The Effects of Steroids on Adrenal Function

When you give synthetic ACTH, we can see that the adrenals are working the way they should by measuring the cortisol levels 30 and 60 minutes afterwards. The numbers we want to look for is a cortisol that's above 18 micrograms per deciliter. If someone comes back with a post-stimulation cortisol as seven, they so they went from five to seven. I know that those adrenal glands have not woken up. That is a patient that either may need lifelong steroids or can get off of steroids in the future with a slower taper.