Im not a huge fan of prednisone and it's side effects so I haven't taken it yet. -- Any insight from fellow sufferers would be appreciated. Thanks!
@goodfella032 -- Because of my own health history of adrenal insufficiency, I've done extensive research on the body's cortisol levels, and how they're impacted by various steroid medications. Here's a quick review of some of my baseline understanding:
The body normally makes ~40 mg of cortisol/day. Most steroid medications such as Prednisone are altered and revved up versions of the body's own cortisol molecular structure. Every mg. of those medications is roughly equivalent to about 4x the body's natural cortisol. So if you're given a dose of lets say 50 mg. prednisone, that would be equivalent to 200 mg. of natural cortisol. That's a lot, roughly 5x more than your body produces in a day.
If you continue taking that for too long, the body's adrenal glands will quit producing cortisol altogether. However, if you take less than 40 mg., (called low-dose hydrocortisone therapy), the adrenal glands will not shutdown down, but will reduce cortisol output depending on the needs of the body. I myself have been doing low-dose hydrocortisone (10-20 mg/day) for many years, with no problems.
The body normally responds to any kind of injury by increasing its normal levels of cortisol to facilitate the healing process. My best guess is it's rarely the equivalent of 200 mg, but I could be wrong. The point I'm getting to however, is that I believe it's safer to do relatively low-dose bioidentical cortisol than to do the artificially created revved up versions. BTW, each of those steroidal medications have a different molecular structure, not because they're superior, but because it allows pharma companies to have their own particular patent.
How much bioidentical cortisol to take? Based on my experiences, if I feel my body needs some extra oomph, I will increase my normal low-dose hydrocortisone. I've experimented a lot, and can easily take a total of 30-40 mg with good results. On a few occasions, I've taken 70-80 mg. for 3-5 days, again with good results (and no ill effects). It's a fair amount, but it appears to be less than normal prednisone prescriptions, and almost assuredly much safer. It also feels like it's in line with what the body might do naturally to help a healing process.
I have my own prescription of hydrocortisone (called Cortef). However, it's a relatively benign "drug" that can be purchased from online pharmacies without a prescription (at least it used to be available). If I was in a position where I was seriously contemplating temporarily increasing my cortisol levels, I would opt for the bioidentical cortisol over the souped up pharmaceutical versions. It would give me a lot more control, and the risks of side effects would be much less.
Has anyone had success with any natural anti-inflammatory options like Turmeric, etc?
High dose Vit. C may be a possible alternative. I read this past week of people taking high doses shortly after acoustic trauma, and getting good results. I can see where it could quickly reduce inflammation, perhaps scavenge free radicals, and perhaps other things as well. I think other things could also be helpful, such as turmeric, curcumin, gingko biloba, etc. But as far as something that may have steroidal type properties, high dose Vit. C is probably the most potent.
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