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Gertrudes
Guest
Mrs. Peel said:
No, it isn't.
From wikipedia
Thanks for spotting that Mrs. Peel. Another symptom of my "pudding brain", I didn't notice that "detail", sorry!
From _http://www.drugs.com/sfx/hydrocortisone-side-effects.html, on hydrocortisone, some of the side effects listed are:
And from: _http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/drug-information/DR603541/DSECTION=side-effects
I'll pause the hydrocortisone for a while and see if things get better, I know from experience that I tend to be very sensitive to the side effects of drugs. Since I'm not yet sure of what's causing my condition I'll start by eliminating possibilities. I reached 30g of vitamin C just a while ago and starting feeling a bit better.
Edit: added link and quote, and edited above paragraph
If you suspect it might be a culprit, I would stop it. I'm concerned here that the pharmaceutical you got on the web might be bogus or might have some cross contamination, so it is best not to take risks. You might be particularly sensitive as well. I'm taking a low dose from a pharmaceutical company that is specific for adrenal insufficiency and is available only under prescription.
The side effects quoted for hydrocortisone are for therapeutic doses, not really for low dose therapy which is a physiological dose, no more of what your body should be producing. But having said that, I did went through some odd feelings and changes but kept going based on the research I made. The one thing that motivated me was seeing some signs of ovulation for the first time in ages and after networking with an endocrinologist specialist, I realized that I had polycystic ovary syndrome myself for years. At the end of the month upon starting adrenal support, I got my period.
But I have gone through other changes as of late as well. I started to get Rolfed and have done 5 sessions so far. My therapist knows craneo-sacral and "visceral touch" therapies as well. I have gone through a lot of work related to my pelvis, where a lot of "energy" seems to be "messed up". Probably everything is related, but at least in my case, I did noticed signs of ovulation before I started to get rolfed that I can only ascribe to the hydrocortisone.
The side effects quoted for hydrocortisone are for therapeutic doses, not really for low dose therapy which is a physiological dose, no more of what your body should be producing. But having said that, I did went through some odd feelings and changes but kept going based on the research I made. The one thing that motivated me was seeing some signs of ovulation for the first time in ages and after networking with an endocrinologist specialist, I realized that I had polycystic ovary syndrome myself for years. At the end of the month upon starting adrenal support, I got my period.
But I have gone through other changes as of late as well. I started to get Rolfed and have done 5 sessions so far. My therapist knows craneo-sacral and "visceral touch" therapies as well. I have gone through a lot of work related to my pelvis, where a lot of "energy" seems to be "messed up". Probably everything is related, but at least in my case, I did noticed signs of ovulation before I started to get rolfed that I can only ascribe to the hydrocortisone.
dugdeep said:
I noticed this too. I haven't taken vitamin C in ages and then finally got some and was amazed at how much I'm tolerating. I'm still waiting for my ultrasonic cleaner to arrive in order to try the liposomal version. But as it is, I'm tolerating between 6 and 8 teaspoons of ascorbic acid every day without any problems. It cleared up a chronic sinus infection I was carrying since I got sick over the Christmas holidays, probably related with the transgressions and the coffee I had in that month.
I've was particularly tired and realized not too long ago that I was miscalculating my protein intake as well. Probably this is why I had put on weight. I got a hold of what I would call a protein counter for dummies which is through visual portions in photographs. I'll be posting the photos on the ketogenic diet when I get the chance in case it helps others as well. It sure helped me!
Psyche said:
I just got a script for hydrocortisone from my hormone doc today. She wanted me to take the compounded version because the "regular" one has bad stuff (parabens, among others) she said. So, after I get it filled I will be starting the protocol for adrenal support.
G
Gertrudes
Guest
Psyche said:
I stopped it and since yesterday the brain fog is gone. Whew, what a relief! Now what's concerning is that my face has gotten very swollen, balloon type swollen, and is constantly flushed. I've also gained weight. All of that just on 10 days of hydrocortisone! The swelling doesn't seem to go away, and now I'm worried on whether I've put my adrenals out of kilter and need to do anything to get back on track. I dunno, maybe I just need to give it time, or is there anything I can do about it besides taking vitamin C?
I'm becoming increasingly aware of the fact that I am VERY sensitive to drugs, it didn't use to be that way before I changed my diet, I seemed to almost be immune to them. Now I'm often amazed at how my body reacts so strongly, and always negatively, to any thing I put in it that it doesn't like.
All of the drugs I have taken over the last couple of years have caused a nasty reaction in my body that outweighed any possible benefit. In the past I have taken so many pills for colds, indigestion, headaches, I wouldn't even think! Now I think that my body is very clearly telling me that it had enough and wants another route.
Psyche said:
Same here. When I was still a dancer I remember noticing that when performing I could feel my legs, I could feel my torso, but everything was stuck in my pelvis and I couldn't feel a connection between what was below and above it. I did manage to free it up on the odd occasion, but that was more an exception rather then the rule. It has become a lot better throughout the years, but still needs work. Nevertheless, I've always had this feeling that this stuck energy was tightly related to my being.
Gertrudes said:
That is bad! This is very odd, I wonder if your compound was even hydrocortisone to begin with. Do you have liver detox supplements? I'm thinking about milk thistle or alpha lipoic acid. If not, megadoses of vitamin C and at least 4 good days to let your body settle down.
Gertrudes said:
Yeah, when my rolfer works on my pelvis, I always have some pretty strong reactions for several days afterwards. Rolfing has made me realize how out of touch I have been with my body and how much I've repressed.
G
Gertrudes
Guest
Psyche said:
Well, I'm not discarding the possibility that what I have taken could have been contaminated or simply not from a proper source, but since my symptoms seem to mirror what I have read from other people being on higher doses of hydrocortisone, as well as being part of the list of side effects included in the leaflet of several other brands, I think that I might have gotten similar results with a different brand. The bottle definitely says hydrocortisone and it is from a company named Douglas.
I'll order milk thistle, ALA, and possibly also glutathione. Since I haven't needed them in a while, I haven't got them at home.
When saying 4 good days, do you mean that it may take 4 days with lots of vitamin C for the toxicity and the swelling to start clearing up?... I do hope so, every time I look in the mirror or touch my heated face I just hope that my head doesn't take off and floats towards the ceiling like a balloon full of helium.
Psyche said:
That is so true. To be honest, sometimes I wish that everyone wanting to do so, would have the means and facilities to try some sort of body work or mindful type of exercise that would put them more in touch with their bodies. It can make such a massive difference in a person's life!
Gertrudes said:
Reading all the reactions you have had, makes me wonder if you are prone to sluggish liver through the lack of some specific liver detox enzymes. Apparently it is very common and I was reviewing that info yesterday (some I posted here: http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,30462.msg397355.html#msg397355). There are some people who can't metabolize cortisol properly and would have bad reactions to it.
Gertrudes said:
I hope so too! I'm sorry that you are going through this. I say 4 days because usually that is what it takes for a lot of folks to stabilize when they had something they were allergic to. But if you can get some liver detox supplements, that would be better. Prolly best to have them in stock given your reaction background.
Gertrudes said:
Ditto. My Rolfer is worth every penny and I wish everyone would have a chance to have some work done on them.
Gertrudes said:
Same here. And when it comes to taking drugs, it's important to know how much you need according to your weight. I once (when I took my medicine) was asked by my eyedoctor how much I weigh, and when I told her she looked quite shocked as I took too many pills than was needed (for my weight). That can be quite taxing to the liver. She would also have my liver checked frequently by doing blood tests. So perhaps you have been kind of overdosing?
And I'm sorry if you covered this already: But I remember that your period came back at some point, right? Did it go away again when you were in ketosis or doing the ketogenic diet? Because ever since doing the low-carb/ketogenic diet I have experienced an absence of my period that would last for 5 to 6 months and then it would come back for a few months, and then would go away again (for another 5 to 6 months). I'm still keeping an eye on this, but so far it seems that it's cyclical. Maybe you were healing (slowly) from the ketogenic diet and things would have eventually balanced themselves out? But then again, your situation may be different than mine. I just thought I would put it out there.
Hugs!
G
Gertrudes
Guest
Oxajil said:
Yes, that's possible, I'm definitely not a heavy person.
On the plus side, the face swelling seems to have gone, and so as the brain fog. I don't want to resume taking hydrocortisone though, even at lower doses, the side effects were too pronounced for me to consider another try. And it sure is good to have my brain back :)
Oxajil said:
My period came back for one day, and one day only, in 2011. At the time I had just started taking 2 creams prescribed specifically for me by a specialist, one of bio identical progesterone and another of bio identical oestrogen. What is curious is that I had that one bleed on a day where I was very happy. Why am I mentioning this? Because in the past, when I first left my home country around 2003 my period stopped for 6 months, I think due to the stress of the change itself. It returned on new years' day, when I went back home and gathered with my friends whom I hadn't seen in a while. The one thing I remember was a feeling of pure joy, very similar to the one I had in 2011. The difference is that back in 2003, my cycle returned to normal, but not in 2011.
My period stopped in 2010 (during a phase of emotional and physical stress) before I was in ketosis, I must have entered ketosis in mid 2011, so even though I know some of you have experienced a stoppage after having entered ketosis, that wasn't the case with me.
G
Gertrudes
Guest
After my experience with the previous cortisol tablets reported above, I decided to further look into any possible adrenal issues and try some supplementation instead of going for the drug. Having read on it I became particularly cautious of the difference of under versus over producing cortisol, which often manifests similarly. So I decided to order a saliva cortisol test. Well, I just got the results and boy, am I glad I ordered the it.
My cortisol came out as too high, which I think explains why I reacted so badly to the pills. My body was probably overloaded with the excess, and therefore manifested symptoms more commonly associated with high doses of cortisol: brain fog, swelling, headaches, and weight gain: 2kg/4,4pounds in one single week.
My test results are below on the left column, normal range on the right for comparison:
My test results: Normal range:
Sample 1 Post Awakening 27.9 12 to 22
Sample 2 (+ 4 - 5 Hours) 12.0 5.0 to 9.0
Sample 3 (+ 4 - 5 Hours) 9.0 3.0 to 7.0
Sample 4 (Prior to Sleep) 6.7 1.0 to 3.0
Total Daily Cortisol 55.6 21 to 41
DHEA levels are found to be within normal range, although DHEA to cortisol ration is low due to cortisol being high.
The detailed report says:
There is also a commentary report with tips on how to address this.
My first step was going to be to cut out black tea. I do love it, but I'm not sure of whether the caffeine in it isn't making me hyper. However, I also found the following:
From:_http://www.livestrong.com/article/399239-diet-for-high-cortisol-levels/
Which contradicts what I would have expected, including what is advised to me on the commentary report that came with the results. I need to do a bit more research on this.
I also need to sleep more, definitely something to be addressed. I think that I have to be military about this, I love being awake, and have to drag myself to bed when it's already past sleeping time. No more being flaky though!
I'll research on supplementation for excess cortisol production as well.
I have no idea of whether my high is very high, or just a little bit high though. Should I be concerned?
Any other tips you all may have, if any, will also be very welcomed :)
My cortisol came out as too high, which I think explains why I reacted so badly to the pills. My body was probably overloaded with the excess, and therefore manifested symptoms more commonly associated with high doses of cortisol: brain fog, swelling, headaches, and weight gain: 2kg/4,4pounds in one single week.
My test results are below on the left column, normal range on the right for comparison:
My test results: Normal range:
Sample 1 Post Awakening 27.9 12 to 22
Sample 2 (+ 4 - 5 Hours) 12.0 5.0 to 9.0
Sample 3 (+ 4 - 5 Hours) 9.0 3.0 to 7.0
Sample 4 (Prior to Sleep) 6.7 1.0 to 3.0
Total Daily Cortisol 55.6 21 to 41
DHEA levels are found to be within normal range, although DHEA to cortisol ration is low due to cortisol being high.
The detailed report says:
There is also a commentary report with tips on how to address this.
My first step was going to be to cut out black tea. I do love it, but I'm not sure of whether the caffeine in it isn't making me hyper. However, I also found the following:
From:_http://www.livestrong.com/article/399239-diet-for-high-cortisol-levels/
Which contradicts what I would have expected, including what is advised to me on the commentary report that came with the results. I need to do a bit more research on this.
I also need to sleep more, definitely something to be addressed. I think that I have to be military about this, I love being awake, and have to drag myself to bed when it's already past sleeping time. No more being flaky though!
I'll research on supplementation for excess cortisol production as well.
I have no idea of whether my high is very high, or just a little bit high though. Should I be concerned?
Any other tips you all may have, if any, will also be very welcomed :)
G
Gertrudes
Guest
I'm also thinking that what I really need to address this, is something deeper then a just a few supplements. Adrenal unbalances happen for a reason which is often a consequence of one's lifestyle, and that's what I think I need to address.
Just read about magnesium's protecting role against high cortisol in the brain here: http://www.sott.net/article/260014-Magnesium-and-the-brain
The Mood Cure by Julia Ross addresses cortisol issues as well as the several tests available to test them. She says that it depends on the timing of high cortisol levels and has several recommendations including supplementation and further specific testing. Might be useful if the diet hasn't addressed this particular issue.
The Mood Cure by Julia Ross addresses cortisol issues as well as the several tests available to test them. She says that it depends on the timing of high cortisol levels and has several recommendations including supplementation and further specific testing. Might be useful if the diet hasn't addressed this particular issue.
G
Gertrudes
Guest
Thanks Psyche.
Yep, most of what I've been reading on the web mentions magnesium and, interestingly, I keep reading on the possible benefits of black tea to help lower cortisol. Something I'll keep exploring as it contradicts what I would initially expect.
From what I've been gathering lately, an adrenal unbalance starts with high levels of cortisol, which if continued, will eventually swing into the other extreme, becoming too low. At that stage, and again, if the situation is allowed to prolong itself, you're more likely to end up with adrenal fatigue and possibly a myriad of other problems.
I suspect that my cortisol might have been high for years. I don't know if that's possible (yet), but I sure am curious as to what my levels would have looked like 5 years ago.
In any case, I've upped my magnesium intake. I'm also gradually catching up with sleep, which is much easier now that I'm no longer taking driving lessons in the early morning.
Thank you also for the book suggestion. A few weeks ago I ordered the book: The Hormone cure by Dr. Sara Gottfried. The book was free and I only had to pay the shipping, so I decided to give it a go. I'll read this one first, and then proceed to The Mood Cure.
The connection between the adrenals with several other glands, and particularly the Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis is complex and can in no way be underestimated. It's actually quite fascinating to see the delicate balance and clear interdependence between many, if not all, of our body systems. The more I read, the bigger and deeper this whole issue becomes.
Yep, most of what I've been reading on the web mentions magnesium and, interestingly, I keep reading on the possible benefits of black tea to help lower cortisol. Something I'll keep exploring as it contradicts what I would initially expect.
From what I've been gathering lately, an adrenal unbalance starts with high levels of cortisol, which if continued, will eventually swing into the other extreme, becoming too low. At that stage, and again, if the situation is allowed to prolong itself, you're more likely to end up with adrenal fatigue and possibly a myriad of other problems.
I suspect that my cortisol might have been high for years. I don't know if that's possible (yet), but I sure am curious as to what my levels would have looked like 5 years ago.
In any case, I've upped my magnesium intake. I'm also gradually catching up with sleep, which is much easier now that I'm no longer taking driving lessons in the early morning.
Thank you also for the book suggestion. A few weeks ago I ordered the book: The Hormone cure by Dr. Sara Gottfried. The book was free and I only had to pay the shipping, so I decided to give it a go. I'll read this one first, and then proceed to The Mood Cure.
The connection between the adrenals with several other glands, and particularly the Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis is complex and can in no way be underestimated. It's actually quite fascinating to see the delicate balance and clear interdependence between many, if not all, of our body systems. The more I read, the bigger and deeper this whole issue becomes.