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Adrenal Insufficiency Testing?

roxie60

Senior Member
Messages
1,791
Location
Central Illinois, USA
Yeah, I know we are only treating symptoms here, but that's one thing that I bet would make a huge difference.

I bought some isocort on ebay before I could figure out if my cortisol was low or high. I took a few of the pellets, and needless to say, my cortisol was already way too high.

At some point, you have to ask yourself what makes a doctor. Getting through medical school gives you zero ability to treat complex conditions like this. That's why it's the KDM's or specialists that could really help.

Also, I don't think trialing some cortef could make it any worse. There are docs who will prescribe it...

Do you have any serum cortisol levels? Free/total?

Here are results from test I requested in October, I am presuming it is total cortisol but it does not specify

Cortisol Serum 7:35A 16.1 (range 6.2 - 19.4 ug/dL) 10/21/14
ACTH plasma 7:35A 14.7 (range 7.2 - 63.3 pg/mL) 10/21/14
 
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drob31

Senior Member
Messages
1,487
I've read through that thread before. The thing that jumps out at me is CGB. It's possible you're producing cortisol, but CBG is tying it up somehow before it can make it to the peripheral tissues. My serum and saliva cortisol is high, however. SHGB is also high.
 

roxie60

Senior Member
Messages
1,791
Location
Central Illinois, USA
Well the llmd got back to me yoday about my hormone test ...Llmd adding hydrocoryizone and cortisol manager. Anyone else run into thyroid and adreanal issues while being treated for the infection?

if you added this hydrocoryisol what was the result?
 

drob31

Senior Member
Messages
1,487
Well the llmd got back to me yoday about my hormone test ...Llmd adding hydrocoryizone and cortisol manager. Anyone else run into thyroid and adreanal issues while being treated for the infection?

if you added this hydrocoryisol what was the result?


I think @Ema has experience here.
 

Ema

Senior Member
Messages
4,729
Location
Midwest USA
Well the llmd got back to me yoday about my hormone test ...Llmd adding hydrocoryizone and cortisol manager. Anyone else run into thyroid and adreanal issues while being treated for the infection?

if you added this hydrocoryisol what was the result?
Do you mean hydrocortisone?
 

EMilo

Elizabethmilo.com
Messages
223
Location
Seattle, WA
I think that decision tree is full of problems. I would not go by it personally.

An ITT can be very dangerous for someone who is secondary.

I also don't understand why one would do an MRI of the pituitary. It wouldn't change the treatment required.

Their numbers are off in my opinion as well.

Your endo would never have said secondary because she didn't run the test (ACTH) that would have told her that you are secondary. You need to stop second guessing her and get another opinion from someone that knows how to administer and interpret the tests. It will just drive you crazy otherwise.

@Ema, Can you tell me your thoughts on why the ITT is dangerous? I've been putting it off for a year, but I have to do it before the end of the year for insurance to cover it...
 

Chocolove

Tournament of the Phoenix - Rise Again
Messages
548
@roxie60 Adrenal Insufficiency is the diagnosis by an endocrinologist when one fails the rapid ACTH stimulation test (cosyntropin stimulation test.)

The test level is set intentionally low because they do not want to risk shutting down the adrenals by placing the patient on corticosteroids. You see, the treatment is not a treatment, it is a replacement of one or two glucocorticoid hormones that can cause the adrenals to shut down permanently. The use of cortisol (a natural form with a shorter half-life) is less likely to cause adrenal shutdown but may be difficult to tolerate. Most medical doctors are not trained in, nor familiar with, rehabilitating adrenals and HPA axis dysfunction.

The adrenals and HPA axis operates on a negative feedback loop. In our normal daily cycle, we crash and sleep when the adrenals recover, and the message system in the body's HPA axis system depends on that negative feedback loop to operate. The use of most Rx corticosteroids does not allow this daily negative feedback system, because the corticosteroids half life is too long - beyond a day. Thus the use of corticosteroids may cause the adrenals to atrophy and shutdown. So doctors are in a difficult situation.

Endocrinologists do not want to prescribe the corticosteroids for low adrenal function because they can cause Adrenal Insufficiency. So they wait for adrenals to fail - as determined by the ACTH stim test. Once on the Rx corticosteroids, however one will be dependent upon them for life - you dare not miss a dose - and life that way is difficult as can be seen in the Addison's forums. Corticosteroids cause many problems including knocking down the immune system so that you catch every disease and can barely fight anything off, it can cause bone necrosis (death), mental issues, obesity, ...

I have been down this road a long time, trying to recover my adrenals, extensively searching and researching while very close to death at one time. Read up on adrenal crisis.

Few know anything about rehabilitating adrenals. Dr. Michael Lam MD, is one of the few who specializes in low adrenal function and rehabilitation, mostly through use of particular gentle nutrients.

I have found Dr Lam's book, "Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome - Reclaim Your Energy and Vitality with Clinically Proven Natural Programs," to be immensely helpful. Published in 2012, he notes throughout the book that the more adrenal function declines the higher the risk of bad or paradoxical reaction to even the most benign nutrients. He urges those in very bad shape to seek a well informed practitioner, which I have found very difficult to find.

I was able to survive and rebuild adrenal function through use of information in Dr Lam's book and on his website:
https://www.drlam.com/articles/adrenalexhaustion.asp

Continuing to go to the Endo for ACTH stim tests was a waste of time for me. I wanted to avoid having to go on corticosteroids for life. It got to the point where I couldn't even make it to the doctor anyhow.

At one point I managed to recover from an adrenal crisis on my own primarily through use of licorice root which reverses the particular kind of electrolyte imbalance caused by lack of adrenal hormones, and porcine glandulars processed to remove hormones, in addition to specific nutrients which I had delivered to home by Amazon. However use of glandulars and licorice can skew medical test results. Realize that I have been studying up on this for years. No one is recommended to try this as it is tricky may become fatal very quickly. I personally had few options, but managed to survive. Doctors including Lam, do not recommend this approach without knowledgeable medical supervision. Finding the cause of adrenal dysfunction is very important.

If you are interested in recovering your adrenals rather than ending up on corticosteroids for life, I urge you to get this book ASAP and share it with your practitioner. I have no affiliation with Dr Lam or any supplement company.
https://smile.amazon.com/Adrenal-Fa...81407577&sr=1-1&keywords=adrenal++fatigue+lam
 

StarChild56

Senior Member
Messages
1,405
@roxie60 - I know this thread is very old, but I had a "flat" saliva cortisol test, Dr. Kaufman (formerly of OMI) said it is very abnormally low. I am 2 and a half hours from him, and on Monday 8/15/17 I had my follow up visit with him by phone. He wanted me to find out if my PCP here where I am can order the ACHT stim test. Dr. Kaufman said they can do the test in office, but he didn't want to wait too long and wanted me on meds (hydrocortisone?) soon, he didn't want to wait very long.

I was wondering how you are doing, and if you had in updates you are comfortable sharing. This was a very informative thread.