Hi
1. Regarding yesterday, is it normal to experience a dose wearing off? Is this an individual thing? Because I have no plans to exceed 5-10mg a day, but I was just wondering how a lower dose can help the entire day vs. people who need to dose 20mg+ divided up every few hours. Is it because these people more likely have Addison's/adrenal insufficiency and can't produce cortisol at any point, whereas I more likely just have low cortisol due to CFS (and therefore the HC upon waking might help 'kickstart' things)?
Yes it is normal to experience the dose wearing off. It is so with most hormones, just think of insuline (carb sleepyness).
With hydrocortisone I experience it in 1,5 hours the first half of the day and this lengthens during the day.
The time of day when you take it influences whether you experience it hard or soft.
That you experience it at all is useful information. Unfortunately I can't help you interpret this knowledge atm. But it gives cause to think about what base level you naturally have; is the dose replacing a shortage and is the slinking back to suboptimal levels causing the feeling of wearing off? or are you overfeeding the system and crashing hard after a peak and does that cause the feeling? (analogue to a sugar peak and then wanting to snack more). I dunno. At least you know there's an effect.
2. Do the effects of HC supplementation change over time? Is it possible there are just early side-effects? Regarding the POTS/rocking feeling/fog, what I've wondered is whether it's possible it's physically relaxing me and lowering adrenaline, and maybe exposing these problems, which do get worse in a 'relaxed' state? Or exposing some other requirement? I know some people take Fludrocortisone alongside HC.
Effects of HC are dependent on day, temperature of the weather, your stress levels, how hard your stomach has to work (fat and protein digestion), time of day, whether you're feeling cold etc.
What also might occur is that your system is put into gear by the HC (your digestion, your waste removal, your bowels) but you still have a blocked waste route. Analogue to people taking vitamin B12 but not having chelated heavy metals or taking care of their liver detox phases.
Taking HC will likely increase cholesterol (after all, you're replacing the stuff your body makes of cholesterol) and the body needs to rid itself of cholesterol and discarded hormonal remnants, via gall and poop. If your liver and gall aren't functioning right the waste is not transported out. This remaining waste taxes the system. I.e. causes the body stress and causes brain fog.
Another cause of brain fog is heavy metals. These might come loose due to the HC? this is a though I just had.
I know Copper loosens up and starts floating around the brain when you take Zinc.
I know HC influences brain chemistry.
Again, your body must be able to clear the waste otherwise the waste will interfere with normal cell functioning.
I take Fludro, it's for ridiculous low blood pressure. Fludrocortisone = Aldosterone = mineral corticosteroid.
HC = gluco corticosteroid. Both are produced in the adrenals and are made from Cholesterol --> Progesteron --> corticosteroids.
3. I tried to search this but couldn't find much information, but is there a relationship between HC and things like food intolerances, MCAS etc.? Just curious because I'm continuing eating 'bad' foods like peanut butter because I don't want to put my body in a zero carb state, especially while trying the HC, but just wondering if these intolerances could improve at all.
I get massively nauseous when my HC is too low. (logic: stomach acid is governed by cortisol. Not enough cortisol = not enough acid = hard to digest proteins and fats). But you're not talking about nausea, are you?
Cortisol dampens the immune system. With not enough cortisol your immune system will behave like a diva and trigger on a lot of things. Perhaps on foodstuff too?
Stress stimulates cortisol. Stressed people get vulnerable to virus infections because their high cortisol dampens their immune system.
(unless they are on their way to a burn out, then their cortisol levels are erratic)
I figure that taking HC dampens the immune system so if you take more than your body needs the immune system may not trigger massively on foods like it did before.
Are you intolerant to peanut butter?
So, taking HC while you are in one of the adrenal fatigue stages mentioned by dr. Selye gives so much variables that it's hard to connect one thing to just one other thing.
There are so any variables. You are like a blindfolded man trying to identify instruments while the whole orchestra is tooting. But as long as the whole lot doesn't crash trough the stage floor you're doing ok.
