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I replace all my hormones to cure my CFS. Here is what I have learned along the way.

thingsvarious

Senior Member
Messages
120
This is preposterous. Diseases do not work like this, each disease has a specific etiology. Either CFS is one disease or many people are being lumped into it because of insufficient investigations for their actual disease. Or possibly there are more than one unnamed conditions, which is possible, symptom overlap and diagnostic criteria that are not specific enough can inadvertently say people with more than one condition have the same thing. For example the Fukuda criteria would lump people with CFS and depression because it was not good enough. The CCC or ICC are better but not yet as good as the tests used to diagnose Parkinsons for example (which has no diagnostic test at present yet has a reasonably well understood etiology and a well defined and tested diagnostic criteria).


This is a categorical statement backed up by no research. As a medical student are you not trained to look for the actual condition in question backed by medical science?
I highly doubt that CFS is a single disease with a specific etiology. The same way depression, schizophrenia, fibromyalgia, autism are neither. They are all catch-all terms for a specific phenoype that happens to satisfy a certain set of (observable) criteria.
 

Alvin2

The good news is patients don't die the bad news..
Messages
2,996
I highly doubt that CFS is a single disease with a specific etiology. The same way depression, schizophrenia, fibromyalgia, autism are neither. They are all catch-all terms for a specific phenoype that happens to satisfy a certain set of (observable) criteria.
This is silly.
If we don't understand the etiology of a disease does not mean its many diseases.

That said CFS has been used as a wastebasket. But if you have another disease that was misdiagnosed then you have that disease. For example thyroid deficiency has been misdiagnosed as CFS. Once the correct cause is found (and treated) you don't claim the person had CFS, you recognize they were misdiagnosed with it.

And you can doubt all you want, you are the one making unfounded claims,
I am NOT saying that all forms of CFS are due to hormone deficiencies, but many certainly are. And in many cases hormones are at least contributing to the fatigue (or could be used as a therapy).

I am glad treating your hormone deficiencies has helped you immensely but this does not prove they are contributing to CFS or can treat it.
However if your area is medical research you can of course put together a research study to test your theory as perhaps your PhD thesis?
 

valentinelynx

Senior Member
Messages
1,310
Location
Tucson
The only hormone replacement that ever made a difference for me, despite having low thyroid, low ACTH, low pregnenolone, low testosterone and low estrogen, was a low dose of cortisol. It mildly improved my energy for a few years, then stopped having an effect. I weaned off of it this year without adverse effect.

I hope your regimen continues to help you, but I recommend caution. Of course, it's extremely difficult to "take it easy" during medical training, but be aware of your body in case the stress starts to wear on you. The world of ME/CFS is filled with people who found "the answer" early only to relapse some time later. It happened to me. I was trying a variety of things, from diet to supplements to meditation and more when I suddenly got better (about 80%) during my 4th year of illness (while I was in medical school). The remission allowed me to finish med school and residency, but I relapsed 12 years after the remission began and have not recovered in the subsequent 12 years (I've been ill for almost 28 years now).
 

thingsvarious

Senior Member
Messages
120
The only hormone replacement that ever made a difference for me, despite having low thyroid, low ACTH, low pregnenolone, low testosterone and low estrogen, was a low dose of cortisol. It mildly improved my energy for a few years, then stopped having an effect. I weaned off of it this year without adverse effect.

I hope your regimen continues to help you, but I recommend caution. Of course, it's extremely difficult to "take it easy" during medical training, but be aware of your body in case the stress starts to wear on you. The world of ME/CFS is filled with people who found "the answer" early only to relapse some time later. It happened to me. I was trying a variety of things, from diet to supplements to meditation and more when I suddenly got better (about 80%) during my 4th year of illness (while I was in medical school). The remission allowed me to finish med school and residency, but I relapsed 12 years after the remission began and have not recovered in the subsequent 12 years (I've been ill for almost 28 years now).
Same holds for many others as well!
For me no other hormone made as much of a difference to my life.
 

Learner1

Senior Member
Messages
6,305
Location
Pacific Northwest
I've heared so many stories of people getting pulled back to life from cortisol. How do you test it? I've read that acute testing is shit and 24h urine sucks too...
I've done a DUTCH test and a 24 hour saliva cortisol test, both of which were very helpful. I've also done aldosterone, an ACTH stimulation test, and a growth hormone test - the last 2 were several hour tests with injections and blood draws at time periods. Aldosterone gives you an idea if adrenals are working - many of us are low in this. ACTH stim tests if your adrenals respond when stimulated - mine were under responsive. DUTCH shows you the hormones that feed cortisol - I recently had adrenal crisis and when my doctor and I looked into it, my DHEA was very low, lower than its been, so we found that upping DHEA and hydrocortisone were elements of the solution.
 

thingsvarious

Senior Member
Messages
120
I've heared so many stories of people getting pulled back to life from cortisol. How do you test it? I've read that acute testing is shit and 24h urine sucks too...
Testing for cortisol is very hard.
I usually use a combination of
-24h urine test
-DHEAS (to gauge the effects of adrenal suppression)
-circadian variation in body temperature
-heart rate
-signs and symptoms
 
Messages
35
Testing for cortisol is very hard.
I usually use a combination of
-24h urine test
-DHEAS (to gauge the effects of adrenal suppression)
-circadian variation in body temperature
-heart rate
-signs and symptoms
Sorry for the late answer. Thanks again. Your presence here made quite a difference, at least in my personal life. Excellent contributions
 
Messages
35
Could you elaborate on what you have done and what improvements you have seen? Thats awesome:)

My major recent improvements came from 2 things:
- Cold showering, according to thingsvarious these push cortisol up. For hours afterwards, I feel A LOT better
- adding T3 to my T4 regimen - this is probably something most people miss out on. T3 is so great. Even if you're not clinically deficient, there might be benefits. I just notice a way higher "baseline" energy. I'm able to do stuff again. Not as much as back in the old days but it's getting better. I'm considering going to a doc or consulting with thingsvarious about safe and proper cortisol replacement, which then might be able to fully alleviate my CFS. After this experience, I'm pretty sure that A TON of people here are multiple hormone-deficient
 

sb4

Senior Member
Messages
1,654
Location
United Kingdom
My major recent improvements came from 2 things:
- Cold showering, according to thingsvarious these push cortisol up. For hours afterwards, I feel A LOT better
- adding T3 to my T4 regimen - this is probably something most people miss out on. T3 is so great. Even if you're not clinically deficient, there might be benefits. I just notice a way higher "baseline" energy. I'm able to do stuff again. Not as much as back in the old days but it's getting better. I'm considering going to a doc or consulting with thingsvarious about safe and proper cortisol replacement, which then might be able to fully alleviate my CFS. After this experience, I'm pretty sure that A TON of people here are multiple hormone-deficient
I felt a reduction in some symptoms when I was doing cold thermogenesis however I put this done to an increase in vasoconstriction helping POTS issues. Also experienced negatives like very dry mouth.
 

thingsvarious

Senior Member
Messages
120
I felt a reduction in some symptoms when I was doing cold thermogenesis however I put this done to an increase in vasoconstriction helping POTS issues. Also experienced negatives like very dry mouth.
Yes vasoconstriction certainly does help POTS. I have tried midodrine and etilefrine before having cured myself with hormone replacement. Both drugs worked well for me (at least for the POTS aspect)
 

thingsvarious

Senior Member
Messages
120
Yes vasoconstriction certainly does help POTS. I have tried midodrine and etilefrine before having cured myself with hormone replacement. Both drugs worked well for me (at least for the POTS aspect)
I should also add that fludrocortisone made a large difference as it expands plasma volume
 

thingsvarious

Senior Member
Messages
120
Update: I now have a website. I frequently update my articles as I learn more about the topic. I will not be posting any updates to medium anymore, but only to my website: Hormetheus.com
 

thingsvarious

Senior Member
Messages
120
Update: After using HC for around 2 years, I was able to get off the HC, effectively resetting my HPA-setpoint to a higher baseline. I have now been off all HC for 4 months and I feel perfectly fine. Also, HC is the most dangerous, difficult, and most cumbersome hormone to replace so I am glad I was able to reset my HPA-axis.
 

thingsvarious

Senior Member
Messages
120
Update: After replacing my thyroid for 3 years, I have been off any thyroid meds now for 4 weeks. Blood test revealed a TSH of 1.8 and a fT4 at the top of the reference range and a fT3 at the bottom - so it seems that at least my hypothalamus has perfectly recovered. The most important "ingredient" has been semaglutide (Ozempic)
 

Learner1

Senior Member
Messages
6,305
Location
Pacific Northwest
Update: After replacing my thyroid for 3 years, I have been off any thyroid meds now for 4 weeks. Blood test revealed a TSH of 1.8 and a fT4 at the top of the reference range and a fT3 at the bottom - so it seems that at least my hypothalamus has perfectly recovered. The most important "ingredient" has been semaglutide (Ozempic)
An fT3 at the bottom of the range does not sound perfectly recovered. Sounds like you aren't adequately converting T4 to T3, which is maybe why your TSH is slightly elevated.
 

GlassCannonLife

Senior Member
Messages
819
Update: After replacing my thyroid for 3 years, I have been off any thyroid meds now for 4 weeks. Blood test revealed a TSH of 1.8 and a fT4 at the top of the reference range and a fT3 at the bottom - so it seems that at least my hypothalamus has perfectly recovered. The most important "ingredient" has been semaglutide (Ozempic)

What was the role played by the semaglutide?
 

GlassCannonLife

Senior Member
Messages
819
An fT3 at the bottom of the range does not sound perfectly recovered. Sounds like you aren't adequately converting T4 to T3, which is maybe why your TSH is slightly elevated.

Is 1.8 elevated? Isn't that pretty much perfect for TSH (between 1.5 and 2, some say 2.5).