Florinef stopped working?

[andybonse]

Hey,

Has anyone been on Florinef for so long and it stopped working? I've been on it 3-4 years and it's gradually got down to the point where my symptoms are back to how they used to be.

My sodium was 144, potassium 3.1 and aldosterone 108 when it was working, now sodium is 139, potassium 4.4 and Aldosterone 270. All indicating florinef isn't doing as much?

Maybe it's because I switched from the fridge version to the out of fridge version?

I just don't get it, can it stop working? The body get used to it?

 

[lauluce]

I took fluorinef for 4 months, after wich I had to discontinue it due to the side effect of severe depression... I think it worked only trough the first weeks and after that it ceased to have any effect. I remember being able to dig trenches with a pickaxe for the first time in twenty years, that was a day to remember!

 

[Wishful]

It seems somewhat common for ME/CFS patients to temporarily feel better on cortisone drugs, but then have them stop working. Prednisone worked wonderfully for me for two trials, then stopped working. I even tried higher dosage a year or two later, with no effect. What surprises me is that it worked so long for you before failing. Other treatments have the same 'works briefly, then never after' effect.

You can try it--or another cortisone--again at some later date, but don't be surprised that it doesn't work. Just part of ME/CFS...

 

[Misfit Toy]

It never helped me strangely. I would always be just as stuffed up after I inhaled it. It was my MCAS.

 

[Judee]

I tried it twice but it gave me headaches from water weight gain and caused severe depression.

I have low blood pressure and some type of orthostatic hypotension. I get adrenal crashes and find this candy makes me feel better. It has real licorice, is non-gmo and gluten free. I treat it like medicine though and only eat 3-5 pieces maybe 3x per week. Too much licorice can make our potassium levels go too low.

I can tell when I've taken too much because my heart starts to hurt so I will take a little more of my electrolyte and 1/2 of a potassium pill on those days and skip the candy for a while. (I have to be careful with the potassium too though. I will drink my electrolyte which has some in it and only take the 1/2 pill of potassium if the pain doesn't go away. Oh, and I've had my heart tested too. My doctors know about the pain and just shrug.)

Just a tip: These are very chewy so I suck on one for a while first before chewing or my jaw hurts a lot afterwards. I used to use panda black licorice but went gluten free and cannot use that anymore.

 

[Judee]

Unrelated to my last post, if you are thinking about stopping this medication, please discuss it with your doctor first.

Plus and very importantly, I think you have to wean off of it very slowly or you could have major rebound issues. I think it is like other corticosteroids in that way.

 

[nandixon]

Maybe it's because I switched from the fridge version to the out of fridge version?

How long after you switched versions did it take before the fludrocortisone appeared to stop working? If it was only a matter of days or even a couple weeks or so that's going to be the most likely explanation. It'd be too much of a coincidence otherwise given you'd been taking it for years.

 

[lauluce]

I tried it twice but it gave me headaches from water weight gain and caused severe depression.

I have low blood pressure and some type of orthostatic hypotension. I get adrenal crashes and find this candy makes me feel better. It has real licorice, is non-gmo and gluten free. I treat it like medicine though and only eat 3-5 pieces maybe 3x per week. Too much licorice can make our potassium levels go too low.

I can tell when I've taken too much because my heart starts to hurt so I will take a little more of my electrolyte and 1/2 of a potassium pill on those days and skip the candy for a while. (I have to be careful with the potassium too though. I will drink my electrolyte which has some in it and only take the 1/2 pill of potassium if the pain doesn't go away. Oh, and I've had my heart tested too. My doctors know about the pain and just shrug.)

Just a tip: These are very chewy so I suck on one for a while first before chewing or my jaw hurts a lot afterwards. I used to use panda black licorice but went gluten free and cannot use that anymore.

I also experienced severe depression with florinef! I realized just in time that it was causing it... How was it? did you recover fully from your depression? I stopped taking it 3 months ago and depite my mood improved significantly, I believe there is yet some remaining depression

 

[Judee]

It caused the depression from the very first dose so I couldn't stay on it that long but the depression did wear off and the 2nd time I tried it I didn't experience that but that time I had such water weight gain that I was having migraines and had to stop it.

Hope this helps.

 

[Seven7]

I have read that you can become tolerant to florinef, I would lower then up the dose but You have to talk to your doctor. I never took alone it was in conjunction with beta blockers and vassocontriction I take 4 different meds now for OI. so You mgiht just need some adjustments based on the issue (BP, inability to be upright, high or low HR.....)

 

[Judee]

Just an update...I am working with my new endocrinologist to wean off of the licorice. She said this also can cause a adrenal crisis if I don't do so carefully so I think florinef probably needs to be weaned off extra carefully.

I had read that licorice helps your body with low cortisol levels but she said that it actually works more like aldosterone which I didn't know.

Edit: I feel so much better on licorice but I need to get some testing which is why I am weaning. She did ask me what I would do if they don't find anything. I told her I would go back on the licorice. She thinks my taking the electrolyte everyday may have balanced it out some and prevented me from developing hyperaldosteronism but I would say if you try the licorice to work with a doctor who understands herbals and hormones and whatnot before trying it.

Also it is in a lot of sodas. I thought just my favorite Zevia Cola but her MA said it can also be found in root beer.

 

[xks201]

Florinef also stopped working for me.