What is your prolactin level?
I can't find any prolactin in my history of pathology tests. I have a huge pdf full of pathology. 'prolactin' doesn't come up when searching.
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What is your prolactin level?
I can't find any prolactin in my history of pathology tests. I have a huge pdf full of pathology. 'prolactin' doesn't come up when searching.
Show's high DHEA
Is that DHEA or DHEA-S being measured?
Another way to measure the function of adrenals (particularly after beginning adrenal support), is by taking daily average temperatures with a mercury thermometer. This involves taking the temp three hours after waking, then three hours later and three hours later and then averaging the temps to get one value for the day. The average values from day to day should be no more than 0.1 degree centigrade to indicate strong adrenals. As long as there is greater variation than this in the averages (not the individual temps!), one may assume that the adrenals are perhaps not performing up to par.
These measures may be enough to help support flagging adrenals but if you continue to have symptoms, I would suggest investigating a trial of low-dose HC (usually 25-35 mg a day for women; slightly more for men in divided doses to mimic the natural production rhythm).
It's also possible that an adrenal CORTEX product only (not whole glandular which can contain adrenaline and be overly stimulating for many) taken in the morning and at noon could help bolster flagging levels.
That's salivary DHEA, but I also tend to have elevated DHEA-S on bloodwork too!
My doc seems to think it's a HPA Axis problem impairing conversion of DHEA -> sex hormones.
35mg dose isnt all that low. Such doses can put someone at risk of ending up with worst adrenal issues such as addisons disease as adrenals can stop putting out as much cortisol due to shifting output due to the drug.
Thiose who suspect Lyme or have been diagnosed, would be wise to be cautious about using HC even in small doses as many with Lyme have been made worse even though people say that a very small dose will not suppress the immune system. Lyme forums show a different story.
Do you have simultaneous values for other hormones such as estrogen, testosterone and DHT?
Having simultaneous values for a bunch of these hormones could point to potential conversion problems between them. Wikipedia provides a good illustration of steroidogenesis and involved enzymes.
You may also want to look at 17-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency.
I mentioned earlier on that testosterone and estrogen are low so there's a likely conversion problem.
Most doctors that I've worked with that sensibly use steroids as a part of the protocol consider up to 40 mg a physiological dose. Yes, it is controversial and yes, some would not agree but I trust the doctors that are using low dose steroid replacement in their practice daily as opposed to those who have just read about the dangers of steroids in some book.
Although treatment has been shown to have some advantage, a significant number of patients also showed a common side effect seen with higher doses of steroids, such as removing adrenal gland, a reduction in the amount of hormones produced by the adrenal glands.
The researchers concluded that the degree of adrenal suppression precludes the steroid practical use for CFS.
Holtorf regularly deals of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia with low doses (5 to 15 milligrams per day) of hydrocortisone steroid in addition to other treatments to stimulate cortisol levels. Of the 500 consecutive patients treated with steroids at his Torrance, California clinic, Holtorf says 94% showed some improvement, and 62% showed a substantial improvement by the fourth visit.
Dr. William C. Reeves, director of chronic viral diseases branch of the CDC, believes that most patients with CFS and fibromyalgia could benefit taking low doses of hydrocortisone, but he says that the treatment is not without risks.
Reeves and his colleagues recently published CDC a study showing that women with CFS symptoms tend to have cortisol levels lower than normal on waking in the morning, a time when levels typically peak.
"It seems that there is something different in HPA axis function in these patients, but this does not necessarily mean that this treatment is the answer, "says Reeves.
He cites a 1998 study by the National Institutes of Health examines the low-dose hydrocortisone for the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome.
Although treatment has been shown to have some advantage, a significant number of patients also showed a common side effect seen with higher doses of steroids, such as removing adrenal gland, a reduction in the amount of hormones produced by the adrenal glands.
The researchers concluded that the degree of adrenal suppression precludes the steroid practical use for CFS.
Fibromyalgia Researcher Dr. Lesley Arnold agrees. "The evidence for the use of steroids to treat these conditions is just not there, "said University of Cincinnati associate professor of psychiatry. "We do not have consistent data on abnormalities in the HPA axis."
Arnold points out that some studies on fibromyalgia patients have shown the activity of the HPA axis to be increased and some have shown that it decreased. "The only thing which has been constant is that there is generally something of an anomaly in the function. "
I mentioned earlier on that testosterone and estrogen are low so there's a likely conversion problem.
Im not against people trying cortisol if their levels are actually low.. but Im just saying.. take care. That there is a risk there, even with low dose just being given, should be aknowledged.
There is actual ME/CFS people who have actually ended up with Addison's disease (which is life threatening) after being on a well known CFS specialists advice for cortisol what some are saying are low dose (I cant remember if it was throu Holtolf or Dr. Teitelbaum's .. it was throu those "fatigue" clinics). Ive come across one or two of those people online in the past who now have Addison's after this "low dose" treatment!!! (low dose cortisol given can suppress the adrenal glands more), so there are people out there who have been harmed.
Hence my warnings it isnt without any risk and no one should take it without considering possible risk.
That CFS low dose cortisol study being refered too, was less then taking 35mg.. I cant remember but it was something like only 15-25mg being studied if my memory is being correct.. maybe someone can provide a link to the actual study)
Im not against people trying cortisol if their levels are actually low.. but Im just saying.. take care. That there is a risk there, even with low dose just being given, should be aknowledged.
Nothing is without risk and many people have done worse on HC, it's true. But this is usually due to improper dosing and timing rather than an inherent flaw in the therapy.