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Steriods...Need Help with Dosing!

Hi.  I am new to “ALL” this and I am having a very hard time dosing my steroid that I need to use for my Addison’s disease with my gleevec.  I was on dexamethasone and switched from that to cortef.  When I take the cortef and the 400 mg of gleevec together it makes me very anxious.

I read in Drugs.com that gleevec will increase my cortef by 2 times CMAX and 3.5 times AUC. 

I have tried the two drugs together and it is not good.  I am switching my gleevec to dinner dosing.  I am hoping for the best.  This is confounding AND disheartening.

Is there anyone who takes steroids with this drug? Which ones work well for you, etc?  My doctor is confounded.

Many thanks ahead of time....

Susan Lowry

Hi Susan, 

I’m sorry I don’t have an answer for you but the drugs.com stuf is often missing nuances that your doctor (hopefully) has considered.

It does sound like a good idea to take those as far apart in a 24 hour cycle as possible.

Do you mind me asking what the steroids you take are for? I don’t, and most of us won’t, understand Addison’s disease. How does it effect you?

David.

Thank you for the response.  Along with all the other testing my doctor found out that I have autoimmune antibodies to my adrenals.  He wants to give steroids before it turns into adrenal failure.  Along with the gleevec, the steroids just burn too much.  That may stop when I am on the gleevec long enough and it lowers the mast cells in the gut.  

Thank you,

Susan