Stress Center Peer Support

Hello there everyone, has anyone ever heard of adrenal fatigue? I have recently been diagnosed with it and it is the reason that i have spent the last 4 years with anxiety, depression, and of course, fatigue. I finally hit rock bottom with the fatigue going to an extreme that i realized that i was physically deteriorating. Without a doubt, my hormones play a HUGE HUGE role in my anxiety and depression. I never knew this. In fact, many of us go misdiagnosed. Many of us don't even really have anxiety or depression, what we really have are hormones that are out of balance and weak adrenals. The adrenal glands are two wal-nut sized glands that sit on top of the kidneys. I understand that one of their main roles is to release the stress hormone cortisol. This hormone is what sends our body into its fight or flight response. Our bodies were not intended to be in this state for too long of time or for consecutive episodes. That is why the relaxation CD or relaxation state is so important for us who are worriers. We need to learn to relax. Anyway, i know that many of us have already gone to doctors who have done blood work (that doesn't check hormones extensively) and tell us that nothing is wrong and that it's all in our head. They tell us to relax and give us a prescription for an antidepressant or some anti-anxiety medication like xanax. Okay, they don't solve the problem, they just put a band-aid on it and keep making themselves the drug companies loads of cash. My advice for all of you is to get your hormones checked with the saliva test (4 times a day) and a blood work that is not typical of the average primary care physician. I went to a doctor who specializes with Bio-identical hormones and he found that my testosterone level was that of an eighty-year old man (i'm only 29) and that my DHEA, and cortisol was definitely depleted - low. My cortisol should be 10 in the morning but mines was at 1.67. My doctor explained that this was the reason for my anxiety and depression and lack of energy. I know that perhaps not all of you will have hormones out of balance but it's worth the checkup. Look up ADRENAL FATIGUE, BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONES, OR MY DOCTOR'S COMMUNITY WHICH IS BODYLOGIC MD. These doctors specialize in regenerative and preventative medicine.

Enrique -

Great post. I'm male and also found out that my testosterone and cortisol levels were very low. I've been going through HRT (hormone replacement therapy) for the testosterone for about a year now. I started with the patches and then moved on to the gels and creams, but none of the transdermal (through the skin) methods are working for me. Just recently I moved on to injections and I'll find out in about four weeks whether it's making a difference.

Your post makes me wonder how many other people with anxiety are affected by low hormone levels as well. My doctor suspects the low cortisol levels were related but was not sure about the testosterone. Some of the anxiety and depression related symptoms he mentioned with low testosterone were fatigue during the day, poor sleep at night, and indecisiveness. I suffer from all three.

As for the cortisol levels, he said there was nothing that needed to be done.

Jamie

What did your doctor diagnose you with? Did he just tell you your testosterone was low? Sorry to hear that the testosterone did not work for you. I am just about to start on gels and am hopeful. Oh, did your doctor mention anything about hypoadrenia or otherwise known as adrenal fatigue? Hope all goes well for you, let me know how you feel in 4 weeks. Take care bud and really do wish the best for you.
By the way, there is something that can be done for the cortisol, but it is through good nutrition and supplements from what i understand. I am new at this so i am just learning. I have learned from others testimonies that they have recovered from adrenal fatigue.
Carlos (Enrique)

Carlos -

My doctor didn't give a specific diagnosis other than low testosterone. He doesn't know why my levels of testosterone were low because the lab work showed that all my levels of the precursors to testosterone where normal. For some unknown reason, my body is just not taking the parts and making the final product.

No worries on the skin treatment. It was kind of messy and I like only having to do the injections once a week. I just hope my body absorbs and uses it. Time will tell.

As for the low cortisol levels, he did mention something akin to adrenal fatigue but said that the research on it is still inconclusive. However, he suspects that my levels will return to normal as I reduce my anxiety and stress. He suggested that my testosterone may also return to normal at the same time as the cortisol, although he could not guarantee it.

I appreciate the information you provided and did some internet searches. I'm a bit leery of taking a supplement since none of them are tested or approved by the FDA. Plus, I never know how things are going to affect me so I tend to avoid taking new things. Do you know of any natural foods that can boost cortisol levels?

By the way, I'm 36 and also much too young for the the low levels of testosterone I have. I should be in the mid 600's (ng/dl) for free testosterone but have been averaging in the low 200's. The best I did so far was with the gel which only got me to the upper 200's.

Jamie

Yea my Testosterone was low on all levels as well, and my overall testosterone was about 267 total. That is not good according to my doctor because my level should be at least in the 700s considering that i am only 29. He said i was walking around with the same level of testosterone as an 80 year old man and that was part of my fatigue issue. The hormones i am going to use are Bio-identical. As for the cortisol, there are natural supplements, but if you're not crazy about taking them and would rather benefit from nutritious food then i would recommend extra virgin coconut oil, sea salt added to water (about a quarter of a teaspoon in the morning - for fatigue), and there is a book that i just bought called Adrenal Fatigue by James L. Wilson. This book has specifically guided me into what to eat and what not to eat and even what time of day i should eat. Like i said before, i hope those injections work for you and hope we can continue to share information so that we can both get better and have a full recovery one day.

Thanks for the tips. I'll check out the book for sure. By the way, did the diet changes in the book help you out much?

Jamie

I just went back to the Center for Environmental Medicine in Portland, OR for a follow-up. My adrenals tested low in the bloodwork they did. I did the saliva-collection test, but won't have the results for another week of so.

This is the first time I remember having my adrenals test low, although I've been battling chronic exhaustion for many years. I guess we'll decide what to do when my cortisol test results are in.

purpmartin

So far the hormones are making me feel better (but not the creams, only the DHEA that i take orally, i take 25mg a day). I am also taking like 5 other supplements. will keep you updated about outcome

Carlos -

I finally got my blood work done now that I've been on testosterone injections for about seven weeks. To my surprise, they finally gone well into the normal range. While I didn't have much success with the patches or gels/creams, the direct intra-muscular injections seem to do the trick.

However, there's one thing missing. I don't feel any different. Maybe it takes a while but I was hoping I'd notice an increase in my energy and better sleeping patterns. I'll let you know if things change. My doctor is going to keep my at my current dosage for a while and see how things pan out.

Jamie

Thanks for sharing. I'm only on my 3rd week of using the creams. I too do not see a significant difference, but they tell me it takes a while (3 months to 6 months at times). Anyways, sorry you still don't feel as good. Have you asked your doctor about melatonin (non-synthetic version)? It helps me sleep, also another thing that's been helping me sleep lately is making sure i go to sleep full (not overwhelmingly full like a pig-out meal), but just full enough that you won't wake up at 3 or 4 in the morning with anxiety, cold, and shortness of breath. Let me know how it all unfolds for you. I am now seeing a nutritionist on top of my doctor. I tried going on this wheat and gluten free diet, but i think, i think - i'm not sure yet, that i had withdrawal symptoms that did not let me go to sleep. I got mad anxiety and borderline panic along with aches throughout my body. I may be addicted to wheat, i don't know. I have a telephone conversation with the nutritionist every 2 weeks, i will let her know of my experience. For the time being, i cannot let go of the wheat/gluten, i will cut down on it gradually and not go cold turkey like i did the other day. My concern right now is that i just get some good sleep or else i will never recover from this adrenal fatigue.