I didn't notice a big energy change with prednisone and it has some serious side effects, like it may kill neurons in the hippocampus. is there any risk that hc will cause atrophy or you will become dependent on it, some people do become dependent on it after taking it and no endo has ever prescribed it to me
The doses of prednisone shown in those studies are FAR above what would be used as a physiological dose in humans for HPA dysfunction.
Here is a study showing neuronal damage:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12425433
The human equivalent dose would be 55 mg of pred a day...or the equivalent of 272 mg of HC. This is a pharmacological dose, not a physiological one.
I would not worry about your neurons or hippocampus at a physiological dose.
I took HC at physiological doses (<40 mg/day) for 2.5 years and my adrenal function came back when I weaned. I still have the same adrenal issues (most likely due to a family history of Addison's) but it did no permanent damage to my adrenals.
Would you call an diabetic dependent on insulin? Well, yes, but it's not exactly a bad thing considering they need it to live. Similarly, cortisol is a vital part of the immune response.
That said, prednisone makes me depressed and looking for the nearest oven to stick my head into...but HC and dex work just fine for me. Finding the right steroid and dose is a matter of trial and error and is not as easy as one would hope. It causes many people to write off the treatment because of an early failure that might be corrected by changing dose or steroid form.
