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low cortisol level

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 5/22/2020 7:21 AM (GMT -5)
i have tested my cortisol level. My cortisol level is very low, but i take 10 mg medrol ( it is like predinsone) so in this way it is very strange to me. my value ~80 and minimum of cortisol is 165. When i dont take medrol i am always very tired i lie in the bed whole day. furthermore my dhea hormon level is very low. i was at endrcronologist. Maybe i have adrenal problem and it causes colitis ? it can be possible?
Posted 5/22/2020 8:00 AM (GMT -5)
How long have you taken medrol?
It's likely you have adrenal suppression. Since the body makes at least 10mg per day (more when you are stressed) you are probably barely keeping up with what you need..

I think adrenal problems have come from taking medrol, not any cause of UC.
Posted 5/22/2020 11:26 AM (GMT -5)
ok it is correct. but if my adrenal is not working well i dont have enough cortisol and if i dont have enough cortisol my body can have inflamination? i have addional indlamination on my teeth.
Posted 5/22/2020 1:50 PM (GMT -5)
How long have you been on medrol? If you have been taking it a long time, then your body has lost the ability to make cortisol.It can take a long time for your body to start making it again,
I've been off pred for a week or two, and I have been having brutal headaches. I will likely feel crappy for another few months until my cortisol level starts to go back up.
Posted 5/22/2020 5:16 PM (GMT -5)
in the last year i was on 12 mg in whole year...what can i do to produce cortisol again...?we try to decrease medrol very very slowly 2 mg/ 2 two weeks but if i can not produce cortisol then every medicine will be not effective to me...ahh... i think my colitis can disappear if my cortisol would me normal...
Posted 5/22/2020 10:30 PM (GMT -5)
Yes it's tricky. It might take weeks or months before your adrenal glands recover. They will recover.
During that time you need to have another medication or treatment to keep your inflammation down....

Don't stress over it... you can find a way.
Posted 5/23/2020 8:09 AM (GMT -5)
First of all let me say that I have no knowledge or experience about low cortisol, but over the years I have seen at least a dozen threads discussing licorice to recharge adrenals.

If you search in HW for 'cortisol licorice' you will find some of those threads from others who have the same problem. Or perhaps a general Google search outside of HW.

I have no idea if any of this is valid so please consult with your doctor. I know that ordinary licorice has been known to increase blood pressure so it is contraindicated if you have hypertension. DGL, or de-glycyrrhizinated licorice, is available with the glycyrrhizin which raises blood pressure is removed. But I don't know if DGL is still effective modulating cotisol, or for that matter if any licorice is effective.

I would consult with your doctor.
Posted 5/23/2020 8:28 AM (GMT -5)
Please do not take licorice! It reduces the conversion of cortisol to cortisone. It can cause many unwanted side effects.
Posted 5/24/2020 4:16 AM (GMT -5)
what is the different between cortisol and cortison?
Posted 5/24/2020 5:32 AM (GMT -5)
That's a very good (and very complex) question!

Cortisol is the active hormone produced by the adrenal glands. It is metabolized (by enzymes) into cortisone in the body, which is the inactive form. That inactive cortisone in the body can also convert back to cortisol. In the body, cortisone is also a natural substance - not to be confused with synthetic cortisone.
So there is always a balance between cortisol and cortisone. Cortisol can activate mineralocorticoid receptors, whereas cortisone cannot.

People produce cortisol (and cortisone) in greatly varying amounts.

The synthetic cortisone that is given to patients affects the balance between cortisol and cortisone. It rapidly subdues inflammation, but also has many unwanted side effects, including potentially causing a shutdown of natural cortisol production.
Posted 5/24/2020 7:34 AM (GMT -5)
aha i thought that when i take medrol i take cortisol and my cortisol level is low it means i doent eat enough cortisol with medrol. and this the reason why i can not handle the inflaminations in my body.
but as i see that i have low cortisol level does not mean when i produce normal amount of cortisol and cortisol level will be normal then the inflamination go away.
because now maybe i have enough cortiSON in my body which equal with cortiSOL but i can not measure the cortiSON level...

OMG.
Posted 5/24/2020 1:44 PM (GMT -5)
Hambo,

I didn't mean to confuse you.

You are only taking enough medrol to cover the amount you would normally make.
But when you have stress, or inflammation you need a lot more.
Because you've taken medrol for a long time you have probably stopped making cortisol, suppressing your normal production.

Try not to overthink. Inflammation is caused by UC. Your colon is inflamed. You need to get the inflammation down. Your cortisol levels are low because you have been taking medrol for a long time, and you have inflammation.

It isn't simple. Many people try taking high levels of cortisone, but you can't take it long term without causing damage. Talk with your doctor about this.
Posted 5/24/2020 8:56 PM (GMT -5)
You might have to do a very slow taper over a very long period of time. Do you have access to an endocrinologist for a consult?
If you've been taking steroids for over a year, then it may take a full year to recover your ability to produce yourself.
Posted 5/24/2020 9:27 PM (GMT -5)
I struggle with secondary adrenal fatigue. What that means is I was on high dose steroids long enough it affected my abilty to make enough. There are some crossover symptoms for me that mimic uc symptoms. I will have an increase in abdominal pain, greater difficulty going to the bathroom even though I am not constipated, and at times an increase in frequency. While it can affect, it does not cause my inflammation in my gut. My GI has me working on tapering only when I am not having mucous or bleeding as I am down to less than 5 mg of hydrocortisone a day. Hang in there, though, it is a long journey.
Posted 5/25/2020 1:26 PM (GMT -5)
My husband was on prednisone for several years and when he finally tapered off, he was pretty sick because his adrenal gland wasn't working well.

He saw an endocrinologist who put him on hydrocortisone, which is in your system for a shorter period of time than prednisone so it is easier to manage cortisol levels. This will enable to you to mimic what the adrenal gland should be doing -- this should help get the adrenal gland going again. It probably took almost a year slowly tapering off the hydrocortisone, and everything was fine.

An endocrinologist can help sort out the cortisol level issue -- the GIs who put people on prednisone long term don't seem to have a good understanding of the issues associated with taper.

However -- if you are still having UC symptoms and the medrol is helping with that, if you can tolerate it you may need to stay on it while you try to get the symptoms under control.
Posted 5/26/2020 1:46 PM (GMT -5)
and maybe it can possible that lack of cortisol cause colon problem and maybe inflaminations in my body ?because before this time when i did not took amy prednisone then i had teeth inflamination in my mounth...
this is a question.

Suzy: what was your was your normal amount of prednisone when your husband feel good himself? and after what was your normal amount of hidrocortisol?
Posted 5/26/2020 1:50 PM (GMT -5)
Spring: your symtoms was because of your adrenal fatigue? because you had low cortisol level?
what was your hidrocortisone quantity with you felt yourself well? and what was your medrol quantity whith you were well and how long time?
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