Low Dose Of Hydrocortisone Triggers Adrenal Suppression
by admin ~ June 11th, 2009.
A study conducted by the team of Dr. Stephen E. Straus, revealed that low doses of steroid hydrocortisone on chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patients can produce more harm than benefits. This finding was that steroid hydrocortisone can cause severe complications such adrenal suppression to CFS patients.
Although the study showed that patients have experienced a slight improvement in their condition, Dr. Straus does not support the idea of using steroid hydrocortisone in treating chronic fatigue syndrome. According to the study, when the adrenal gland is suppressed, the body will not have the ability to react properly on sudden situations such as accident and heart attacks.
From Bio-Medicine:
Low doses of the steroid hydrocortisone can cause slight improvement in some chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) symptoms but at the risk of inducing adrenal suppression. This finding, researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) claim, precludes the use of hydrocortisone in people with the illness. Their report appears in the September 23/30 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.
“The data show that about half the people on placebo and two-thirds of those taking hydrocortisone reported some improvement in well-being,” comments Stephen E. Straus, M.D., chief of the Laboratory of Clinical Investigation at NIAID and senior author on the study. “The greater benefit seen in the hydrocortisone group, however, was modest, and there was clear evidence of adrenal suppression by the drug.” Twelve of 33 patients on the therapy developed laboratory evidence of adrenal insufficiency. “It was manageable and completely reversible,” says Dr. Straus, “but it’s the kind of suppression that in the context of minimal improvement afforded by the drug cannot, in our minds, justify using this treatment for CFS.
There is no known cure for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) although painkillers and anti-depressants can provide some relief.
Category: Anabolic Steroids | Tags: adrenal suppression, CFS, Dr. Straus, steroid hydrocortisone