off it...most likely because it has messed with their own adrenal glands. I have not had cortisol levels tested in blood as those "anti-aging" doctors claim that only cortisol levels in 24 h urine are a reliable indicator...which seems not to be the case.

Thank you for your input which has made me all the more wary of taking cortisone without actually needing it.

[pennyannie]

Hey there :

If you referring to Nutri Adrenal NAX - I think, unfortunately, this is no longer available in the Uk :

The Nutri Adrenal is still available and there is AdrenoMax which might be worth taking in conjunction with this adrenal supplement.

[Hidden in reply to pennyannie]

Thank you! I think it is indeed better to take adrenal support (vitamins/minerals/adaptogens) than actual adrenal hormones.

[pennyannie in reply to Hidden]

Yes, I agree :

I've read Dr P's book and could follow most of his thinking on everything :

I've had RAI for Graves Disease and believe this toxic substance responsible for much more than just burning out my thyroid:

I've been using NAX for several years now and disappointed by this news - but I'm going to try the adrenal glandular and " top up " with this other supplement and see how I go .

I'm now taking NDT - 3 years into self medicting - and this has made a big difference in my level of wellness.

[Hidden in reply to pennyannie]

Are you sure NAX has been discontinued and is not simply temporarily out of stock..like many other drugs and supplements ATM?

[pennyannie in reply to Hidden]

I had an email from Nutri Advanced about a mnth ago advising me that NAX had been discontinued - guess you send them an email just for peace of mind ?

[Hidden in reply to pennyannie]

That´s a real shame as so many people depended on NAX...!