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Post by justaustin on Feb 24, 2009 15:51:39 GMT -5
www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/adrenal-info/how-to-treat/This is recommended for when you start and increase HC/cortef. If you take your doses twice/daily, you might not have adequate coverage during times that you need it. I used this guide when our son and I started HC. It does work. Isocort is just a bridge until you can get doc to order HC. I think you need a better doc. The endos are good with diabetes. Thyroid and cortisol...not so much. They fail to understand that there is a difference between normal and optimal. Where do you live? l I would try to get two doses of iron in each day. Space each dose by a few hours. This might help with raising your ferritin. It is possible to have a thyroid dump without a thyroid. Basically the thyroid hormone in blood gets utilized rapidly with the aid of cortisol. Laurie
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Post by shelley on Feb 25, 2009 22:49:04 GMT -5
Thanks again. I really like my endo but agree that I need to find a better doc that is more versed in adrenal and thyroid issues. I am in So Cal so if anyone has any suggestions please let me know. So I wanted to follow up and post some other blood tests that have been asked about and also follow up with some questions of my own. First the questions:
1. I am having issues with sinuses and my tear ducts. The ENT gave me a steroidal nose spray and said to take twice a day. Will a steroidal nasal spray affect adrenal issues?
2. I know that Vit C supping will help adrenal recovery. At a certain point the Vit C does give me the runs. And is buffered the way the go or non buffered. Also should it be in smaller doses throughout the day or large doses?
3. You mentioned that people with low cortisol often get that adrenaline jittery feeling. I have gotten that the last two nights really bad. And I have been having issues waking up multiple times a night and often with a racing heartbeat. First what can you do for the adrenaline spikes especially before bedtime. IFrom my last saliva test a year ago i do know that my nighttime cortisol was the only one in the normal range and its when I have the most energy at post 6P I read somewhere and cannot find it that there is a product Spherios or something like that to help calm you before bed. Have you heard of it? Is it effective?
4. I also wake up in the morning with these internal like tremors but nothing external is shaking. Is that related possibly to low cortisol?
5. When I try to take and adrenal glandular I get that adrenaline spike. Is that normal? Is it beneficial to take the glanduars?
I know my sex hormones are low but before dealing with any of that I want to get the adrenals in order and the thyroid. Sometimes I think the sex hormones are low because my body is low in cortisol and the sex hormones production gets short-shifted. So for now I will back burner the sex hormones/HRT until the first two are balanced. Although sometimes a small amount of the estrogen gel helps how I feel especially mid cycle. I cannot tolerate birth control pills or progesterone, or even the estrogen patches. After a week or two on them my blood pressure rises too much whch I am guessing may be tied to the progesterone and the aldosterone since they are connected right? My gyn does not understand why my blood pressure rises so much after only two weeks on BCP pills or the estrogen patches. In terms of iron/ferritin issues I just found out the prescription iron I have been taking is being recalled. So I will need to find a new source through a supplement. Even with supplementing I run low. And I know iron is needed for thyroid conversion. Are iron shots an option?
With the prescription iron I was taking 125 mg of elemental iron a day and it had vit C with it. But even on it I can’t ever seem to break into 50-70 range for ferritin and my % saturation always runs low. I know the blood loss is due to my heavier periods which is due to the hypothyroid issues and I am guessing that even when my thyroid numbers are ok I am still hypo because I am low cortisol and not getting the thyroid into the cells. The last two iron tests I had were as follows; (1st number was Feb, 2nd Number was Jan) and these results are on 150 elemental iron per day Iron serum 55, 59 Iron Binding Capacity 337, 373 Iron Saturation 16, 16 Ferritin 45, 34
I will absolutely try your suggestion of doing two doses of iron to try to get it up.
Just to follow-up on a question that was asked my last vitamin D was 42 (20-100 range). Prior to that it was 33 and 48. I supplement 1000 iu per day. Not optimal yet I think.
Over the last 2 years I have learned about B12 and methyl B12 in particular. When all my thyroid problems came crashing down two years ago my B12 was 337. Now it is routinely higher with the last three blood tests at 878, 904 and 873. I try to keep as close to 900 to 100 as I can.
I got my saliva kit today and will be doing the test over the weekend. I’ll post those numbers as soon as I have them.
Thanks again you all are very knowledgeable and it is appreciated.
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Post by justaustin on Feb 25, 2009 23:20:49 GMT -5
Avoid the nasal steroid for two weeks if you plan to do saliva testing. Althoug the literature says it isn't systemic... It's a crock. Avoid the adrenal glandulars before testing.. Two weeks.
Retesting B12 once supplementing is a wa$te of money. It will be falsely elevated.
For vitamin D. Try taking 1,000IU (of vitamin D3) / 25lbs body weight each day. Retest in a month. I usually take 4,000IU/day during summer and increase to 5,000IU once the days get shorter. My highest level was 60.
I get the shakes when my cortisol is low along with hypoglycemia, feeling cold and sometimes dizzy. It can be a mixed bag.
Try ordering heme iron from Colorado Labs. It's called Proferrin ES. This form allows the body to absorb more iron than non-heme iron products. Several folks have been able to make significant progress with ferritin in less time than other products. Continue taking it with vitamin C.
My doc likes buffered C. If it's causing the trots, just back off by 500mg/day for your daily dose. I usually take all mine at night when I take my iron and a few other things.
Spherios is like Phosphatidyl Serine (PS) but soy free. It is designed to even out cortisol levels. Often if a person has high cortisol at night and low cortisol during the day. Taking the PS at night helps to lower the cortisol at night to hopefully raise the daytime level. Should not take it if cortisol is low all the time. You need cortisol.
You are welcome, Laurie
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Post by shelley on Feb 26, 2009 17:36:10 GMT -5
Thanks Laurie! NOw here is an intersting development. I had a very very bad night last night. Up atleast 4 times during the night and wired and anxious before going to bed. I only finally fell asleep around 5:30 this morning. When I got up I had my period. And I am only mid cycle day 16. It certainly explains a lot of my symptoms the last few days like the headache and the anxiety and heart palpitations and extreme tired feeling but wired at the same time. I have had endo metriosis in the past and still have pretty significant dysmenorrhea symptoms from mid cycle to when I get my period. BUt this has got to be the wort. And I did not recognize them as dysmenorrhea since I was only mid cycle and I am pretty regular. And the last week my body has been out of whacked and struggling. Makes me wonder if the cortisone shot which I had a reaction to a couple days after getting it if this is how it messed up my hormones. Is it possible it threw off my sex hormones and my cycle. COuld it have raised my androgens (I did feel rather in a rage the days following the shot and wonder if it affected by testosterone) and threw off my estrogen because some of the symptoms the last few days were reminisicnet of either adrenal fatigue and also when I have had had terribly low estrogen and GABA and serotonin. Any thoughts on if the cortisone shot could have impacted me this way. Does it affect androgens? Needless to say never again unless necessary will I do one of those cortisone shots. Either way I am still getting my saliva checked and have found an adrenal doc to consult with. Wait does this mean I now have to wait to test them since they recommended testing Day 19, 20, 21 and now I am on day 1 again ....rats I think the answer is yes. I still need to optimize both adrenal since signs point to low cortisol if not AI and fixing that will help me optimize the hypothyroid situation. Thanks again for your insight. As a mod on another board I have been throughly impressed by your insight and compassion. I'll post more when I have some more results.
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Post by justaustin on Mar 2, 2009 20:19:32 GMT -5
Thank-you for your kind words. Some day you will be in a position to help someone who is going through this rollercoaster ride.
Sounds like all your hormones are impacted by low cortisol/low thyroid--whether it be primary or secondary in origin. Neurotransmitters can absolutely be impacted by the imbalances too.
Saliva testing can be done any day. Saliva sex hormones are not very reliable. Aldo/renin should be done on day 3. Some docs prefer day 3 for LH/FSH with individual sex hormones and some docs prefer day 21.
You are welcome, Laurie
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nleer
New Member
Posts: 3
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Post by nleer on Mar 5, 2009 12:34:46 GMT -5
:)I have been diagnosed with secondary adrenal insufficiency, low ACTH levels, Hypothyroidism, and possible Hypothalmus disfunction. I had to take prednisone from age 13 till now (age 56). This has caused HPA axis malfunction.
I cannot find a good endocrinologist to help with all the hormones that need to be replaced. I am on cortef for adrenal insuf. And I take bioidentical prometrium and estradiol. I think that I need GH replaced as well, and although thyroid levels are in low-normal range I still feel very fatigued. They also just found out that I have an IGG/IGA immune deficiency.
I am a mess!!! Can someone help me find an excellent doctor that knows what to do with all of these wonderful hormones.
Thanks,
Nancy L
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Post by justaustin on Mar 5, 2009 18:34:54 GMT -5
Nancy,
Where do you live? You really need to be optimized with cortef and thyroid hormone replacment before addressing growth hormone. Optimizing both may result in improved growth hormone levels.
Please start a new thread. Include your history and labs. Laurie
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