If you have Addison’s disease or adrenal insufficiency for another reason and take steroids (hydrocortisone, prednisolone, etc.) every day, carry this card with you at all times. Even if you are confused or unconscious, it tells healthcare staff that you are steroid dependent and what to do first in an adrenal crisis.
In an emergency: call 112 — “If I become unwell, tell the 112 team that I have Addison’s disease, may be having an Addisonian / adrenal crisis, and must take steroids regularly.” If you have an emergency injection kit, use it without waiting.
Download
Turkish version: Steroid Acil Durum Kartı (TR) — useful if you are treated in Türkiye.
How to use it
- Print the PDF double-sided at A6 (or print on A4, cut out both sides and glue them back to back). Laminate it if you can.
- Fill in the front by hand: your name, why the steroid is prescribed, optionally your medicines and doses, and an emergency contact.
- Keep it in your wallet and in your emergency injection kit; tell your family where it is.
- Download the lock-screen image and set it as your phone’s lock-screen wallpaper. You can add your name and emergency contact with the tool below.
- Also add “Adrenal insufficiency – steroid dependent” and an emergency contact to your phone’s Emergency / Medical ID section, set to show while locked.
- Renew the card when your medicine or dose changes.
Personalise the lock-screen image
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What the card says
Front: Steroid Emergency Card (Adult) — Important medical information for healthcare staff — This patient is physically dependent on daily steroid therapy. Steroids are a critical medicine: they must be given as prescribed and never omitted or discontinued. Missed doses, illness or surgery can cause adrenal crisis. Fields: name, why steroid prescribed, medicines (optional), emergency contact.
Back: “If I become unwell, tell the 112 team that I have Addison’s disease, may be having an Addisonian / adrenal crisis, and must take steroids regularly.” Also describe the symptoms (vomiting, diarrhoea, dehydration, injury/shock). Emergency treatment (for healthcare staff): 1) Immediate 100 mg hydrocortisone i.v. or i.m., followed by a 24-hour continuous i.v. infusion of 200 mg hydrocortisone in glucose 5% or 50 mg hydrocortisone i.v./i.m. every 6 hours (100 mg if severely obese). 2) Rapid rehydration with sodium chloride 0.9%. 3) Liaise with the endocrinology team.
Source
The clinical content is adapted for Türkiye (emergency number 112) from the UK NHS Steroid Emergency Card (Adult) and Society for Endocrinology guidance. More information: endocrinology.org/adrenal-crisis. For patient information see our ADSHG booklet-based pages. This is not an official NHS or Turkish Ministry of Health card; it is a volunteer adaptation by the Addison Patients Community of Türkiye.
The card is for general information only; always ask your endocrinologist about your diagnosis, treatment, emergency injection kit and dose plan. We suggest you show the card to your endocrinologist and fill it in together.
Steroid dose converter: approximate equivalent in another steroid →