Synacthen test. Feel stressed

[JuliaWM]

Synacthen test. I had mine today. Charming staff, comfy chair and it left me feeling super stressed. Those of you who think that is not normal may have misunderstood. I do medical research. My biochemistry is seriously weak, but as I understand it we were meant to secrete cortisol and so feel very stressed, uncomfortable. It is very bad for you if you haven't got appropriate stress hormones. If you feel stress with the test, then that, as I understand it means that bit of you, the adrenals and pituitary feedback loop is working OK. So you get a normal diagnosis. It is , I think when you don't feel stressed that you are in trouble. I think I got that right, maybe an endocrinologist can elucidate, but I feel like I have been cut up in traffic/ had to make a court appearance/had a bad argument with a loved one/found I can't pay my bills. So I am releasing cortisol and if I got that right , it is a good thing I am.I think it means I haven't got Addison's disease too. And that is a bugger. I had a friend who had that.

[cazzaleo]

When I had the test I felt absolutely normal so suspected I might’ve had an abnormal low result - but it came back normal!

I then did the saliva test and that showed I had high cortisol at all four points during the day.

I think it’s worth having that done too - can give you more of a picture of what’s happening with your adrenals (if the synacthen rest comes back normal or maybe even if it doesn’t).

[posthinking01]

Hi having had one SST when I wasn't short on adrenal hormone - I felt absolutely fantastic - because it is in a test environment supplying ACTH the hormone that the pituitary supplies to stimulate cortisol. The second one I had years later I had been on long term steroids and I felt dreadful afterwards as the adrenals just weren't up to the stimulation the ACTH was asking of it. I am now down the line an Addison's patient.

[Summer64]

I felt fine during and after mine and it was normal

[Angel_of_the_North]

Only sort of true. If you need to have ACTH injected in order to produce enough cortisol, something isn't normal. Your adrenals may be fine but your pituitary probably isn't. I couldn't stop crying (perhaps a stress response) and got an abnormal result and staff muttering "something's not right here".

[MaisieGray]

I think your assumption is erroneous - I had the test and felt perfectly normal ie I felt the same after as I did before, and my test results were fine. How anyone reacts to any intervention is individual and personal to them.