Hypoadrenalism?

[Anniebabe]

I may have hypoadrenalism, I'm waiting to get test but blood test showed I was low in steroid hormone. and was put on steroids but found I couldn't sleep so now I'm off them and taking delta ortril 2.5. What is best to take for hypoadrenalism and is there anyone else who has it and can advise me on effects. I feel exhausted, sweats, low mood and motivation. Headaches..

[startagaingirl]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Low adrenal output may be a sign of adrenal fatigue caused by long-standing hypothyroid. Have you had your thyroid status tested? Does any form of thyroid problems run in your family?

[Anniebabe in reply to startagaingirl]

Thks for reply. No one in my family has thyroid probs. The endocrinologist never mentioned thyroid. I have rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, fibromyalgia and maybe hypoadrenalism. Just wondered was there other people with it with similar symptoms ?

[Anniebabe in reply to Anniebabe]

I got a blood test for arthritis and rheumatologist noticed I wasn't producing steroid hormone sent me to of endroconologist but haven't had test coz I was refered to a specialist closer to home so on waiting list

[startagaingirl in reply to Anniebabe]

The thyroid and adrenals work together to support all the functions of your body. If the thyroid is under-performing, then the adrenals take over and try to compensate by using cortisol instead of thyroid hormone. If this goes on for long enough then the adrenals get fatigued and can't produce enough of anything any more. Your symptoms do sound typical of hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid). Why not have a look down this list and see if these seem familiar:

thyroiduk.org/tuk/about_the...

Fibromyalgia can be interlinked with hypothyroid as well.

Could I suggest that you ask your GP to test you for thyroid issues? Don't wait for an endo appointment as GP can do this on their own. Ask for a copy of the results and put them in a new post here and we can advise.

Just a bit of advice based on the wide experience of this group - GPs and endos know very, very little about thyroid and will tell you that results are "normal" or "fine" when they actually aren't.

Good luck

Gillian

[t3rcam]

Was it a blood test or saliva test that resulted in your diagnosis? My understanding is that small physiological doses of hydrocortisone should be taken at different times of the day to mimic the way that it would be produced by the body. As startagaingirl says there could be a thyroid issue too. I have been following the Rt3-adrenals yahoo group who also have knowledge of thyroid & adrenal issues.

[t3rcam]

It was a 4 x saliva sample test that confirmed my adrenal fatigue. I was seeing Doc P at the time. Cortisol levels rise and fall during the day into evening and bed time. A blood test only shows what your cortisol levels are at that particular time. A urine test is a bit of a joke as all samples are mixed in one container - mmmmm what does that say! A few companies now do saliva testing.