By all accounts, you cannot get optimal on NDT if your cortisol isn’t in the optimal place. I have chronic cortisol issues. I grew up with ptsd. I’m working on improving this but I don’t think my body knows how to stop constantly being in flight or fight mode. I over stress quite easily.
That being said, would I better off on T4/T3 meds instead? Should I bother with NDT knowing my cortisol is quite low? My vitamins levels are all optimal. I have the option of taking NDT or T4 & T3 meds. I’m conflicted.
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All thyroid hormone replacement requires reasonable cortisol levels. Where there is a problem Dr Peatfield (expert thyroid doctor) suggests addressing adrenals before starting thyroid replacement hormone.
As NDT is a combination of T4 and T3, the only difference between that and synthetic T4 and T3 is that NDT has fixed ratio of T4:T3 and with synthetic you can tweak the ratio to suit yourself.
How are you addressing the cortisol problem? Are you seeing a doctor/practioner about this?
Thank you for your reply. I’m going to bed earlier, I’m meditating to reduce stress, limiting coffee. I already follow a keto diet so no sugar, no processed food, lots of good quality meat and veg. I’m starting to take a good probiotic and the Pure Encapsulations ADR adrenal support supplement. I had a lot of childhood trauma and other than the things I’m doing, I’m not sure how I can undo my early life and the footprint it left.
If so it contains adaptogens and the whole adrenal gland plus adrenal cortex. The adaptogens tend to lower cortisol and the adrenal gland and cortex are supposed to help raise cortisol.
Have you done a 24 hour saliva adrenal test? If your cortisol is high I would have thought that the adaptogens only were what you needed, not the adrenal gland and cortex.
Yes, I’ve done the saliva test and I believe my results were low cortisol. Unfortunately medichecks didn’t give me the night reading but these were my results
Waking 9.61 (range 6-21)
Noon 3.06 (range 1.5-7.6)
Afternoon 3.31 (range 0-5.5)
Night <1.5 (range 0-2)
All measured in nmol/L
I can easily not take the Pure Encapsulations supplement. I’m more concerned about which thyroid replacement will be best for my current cortisol levels.
Morning at the top of the range - yours is 24% through range
Noon approximately 75% of the range - yours is 26% through range
Evening close to 50% of the range - yours is 60% through range - who knows what yours is, they don't give an actual result which is rather stupid.
And this is their interpretation of your result:
Example 3
Morning less than 50% of range; all other levels low
• No evidence adrenals can catch up production
• Usually requires a physiologic replacement dose of hydrocortisone
I'm not medically trained and I can't say what you should do, but self supplementing with hydrocortisone is something I wouldn't attempt, you may want to look into finding a practioner with experience of cortisol issues.
I'm more concerned about which thyroid replacement will be best for my current cortisol levels.
I have no idea. All thyroid replacement requires decent levels of cortisol. The type of thyroid replacement isn't going to address your cortisol issue, that needs to be addressed for thyroid replacement to work properly.
Just my opinion but the current supplement you are using, although meant to be balancing, could possibly be having the effect of the adaptogens keeping your cortisol level low, despite there being adrenal gland/cortex in it. If anything, I would have thought just the adrenal gland/cortex alone might be better, but that may affect your evening level and that's already on the higher side.
I have chronic cortisol issues. I grew up with ptsd. I'm working on improving this but I don't think my body knows how to stop constantly being in flight or fight mode. I over stress quite easily.
As stress tends to cause high cortisol, and your cortisol levels, at the the first two samples, are showing low, I don't think this is part of your adrenal problem. Maybe it was originally and the supplement has lowered your first two levels. How long have you been taking it? Did you test levels before starting the supplement?
Thank you so much for taking the time to look at my situation. It seems as through many of the symptoms of low cortisol are the same as high cortisol. Or i have a pituitary issue. :/. I haven’t really been taking the ADR formula but I have been taking a thyroid support supplement that has an adaptogen (ashwagandha) may be contributing to lower cortisol.
I think my best resort is to schedule regular appointments with the eastern medicine I’m pursuing to see if it will help.
My last line of adrenal defence is starting an Eastern medicine approach. I have just started Chinese Tuina (medical) massage with reflexology and acupuncture. I’m will to try it because nothing much has helped me before.
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