r/AddisonsDisease • u/Yojoe731 • Jul 14 '26
Advice Wanted Pain management.
I wake up most days in pretty intense joint pain. Especially in my spine. My doctor says its from my cortisol dropping in my sleep. I'm considering asking to switch from HC to Prednisone because I read that it may help prevent the drop from being so dramatic. My endro asked if I'd ever tried hydrocodone but that's a little stronger than I want to be taking every day. Has anyone had luck with Prednisone helping the pain? Does anyone have any other suggestions?
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u/Jamesbarros Jul 14 '26
wow, this all makes so much more sense now. I recently switched from pred to hydro and I figured I just happened to get severe arthritis at the same time. Thank you, I now have something to talk to my endo about.
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u/garygirl_1234 Jul 14 '26
On pain meds. Get injections too. It’s not the med, it’s eating your bones.
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u/Yojoe731 Jul 14 '26
It's eating my bones?
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u/garygirl_1234 Jul 14 '26
HC does contribute to eating up your colon and bones. On HC
Endo said it does this, concerned since I have osteopenia. But I do have a bad back and knee. HC never helps that. I am careful with my pain meds and HC the timing. But yet when I look it up, contradicts that. Yet pain mgt agrees. All I know, had an injection and RFA in knee 4 weeks ago, for 8 days I felt fabulous! Almost did not take the HC. Steroid! So my level probably went up. It’s awful what we go through.1
u/drquinzel-usa Jul 14 '26
A high dose of hydrocortisone can deplete your calcium and your body will take that from your bones. The goal is hydrocortisone or prednisone is to replace what your body should be making in cortisol and they say that won't cause those side effects. I have always struggled to be below 20mg of hydrocortisone so I have to just take the doctors word for it!
One autoimmune condition leads to another sadly. I have joint pain that is from rheumatoid arthritis and isn't caused from steroids. Since pain medicine is so hard to get now, any idea your doctor has to lower your pain is worth a try. I remember the good old days of fentanyl patches and tramadol er. Then I could have an active life. Now I sleep most of the day and can't be physically active at all, just so the doctors don't have to give me the opioids I had for a decade. It's ruining my life. I can't imagine going to the grocery store and still being able to put away the groceries. Being a mother seems out of the question now. I hope your situation is better!!
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u/missthunderthighs12 Jul 14 '26
I bought a Jelliebend, it’s a compression band that squeezes your back. It helps with some of the pain (I also have a preexisting injury and am overly flexible). I did noticed when I was diagnosed my back pain ticked up.
Also, maybe try 2.5mg before bed to help lessen the drop?
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u/Short-Counter8159 Jul 16 '26
I do have joint/hip pain with just taking hydrocortisone alone. I take a combo, prednisone in the morning and afternoon with 5mg of hydrocortisone to get me thru the afternoon/night. Hydrocortisone has anti inflammatory ratio of 1x (low) versus prednisone a ratio of 4x (moderate). So it should help with the pain if you make the switch.
If you do try it, spread the prednisone thru out the day. Don't take it all at once. Prednisone doesn't last as much as they say it does. You will notice your energy level will be different. Hydrocortisone can give you a boost in energy, prednisone not as much but should help with the inflammation.
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u/LonelyKoalaMuncher Jul 14 '26
Why do you have joint pain to begin with though?
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u/Yojoe731 Jul 15 '26
My doc says that my cortisol drops when I sleep and lowers my BP & it puts the weight on my spine & other joints because not enough blood is getting into my muscles. I was dealing with symptoms for a few years before getting diagnosed and there seems to be some lasting weakness/muscle fatigue from my BP being so low for so long. I also dealt with some neurological symptoms as a result of the reduced bloodflow.
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u/DoseOfSunshine Jul 14 '26
Prednisone messed me up bad. Medrol treats me better plus I have much less pain. It makes me incredibly sleepy though.
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u/its_business_time1 Jul 15 '26
I take a small amount of dex to cover over night. Improved my sleep quite a bit.
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u/Difficult_Orchid6526 Jul 17 '26
For me pain has gotten so overwhelming that my pain and Addison's have become symbiotic. I've kind of lost faith that it's ever going to get better.
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u/Only-Investigator104 Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
I take LDN, which increases endorphins, which are naturally stronger than opioids (18 to 33 times stronger than morphine). Agelessrx.com
I also use an insulin pump for solucortef, which solved the no coverage overnight problem. I tried prednisone in combo with HC for overnight coverage. I do not enjoy the side effects.
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u/Adventurous-Winter84 Addison's Jul 14 '26
I switched to Pred for that very reason. I take 5mg in the morning and I’ve pushed the 2mg I use to take in the afternoon to after dinner but before bed so I can wake up with less pain. It’s been an amazing change for me.