Adrenal problem

[M3F8Px]

I am taking a low dose .25 xanax to sleep I have high cortisol at nitetime and have a difficult time sleeping Xanax is a benzo Is this ok..Thanks for any info.. i also have hashimotos which seems to be under control Thank you...

[radd]

M3F8Px,

Taking Xanax is only allowing sleep, whilst not addressing the high cortisol that is presumably causing the sleep issue.

You would do better to support the adrenal glands as if you allow elevated cortisol to continue over time, it may not only disrupt good thyroid function by inhibiting the conversion of T4 into T3 and so reducing active T3 levels but cause elevated RT3 which may inhibit further meds from working well and cause possible imbalance to other hormones too.

Elevated cortisol levels are common in people with low thyroid hormone. If you post any recent thyroid hormone test results complete with ranges (numbers in brackets), members will comment.

[M3F8Px in reply to radd]

i get my results tomorrow monday i ll post thanks

[elaine2447 in reply to radd]

That is interesting, thank you. I don't take Xanax any more as they only got me off for about an hour and then would wake up with racing heart every morning around 2.30 to 3 and would stay awake from then on until I popped another at gone midnight. I now pop the occasional valium during the day because quite frankly I feel like I am dying or going mad many days. Last night I never slept at all and almost felt like my brain was inflamed and I started imagining that the low intensity vibrating plate specifically for osteoporosis was causing me brain damage!! I understand now the title of that book Stop the thyroid madness!!! I have read that benzos can suppress the TSH. Quite interestingly, when I actually felt half normal last Sunday and was quite excited as I had just started a very very low dose of NDT and the two days prior to that on NDT were worse than usual. I was puzzled by this, I then realised it was because I had dug out an old mirtazapine to help me sleep Saturday night as I was going out on Sunday which is a rare occurrence for me becoming anti social, agitated and irritated, you name it, I'm it. I then started delving on the internet and found that a study was done with healthy patients and was found that Mirtazapine was the only anti depressant which actually suppressed cortisol approximately by 30 percent. I am dead against anti depressants and am not depressed just ill but am tempted to take a low dose at night again. I had to stop the NDT which was a huge disappointment as I put all my hopes in that. I'm doing a finger prick cortisol test on Monday but have since learned that this wont achieve much and I should have gone for the saliva test.

[elaine2447 in reply to radd]

How would one support the adrenal glands in your opinion. I have lived with terrible stress for the last thirty years and handled it well but now it has taken over and I didn't have Hashimotos decades ago. I have bought some organic Ashwagandha but thought I would start taking it after doing my cortisol test. I am not holding out too many hopes as most of the supplements I have bought have made me feel nauseous.