Recovering from Prednisone: When Will Your Adrenal System Return? | HPA Axis after Cushing’s Treatment

Have you ever played (or seen someone else play) Pac Man?

You might be wondering, “Dr. Megan, what in the world does Pac Man have to do with recovering from prednisone, or answering the question of ‘when will your adrenal system return?'”

You know, the old computer game with the little pie-shaped Man trying to eat up all the little white dots in a maze before the bad guys eat/kill him?

Well, the Pac Man shape is kind of like a part of your body that has everything to do with prednisone recovery.

Watch the video to find out what it has to do with adrenal recovery after prednisone!

Video Show Notes:

This summary is about how long it takes for the adrenal system to recover after being on Prednisone. Dr. Megan informs her viewers of a scientific article by Doctor Balasko which talks about the recovering of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system following the treatment of Cushing’s Syndrome.

Withdrawals from Prednisone are caused by a relative decrease in serum glucocorticoid concentrations and are accompanied by fatigue, myalgia, decreased quality of life, joint pain, depression, and anxiety. To determine if someone has adrenal dysfunction, one of two options can be done, either a short snack and test which has a threshold of over 420 or an ACTH Stimulation test which checks the morning cortisol; if it results in a measurement of less than 5, Prednisone should be taken and a retest should be done within 3-6 months.

The recovery time for the adrenal system is said to range from several weeks to several years depending on the cumulative dose and duration of therapy. To help those struggling to taper off Prednisone, Dr. Megan provides a taper chart which gives instructions on how to taper quickly or over a period of time.