Prevention

Addison's disease can't be prevented, but there are steps you can take to avoid an addisonian crisis:

• Talk to your doctor if you always feel tired, weak, or are losing weight. Ask about having an adrenal shortage.
• If you have been diagnosed with Addison's disease, ask your doctor about what to do when you're sick. You may need to learn how to increase your dose of corticosteroids.
• If you become very sick, especially if you are vomiting and you can't take your medication, go to the emergency room.

Some people with Addison's disease worry about serious side effects from hydrocortisone or prednisone because they know these occur in people who take these steroids for other reasons.

However, if you have Addison's disease, the adverse effects of high-dose glucocorticoids should not occur, since the dose you are prescribed is replacing the amount that is missing. Make sure to follow up with your doctor on a regular basis to make sure your dose is not too high.