Have Addison's Disease And Failed Adrenal Gland. Taking Fludrocortisone And Prednisone. Any Side Effect?

Posted on Wed, 10 Jul 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 10 Jul 2013 Answered on

Fri, 2 Aug 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : Hi Dr. Grief,
I have Addison's disease and am taking fludrocortisone and prednisone for this. Trying to "jump-start" my adrenal gland failed, so I'm on a consistent higher dose of prednisone now. Could you please tell me your answer regarding whether regular steroid shots (for pain) may have caused the Addison's disease? Also, is the "stress" reduction psychological? I must admit I've been truly laid back and experiencing little to no stress since. Would you also please discuss the disease as in-depth as you can? Thank you ever so much! Mary Theisen

Answered by Dr. Shehzad Topiwala (3 hours later)

Addison's disease is a complex entity. It takes a good endocrinologist to firstly make the right diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency. Addison's cannot occur without adrenal insufficiency. Addison's is an extreme crisis form of adrenal deficiency.

Fludrocortisone and prednisone are acceptable ways to manage this condition.

Yes, frequent steroid shots for a prolonged length of time have the potential to cause this problem.

You can learn more by perusing this link :

WWW.WWWW.WW

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar