Looking back, my journey with adrenal fatigue wasn’t a quick fix. It was a hard-earned lesson in listening to my body, understanding root causes, remembering more medication isn’t the answer (and may backfire), and learning the difference between band-aids and true healing.
I want to share what I tried, what I learned (the hard way), and what finally helped me support my adrenals, so that maybe it doesn’t take you ten years to figure it out like it did for me.
How It Started: Adrenal Fatigue Symptoms
Like so many people in our community who have hypothyroidism, I was struggling with the classic signs of adrenal fatigue:
- Exhausted but wired, unable to fall asleep or stay asleep
- Waking up unrefreshed, dragging through the day
- Light and noise sensitivity
- Brain fog, poor word recall, and a sense that my body just wasn’t keeping up
- Feeling shaky or jittery under stress
- Struggling to recover from even minor stressors
These symptoms made life feel so much harder than it should have been. I was taking thyroid medication but I never felt quite stable. The weight, brain fog, and fatigue seem unpredictable. Sometimes I felt great other times I felt like I made no progress. I was desperate for answers and that’s when I discovered that not only was my thyroid struggling, my adrenals were also worn out. I was still in the early years of my journey with hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue, so I thought “I will try anything and everything!”
That was a huge mistake. Not only did I spend time and money on every new “solution” but I also suffered major health setbacks because my doctor and I were largely guessing and learning through trail and error.
Through this process, and researching well-intentioned thyroid user groups, I came across prescription hydrocortisone as a possible answer to help my adrenals.
My Experience With Hydrocortisone: A Quick Fix That Backfired
When I started hydrocortisone, it felt like a miracle. I took my first dose and within hours, I felt amazing. My brain fog cleared, my energy soared, and for the first time in ages, I felt like I could handle life again.
For a while, I thought I’d found the solution. I followed the dosing recommendations, splitting my doses throughout the day, and even learned about “stress dosing” when I needed extra support.
But here’s the hard truth: hydrocortisone wasn’t the answer. It was a short term band-aid that had disastrous consequences.
Over time, the cracks started to show. I became dependent on it, terrified to stop or miss a dose, afraid I’d crash. I stayed on it for over two years because I was afraid of the fatigue returning.
All the while, my hair started thinning and falling out. My once-full hair became dry, brittle, and sparse (a change I wrote about in this story, where I talk about how hair loss can be a warning sign that something isn’t working)
Looking back, I realized I was trying to force my hormones with hydrocortisone, but I wasn’t addressing the root causes of why my adrenals were struggling.
The adrenals are dynamic which means they product cortisol in cycles over a 24 hour period (called the circadian rhythm). If the adrenals are producing cortisol at the wrong time of day, or producing too much, hydrocortisone may backfire. That’s what happened to me.
What Finally Helped: Shifting to a Root-Cause Approach
The turning point was understanding that healing my thyroid and adrenals isn’t about chasing symptoms, forcing medications, or waiting for labs to tell me how I feel. It’s about having a clear plan that supports your body naturally.
That’s why I created the HypoHero™ Thyroid Protocol. It’s a step-by-step system that helped me:
Track my body temperature and symptoms to uncover hidden thyroid and adrenal patterns Fuel my thyroid and adrenals with the right minerals, hydration, and halogen detox Optimize by making adjustments based on my unique story and data
This approach helped me finally get off the hamster wheel. My energy came back, my brain fog lifted, and I learned how to support my body in a way that didn’t leave me dependent on external crutches like hydrocortisone.
A Word of Encouragement
If you’re struggling with fatigue, brain fog, or hair loss like I did, please know, you’re not alone. And while medications like hydrocortisone can sometimes feel like a lifeline, they aren’t always the long-term solution we hope they’ll be.
What I wish someone had told me years ago is this: healing is possible when you address the root cause, not just the symptoms.
If you’re ready to break free from the cycle of trial and error, the HypoHero Thyroid Protocol is here to help you do exactly that.
Learn more about the HypoHero Thyroid Protocol and take the first step toward real, lasting relief.
10 comments
Join the conversationMike Krauss - September 29, 2014
I’ve been reading about hydrocortisone side effects… Did you experience any? Despite my many symptoms, lightheadedness when standing up has become almost unbearable. I’d just about risk any side effect if I could get rid of just this.
Sheanna Brugh - April 10, 2016
Raw adrenal cortex bovine extract is a natural form of hydrocortisone. That’s what a naturopathic doctor prescribes. It has no risk on small to mid doses.
It’s what I’m on now and it saved my life. My adrenals were about to fail. Do not listen to warnings online about it. They are funded by pharmaceutical companies that don’t make money off of raw adrenal extract or pregnenalone, the natural alternative for cortisone; they can’t patent these supplements.
Miss Lizzy - December 29, 2014
Hi Mike, the main side effect I believe I experienced from hydrocortisone was hair damage and hair loss, which became especially bad when I added DHEA. Otherwise the hydrocortisone really helped me, especially the first few months. I stayed on it too long, and probably stressed dosed too much.
Best wishes!
Lizzy
Christy Frisch - July 29, 2015
How were you able to continue to support your Adrenal after you stopped the hydrocortizone treatment? Or was it something that went away bc of the treatment?
Yomero Tedigo - August 31, 2015
Hello Lizzy, searching information about hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue, your blog popped up. I have a tumor that is affecting my pituitary gland, this leads to adrenal fatigue due to a low production of cortisol and, as a side effect, hypothyroidism. I tried with levothyroxine -100 mcg, and prednisone 5 mg- every day. I was gaining weight fast! then later on I tried with T3, and lost weight but I was worried about my adrenal function. So now I am back only with prednisone, 5mg every morning, but I am wondering which would be the right treatment for my hypothyroidism. I am thinking of Novotiral (a 100 mcg of T4 and 20 mcg of t3 mix), while keeping the dose of prednisone. Not sure if is the right way, but as you describe, medical professionals only give T4 and they just don’t listen. I do not know where I can find natural thyroid hormones because I live in México. Thank you!
Kadambari Venkatraman - January 28, 2016
Hi Misslizzy.
I tapered off my HC after a 5 month schedule in early December. I still find that I cannot tolerate more than half grain of NDT. I don’t even want to talk about the moon face and the pounds I have gained thanks to HC. How long did you take to bounce back to normal cortisol levels after your tryst with HC?
Miss Lizzy - February 26, 2016
Were you tested for Hashimotos? Hashimoto’s can cause the moon face you describe.
Susan Lawson - July 19, 2016
Miss Lizzy,
I feel hopeful about your experience with HC. I’ve had adrenal fatigue since 1987. Went out on disability in 1994 when the pain was just too much. I was 26.
I found out thru the internet about af. It was me to a t. I had been doing everything wron up til then. Thru all the research of possible treatments for af i had heard taking hc was not good for adrenals bc when u give the body a hormone it supposedly tells the body not to make any.
However, what if taking hc lets the adrenals heal?
Can you tell me how things were when you came off th hc, please?
After how long were you back to your self again?
You spoke of a yahoo support group, did they or many of them take hc as well? I would really like to find this support group. Please, what is the name?
I am at my 29th year of sufferering I need to try something other than all the things i have been trying since 2006 when i realized i had af.
You should write a book, i’m not kidding. There are so many people who are suffereing and so many that have tragically committed suicide that hearing about your story would be a ray of hope.
I look forward to your reply.
Susan L.
Chris Westerman - September 27, 2016
I would also like to know how things were coming off the HC. I hope Lizzy will answer!
Anne Venet - September 26, 2016
Hello dear Miss Lizzy
I’am writing from France. I’ve been treated for many years only with t4 medication, whithout results. On June I began with t3t4 médication. But I was worse, so I gave up for the moment. And my doctor gave me hydrocortisone. I feel much better at this time.
I’d just like to ask you when you began to take your thyroïd medication : at the same time with hc, or a little later, or after a few weeks, or…? What is your experience ?
And you seem to think one year under hc is too much. So When can someone stop hc if good and effective thyroid medication ? Are they any signs which say, ok I can now decrease and stop hc ?
I ask to you because m’y doctor don’t know, absolutely nothing. I had to ask myself for hc…
Thank you so much for you reply.