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Hydrocortisone vs prednisone

Halee Message
20 Sep 2011, 12:10 AM

hi everyone, i was just wondering what cortisol replacement most people are on and what works the best for them. I'm on 10mg of prednisone and i'm trying to run cross country. At the begining i was doing ok, but lately i've been having very low energy and basic low cortisol symptoms. It seems like i have a very long recovery and when i go back to run again, i repeate the cycle of run a few days, feel sick a week or more, run a few days (if i'm lucky), and so on. I'm starting to think that Hydrocortisone would be best or a mix between the 2. Just please reply, any info helps. Also if there's any athletes out there, i'd like to know how you manage everything. btw: my endo is a strong believer in prednisone, but from my research HC is best expecially for athletes.
nancypat Message
30 Sep 2011, 10:34 AM

Hi Halee-- I think it depends on the person. I have been on Both pills, but have been on Hydrocortisone most of my life. You have to be careful with hydrocortisone, like most other steroids. If you're on too much It can cause mood swings and your mind can get in a fog, where you can't focus, and it can cause weight gain, like prendisone. You're active, so you shouldn't have many problems with that. I also had problems where I couldn't feel my fingers or toes. They were extremely cold and if I touched my niece or nephew they cry when they were babies. On Prendisone it was kind of different. I actually lost a ton of weight from being on it and if I forgot it for one day I my lips went numb and I wouldn't feel right. Prendisone almost killed me once, while I was visiting my dad in Vegas. Hydrocortisone works, but if you have any of those problems go see your doctor right away or trust yourself and lower your dose yourself. Have a great day! Nancy