Question about adrenals - slowly tapering off Prednisone?

Hi,

I took prednisone for maybe 9 days for a drug allergy, and have since stopped.
A few days after I quit, I started getting even worse fatigue than I usually have.
Which seems impossible, because severe fatigue is already my primary Lyme symptom, but it did happen.

The last few days have been awful. I sleep so much it's embarrassing to even admit how much.
For me the difference between Lyme fatigue and fatigue caused by adrenals is as such:

Lyme fatigue for me is constant, non-stop fatigue that doesn't change.

Adrenal/cortisol related fatigue comes a few or couple hours after waking up and doesn't go away until sleeping again, creating an awful cycle of sleeping throughout the day.

Anyway, I found this online:

"Your adrenal glands make a steroid called cortisol that’s similar to prednisone. Your body needs cortisol to function. When you take prednisone for more than a few weeks, your adrenal glands make way less cortisol. If you stop prednisone or taper too quickly, your body won’t have enough of the steroid it needs. Your withdrawal symptoms are due to that sudden steroid shortage."

I know it says "a few weeks" but given that I already had very low cortisol, I'm pretty sure it still applies to me.

So I did a test today, and I took 1/4 of a 30 mg prednisone pill.
And you guessed it.... I stopped sleeping for 8 hours straight. Which hasn't even remotely happened the last few days.

So I guess I was wondering what I should do from here?
I really don't like going back on prednisone, even if it's just to taper off, but after trying almost every natural remedy for low cortisol over the past years without many results, I feel like I have no choice.

Will tapering off even work, or are my adrenals done for?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Thank you!

Thank you so much dcd, I really appreciate your help.

I have not tried low dose hydrocortisone.
I did try regular dose hydrocortisone but it made me gain weight.
Do you happen to know what a low dose is considered? It sounds like something that might be able to help me.
Just a bit worried about the weight gain.

I think I'll try a lower dose prednisone for now since I already have it, but I'm definitely going to look into low dose hydrocortisone.

Thank you again!

5mg she was using. Is that considered low dose or similar to what you were on? She had autoimmune tho.

What happened last time you took it rainy?

Your blood pressure could also be crashing. I fall asleep when my blood pressure crashes. I also used to take cortef (hydrocortisone). You might try a little in the morning just to help you wean off prednisone. Other suggestions I have I think you said you didn’t tolerate (licorice and/or florineff)

No it doesn’t work for me, it works like a strong licorice root. It’s fludrocortisone(sp?). I think it increase your aldosterone which increases salt retention so you retain more fluid and have higher blood pressure. If low bp is your problem you can also use midodrine which contracts your blood vessels to increase your bp. I think meds with pseudoephedrine also raise your bp. They sometimes prescribe certain forms of Sudafed to help raise bp, I think it works at least similar to midodrine as a vasoconstrictor

😭 yes I’m very familiar with the whole “hmm that’s not supposed to happen” response from doctors when I describe what’s happening to me in response to meds.

How are you doing today?

I’m ok, my blood pressure is not super stable. But it’s ok. I’m supposed to try out a new pemf machine today so a bit nervous since that drops my bp but hoping it also will give me energy.