cortef helps, but not for long term use When my doctor first offered me cortef, he was a little hesitant. I now understand why. It makes you feel SOOO much better that naturally you want to keep taking it, and even increase the dose. The problem is, it can't be used over the long term because of side effects. Then to stop taking it, you have to wean yourself off which is extremely hard!! You can feel every drop in dosage like you just gained 25 pounds. Additionally, taking cortef can rev up your system un-naturally which can then exhaust you worse than before. I'd recommend to totally understand the implications of this therapy before undertaking it.