Help With 24 hour Cortisol Results Please

[Jamima]

I’ve received these results from regenerus and not quite sure what I should do next, if anything. Any help would be appreciated.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Jamima

If those were my results I'd be wanting to raise my levels into the optimal range (green band), at the moment 3 out of the 4 samples are within the reference interval but not optimal.

You could consider an adrenal glandular - there are two types - adrenal cortex only or a whole glandular which contains the cortex and the medulla. Some people do well on the cortex only, some need the whole glandular. Dr P used to suggest Adrenavive but there are other brands.

If you supplement then you should test regularly to keep an eye on your levels to ensure they don't go too high. I would suggest testing every 3 months.

Here are optimal levels for adrenals according to rt3-adrenals.org/cortisol_t...

• Morning at the top of the range

• Noon approximately 75% of the range

• Evening close to 50% of the range

• Nighttime at the bottom of the range

My interpretation of that would be those levels within the green band, eg the evening level would be 3.5 as 50% of the optimal range of 2.0-5.0

You could also Google "Phase 2 HPA axis dysfunction".

Please note this is not medical advice, it's just my opinion of what I would do based on my own experience of dealing with my adrenal problem.

[Jamima in reply to SeasideSusie]

Many thanks SeasideSusie. They certainly explain my tiredness. Would low cortisol cause me to feel cold?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Jamima]

I don't know for sure there are many reasons why we can feel the cold. Looking at your results in your previous post

TSH 0.88 (0.2-4.5)

FT4 12 (9-21)

FT3 4.97 (3.1-6.8)

even though your TSH is good your FT4 is low and you have some issues with nutrient levels.

[Jamima in reply to SeasideSusie]

Many thanks. I’m working on nutrients.

[Hidden]

Your cortisol levels are on the low side & it would be worth asking your GP to do an early morning blood cortisol., to see if you have adrenal insufficiency. Cortisol taken between 8-9am should show a result of between 350-559nmol/Ls, so make sure you get a copy of the results. If they are below 35onmol/Ls then your GP should refer you to an Endo who understands pituitary/adrenal issues as not all of them do. The Endo should do a short synacthen test to see how your adrenal glands are working, it is important to have ACTH tested at the same time, it needs to go on ice.

[Jamima in reply to Hidden]

Thank you PaulineS. I had this test done privately as my GP said I was fine after my last thyroid results. I visited her 3 times re. fatigue but she said there was nothing wrong and referred me to menopause clinic. Can I go back to gp with these results and ask for further tests or will she say these are fine? I’d rather forego gp shenanigans and pay for a private endo if I’m just going to be classed as ‘satisfactory’ by nhs, when I know I’m not.

[Hidden in reply to Jamima]

It would be worth showing them to her, hopefully she will acknowledge that they are on the low side, good luck!

[Jamima in reply to Hidden]

Many thanks.

[Thor63]

Hello jamina, could I ask how you a got cortisol tests re your gp. Re cortisol tests, I have come off thyroxine, didn't feel any better, I'm convinced hormones are the root of my problems, I feel stress very quickly and only feel " normal" when not exhausted and relaxed, I do meditation and symptoms, you mentioned menopause clinic, I'm 57 don't take hrt. I'm seeing my gp next week to ask for referral to endo. I too feel very cold but been I do not have thyroid issues. Thank you

[Jamima]

Hello Thor63 - I didn’t get the cortisol test from my gp, I ordered it privately from regenerus labs. Some helpful people on here listed the type of test to order as apparently it’s important to have a test which doesn’t have ‘0’ in the range and also to include DHEA in the test. I don’t know if gp’s will order these tests for you but my experience so far with my gp and testing is that unless you really push, they only do minimal testing, then sign you off as ‘satisfactory’ even when you tell them your life has imploded because of continuous exhaustion. You may have a wonderful gp who is happy to help but I usually have to wait 2 weeks to see mine, up to another week for the test and another week for results, all the while I’m unable to function on my usual level. It’s a financial drain to have private testing but I’m not willing to keep putting my life on hold and now feel determined to get some answers. Good luck with your gp.