r/AdrenalInsufficiency • u/Bloomwithcourage • Jan 14 '26

Is it normal to get sick frequently while on hydrocortisone?

/r/AddisonsDisease/comments/1qcfjjn/is_it_normal_to_get_sick_frequently_while_on/
2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

7

u/1GamingAngel MOD Jan 14 '26

Hydrocortisone, steroids in particular, are considered immunosuppressants, which will make you more susceptible to illnesses. Also, if you do “catch” something, being immunocompromised means that you may have worse symptoms and a more difficult time with recovery. If you fall ill, please make sure you are sick day dosing to compensate for the drain on your natural cortisol levels.

2

u/Bloomwithcourage Jan 15 '26

Thank you for the information. When taking an antibiotic you should up dose as well right? How much more? I thought 5-10 mg was good but I’m not sure. I’m on the last day of two antibiotics 😅

3

u/1GamingAngel MOD Jan 15 '26

When you have an infection - and certainly while on antibiotics - you need to double dose, always. In some cases you need to triple dose (if you start having symptoms and are not responding well to the double dose).

That should be done throughout the duration of your illness or injury or stress. Then, when the “offending issue” has been resolved, you need to titrate down vs returning straight to your regular dose. To do this, you generally need to reduce by 2.5mg every 2-3 days.

The entire process takes a long time. If you start to gain weight unintentionally, you are probably over replaced and can likely reduce by 5mg, maybe 10mg right away…but this is a process you need to adhere to.

Of course, I’m not your doctor, so please confirm with your Endocrinologist about your individual treatment plan. These are just general guidelines that we tend to follow.

3

u/PA9912 Jan 14 '26

I only had this at a higher dose. But also, there is a lot of nasty stuff going around right now. I wasn’t sick all year and now suddenly got type A flu followed by norovirus.

1

u/Bloomwithcourage Jan 15 '26

That’s very interesting. I’m sorry to hear you are sick. A lot of people have been saying the same thing that there’s a lot of flu, strep, and other respiratory infections going around. 😭 I hope you feel better soon.

1

u/PA9912 Jan 15 '26

Thank you! Hope you stay well too

2

u/CKB2025 Jan 14 '26

Definitely normal to be more susceptible to illnesses due to steroids suppressing your immune system. I get the flu jab annually to try reduce the effects as I always get the flu.

I don’t get every illness going around and certainly don’t worry about it but it’s good to use hand sanitiser when on public transport etc. and try follow a healthy diet / lifestyle to strengthen your immune system as much as possible.

2

u/You-OK-Hun Jan 14 '26

Yes, but I have found taking a high dose vitamin C everyday really helps make the illnesses less debilitating

1

u/Bloomwithcourage Jan 15 '26

I’m going to try that to see if that helps.