Living with hypopituitarism
in Health ·
Amy Palmer71 said:Hey!
I just caught your message...
My last one was much more optimistic than this one. Since then, I've been diagnosed with an ACTH deficiency, which means my cortisol levels in a 24-hour urine test are low. I had an ITT test and they put me on Hydrocortisone! My life hasn't been easy since. Aside from a quick two-month boost right after starting the Hydrocortisone, things have been terrible. My potassium drops because of the Hydrocortisone, and now my doctors are actually divided on whether I should even be taking it, since my cortisol wasn't completely non-existent. Now that I'm on Hydrocortisone, it feels like my pituitary gland just isn't working anymore...
I need to taper down, but how? I'm terrified it will just make everything worse...
I'm at 20 mg right now but I'm supposed to get down to 15. Of course, not all my doctors agree on that plan...
It's awful.
I really don't know what to do...
How many mg of Hydrocortisone are you on, how are you handling it, and which hospital are you seeing for follow-ups?
And honestly, I'm just constantly exhausted and totally drained.
Best regards,
I just wanted to share my experience with Hydrocortisone. Hopefully, this helps. I am also currently on 20mg (15+5), and I'm hoping to scale back soon. Essentially, I want to point out that Hydrocortisone is a steroid, and from what I understand, it heavily impacts the immune system—it can drop it by as much as 80%. Because of that, you really have to be careful.
Hang in there! Best,