Will discontinuing corticosteroids lower my Aldosterone levels?

[ahreetottoch2003]

I have been taking inhaled, oral and injected corticosteroids increasing for the past ten years. Recently I found out how bad they are for you. Interestingly, it seems as if my panic attacks and agoraphobia have started and increased as well. I now get steroid psychosis when I take oral or injected steroids. I've been asking doctors for years if it's my adrenal glands/hormones and they all say you have no physical symptoms. Finally, I got a doctor to check. My aldosterone levels are high. If I wean off of the inhaled steroids, could this fix itself? My blood pressure has never been high. I know these drugs are life saving, but people really need to know about the harm that they can cause.

[Vinyl]

All right hon, this is very dangerous and serious. Once you are on steroids your adrenals stop producing them. But it all depends if you're on steroids that raise your cortisol levels (prednisone, cortef) or aldosterone (fluoref [sp?]) once you are on steroids your adrenals stop producing that hormone/steroid.

So if you stop abruptly the consequences could be drastic: I was put on steroids, and for personal reasons quit and went into a coma. I could have died. I had to see a specialist that gave me a schedule to discontinue progressively. I have the opposite problem than you, my aldosterone etc are dangerously low. Still once you quit the steroids they will drop because your body can no longer manufacture them. It will if you stop them progressively.

You need to see an endocrinologist and ask you to wean you off them. That's what I did. And yes the mental symptoms are definitely caused by the drugs.

Good luck sweetie! XXOO's