Hi Jende:
I personally think that Wilson's Protocol woud be horribly stressful for someone with adrenal issues who isn't being treated. Just as small amount of T3 made me hyper.
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wcollier, does Cortef contain cortisol? Do you have your saliva levels monitored for cortisol? How about DHEA? I'm asking because I am terrified of taking hormones but I'm starting to think I'm never going to get better just allowing them to "rest". Besides, I don't know if they actually are resting considering sleep is the impossible dream for me. Did you try the glandulars and herbal things and find them useless?
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Yes, Cortef contains hydrocortisone, but in much smaller doses than Prednisone. Prednisone is 5 times more powerful, so you get the idea that cortef is used very safely.
I had saliva tests that showed me borderline AF, but my symptoms were SCREAMING AF, especially when I was put on thyroid therapy and couldn't tolerate small doses. So I don't have a lot of faith in any of the tests. I've had one blood test since starting and my levels are in the normal range, they aren't high. My DHEA levels were very low. I'm currently on 25mg of DHEA and 20mg of Cortef.
I totally understand what you say about sleep. I hate taking medications, but I was forced to take hypnotics for a number of months. Without sleep, you're chasing your tail and you'll never heal. Best to bite the bullet and work on getting to sleep, even if it means chemically-induced. It's the only time I'll take drugs (of course, hormones aren't drugs).
There's a natural product in the US (it used to be sold in HFS) called Xyrem that you can take. It's the best sleep aid, but it's controlled b/c it was the "date rape" drug. If you can get it, it's great. However, it's very expensive if you don't have a plan.
I'd been trying to get "healthy" for 4 years. I'd been on a candida diet, low carb diets to control my hypoglycemia, SPII to help my adrenals, a boat load of supplements, you name it. Then my throid went. I was
getting better, but not completely better. Maybe that's why my cortisol levels came back borderline b/c I was a lot better than I used to be 4 years ago. But it just wasn't getting the job done. When I went on thyroid therapy, all hell broke loose and my Fibromyalgia came back. I was a mess from starting thyroid therapy with poor functioning adrenals.
I tried Isocort, which is adrenal cortex glandular, but they gave me urgent diarrhea. I'm not a huge fan of glandulars b/c they can cause problems, but they're an option for people who can't get Cortef.
I wouldn't be afraid of taking hormones if your body needs them. What's bad is taking hormones when you DON'T need them b/c balance is so important. Low is just as bad as high.
You can't imagine the relief I feel that I was given the opportunity to try Cortef. My life would still be miserable without it.