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'Adrenal' pain

outdamnspot

Senior Member
Messages
924
I've read people refer to pain or discomfort in their adrenal area. I was just wondering if this was a genuine phenomenon. Sometimes I experience a dull-ish ache or discomfort in my back, a few inches above my buttocks.

I've been starting up methylation and am having 'detox' (i.e. flu-like) symptoms, with a return of the pain. So I've been wondering if the 'adrenal pain' is a sign we need to ease up ..
 
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TiredSam

The wise nematode hibernates
Messages
2,677
Location
Germany
My ME started with horrible pain in that area for weeks. Went to a urologist who checked my kidneys and everything came back normal. It's one of my symptoms which I still occasionally get if I've been overdoing it, but it hasn't happened for a while.
 

Cheesus

Senior Member
Messages
1,292
Location
UK
I get pain in that area too, and I have constantly niggling worry that it is my kidneys, but they have been checked multiple times and have always been normal. It never crossed my mind that it could be my adrenals.
 

Mary

Moderator Resource
Messages
17,335
Location
Southern California
I've read people refer to pain or discomfort in their adrenal area. I was just wondering if this was a genuine phenomenon. Sometimes I experience a dull-ish ache or discomfort in my back, a few inches above my buttocks.

I've been starting up methylation and am having 'detox' (i.e. flu-like) symptoms, with a return of the pain. So I've been wondering if the 'adrenal pain' is a sign we need to ease up ..

I think it's very likely kidney pain. Kidneys excrete toxins as well as the liver, so if methylation is causing detoxing, it could be affecting your kidneys. When I increased my methylfolate, I experienced definite detox symptoms (which I no longer do - see below)

Have you tried anything like activated charcoal or betonite to help mop up toxins?

I've posted elsewhere that glycine, glutamine and inositol, though initially causing a detox reaction for me, eventually helped me a lot with detoxing. Here's a good article about phase II liver detoxing: http://www.diagnose-me.com/treatment/liver-detoxification-phase-II-support.php
 

outdamnspot

Senior Member
Messages
924
I think it's very likely kidney pain. Kidneys excrete toxins as well as the liver, so if methylation is causing detoxing, it could be affecting your kidneys. When I increased my methylfolate, I experienced definite detox symptoms (which I no longer do - see below)

Have you tried anything like activated charcoal or betonite to help mop up toxins?

I've posted elsewhere that glycine, glutamine and inositol, though initially causing a detox reaction for me, eventually helped me a lot with detoxing. Here's a good article about phase II liver detoxing: http://www.diagnose-me.com/treatment/liver-detoxification-phase-II-support.php

Hi Mary,

I saw in another thread that you said you encountered the paradoxical folate deficiency, and that titrating up improved it. I believe I may be experiencing this now. Can I ask how quickly you were titrating?
 
Messages
93
Location
PA/NJ
I have this flank pain too, ever since I got ME. It is part of my PEM, when I wear myself out. sometimes it's dull and achy and sometimes a sharp pain. I have had blood tests and imaging done and everything comes back normal... wish I knew exactly what it is???
 

Skippa

Anti-BS
Messages
841
Hey is that the adrenal area?

That is the area I thought was a weak back, whenever I crash from using any muscles, that area gets achey and weak, the muscles around there threaten to pull...

Never condidered it could be adrenal or kidney in origin...
 

Mary

Moderator Resource
Messages
17,335
Location
Southern California
Hi Mary,

I saw in another thread that you said you encountered the paradoxical folate deficiency, and that titrating up improved it. I believe I may be experiencing this now. Can I ask how quickly you were titrating?

I don't recall ever talking about the paradoxical folate deficiency, or titrating up to improve it. I did experience significant detoxing when I increased my folate, and again, it was after I introduced the amino acids I mention above that I was able to tolerate more folate without detoxing.
 

outdamnspot

Senior Member
Messages
924
I don't recall ever talking about the paradoxical folate deficiency, or titrating up to improve it. I did experience significant detoxing when I increased my folate, and again, it was after I introduced the amino acids I mention above that I was able to tolerate more folate without detoxing.

Sorry, not sure why I recalled that. I've been reading a lot of methylation threads lately and might've gotten confused. What was the dose of Methylfolate you settled on? I've read people say that if you feel flu-like on Methylfolate, then you actually need to increase (due to the paradoxical deficiency); I bumped up from 200mcg to 400mcg tonight, so will see how I go.
 

Mary

Moderator Resource
Messages
17,335
Location
Southern California
Sorry, not sure why I recalled that. I've been reading a lot of methylation threads lately and might've gotten confused. What was the dose of Methylfolate you settled on? I've read people say that if you feel flu-like on Methylfolate, then you actually need to increase (due to the paradoxical deficiency); I bumped up from 200mcg to 400mcg tonight, so will see how I go.

I'm now taking 2400 mcg. of Solgar methylfolate (metafolin). About 2 years ago I was doing okay at 1600 mcg. and decided to add another 800, and boom! had very strong detox reaction, I believe it was from mercury. I had to stop the extra dose. And after I took those 3 amino acids (which took several months as they caused detoxing), I was finally able to increase my folate without horrible symptoms.

So I don't know if you have a paradoxical folate deficiency or not. I'm not very familiar with that process.

However, what you are experiencing sounds very similar to what I went through, which was detoxing, which is a different matter altogether. But I could be wrong. I do know I detoxed for years and years and was unable to tolerate many things because of a detox reaction, and once I had been taking those amino acids for awhile (each of which caused detoxing!), suddenly I was able to tolerate these things which I could not before.

It seems to be a crap shoot. I don't think anyone has all the answers for us and unfortunately much if not most of what we do is self-experimenting to see what works.
 

PatJ

Forum Support Assistant
Messages
5,288
Location
Canada
I'd also like to know if thisis a credible concept. Can your adrenal glands feel pain? If so what is it like?

I've had both kidney pain and what I think is adrenal aching (not really pain). Kidney pain comes in many forms but, for me, is in the lower back or sides. The adrenal aching covers a narrower area and is located higher up my lower back, right around the areas where the adrenals are located on the top of each kidney. Sometimes it has been one or the other adrenal that aches.

I think most areas of the body can transmit sensations that the brain interprets as pain.