Help Rumpled I am dizzy

[kmatthew]

I have been tapering off the Florinef for two weeks now. This is the first day that I have gone two days off and one day on.
I am very dizzy today. Took my blood pressure, and it is ok. It is 108 over 70 sitting.
108/69 standing. Pulse rate is 72 sitting 95 standing. I usally have a resting pulse of about 65.
Do you think I will adjust, or should I call my doctor?

[kmatthew]

ok It has been a week and my pulse is still very elevated when I stand, and I am sometimes dizzy. I am going to call tomorrow and see what they want me to do.
The swelling is gone, and I have been working out a lot, and I still can't get any weight to come off.
I hope it is not the cortef. I hate to see how I am going to feel if they take that away. I take 30 mg of that too.

[rumpled]

Sorry, I did not see this!
I am not a subsitute for a doctor...
Are you taking salt tablets?
Your BP still seems low but yet, your pulse is low at the same time - when my BP is low, my pulse is through the roof. That seems very odd to me.

30mg of cortef is higher than what my doctors would have me on - but doctors differ. I take 22.5 total. And would take less if not for my high ACTH.

Perhaps you need a touch of florinef (1/2 tab) or maybe just salt tablets... are your potassium and sodium ok?

[kmatthew]

I don't know what my levels are since the tapering process has started. My last appointment was about 6 weeks ago, and everything looked great.
I then got a kidney stone about 2 weeks after my visit, and had a lot of swelling. The doctor then called my Endo who decided that the swelling was probably the florinef and time to come off.
I have been tapering for three weeks. Have not had any levels checked since then, just all these lovely side effects. I did not get to call yesterday too busy at work.
I will see how the weekend goes and call on Monday.
No I am not on salt, they told me to avoid that with all the swelling i have had.
I was hoping to try and go off some of the cortef since i have been on a roll with the florinef and the swelling, but then the high pulse rates started, don't want the rest of my symptoms to return.
My blood pressure is always low. That runs in my family.
When I got diagnosed with adrenal insuffiency it went ot 90/44 when getting up out of a chair. That's when I feel yuk.

[rumpled]

Avoid salt? Um, do your doctors have any other patients with adrenal issues? Please do some research and you will find that Addison's is a salt-wasting disease. Do not take my word on it. While, yes, you are swollen, your body is doing all it can to hold on to water - it is saying I need water and salt so withholding either is bad for you in your condition. Florinef does make you fluffy as well. It seems very counter-intuitive but you need to drink as well.

The high pulse rates returned as you went off the florinef. Addison's severely effects how the body handles fluids and you cannot hold on to salt and while all the world seems to want to go on a salt free diet, those with an adrenal issue do not need to worry about it and when your heart is going, you should actually feel a craving for salt and that is your body telling you you need it. Florinef is a mineralcorticosteroid that helps hold on to potassium and sodium - all essential for life. Some do manage to get by with little or no florinef but usually need salt and the need for salt usually increases with hot weather.

Um, auto-immune diseases usually run in families. Perhaps no one in your family ever got so bad to get diagnosed? Renin and aldosterone are not usually tested by doctors...

Please do some research on salt and all - my cardiologist ups my salt and adjusts my florinef often vis a vis my heart and you have to also watch the damage to your kidneys. The receptionist always laughs when I leave the office as she says I get told to take salt and everyone else gets told NO salt.

I hope you start to feel better soon...