Dr. Frank Shallenberger is very knowledgeable about this subject. He has a newsletter, Real Cures, that I subscribe to. He has found that some people can get off the
hydrocortisone after a few months, but others, himself included, were not born with adrenal glands strong enough to withstand the big stresses. They will need hydrocortisone for life. As for myself, I didn't do well on hydrocortisone. I take methylprednisolone, 1 mg. (I cut up a 4 mg tablet). This works well.