I have been taking prednisone for a month and a half now (down to 5 mg) to treat Addison's disease and am now looking for a longer term plan. I feel great on the prednisone but have heard it can have ill effects in the long term. Does anyone have any recommendations? I'd like to hear other opinions besides the doctor's.

i also take florinef.

p.s. For anyone who is interested, the only side effects i've had with prednisone are slight weight gain ( a good thing in my case, as i went undiagnosed for a while), a little bit of sweating, and less body hair.

I take vitamin d and b12 so far. very interested in the DHEA. my doc hasn't mentioned this yet, so i will bring it up.

do you take florinef in addition to all that salt? sometimes i still crave salt even though it is meant to balance my levels.

Reemu,
I don't take Florinef. I tried it for a few days, but it made me quite irritable. So I stick to my chicken broth, and I am good!
:)

[QUOTE=reemu;3089747]I guess i'm interested in hearing about people who have taken both (cortef / prednisone) and have a preference - although it sounds more and more like it will be personal trial and error.

I have only taken Cortef but am very pleased with the results. I feel so much better although have gained a lot of weight. I am now back to the weight I was 2 years ago. I have read that it isn't the medication but me eating too much. I am also taking Florinef and DHEA. With the combination of the three I am feeling so good again. I took prednisone years ago but don't recall exactly what for. I do remember my neck swelling from it. My father was on it for a few years (he had emphazema) and at the end of his life his bones were so brittle they would break when he rolled over in bed. Calcium is a MUST! Please make sure no matter what you take that you also supplement with calcium for your bones.

I am feeling so good again that I just hope and wish that all of you out there with Addisons are getting what you need to be where I am at!

I have been sick a lot with flu, cold, strep since my diagnosis in Feb. and starte to feel sorry for myself the last time. I was in the ER for dehydration from the flu and one week later got a cold. My sister told me to stop my whining she had heard enough. (she was joking) It made me laugh and I realized how far I had come since nearly dying in February and I wasn't going to let a cold kick my butt. I am doing so well.
Diane44