u/probablynervouss

Hi all! I used to post here quite often, want to share my story and hopefully hear some feedback or from anyone who has experienced something similar. Im hoping this can help some of you too. Feel free to ask questions too!

How this started:

I struggled with pretty bad anxiety that had been managed by meds for years but in 2023 i had an extra stressful year and my SSRI was no longer helping my anxiety. My common symptoms included palpitations, shortness of breath, tension, headaches, shakiness, and so on. Then, after a really stressful year, I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in June 2024.

A couple months later, I had a really bad flare and was put on budesonide (a steroid), I started experiencing pretty severe fatigue around the taper. My inflammation was still elevated afterward, so I eventually needed prednisone (40 mg).
During the higher doses of prednisone, I actually got my energy back, but I was extremely anxious. Once I started tapering the prednisone, though, that’s when the fatigue became REALLY bad.
I was sleeping crazy amounts (sometimes up to 18 hours), had horrible brain fog and weakness, and basically felt like my body had completely crashed.

Because this happened around steroid use, I was evaluated for adrenal insufficiency. I had normal cortisol, ACTH, and an ACTH stimulation test, so endocrinology considered adrenal insufficiency ruled out. I also got extensive bloodwork done by my GI and a hematologist to rule out any other issues that could be causing fatigue, but I still felt awful.

Instead of steadily getting better, I started developing this weird cycle where I would have periods of feeling extremely energized but also very anxious, followed by a crash.

During a “wired” week or few days, I would have:
Tons of energy
A lot of anxiety
Palpitations
Shortness of breath
Even more difficulty sleeping

During a crash, I would have:
Extreme fatigue
Brain fog
Weakness/heavy feeling
Needing long naps
Very low tolerance for physical or mental activity
Regardless of all of this, I continued trying to keep up with school and enrolled part-time.

Meanwhile, I started seeing a naturopath who did salivary cortisol testing. My cortisol awakening response/free cortisol repeatedly looked low or abnormal, especially in the morning. This is when I started learning about the possibility of HPA-axis/circadian dysregulation rather than true Addison’s/adrenal insufficiency.

The protocol I was put on included:

Eating healthy fats and protein every 3 hours
Celtic sea salt
Multivitamin
High-dose vitamin C
Vitamin D
Omega-3s
Seriphos at night
Some other supplements for nervous system regulation
Pacing and resting as much as possible
(Im also on meds for anxiety + sleep, prescribed by a psychiatrist. I also take medication for my UC)

Eventually, I realized that the push/crash cycle wasn’t improving while I was in school. School was a lot of work and also a huge source of anxiety and stress for me. This past May, I finally decided to stop school for the time being.

Since stopping school, something interesting happened: the push/crash cycle changed. I stopped getting those periods where I was extremely wired and energized, and my anxiety improved SIGNIFICANTLY. Instead, I was basically exhausted all the time.

Around this point, my naturopath also put me on licorice root and adrenal cortex, which did give me more energy. The problem was that whenever I felt better, I would naturally start doing a little more, and then I would crash and end up bedbound again.
Eventually, I took it upon myself to really focus on pacing and preserving my energy when I felt better.
Instead of thinking, “I have energy today, let me take advantage of it,” I started doing the opposite. Even if I had more energy, I would limit myself and avoid doing anything too taxing.

With pacing, I’ve slowly started to see my energy improve. I’m no longer bedbound like I was in May/June/July. My life is still very limited and I barely leave my house, but there has definitely been progress, even though it has been slow.
I still have crashes, but they no longer leave me completely bedbound. I even managed to go to two concerts and didn’t end up bedbound afterward! They definitely caused a setback, but the fact that my body handled them better than it would have a few months ago still feels like progress.

Right now, I’m hoping that with time, pacing, and continuing my current protocol, my functional capacity will slowly increase and I’ll eventually be able to return to a normal life again.

Has anyone experienced anything similar, especially after steroids? What helped your fatigue improve? Interested in hearing your stories. Feel free to ask me questions too! (also! has anyone done HTMA testing? heard some good things about it and interested in doing it!)

TL;DR: Developed severe fatigue and a wired/crash cycle after a UC flare and steroid treatment. Adrenal insufficiency was ruled out, but salivary cortisol testing showed abnormal/low free cortisol patterns. I eventually became mostly housebound/bedbound and realized pushing myself whenever I had energy kept leading to crashes. Since stopping school, following a naturopathic protocol, and taking pacing seriously, I’ve slowly improved. I’m no longer bedbound and my crashes are less severe, but I still have a very limited functional capacity. Hoping that continuing to pace and gradually recover will eventually get me back to normal life.

Been supplementing vitamin D with Thorne vitamin D + K2 liquid drops for about a year and doing 20 drops as recommended by my functional doctor… Just checked my levels and vitamin D is still at 22. Same as before i started. Trying to optimize because i suffer with extreme fatigue. What do i do now?

Diagnosed with UC in 2024

looking for baby cockatiels

I have mild ulcerative colitis mostly located in my rectum diagnosed in June 2024, and when i flare my symptoms have been managed with budesonide pills or suppositories. I take 4 mesalamine pills and 2 mesalamine suppositories every day.

I’ve had two major flares since diagnosis and ive noticed this:

Budesonide helps my symptoms and brings down my inflammation to about 500, and i can survive with the occasional pain/ diarrhea/blood.

Prednisone brings my calprotectin super low to like 40, and definitely has been the best to reduce symptoms.

This is my issue: I wish I could just do a round of prednisone whenever I flare, but the truth is that i am still suffering from hormone dysregulation and extreme fatigue since using and tapering off prednisone two years ago. I even had really severe fatigue tapering budesonide pills prior and steroid use is something i really try to avoid. Steroids have ruined my quality of life.

Therefore, I am starting to believe that biologics might be the best option for me. I am not only looking to reduce symptoms, but I want to make sure my inflammation is under control to prevent my disease from progressing or developing cancer in the future.Are biologics the best option for controlling and preventing spread of inflammation ?

Ive had this conversation with my GI, but i want the insight of others and what they have been told and any knowledge yall might have. Thanks.

I have mild ulcerative colitis mostly located in my rectum diagnosed in June 2024, and when i flare my symptoms have been managed with budesonide pills or suppositories. I take 4 mesalamine pills and 2 mesalamine suppositories every day.

I’ve had two major flares since diagnosis and ive noticed this:

Budesonide helps my symptoms and brings down my inflammation to about 500, and i can survive with the occasional pain/ diarrhea/blood.

Prednisone brings my calprotectin super low to like 40, and definitely has been the best to reduce symptoms.

This is my issue: I wish I could just do a round of prednisone whenever I flare, but the truth is that i am still suffering from hormone dysregulation and extreme fatigue since using and tapering off prednisone two years ago. I even had really severe fatigue tapering budesonide pills prior and steroid use is something i really try to avoid. Steroids have ruined my quality of life.

Therefore, I am starting to believe that biologics might be the best option for me. I am not only looking to reduce symptoms, but I want to make sure my inflammation is under control to prevent my disease from progressing or developing cancer in the future.Are biologics the best option for controlling and preventing spread of inflammation ?

Ive had this conversation with my GI, but i want the insight of others and what they have been told and any knowledge yall might have. Thanks.

I recognize that my blood labs are normal and therefore i do not have adrenal insufficiency, but i am hoping to find someone who can give me advice as i am desperate**

i’ve been struggling with severe HPA dysfunction ever since coming off steroids about two years ago. I was on budesonide for like two months and then directly after that I was on prednisone (starting dose 40 mg) for a total of three months total since we did a slow taper due to my symptoms. This was for my ulcerative colitis. After tapering both steroids, I became bed bound with debilitating fatigue.

I did a total blood cortisol and acth, and ACTH stimulation test back in January 2025 and everything came back normal. Dismissed by 1st endocrinologist

I then looked for help from a naturopaths, which measured my free cortisol and determined that i have hpa dysfunction (or adrenal fatigue, which i understand is a poor name for the condition)

Went to see 2nd endocrinologist. ACTH was 28 and cortisol was 15.4 and TSH of 2.38 in March 2026. Showed him my free cortisol saliva test results. Told me that free cortisol testing wasnt used in conventional endocrinology and dismissed me.

the past year, i tried to push through by continuing nursing school part-time, but i eventually realized i was only getting worse. my pattern was days of feeling wired with adrenaline followed by weeks of crushing fatigue. this past may, i made the difficult decision to stop school because it became clear that the constant stress wasn’t allowing me to recover.

since then, one thing has definitely changed: my nervous system feels much calmer. the constant adrenaline surges have pretty much stopped, which i know is supposed to be a good sign. but instead, i’m left with overwhelming fatigue. i can barely string together good days anymore, and almost any activity seems to make me crash.

what confuses me is that i constantly read stories from people saying their crashes gradually became shorter and less severe over time. that just hasn’t been my experience. if anything, i feel like i’m stuck. i’m honestly at my wits’ end. i’ve been patient for so long, and this entire summer i’ve only had maybe two days where i actually felt well enough to enjoy life instead of being stuck in bed.

i’ve been doing everything i know to do:

-working with a naturopath who specializes in hpa dysfunction
- taking all of my recommended supplements, including vitamin c.
-taking licorice root and adrenal cortex.
- using celtic sea salt daily.
-keeping my blood sugar as stable as possible.
-following a hypoglycemia-friendly diet.
-trying to eat protein and healthy fats every 2–3 hours (this is the one i struggle with the most).
-removing almost every possible stressor from my life.
-meditating regularly.
- sleeping as much as possible. i sleep 10-12 hours each night and still feel awful
-going to therapy.
- getting massage therapy every two weeks to help with muscle tension.

i really feel like i’ve dedicated my life to healing, yet i don’t feel like i’m making any lasting progress. it’s incredibly discouraging.

Again, I recognize this is not something endocrinologists commonly diagnose or treat, yet I am posting this in hope for guidance as my current regimen isnt helping. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you

i’ve been struggling with severe adrenal fatigue ever since coming off steroids about two years ago. i tried to push through by continuing school part-time, but i eventually realized i was only getting worse. my pattern was days of feeling wired with adrenaline followed by weeks of crushing fatigue. this past may, i made the difficult decision to stop school because it became clear that the constant stress wasn’t allowing me to recover.

since then, one thing has definitely changed: my nervous system feels much calmer. the constant adrenaline surges have pretty much stopped, which i know is supposed to be a good sign. but instead, i’m left with overwhelming fatigue. i can barely string together good days anymore, and almost any activity seems to make me crash.

what confuses me is that i constantly read stories from people saying their crashes gradually became shorter and less severe over time. that just hasn’t been my experience. if anything, i feel like i’m stuck. i’m honestly at my wits’ end. i’ve been patient for so long, and this entire summer i’ve only had maybe two days where i actually felt well enough to enjoy life instead of being stuck in bed.

i’ve been doing everything i know to do:

-working with a naturopath who specializes in adrenal fatigue
- taking all of my recommended supplements, including vitamin c.
-taking licorice root and adrenal cortex.
- using celtic sea salt daily.
-keeping my blood sugar as stable as possible.
-following a hypoglycemia-friendly diet.
-trying to eat protein and healthy fats every 2–3 hours (this is the one i struggle with the most).
-removing almost every possible stressor from my life.
-meditating regularly.
- sleeping as much as possible. i sleep 10-12 hours each night and still feel awful
-going to therapy.
- getting massage therapy every two weeks to help with muscle tension.

i really feel like i’ve dedicated my life to healing, yet i don’t feel like i’m making any lasting progress. it’s incredibly discouraging.

has anyone else experienced something similar, where the adrenaline symptoms improved but the debilitating fatigue seemed to linger months after without improvement ? did things eventually get better for you?

i’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s been through something like this, or any advice or encouragement you have.

i’ve been struggling with severe adrenal fatigue ever since coming off steroids about two years ago. i tried to push through by continuing school part-time, but i eventually realized i was only getting worse. my pattern was days of feeling wired with adrenaline followed by weeks of crushing fatigue. this past may, i made the difficult decision to stop school because it became clear that the constant stress wasn’t allowing me to recover.

since then, one thing has definitely changed: my nervous system feels much calmer. the constant adrenaline surges have pretty much stopped, which i know is supposed to be a good sign. but instead, i’m left with overwhelming fatigue. i can barely string together good days anymore, and almost any activity seems to make me crash.

what confuses me is that i constantly read stories from people saying their crashes gradually became shorter and less severe over time. that just hasn’t been my experience. if anything, i feel like i’m stuck. i’m honestly at my wits’ end. i’ve been patient for so long, and this entire summer i’ve only had maybe two days where i actually felt well enough to enjoy life instead of being stuck in bed.

i’ve been doing everything i know to do:

-working with a naturopath who specializes in adrenal fatigue
- taking all of my recommended supplements, including vitamin c.
-taking licorice root and adrenal cortex.
- using celtic sea salt daily.
-keeping my blood sugar as stable as possible.
-following a hypoglycemia-friendly diet.
-trying to eat protein and healthy fats every 2–3 hours (this is the one i struggle with the most).
-removing almost every possible stressor from my life.
-meditating regularly.
- sleeping as much as possible. i sleep 10-12 hours each night and still feel awful
-going to therapy.
- getting massage therapy every two weeks to help with muscle tension.

i really feel like i’ve dedicated my life to healing, yet i don’t feel like i’m making any lasting progress. it’s incredibly discouraging.

has anyone else experienced something similar, where the adrenaline symptoms improved but the debilitating fatigue seemed to linger months after without improvement ? did things eventually get better for you?

i’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s been through something like this, or any advice or encouragement you have.

Came across it accidentally and decided to give it a chance and im so glad i did but im so sad realizing its actually a few years old and wont be coming back. I was actually laughing in every episode. anyone got any recommendations similar to it???

I’ve watched a lot of Maggie Sterling’s videos, and from what I’ve gathered:

the core message is to teach your nervous system that it’s safe, stop trying to control or eliminate your symptoms, and stop treating your nervous system like it’s the problem. She emphasizes building your capacity to tolerate stress rather than avoiding it, and that using regulation tools solely to get rid of symptoms can actually reinforce the fear cycle and keep those symptoms going.

About two months ago, I stopped working and going to school because of some other health issues. Since then, I do feel like my nervous system has calmed down and is no longer in a constant state of sensitization. However, as I’ve started reintroducing stressor (such as medical appointments, family stress, and other responsibilities), I’ve noticed my anxiety beginning to return. My goal is to eventually return to work and normal life, so I want to use this time to continue healing my anxiety, especially since work used to be one of my biggest triggers.

I’m trying to figure out whether Maggie’s Soft Regulation course would genuinely offer more than what I’ve already learned from her free YouTube content, or if it would mostly be a repetition of the same concepts. I’ve found her videos helpful, but they can feel repetitive, so I’m wondering if the paid course goes deeper with practical application or if I’d essentially be paying for information I already understand.

Thanks everyone!

I’ve watched a lot of Maggie Sterling’s videos, and from what I’ve gathered:

the core message is to teach your nervous system that it’s safe, stop trying to control or eliminate your symptoms, and stop treating your nervous system like it’s the problem. She emphasizes building your capacity to tolerate stress rather than avoiding it, and that using regulation tools solely to get rid of symptoms can actually reinforce the fear cycle and keep those symptoms going.

About two months ago, I stopped working and going to school because of some other health issues. Since then, I do feel like my nervous system has calmed down and is no longer in a constant state of sensitization. However, as I’ve started reintroducing stressor (such as medical appointments, family stress, and other responsibilities), I’ve noticed my anxiety beginning to return. My goal is to eventually return to work and normal life, so I want to use this time to continue healing my anxiety, especially since work used to be one of my biggest triggers.

I’m trying to figure out whether Maggie’s Soft Regulation course would genuinely offer more than what I’ve already learned from her free YouTube content, or if it would mostly be a repetition of the same concepts. I’ve found her videos helpful, but they can feel repetitive, so I’m wondering if the paid course goes deeper with practical application or if I’d essentially be paying for information I already understand.

Thanks everyone!

I’ve watched a lot of Maggie Sterling’s videos, and from what I’ve gathered:

the core message is to teach your nervous system that it’s safe, stop trying to control or eliminate your symptoms, and stop treating your nervous system like it’s the problem. She emphasizes building your capacity to tolerate stress rather than avoiding it, and that using regulation tools solely to get rid of symptoms can actually reinforce the fear cycle and keep those symptoms going.

About two months ago, I stopped working and going to school because of some other health issues. Since then, I do feel like my nervous system has calmed down and is no longer in a constant state of sensitization. However, as I’ve started reintroducing stressor (such as medical appointments, family stress, and other responsibilities), I’ve noticed my anxiety beginning to return. My goal is to eventually return to work and normal life, so I want to use this time to continue healing my anxiety, especially since work used to be one of my biggest triggers.

I’m trying to figure out whether Maggie’s Soft Regulation course would genuinely offer more than what I’ve already learned from her free YouTube content, or if it would mostly be a repetition of the same concepts. I’ve found her videos helpful, but they can feel repetitive, so I’m wondering if the paid course goes deeper with practical application or if I’d essentially be paying for information I already understand.

Thanks everyone!

I started dealing with sleeping anxiety in college and eventually I started taking Ambien along with other sedating meds and I really find it hard to get to sleep unless I’m fully sedated. I feel that the typical suggestions to turn off electronics and have a good bedtime routine are counterintuitive for people with sleeping anxiety. What has helped you actually feel sleepy and get to bed without having to knock yourself out with meds??

during my undergraduate degree, I started dealing with severe anxiety about my grades and performing well, which then became stable as I got medicated. Unfortunately, the anxiety became so severe in grad school to the point where I ended up leaving the program. this just made my fear of not performing well and not being capable 1 billion times worse. I switched programs and am graduating nursing school soon and I’m wondering, if you have been able to overcome performance anxiety, or this underlying belief that you are not smart or capable, how did you manage to do so ?I do well in classes, and did amazing in the healthcare field when my medicine took away my anxiety, but unfortunately now the underlying anxiety from my past gets in the way of my performance at times. I can’t help a fear not being a good nurse. any advice appreciated:)

Those of you have been able to overcome getting into fight or flight when facing a triggering situation, how have you done it? I try to accept that im anxious BUT safe, yet nothing makes me feel safe. Is it a good idea to maybe take a benzo in a situation like this temporarily for a while to teach my body that im actually safe? I feel triggered when in medical offices or when i need to speak to a doctor.

Hi, i did one session of EMDR once and i want to describe my experience.

It was a virtual therapy session. Basically the therapist put a triggering word for me on the screen, which for me was “college.” Along with this word, there was a circle going left and right on the screen, which I had to follow with my eyes. It got faster and faster and then slower. Then, instead of doing this to the word college, she had me do it to a relaxing picture of a beach. I was wondering, what was your EMDR experience??? I hear that this has been so helpful for many, so i really want it to help me deal with past traumatic experiences, but this whole experience felt goofy and unhelpful.

Insights?? Thanks guys :)