Adrenal fatigue - more test results - and treatment options please

[marxxx]

Hello all,

Looking for some insight/advice from the community.  My Dr thinks I have adrenal fatigue and I would like more opinions from the knowledgeable people here.  

I have been suffering from anxiety attacks for the last 10 years or so along with acid reflux, insomnia, digestion issues, weight gain, achy joints, fatigue, nasal congestion, ringing in the ears, brain fog and dry skin. Last year I got the pleasure of adding on many new ones including being cold all the time, hoarse voice, etc......
In late 2013 I got a series of blood tests and found out that I am hypothyroid, have low vitamin A, B12, D, magnesium, iodine, dhea, and low testosterone.  

Over the last 6 months or my Vitamin D and testosterone have rebounded. I have started treatment for the thyroid issue and sleep apnea.
After all this I started to feel quite a bit better. A lot of dietary changes and continued exercise and I lost some weight and feeling like things were heading in the right direction. Unfortunately life got quite stressful again (Has been a complete roller coaster the last 3 years or so) and my symptoms got worse again - mainly total fatigue (regardless of how much sleep), achy joints, light headed, headaches and some nausea.

I went back to my Dr and got a 24 hour cortisol test. The results are posted below

8 am - .05 ug/dL    
Range .025 - .6

noon  -  .108 ug/dL
range  - .01 - .2

5pm - .035 ug/dL
range  -  .010 - .2

midnight - .01 ug/dL
range   .01 - .09

ACTH stim test (3 point)
Cortisol base - 6.3 ug/dl    Ref range 3.4 - 26.9
Cortisol 30 minutes   21.6 ug /dl
Cortisol 60 minutes   24.9 ug/dl
Notes - peak value of at least 18 ug/dl is a normal response to cortrosyn stimulation.

DHEA   - 128ug/dL
Ref Range    -  95 - 530

Sodium    140
Ref range    136 - 140

Blood pressure borderline High

My Dr as recommended several supplements.
DHEA, Vitamin B, Magnesium, 5 HTP and a-Drenal (with organic Bovine adrenal tissue) and coQ10

Do the above tests quantify low cortisol? Have the members here been able to correct the condition (adrenal fatigue, low cortisol etc) with supplements or is cortisol replacement necessary?  There is (and will be) continued stress in my life, and unfortunately I can't change that for the next several years. I really need to resolve the fatigue and brain fog so I can function better at work and in life.

I appreciate all the info that has been posted to the boards so far. This site has been a valuable resource in my journey!

[TheLightSeeker]

Cortisol is a much more significant factor in urine flow regulation compared to antidiuretic hormone (ADH deficiency or kidney insensitivity to it leads to  Diabetes Isipidus), so in adrenal fatigue -depending which stage- will affect
fluid diuresis somewhat in inverse proportion to cortisol levels.
Regardless, you should rule DI out, as rumpled mentioned.

It is not the external stress, it is how the external stress is processed that matters most.
Meditation and self-hypnosis are some of the best tools to help address this and it may also help deal with biological stress, which is a  hidden form of internal body stress.

Your cortisol levels are quite low, so expect up to 2 years before full adrenal recovery, if you do things right.
I would suggest you start with the lowest dosing, to avoid unwanted symptoms and please pay attention to the smallest details.
Keeping a log-dates, times, doses, reactions..-will prove invaluable.

Adrenal fatigue may not be recognized by the medical establishment,as many other so-called sub-clinical states of various conditions, which are leaving so many patients in limbo.
You are very fortunate that you have such an open minded doctor.

I had to learn the hard way (on my own) in order to get my health back.
If you need some tips for self-hypnosis and meditation or anything else let me know.

Best wishes.
Niko

[rumpled]

I will say not a follower of adrenal fatigue.

That being said, even an endo should not diagnose and treat on one set of testing. It is not enough.

You need several sets of testing, and a stim test. You need abnormal sodium and/or potassium readings (AI is a salt wasting disease).

Do you feel better with more salt on your food?

Drink and pee can be a pituitary disorder called Diabetes insipidus - not diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes). But you really need a doctor to determine what is going on. You can also drink so much that you wash all the electrolytes out of your body.

[marxxx]

Ok, one more.... I drink and run to the bathroom constantly (sometimes every 10 minutes). I am not diabetic, several tests confirmed it negative.

[marxxx]

I forgot to mention irritability as a symptom. Apparently I haven't been my usual charming self through all of this.
I have also managed to lose physical strength this last couple of years. So much so that family has noticed and asked about it.

Like many others I am really hoping to find a solution for this soon. This has affected one job and forced me to find employment closer to home. I need to make sure I can keep up with the demands of my present job, and that is almost impossible most days.

Thanks in advance.