The following tips for weaning off of cortisol was compiled by Perry, thyroid and adrenal patient, and the moderator of the Men’s forum:

1. For some amount of time after weaning (6 months? We don’t know yet.), your adrenals will be weak, and you will need to support them whenever stress re-enters your life.

2. The sooner you recognize the stress and respond with adrenal support, the more likely you are to avoid a major crash.

3. If you know something stressful is coming, you should begin supporting your adrenals before it happens. How much before depends on when this future event begins to occupy your mind (and cause stress).

4. Some early signs to look for are: a desire to snack continually; a tendency to “withdraw” from friends, family, and favorite activities; an exaggerated startle reflex; a tendency to get flustered by normal events like telephone calls; overreacting to the words or actions of others; a return of any of the symptoms you experienced the first time you needed adrenal support.

5. Adrenal support for periods of less than 1 week can be discontinued abruptly. If support is used for 1 week or longer, it should be tapered off at the same rate as you originally weaned. For hydrocortisone, a good rate seems to be reducing by 2.5 mg every 2 weeks.

6. Some events to watch out for that are nearly always stressful are: vacations; family visits; holidays; dental work; colds, flu, and other illness.

7. Don’t consider needing to go back on adrenal support as a defeat. Using adrenal support as needed during the recovery period will help you ultimately be successful in recovering full adrenal function.

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