NancyB

Hi Everyone, I get bioidentical aldosterone compounded for me in Canada. I am currently taking it and have been for quite some time and just re-ordered some two weeks ago. I will not post the information here, as it is not an approved drug by the FDA and so importing it is technically illegal. However, I tried the legal route for approval and it was just unreal, so I just am a criminal, lol. I believe that the US customs officials do not really care what you get (with the exception of controlled or illegal substances) from where, as long as you don't get a huge supply and will be selling it here and that it is only for your own use. I wish they had the same rule for FDA approved drugs that people get from Canada now to save money for this compounded drug, but at this time they do not. Just not the demand for bioidentical aldosterone, perhaps. I do not know. From what I read, lots of people have problems with Fludrocortisone side effects. I had no choice but to get the bioidentical because the fludrocortisone makes me really ill. And, I was not willing to try any of the other two drugs that do really weird things to your body, IMHO. I believe that the drug company that makes Florinef (generic Fludrocortisone) is in cahoots with the FDA to make sure that this drug does not get compounded in this country. They have been the only game in town since 1957!!! It is available as a compounded drug everywhere else in the world. At least all the countries I have contacted or visited and inquired about it when I was there. Those include Australia, Canada and New Zealand. I actually visited the compounding pharmacy in Sydney in March last year and talked with the compounding pharmacist there. I consult with my Canadian compounding pharmacist often by phone. I have to say that even the bioidentical is not without issues, since it has a very short half life (20-30 minutes), everyone's metabolism and situation is different, and knowing how much to use and how often is very difficult to figure out for yourself. But, it can be done. However, if you have any autonomic issues with BP, you get to be very tenacious and will figure it out for yourself. Unfortunately, there isn't anyone that can help you with dosage and how often to take it because of the above factors. The pharmacy I visited in Australia needs a doctor there to write your Rx. The one in Canada I use needs one from your US physician. You should know, that the medication is expensive, depending on how much you get. Plan on spending between $500 and $1,000. I cannot say how often you will need to purchase it, cause it will depend on how much you personally need. Aldosterone is expensive, so that is why getting the compounded version is high. Start with 500-50 mcg. capsules and go from there as you titrate up. Just to give you an idea, I take mine every 2 hours from 6 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. There is another person who posted on this site that takes about what I do, 700-800 mcgs./day. However, she titrates her's differently. You may need a lot less than either one of us, but probably no more. I do not know her medical situation. I am treating Idiopathic Orthostatic Hypotension. Technically, it falls into this website's definition of autonomic dysfunction. Update: 2-12-19: I am still titrating up. Taking a total of 1100 mcgs. of bio identical Aldosterone per day in divided doses the last two days now. My mouth was less sore yesterday and less sore today. I also was not awakened today by jitteriness at 4:00 a.m. I am now taking 200 at 4:00 or 4:30 a.m.. then 100 at 7:00 a.m. and every two hours at that dose through 7:00 p.m. Then, at 10:00 p.m. I take 200 to hold me from 10:00 p.m. until 4:00 a.m. For some reason, my mouth, tongue, throat and often esophagus get really sore when I go up on the Aldosterone (or not on enough - who knows). When I was looking for information on Aldosterone side effects, I happened to find an article about Aldosterone and Addison's disease (written in 1954!!!). There was one sentence in it that referred to another study that the Aldosterone altered the sodium/potassium ratio in some way. So, I am having my sodium, potassium, the rest of my electrolytes and a bunch of the usual blood tests to see if anything is abnormal. My theory is that my mouth, etc. get sore because the sodium/potassium ratio is off and one or both of those need to be supplemented, but I don't know. I will report back. I do know from past experience if my salt is too low, the first place I feel it is in my mouth - it gets very dry. Always fighting that if I do not drink 2 liters of water a day.