Adrenal Insufficiency: Causes, Symptoms, and Medication Risks

When your adrenal insufficiency, a condition where the adrenal glands don’t produce enough cortisol and sometimes aldosterone. Also known as Addison's disease, it can sneak up on you—especially if you’ve been on long-term steroids and stopped them too fast. Your adrenal glands sit on top of your kidneys and make hormones that control stress response, blood pressure, and metabolism. Without enough cortisol, you don’t just feel tired—you can crash hard.

This isn’t just about feeling run down. cortisol deficiency, the core problem in adrenal insufficiency means your body can’t handle physical stress like infection, injury, or surgery. That’s why people with this condition need emergency injectable steroids. It’s also why stopping prednisone, hydrocortisone, or other steroids suddenly can trigger an adrenal crisis, a life-threatening drop in blood pressure and electrolytes. Many don’t realize they have adrenal insufficiency until they get sick and their body can’t respond.

Autoimmune disorders like Hashimoto’s or lupus can attack your adrenal glands. So can long-term steroid use, infections like tuberculosis, or even rare tumors. If you’ve had adrenal surgery, radiation, or prolonged steroid therapy, you’re at higher risk. And if you’re on medications that affect your immune system or hormone balance, your adrenal function could be quietly slipping.

Common signs? Constant fatigue that doesn’t improve with sleep, dizziness when standing up, salt cravings, nausea, and unexplained weight loss. Dark patches on skin—especially in creases, scars, or gums—are a classic clue. But these symptoms are easy to miss. Doctors often mistake them for depression, chronic fatigue, or just aging.

What you’ll find in the posts below are real, practical stories and science-backed facts about how adrenal insufficiency connects to other conditions and treatments. You’ll see how autoimmune diseases can shut down your period, why certain antibiotics and painkillers can worsen your risk, and how kidney or liver problems change the way your body handles hormone replacement. No fluff. Just what you need to recognize, manage, and talk to your doctor about.