Another Lypo-C Beats Viral Infection(s) Anecdote (Cortisol!)

[Johnwen]

Time will tell, but if I don't get a prescription

Sounds like a stressful comment to me!!!

Ok so 8mg Pred. gives you good results using your 4 times figure that would equal 32 mg Hydrocortisone which just happens to fall within the calculations of suppressing the adrenals ranges are FEMALE 20-25 Mg. Male 30-35 Mg. This should be spread out over the day to duplicate the adrenals production which is always higher between 8am-10am. Low production is just prior to your normal bed time. This gives a clue to how to adminster your dosing.

Now your stressing about a script?? Why just go to your local Wally and pick up some Naturplex Hydrocortisone Cream for 88CENTS <(YES$.88). 1Gram=1000Mg. 1% of 1000mg. is 10Mg. So for every GRAM of creme your getting 10mg Hydro. Don't have a scale?? Place the tube on your hand and squeeze out 1 Inch without streching it or bunching it just a nice smooth strip and you got it.
Now rub it in somewhere on your body but not in the same place. Chose a different spot each time because excess in one spot can and will cause your skin to thin at that spot. With 30mg dose. Something like this. 1St thing AM 1 inch NOON 1 inch 4-5pm 1/2 inch Before Bed 1/2 inch.
Try this for 3 weeks then start to titrate down when symptoms return stay on that dose for 3 weeks then titrate to syptoms and on till things are looking pretty good. General protocal is anywhere from twelve to sixteen weeks. ANY LONGER Then this and you'll start messing up other glands that are involved here.
Do a WIKI on HPA axis and you'll start understanding how it all functions. HPA is Hypothylmus.pituitary,adrenal-axis. But also remember it also plays a role in your thyroid function which is another can of worms not to mess with and when you can explain what calcitonin does your pretty much an expert.
GOOD LUCK and careful.

[mountainofdew]

Not sure if this will be applicable or helpful. I remembered from somewhere that cholesterol is a precursor to steroids. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2757135/

[ofonorow]

Beautiful johnwen (and thank you mountainofdew). Great minds.. I already have the hydro cortizone skin cream (from Sams Club) but I had not done the calculations, hoping that tomorrow I will simply get the prescription. Johnwen you saved me some brain effort if I have to resort to the cream! Thank you.

I just had my follow-up with the tonsil surgeon. He told me that examining my tonsils during and after extraction, he found evidence of previous abscesses. I don't remember his exact wording, but the current one wasn't the only one.

The cultures found in the tonsil/abscess:

Moderate growth clostridium innocuum
light growth bacteriodes fragilis

Doc also said that the "fungal and TB" cultures are still "cooking" and might require months.

I shared this with Dr. Levy, and here are some of his comments:

I believe those are commonly found in root canals...makes sense.

...

I believe your RA factor will be negative within the month, and you will be able to wean your steroids within 6 months to a year as your adrenals catch up. I doubt they are completely burned out at your age.

I questioned the "6 months to a year" given the 25 year experience of the RA expert who could only get a handful of patients down to 1 mg prednizone daily, never zero, and Dr. Levy responded:

Yes, but...Dr. [deleted] and all the rest of the rheumatologist's do not chase down and eradicate all infections and abscesses. The adrenals continue to be challenged for life by occult infections.

and mountainofdew - good point about cholesterol - ever since I began adding lysine, my total cholesterol has dropped from 180 mg/dl to 160 mg/dl. I've often wondered if that might not be a little too low. So I have started eating one egg per day for breakfast - every day. (Losing weight on this regimen too!)

[Johnwen]

DOCTOR Levy Get's and A+++ for his responce!!!

(Losing weight on this regimen too!)

Another good point! It would be a good idea to weight yourself daily first thing in the am and keep track of it.
Cortisol causes the body to burn sugars for energy and store fat, primarly in the belly area.
Right now your losing weight because your body is burning fat as the adrenals come back on line in addition to the meds it will raise your levels and the conversion to sugar burning will begin and the fats will start going into storage and the weight will rise. When you see your weight start to rise which can be as much as 3 pounds in one day it's time to back down on the meds a little bit and watch for weight changes. Again when you make an adjustment to your meds wait a week or two before changing anything else allowing the body to stablize. I like to say when the adrenals wake up suddenly their cranky and throw a whole bunch of cortisol out and fall back asleep leaving you hanging. The main purpose here is to keeping them sleeping then bring them back on line slowly, rested and happy. Then they'll do their job properly.
YES! Cortisol is made from the ever evil Cholesterol any questions why statins can cause joint pain??? How about Adrenal dysfunction???

[majkinetor]

That doesn't mean that statins will lead to drop of steroid hormones. For instance, it was observed that statin people have higher levels of Vitamin D, paradoxically.

[mountainofdew]

Interesting direction this is taking. Multiple factors involved with joint pain. Nutrition, infection, poisoning all seem to be antagonistic to our health. Amazing that our bodies keep us functioning. The how is very intriguing.

[ofonorow]

That doesn't mean that statins will lead to drop of steroid hormones. For instance, it was observed that statin people have higher levels of Vitamin D, paradoxically. - Maj

I beg to differ. If the raw material necessary to produce endogenous hormones is low or missing, how could the hormone be made? Especially as we age?

And while the finding re: Vitamin D is interesting, it has little to do with your argument. Even if true, it may mean that even less cholesterol is theoretically available for steroid hormones. (Because more cholesterol is being turned into Vitamin D.)

[ofonorow]

My blood pressure is elevated.

To recap this long thread. I have developed very painful rheumatoid arthritis.
(Probably induced from a large dose prednizone IV at the hospital)

There is a common medication that keeps me completely pain free.
An analog of the hormone cortisol.

I cannot get the prescription renewed (for reasons that I believe are invalid, but are
routinely taught at medical school. i.e., that the prednizone/methyl prednizolone
medications are dangerous.)

Today, after another month wait to see another local rheumatologist, Dr. L. Douglas
Graham, MD, of Westmont Illinois. In his opinion, "prednizone is the most dangerous
drug" he prescribes. He told me that I would be a shriveled up old man in pain if I
followed the prednizone route.

I asked him about the 25 year experience of the expert I met last week with low dose
prednizone. Dr. Graham had no answer and shrugged it off.

(There is a plaque that he was recently named on of U. S. News and World Report's
Best Doctors for 2011.)

At the end of the appointment, he refused to treat me and I have this in writing.
(Claims the diagnosis is unclear and he would need to run more tests.)

The fact that I would be in pain should I run out of prednizone was of no consequence
to this jerk, (other than he accused me of "blackmail." for my bringing up the issue of
pain without medication.)

Again, I have it in writing that he has refused to treat me. I think I'll scan it and post it
here soon. (http://www.vitamincfoundation.org/images/LeeGraham.pdf)

I have begun seriously thinking law suit, and other than the expense, I think it could be
important for others with RA. The law suit I have in mind would challenge the local
standard of care in rheumatology, which is biased against low-dose prednizone.

[ofonorow]

Time will tell, but if I don't get a prescription

Sounds like a stressful comment to me!!!

Ok so 8mg Pred. gives you good results using your 4 times figure that would equal 32 mg Hydrocortisone which just happens to fall within the calculations of suppressing the adrenals ranges are FEMALE 20-25 Mg. Male 30-35 Mg. This should be spread out over the day to duplicate the adrenals production which is always higher between 8am-10am. Low production is just prior to your normal bed time. This gives a clue to how to adminster your dosing.

Now your stressing about a script?? Why just go to your local Wally and pick up some Naturplex Hydrocortisone Cream for 88CENTS <(YES$.88). 1Gram=1000Mg. 1% of 1000mg. is 10Mg. So for every GRAM of creme your getting 10mg Hydro. Don't have a scale?? Place the tube on your hand and squeeze out 1 Inch without streching it or bunching it just a nice smooth strip and you got it.
Now rub it in somewhere on your body but not in the same place. Chose a different spot each time because excess in one spot can and will cause your skin to thin at that spot. With 30mg dose. Something like this. 1St thing AM 1 inch NOON 1 inch 4-5pm 1/2 inch Before Bed 1/2 inch.
Try this for 3 weeks then start to titrate down when symptoms return stay on that dose for 3 weeks then titrate to syptoms and on till things are looking pretty good. General protocal is anywhere from twelve to sixteen weeks. ANY LONGER Then this and you'll start messing up other glands that are involved here.
Do a WIKI on HPA axis and you'll start understanding how it all functions. HPA is Hypothylmus.pituitary,adrenal-axis. But also remember it also plays a role in your thyroid function which is another can of worms not to mess with and when you can explain what calcitonin does your pretty much an expert.
GOOD LUCK and careful.

Running out of options.

10 mg of H.C. per gram of Cream - there are 56 g of Cream in the products I purchased

So there are 56 mg of HydroCortizone or about a TWO day supply in one squeeze tube at my current dosage!?

I have to put on a half tube of cream every day?!? Yuck! (And what about the other crap in the cream)

This is a good emergency bridge - but something has to give!? The NY expert is not responding (may have
found out who I was!?)

I am in contact with an attorney.. Who is developing RA himself..

Twilight Zone...

Must be under stress - noticed the error in my math rereading the post. 56 * 10 is 560 mg... A lot better, 20 day supply, but still not great putting cream on every day.

[Johnwen]

56 grams X 10=560mg.
560/30=18.67 roughly 19 days at 30mg per day
Most are lanolin based transporters with water based moisterizers.
Most people have dry skin in the joint area's which is usually where the pain is located, will help soften the skin (Hint)
FYI. about 1 in 7 people cannot take oral steroids due to stomach issues. This protical is used for people who need
hydrocortisone therapy but can't take the pills, it's an effective treatment.

I also noticed on your scan paper a "Iron" warning. Ferritin plays a big role in adrenal function especially if your hemoglobin is low. I've had this problem since I was a kid! I found a good multi with minerals and iron in low doses taken for a long time has stabilized my iron levels. It beats letting it get to low and taking them ungodly iron pills. Anyone who has taken them know's what I'm taking about. This problem really needs to be addressed.

[Johnwen]

Isn't Pain a symptom. Don't doctor's treat symptoms?
To this doc, Pain is a problem NOT HIS.
Read these reveiws on this doc.
Owen! You should really check em out before you see them!
I get them like this fresh out of school, they change in 2 years! Some don't
Yes cardioligist can do prostrate exams, Some more then others!!!!

http://www.vitals.com/doctors/Dr_Lee_Graham#reviews

[ofonorow]

Crisis averted!!

Thanks you alternative medicine.

I saw a new alternative doctor for the first time yesterday. I have finally obtained a continuing
prescription for the equivalent dosage of hydrocortisone. Whew! (It is possible that Dr. Graham's
lack of diagnosis opened up the door. he he he. I could say in truth that I am currently undiagnosed.)

Assuming the literature is correct, I am about to discover whether the bioidentical hormone has the equivalent anti-RA
effect as 6-8 mg of prednizone.

So now if I decide to pursue any lawsuit, it would be for other RA patients in this area who are being denied a
simple and effective treatment due to the defective training of rheumatologists.

As far as the anemia - it has appeared in my blood work at least as long ago as 2009. I will reread your comments about
it as the doctors have generally ignored it. They never mention it. I am interested in why you think ferritin might
be connected

[Johnwen]

Here they explain it shorter and better then I could.
I get carried away in details.
Glad I found this time is a little tight today!

http://adrenalsweb.org/iron-and-ferritin.php

ADD:
Came back to make sure the link was working and started clicking around on that web site.
They got some pretty good info might be worth looking around you could probably get some
answers to questions that pop into mind.

[ofonorow]

I should probably begin a new topic on RA - now that I think I know the probable
cause and simple solution.

After one day on oral hydrocortizone, my knuckles hurt, meaning I am not getting the same
effect - complete remission of symptoms - that I had with methyl prednisolone.

I am working on the assumption (from Wikipedia) that there is a 4 to 1 ratio between H. C. and M. P.

So I am taking 30 mg ( 6 - 5mg pills).

I happened to read in some literature on the history of glucocorticoids, that M.P. may be more
than 4 times more potent, i.e. between 4 and 5 to 1? So perhaps I require 40 mg? (8 * 5)??

Off to read your link on iron johnwen...

[rasarver]

All this time, money, various doctors, personal pain and misery, and, most important, permanent damage to your body because the medical professionals couldn't diagnose a problem with your tonsils. You are fortunate that you have a direct line to Dr. Levy that most of us don't have. This is an example of why I'm afraid of doctors and avoid them whenever possible.
Yes, in the end doctors did help solve the problem but you may have died if you hadn't done a lot of research yourself and had access to extraordinary doctors such as Dr. Levy. The average person with your problem may well have not survived or, if he/she had survived, had a much reduced quality of life and shorter life span.
How complicated is making a diagnoses of infected tonsils? The shear incompetence of many MDs is appalling.
Your story only reinforces my opinion of the most medical professionals.