My Results

[sjdean]

I currently have an underactive thyroid. It has been such that when I've lost weight from 18st to 16st, my dosage was adjusted from 175mcg to 150mcg. Put back on 3st to 19st and my dosage didn't need adjusting back up.

I have sleep disturbances but no sleep apnea, a low breathing rate over night and wake up regularly. I find it hard to get up and hard to get to sleep. Im more alert at night.

My endo got me a short synachten test and I have the following values for cortisol

baseline @ 9am - 359 nmol (range 101-536)
after acth stimulation @ 9.30 - 521 nmol, @10.00 593 nmol.

Doc says this is OK.

I can't help but thinking, cortisol  should be highest first thing in the morning. I had been up for 2 hours by 9am.

Not entirely convinced 359 is a good result. It's adequate and within range, but, eh, maybe it could be higher.

Hey ho. We will see.

Just to let you know I feel much better taking T3 only, but after a while, T3 stops having any effect! I could take 100mcg of T3 and it doesn't work. That's not normal is it?

Any thoughts?

Simon

[TheLightSeeker]

Hi Simon.

Your free (unbound) AM cortisol could be even lower, if your result indicates
total cortisol.
It seems that you have a cortisol dysregulation (your day time cortisol is low and your night time is high-re: sleep quality issues) and ideally you should get tested for 4x cortisol (saliva test), as it also may interfere with thyroid function.
The adrenals down-regulate thyroid function for recovery and re-balance and till this is corrected, thyroid regulation may not only be difficult to achieve, its regulation also might impede the ability of the adrenals to re-balance.

I hope you have a good endocrinologist who is willing to address this.
Most endos ignore "sub-clinical" lab results and as long as the patient is
not suffering from a real crisis, they also ignore the symptoms, which could be severe enough to affect the patient's quality of life dramatically!

Best wishes.
Niko

[sjdean]

Im thinking a little along those lines too. I've just ordered myself a private test and will see what comes out.

[sjdean]

I've got some new results from my private test. ORdered an Adrenal Stress test. Results are:

Sample 1: 13.7 (12-22)
Sample 2: 8.5 (5.0 - 9.0)
Sample 3: 5.6 (3.0 - 7.0)
Sample 4: 5.2 (1.0 - 3.0)

I can't but help think Sample 1 is a bit low, but Sample 4 is actually out of range for when I go to sleep. No wonder I suffer with sleeping.

On top of this, DHEA:

0.61 am, 0.57pm, DHEA : Cortisol Ratio - 1.79 (2.0 - 6.0), and DHEA Mean 0.59 (0.40 - 1.47).

I think my DHEA is a bit low too.

Any thoughts?

Regards,
Simon Dean

[rumpled]

I would say you appear more on the Cushing's side than AI with a loss of diurnal rhythm and an elevation at night. That was how I was with my Cushing's.

The symptoms can overlap. Lived/live them both.

[sjdean]

Loss of diurnal rhythm? Can you explain?

[rumpled]

Normal diurnal rhythm is highest in the morning and lowers throughout the day. So yours (as was mine) is opposite as you are high at night.