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Anyone taking Cortef?

helsbells

Senior Member
Messages
302
Location
UK
I had some difficult symptoms of immune hyperactivation, along with immune suppression (?). I believe I've heard it's an natural killer cell thing many ME/CFS patients have.

My ME/CFS doc prescribed Cortef, which did cut down some on the "reacting to everything". Not a huge improvement, but helpful. When a different ME/CFS doc prescribed Valcyte, he discontinued the Cortef. The hyper-reactivity hasn't returned.

Dunno if that helps any, but that's my experience. ;)

Oh i have this in the fridge to try sickofcfs, i didn't realise it helped reactions as I am reacting massively to stuff at the moment I will give it a try although as I reacting massively to everything at the mo i may not be able to tolerate ;)But worth a try
 

Sing

Senior Member
Messages
1,782
Location
New England
Hi Everyone,

I use a low dose of Cortef to good effect on both my energy and immune system. This whole subject has been gone into at great length earlier on. Maybe if you search in the old threads and posts under "cortisol", you will find those very extensive discussions. I don't want to repeat myself another time, so I will leave it at that--

Sing
 

Sing

Senior Member
Messages
1,782
Location
New England
I should add to my post above that Cortef (cortisol) is a serious drug, a powerful hormone with many effects, which is very helpful to those who need it and very harmful to those who don't. I would never recommend anyone taking it without a doctor's prescription and careful monitoring.

Sing
 

alice1

Senior Member
Messages
457
Location
Toronto
a friend with cfs was on low dose cortef for a couple of years and did and is still doing quite well.she went off it about 2 years ago.
 

helsbells

Senior Member
Messages
302
Location
UK
Hi everyone thanks for the heads up in case anyone is worried - I was prescribed Cortef by a consultant at Barts Hospital, London where they diagnosed my dys/POTS although I think "careful monitoring" is probably asking a bit much of the NHS. I have taken it had to go straight to bed and had some quite trippy dreams. Tried twice more in smaller amounts no dreams just more fatigued but I read it can do this initially before making you feel better. Why does everything seem to come with that caveat?? So was going to continue anyway but a house move and serious drop in health prevented so far. My MCS is severe and this seems to put the brakes on most things anyway but it was the the possibility of mediating reactions which I got interested in.
 

*GG*

senior member
Messages
6,389
Location
Concord, NH
Hi Everyone,

I use a low dose of Cortef to good effect on both my energy and immune system. This whole subject has been gone into at great length earlier on. Maybe if you search in the old threads and posts under "cortisol", you will find those very extensive discussions. I don't want to repeat myself another time, so I will leave it at that--

Sing

Sorry for the repeat, can you point me out more specifically to the other thread?

Thanks!