Advice for a cortisol newbie please!

[hjh88]

Hello gang,

Hope you’re all keeping safe, well and sane!

I was hoping to enlist your help with my recent cortisol results from Regenerus, particularly re: next steps as this is where my knowledge falls down.

Hopefully the attached results are legible but I can always type out if needs be.

My general thyroid health has been a bit messy the last few months so I’ll just run through some bullets for context.

General thyroid stuff:

• All recent results in profile. Tests always taken pre-9am, water only, overnight levo skipped.

• Had been steady for most of last year on 187.5mcg (3 days 200, 1 day 150)

• Actavis/Accord levo

Tonsillitis, becoming hypo and cortisol symptoms:

• Bad bacterial tonsil infection in October meant 2wk course of antibiotics (penicillin)

• Totally messed up my gut and began to experience hypo symptoms

• No tests to confirm as presumed working on my gut health would help (kefir, pre and probiotics etc)

• Also started to experience various symptoms of high and low cortisol so presume my adrenals have finally had enough!

Levo mess up

• Totally, inexplicably botched my levo and was taking a lower dose for 1-2 weeks in Jan

• Compounded hypo symptoms

• Most recent test results from GP in profile taken after 1wk of lower dose

• Disregarding these for now and will retest privately in March plus vits as it’s been a while

• Dose now corrected and starting to come out of the deeper hypo fog

Cortisol test:

• Cortisol test in Jan

• Left off supplements and steroidal inhaler for a week prior

• No caffeine or chocolate during test day

• Followed test instructions to the letter

So that’s what’s brought me to this point. I’m taking the report/result to mean that my adrenals need some support and I understand that it’s likely to be herbs, glandulars and adrenals cocktails but I just have no idea where to start! Particularly with doses, best order to try things, repeat testing etc.

Any advice for next steps would be a huge huge help!

[humanbean]

I'm going to use the standard reference range rather than the optimal ranges given because I don't know how the optimal ranges were arrived at.

Your results :

Sample 1) 14 (7 - 30) --- 30% of the way through the range

Sample 2) 3.8 (2.1 - 14) --- 14% of the way through the range

Sample 3) 0.91 (1.5 - 8) --- 9% of the way UNDER the range

Sample 4) 0.88 (0.33 - 7) --- 8% of the way through the range

DHEA 152 (106 - 300) --- 24% of the way through the range

...

Optimal results for saliva cortisol are given at this link (see Example 1) :

rt3-adrenals.org/cortisol_t...

• Morning at the top of the range --- 30 with your range

• Noon approximately 75% of the range --- 11.025 with your range

• Evening close to 50% of the range --- 4.75 with your range

• Nighttime at the bottom of the range - 0.33 with your range

...

We need to compare your results to the optimal results and see what comes out of it.

Sample 1) Optimal = 30 --- Yours = 14 --- You produce 47% of the cortisol you should.

Sample 2) Optimal = 11.025 --- Yours = 3.8 --- You produce 34% of the cortisol you should.

Sample 3) Optimal = 4.75 --- Yours = 0.91 --- You produce 19% of the cortisol you should.

Sample 4) Optimal = 0.33 --- Yours = 0.88 --- You produce 267% of the cortisol you should.

Totals : Optimal = 46.33 --- Yours = 19.59 --- You produce 42% of the cortisol you should.

Based on your results, I suspect that you can't get moving in the mornings because your cortisol is too low, and you are wired but tired just before bed. Your night time cortisol is possibly causing insomnia.

...

I have written practically everything I can think of about low cortisol in this thread for another member, and much of it will apply to you :

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

I suspect you would benefit from taking both an adrenal glandular, and an adrenal cocktail once or twice a day.

Your low in range DHEA suggests that your cortisol is going to continue to reduce, if you don't stop the rot now.

Unfortunately, improving cortisol output is quite difficult and success can be elusive.

[hjh88 in reply to humanbean]

Hello humanbean,

Thank you so much for this! The link to your previous replies in particular - absolutely spot on. I’ll get into the detail of it shortly and make a plan.

“Based on your results, I suspect that you can't get moving in the mornings because your cortisol is too low, and you are wired but tired just before bed.” - and yep, this is exactly the pattern of my day currently.

Just a quick extra question of you don’t mind as I don’t think I saw on a quick scan of your previous replies - how soon/ regularly is a retest needed?

Very keen to stop the rot as you say and this is a great start, thanks ever so much!

[humanbean in reply to hjh88]

I would suggest re-testing in 2 - 3 months.

I'm glad you found the info I supplied helpful.

[hjh88 in reply to humanbean]

Wonderful!

Ooh I can feel a plan forming. Really appreciate the help 🙂

[Zwillie1020]

Hi my endocrinologist has started me on ashwaganda 400mg-800mg daily

[hjh88 in reply to Zwillie1020]

Ah I thought ashwagandha reduced cortisol levels? Think mine needs raising.