Hi, I’ve been feeling very run down and exhausted for a long time. Recently I have noticed my gums have gone brown and black. More recently my nipples have a blueish black ring round them and I am getting brown spots in my fingernails, my finger nails in general have gone a bit strange and I have deep vertical lines in them. I haven’t lost weight but often feel very sick. My morning cortisol was 277, I’m having a sst test tomorrow. What are th chances if this being Addison’s?
Thank you
It could well be Addison's or adrenal insufficiency. Your cortisol is on the low side if it was done first thing in the morning, which is I guess why you are having an SST. To pass the SST your cortisol levels need to double within 30 mins. However if they do & your cortisol level is still on the low side then they should consider Adrenal insufficiency where the problem is the pituitary not sending enough ACTH to the Adrenal glands to produce cortisol. Many endo's ignore this & say that you have passed so there isn't a problem! You need o find one that understands these issues & can do further testing such as an ACTH blood test.
Thank you very much for your reply. Yes it was done in the morning before 9am and I was really stressed too, I was worrying about running out of parking time and I really hate blood tests. The endo I’ve seen said he doesn’t think it’s addisons, however, two other consultants-immunologist and maixlo facial both strongly think it’s addisons. My endo seems very good, he said he is keen to see how my pituitary gland is working and how it’s processong hormones??
He is testing my thyroid too as he suspects that could be off but has admitted that thyroid problems won’t be causing my skin changes. Thyroid problems run in the family.
I obviously don’t want Addison’s or to be ill, but feeling like this is really getting me down. I just feel exhausted all the time. I’m 33 and most of my friends are working full time and bringing up children or living really active lives. I work part time and can barely get through the day. Some days I feel so sick and dizzy that I’m actually looking for places to be sick, Just in case. I just want answers and treatment so that I can feel better.
Do you have a thyroid problem and are you on Levothyroxine?
Hi thank you for your reply. I have written a longer reply (above). My thyroid is being tested too. Thyroid problems run in the family. I would not be surprised if I’m underactive to be honest.
If there is a pituitary problem then your thyroid levels will be affected, TSH is not good in this case & they need to test Free T3 & Free T4. I hope you get some answers, at least your Endo is taking you seriously.
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4, TT4, FT3 plus TPO and TG thyroid antibodies and also very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
essential to test FT4 and FT3 plus both antibodies
Many, many patients have low vitamin levels as direct result
Plus adrenal exhaustion (similar but not same as Addison's) is common if been untreated for long time
Do you have any gut symptoms?
Take any other medication ?
Private tests are available. Thousands on here forced to do this as NHS often refuses to test FT3 or antibodies or vitamins
thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...
Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven are the most popular choice. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw. Both companies often have money off offers.
All thyroid tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting. This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, GP will be unaware)
If antibodies are high this is Hashimoto's, (also known by medics here in UK more commonly as autoimmune thyroid disease).
About 90% of all hypothyroidism in Uk is due to Hashimoto's. Low vitamins are especially common with Hashimoto's. Food intolerances are very common too, especially gluten. So it's extremely important to get TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested at least once .
Thank you for the info. My thyroid is a ticking time bomb, I have abnormal red blood cells and was under heamotolagy for many years, I had fortnightly tests to make sure I wasn’t in the early stages of leukhemia which thank god I wasn’t. However, I was told that I am likely to develop thyroid problems in the future and taking my family history into account I am just waiting for it to strike. Would adrenal exhaustion cause the darkening of my gums and skin? I really don’t understand all this it’s so technical. Thank you for your help, I am sorry that you have been/are going through this.
Lots about adrenal exhaustion on the net
Eg
NHS still largely only recognises Addison's disease. Where adrenals can not work.
Rather than adrenal exhaustion where adrenals are not responding. This can be due to low or high cortisol or pituitary problems
Getting vitamins optimal and low thyroid levels treated, will all help
Thin black lines on thumb
MY NEW MEDS - ARE THEY T3?
My sons blood test results.
Accessing blood results! 
