u/MrStellaMontis

Im struggling with one sided sinus pain headaches and a nostril that is struggling to breathe and really bad fatigue. Ive been on a lower dose of hydrocortisone 12.5mg and was wondering if i should try going up to help. I got really hot to touch yesterday but had a normal temp? so i updosed to 30mg.

Its been 7 weeks ive had these issues and my gp is hard to deal with as they said a steroid inhaler is the only thing they can do to help. I explained that i have secondary adrenal insufficiency and how i dont know how that will work. Said she cant prescribe inhalers without speaking to my endocrinologist about the date of my day curve which its been a month and i haven’t had a date come through after speaking to them at the hospital.

Funny thing is i went into the pharmacy and asked for something and they just threw the inhaler at me which i used and ceased using after learning it might not be best with my condition. This was before i had a chat with that particular GP. I had already been moaning on the phone that i was struggling to breathe with another GP which i since changed from. (Wouldn’t even give me my meds on repeat)

Any advice would be appreciated and i hope you are all doing okay!!

After a few bits of research i found out that opioids can induce AI!

I did my bloods with 40mg oxycodone running through me! (the extended release ones)

Not only that i had been using codeine since my head injury heavily through recovery and on and off over the years and just before diagnosis i was struggling from nerve pain from My long thoracic nerve (injured) so i was using oxycodone and codeine to manage the pain (about the last 6 months my shoulder has been acting up)

I initially thought it could of been my steroid inhaler but after further inspection (not that many puffs used) and it being mostly a seasonal thing it wasn’t really long term

I also had a mri after injury which showed nothing and my hormones since stopping oxycodone testosterone have gone from 9.4 to 18.3 uk weird lab numbers, and unfortunately ive been diagnosed off a blood test
And not been offered a ACTH Stim test to see if my adrenals are working? Instead a day curve and a trial of pred. Which has now led me too really be struggling on HC. I initially tried up dosing but i would get all the classic symptoms of low/high cortisol

Ive now down dosed slowly to about 15mg a day sometimes 12.5mg because i split em up and sometimes forget

I have never felt better while on HC?
My brain fog has significantly gone down and i actually can move around without feeling like im underwater!

My problem is that im in the uk and asides from the codeine i didn’t get oxycodone on script (not that i care) it just never was stated at any point this could be the cause? Shocking to be fair, when i was in a&e he simply said any steroids stopped abruptly! Awkward convo with my endo incoming!

Anybody uk got it on the nhs or im i better off just booking a 9am cortisol elsewhere?

First set of blood work cortisol 9am 25 and acth of 5 my testosterone was tanked at 9.4

Was in a steep calorie deficit also near adrenal crisis

Ive done a second test (not cortisol)
last monday since been at maintenance and being a surplus since starting hydro and my testosterone is now 18.3

Im confused on whats going on to be fair and what caused my SAI, initially when i was asked if i had used any steroids i completely forgot about my asthma inhaler which i have used on and off for years as i get seasonal asthma quite bad, is this a possible cause? I used to use double the dose on the damn thing and would only use it when i would get really bad wheezing throughout the winter. I also had a bas head injury (frontal sinus fracture) 3 years back but i was doing just fine in regards to energy and living my life post recovery i was even working again after 8 weeks

Ever since ive been on HC i have been so fatigued, ive got a day curve test booked will this be able to rule out if im being over replaced and has anyone been in this situation because of a steroid inhaler?

Ive literally gone from being on my feet 7 days a week training martial arts gym to struggling to get up from my seat and getting light headed when i even stand up?
Been offered to try pred but these steroids haven’t made me feel better to be fair my sleep is even dialled in now

Turboinhaler symbicot

Anybody had experience with this compared to injections

I asked about the injections but my endo kept saying some mumbo jumbo about have a baseline of test to start and doing 3 cycles to stabilise…. Is this correct

We are going off a test i took that diagnosed me with a adrenal insufficiency i took the test that day with about a hours sleep and a few oxys in my system to help me handle my nerve pain

Test was 9.4 and 12.7 although these was also on the afternoon

Igf-1 was on the higher end of normal and other hormones sbg fsh, etc were ok besides acth and cortisol and test
I cant seem to find the free test result on the nhs bloods but i spoke to my endo about it and she said it was also low i think? Now i repeated the bloods at 8am yesterday and im awaiting results (fully rested and drug free besides from my hydrocortisone i take for my Adrenal insufficiency)

Asides from Cortisol to keep me alive

My bloods showed tanked acth Test and cortisol

This was from a 1-3 tests with only one covering acth and test

Will be doing a other test just to confirm the first ones were done via nhs which lacked a few hormones (free test, gh)

And also how does one go down this route
How do i get this confirmed? Ive seen some even get a mri and it show no damage yet the pituitary is clearly struggling

Broad question but i have a background in jiu jitsu and frankly am a fanatic was wondering if anyone had experience with meds and working around AI while training

I love grappling and wont stop until i cant anymore ive trained after my head injury and undiagnosed AI for a year or so

Hence why i had to stop i could feel my performance cardio and strength declining, this then led to my blood test results of AI

One i cant wrap my head around is a way to water fast while taking hydro. I usually do these occasionally to give my digestive system a rest but with hydro you have to eat? Not sure about the other meds but hydro is defo a stomachache taken without adequate food.

are 24hour fasts off the table?

I was given hydrocortisone 10 5 5 for suspected adrenal insufficiency ive only had 2-3 blood tests and they was at the same time one barely rested at 9am (1 hour sleep before) i have horrible insomnia and one the next day

Ever since starting hydrocortisone i feel worse than i ever did

I tried speaking to the nhs but they are no help honestly i explained the increase of fatigue and of every other symptom since starting hydrocortisone a month ago but they dont really care

I had the symptoms before i asked for the blood tests to a much lesser degree and i much

And my acth was low during test 2 which indicates secondary i had a head injury around 3 years ago and thats when it started

Basically what im saying is i survived without help for years and felt better

Worse case i got my emergency kit im not taking hc tabs and i woke up at 7:31 pm today 😭😭 clearly my insomina is not benefiting from then either

Infact it got worse

(UPDATE)
Got lightheaded along with a crazy headache about 5-6 hours in so i just took 20mg hc followed by a decent amount of sugars and i felt a lot better

Did a blood test and got a hospital admittance from it. Showed extremely low cortisol and low acth Now i have had a head injury that might of contributed but i also take 2mg klonezpam daily before discovery. Ive tried stopping and a small taper but didnt work. I was wondering is the the main suspect for my suspected adrenal insufficiency and should i even be on hydro cortisol if the 9am test i did was affected by klonezpam i get them not on script so im not comfortable talking to my doc about em (nhs)

Anyone had any experience with adrenal insufficiency due to clonazepam

One i say i have freaky legs and freaky shoulders i do. My shoulders luckily are the least vascular of the top sites and unfortunately my quads look like a spider web.

Anyway i cant wrap my head around the quad shot for emergency kits i think maybe i could do the shoulder one but the needle seems way too long surely i could use a insulin syringe instead for my shredded delt. Anyone at a lower body fat dealt with this im just terrified of hitting a vein if come to.

Took my 10mg after being up all night in the morning woke iup at 3

How do i dose around insomnia
Has anyone been able to do this

Long story short im on hydrocortisone for my bloods coming up at 25mnol/l cortisol

I suffer from insomina and still haven’t heard from the endo team (nhs) about any steriod education or follows up even though i have chased and chased (especially after hearing i might need a jab to bring me back)

Question of today asides from the recent finding the insomina has me up 2 days sometimes do j still take my 9-10am dose as regular as well as the other two 5s

Test result was 12.5 i barely slept before the bloods so maybe thats why for the test at 9am but next day 8am ambulance outside my house to take me a and e. For extremely low cortisol 25mnol/L im on hydro now and feel kinda better

Now im gonna keep it as brief as can

Im very active when i can be im talking 3-4 BJJ sessions a week accompanied by weight training and conditioning. Im 25 6’2 about 81kg and im a shredded 81 with barely any bf maybe 15 ish. But i did the bloods due to my fatigue skyrocketing and sleep once again being recked bowel issues and low libido… kinda sucks getting all the chicks but no feeling to act on them haha 😭😭😭😭

How would i go about getting the hormone private or etc im in UK?

Edit my test was 12.5 just over the min at 12

I have a lot of muscle and have great strength and explosiveness kinda confused

Edit i did get a massive head injury in 2023 during a street fight where i was defending my friends depressed skull fracture of the frontal sinus left side since then ive managed to come back even stronger than before lord knows how but the damage is still for life i read online about this getting your testosterone levels aswell long term effects from head injurys.

25mnol to be exact is this hydrocortisone gonna tank my gains

No peds test anything else but just reta on a bulk. Can someone share their experiences with this? I understand some of you might not be the young 20 to late 20s packed with the natural good stuff but as someone who is in this range im just curious as i only see people running peds using it for lean bulk purposes

And please non of the its a weight loss drug bs we know that but my insulin sensitivity completely fixed from reta and I wasn’t even obese i was just trying to see my abs and it did both now im at the point fueling my training sessions with simple carbs that once would of sent me to sleep literally before was like a no go would have to carb up the day before for my heavy lifts it was that bad. (Not that im not doing that now) i just get whack to some honey or sum aswell pre workout or training

I was a fat kid sugar fucked me from like 5 till my 20s while i now enjoy fitness combat sports and other sugary activities