DO call your health care provider when you feel poorly (nausea, vomiting, fever) or feel weak and tired and have weight loss.Eat a well-balanced diet with enough regular table salt. Always be prepared for addisonian crisis. Be sure that you and your family know how to give this medicine. DO carry an emergency pack with medicine.

DO talk to your health care provider before you have surgery (to adjust your dose) and before using other prescription drugs.

DO take medicine as recommended by your health care provider.

DO see your health care provider regularly.

DOs and DON’Ts in Managing Addison’s Disease: These medications work well for this lifelong illness. Medicine to replace adrenal hormones includes hydrocortisone, fludrocortisone, and prednisone. The health care provider may also want x-rays and CT (computed tomography) scans of the adrenal glands. The health care provider will order blood and urine laboratory tests and measurements of adrenal hormones.

Symptoms may include severe nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, very low blood pressure, leg and stomach pain, and coma. The sudden crisis usually results from stress, such as during surgery, trauma, or illness. People with addisonian crisis have a more serious illness that is a medical emergency. Darkening of the skin over knuckles, knees, elbows, toes, or lips, creases of palms, and mucous membranes may be present. Others may feel weak, tired, or sick to the stomach there may also be weight loss, decreased appetite, low blood pressure, depression, or skin and hair changes. What Are the Symptoms of Addison’s Disease? Surgery, medicines with harmful side effects, and x-ray treatments can also cause the disorder. Adrenal glands may also develop poorly from birth.

Other causes include infections (e.g., tuberculosis, AIDS), cancer, bleeding, and blocked blood vessels involving the adrenal glands. In an autoimmune disease, the body makes substances (antibodies) that damage adrenal glands. What Causes Addison’s Disease?Īddison’s disease develops because the immune system (disease-fighting system) doesn’t work well. There is no effective way to prevent Addison’s disease. Also, potassium builds up to a dangerous level. Without these hormones, salt and water in the body is lost in urine, which makes blood pressure fall too low. They usually produce hormones called cortisol and aldosterone.

The two small adrenal glands sit atop the kidneys. Addison’s disease, also known as adrenal insufficiency, is a condition in which the adrenal glands don’t work well.

Adrenal insufficiency treatment