adrenal exhaustion

[bigstve12]

Haven't been feeling right lately so i got my adrenals tested looking for some high cortisol..what i got shocked me. MY cortisol levels are minimal and my DHEA was way off the chart!! Whats wrong with me?? Ill admit im a stressed individual, but always have been, nothing new. The doc im working with said my adrenals have had it. Any ideas? Joester if your around i always value your opinion. Can too much exercise cause this? I dont workout anymore than i ever have before. 5days/week

 

[giddyup]

i dunno man, i'm waiting to see what some people who have knowledge on this subject have to say.

you can find alot out by doing a search on yahoo or google.. i came accross this: http://store.yahoo.com/herbal-remedies-usa/adrenalglands.html

do you take any supplements? ECA stack? whats your diet like? smoke? drink? drugs?

I wonder if mine's messed!

 

[danielson]

The disorder is probably somewhere in the HPA axis (hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal) if there is a problem

See if you can get the full range of blood tests...just to see what is depressed and what is normal, but i guess you reported everything abnormal. Tell me about ANY other symptoms you had as well, headaches, pain, dizzyness etc

Cortisol is a stress hormone so its important to get a look at this, but it seems unusual for someone young to have their adrenal glands mess up. What did the doc say about investigating this further? are any tests being done? The DHEA is produced in a different reigon of the adrenal gland than the others so maybe he would be wanting to investigate why one is elevated the other reduced.

family history of anything? are you on any other medications (corticosteroids?)

 

[bigstve12]

Thats what's got me confused! Im the healthiest person I know. I dont smoke, drink cofee or do any drugs!! My diet is better than its ever been. I just started some glandulars for the adrenals, we'll see how that works out. AS far as supplements nothing crazy, multi, omega 3's, vit C, E, Mg and protein and glutamine

 

[juve]

Low cortisol levels, esp chronically suppressed, render the body maladaptive to stress - from physical exertion to mental capability of coping with anxiety, mania and a number of other disorders. There is evidence of insufficient glucocorticoid signaling in stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders. Impaired feedback regulation of relevant stress responses (CRH, ACTH, Cortisol), especially immune activation/inflammation, may, in turn, contribute to stress-related pathology, including alterations in behavior, insulin sensitivity, bone metabolism, and acquired immune responses.

However, one thing with cortisol checking - it should be monitored on a consistent basis - levels are highly variable within even a short span of time. Low chronic cortisol is usually attributed to post traumatic symptom disorder, so....think about it...

I am not sure about DHEA - it's very abundant to begin with as it serves as a precursor to androgens and estrogens and usually DHEA has inverse relationship with cortisol which might explain its acute elevation; sometimes it is implicated in adrenal tumor, but that is something I would let your M.D. to hypothesize

 

[bigstve12]

thanx for the replies.

as far as symptoms, just been really wound up, that's why i thought the cortisol would be elevated. I have been having a tough time dealing with stress lately...been getting panic attacks for no reason, a bit of weight and appetite loss as well, only slight though. Other than that just an overall feeling that something's not right, malaise i guess. No family Hx of any endocrine disorders. One more abnormal finding i forgot to mention was a low TSH with normal T3 and T4. Should I get my ACTH checked to see if it is in fact my pituatary?

 

[danielson]

normal T3+T4 (for free and bound i assume) suggest your body isnt that stressed IMO, as you would expect them to depressed when your body is stressed in whatever way. Low TSH might not necessarily implicate the pituitary just yet as your body might now want the thyroid to produce any.

Your doctor is an endocrinologist I assume...what does he think about what the cause might be. I would have run ACTH tests as I'm not a doc and would want to be sure, he may have let his experience guide him on this one. That would remove hypopituitarism from the cause and implicates the adrenal glands more in whatever the cause is.

Either way, I would assume your case warrants further investigation, whatever the cause may be...has he scheduled you for any imaging? whatabout further blood tests to asses pituitary and adrenal function?....like juve said I would really think about taking further cortisol measurements, it has Diurnal variation which means some people get put in the low bracket purely because of the time their blood test was performed...if your doc took this into account it makes me think he;d run the other tests..

 

[OMEGA]

Low cortisol levels, esp chronically suppressed, render the body maladaptive to stress - from physical exertion to mental capability of coping with anxiety, mania and a number of other disorders. There is evidence of insufficient glucocorticoid signaling in stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders. Impaired feedback regulation of relevant stress responses (CRH, ACTH, Cortisol), especially immune activation/inflammation, may, in turn, contribute to stress-related pathology, including alterations in behavior, insulin sensitivity, bone metabolism, and acquired immune responses.

However, one thing with cortisol checking - it should be monitored on a consistent basis - levels are highly variable within even a short span of time. Low chronic cortisol is usually attributed to post traumatic symptom disorder, so....think about it...

I am not sure about DHEA - it's very abundant to begin with as it serves as a precursor to androgens and estrogens and usually DHEA has inverse relationship with cortisol which might explain its acute elevation; sometimes it is implicated in adrenal tumor, but that is something I would let your M.D. to hypothesize

 

[bigstve12]

Thanx for the input. I actually performed an all day adrenal test. It measured my levels every 4-6hours and it was thru saliva. IT was low at all times of the day. Im working with a DC on this. Im trying some glandulars and we're gonna check the cortisol again in a month. He wants to run an amino acid profile b/c my neurotransmitters we're all at the low end of normal. As of right now no imaging is scheduled. He doesnt think a tumor or anything b/c we ran a metabolic profile (not bloodwork) but a urinary one thru great smokies lab, and all was normal there. And that test looks at many different things. All these tests man...I just want to feel healthy again!!

 

[Joester]

Hey Steve
Been away awhile, but I just saw yer post. Have there been any updates on the DHEA/Cortisol issue?
Just wondering how yer doin'

 

[bigstve12]

No updates, waiting to run more tests but kinda short on money. Been feeling better lately. Been trying not be such a type A person, its tough to go against who you are, but if its better for my health then its worth the try. Welcome back joester, been missing your posts!

 

[prozoo]

No updates, waiting to run more tests but kinda short on money. Been feeling better lately. Been trying not be such a type A person, its tough to go against who you are, but if its better for my health then its worth the try. Welcome back joester, been missing your posts!

How's your situation going? Hope your condition has improved...
I've been in battle for the past 3-4 years with my own stuborn body. I've been trying to stomp-a-mudhole as the say to my anxiety, MS, Fibromyalgia, Servere Chronic Ebstein Barr. Due to anxiety, I figured the same, high cortis levels etc. But this wasn't the case with me either... My corti levels have been low, adrenal burnout, HPTA imbalance, iGF1 low (141ng/ml), and my DHEA fluctuates between low normal 295, one month than back up in the mid 500's. I've been put on glandulars and varoius Thyroid concoctions which have helped imensly. I have an Alt. Med. Dr. treating me with NHRT therapy, GH and Mild Silver Protein drips etc. My hormone levels with treatment have balanced out a bit.. Hey, at lest my body decided to start making it's own T. Helps a bit with late night frolicking.. If anything has improved your anxiety, adrenals, please post or shoot me a PM. I'll do the same.. Best of luck!
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