Four point saliva test results all high. Anyone able to give some advice please?

[JillBailie]

I received these results from Medichecks today. Would anyone be able to advise me on how I should think about treating?, All four results are high. I was considering using PS100 but I’m unsure of the dose I should start on. I assume I take it one hour before each

Thank you.

[humanbean]

I've never tried PS (phosphatidyl serine). Instead I tried a biochemically related supplement called Seriphos (phosphorylated serine ). The research I did when I discovered my cortisol levels were all high suggested that some people preferred PS and some preferred Seriphos. At the time (this was several years ago) Seriphos was cheaper than PS so this is why I picked it.

juliarosscures.com/identify...

I was very ill at the time I tried Seriphos, with several undiagnosed health problems, and I found it very difficult to tolerate - it made me feel as if I had flu. I kept taking it for a month or two then gave it up. It did help my chronic insomnia for a short time, but that particular problem came back very, very quickly after I stopped taking the Seriphos. If I had been able to tolerate it my research suggested it might be helpful, but I really wasn't in a position to benefit from it because of all my untreated health issues, and I can't honestly say that I gave it a fair trial.

A few years later I started taking Holy Basil (HB) because I'd read it could lower cortisol. I have only ever taken this product :

swansonvitamins.com/swanson...

It is easily available online from sources selling in GB pounds and isn't terribly expensive.

My cortisol was rather worse than yours and I got no benefit from taking the normal dose of HB, so I'll admit I took more than the suggested dose and then very gradually reduced over the following months and years. I wouldn't and couldn't recommend what I did to anyone else, even though I do appear to have "gotten away with it". I keep expecting my regular overdose to come back and bite me on the bum. I stopped taking Holy Basil late last year or early this year and now only take it very occasionally if I feel stressed out and can't sleep. I do still have problems with insomnia and feeling severely stressed but they are much reduced from what they were 10 years ago (before I found out my saliva cortisol was high).

I do remember someone on the forum took one Holy Basil capsule, four times a day, and gradually reduced from that, and it worked for them too. But other than that person (whose name I have forgotten) I don't know anyone else who has tried taking HB for high cortisol as religiously as I did. I was on it for about 4 or 5 years.

I can't test my saliva cortisol any more because I don't produce sufficient spit to provide the necessary samples.

[JillBailie in reply to humanbean]

Humanbean Thank you so much for your reply relating your experience. I am sorry that you have been so unwell.

I am going to try PS100 first and see how I tolerate it. If I can’t I’ll try Holy Basil. I’ve discovered that Seriphos can also be used to help lower cortisol so that may be another option in the future if things don’t work out.

The links you sent were very helpful. I don’t like trying anything without medical supervision but the only alternative I’ve been offered by my GP and Endo are Propranolol beta blockers and anti depressants. I’m using the lowest dose of propranolol I can to try and control the palpitations and I won’t take the anti depressant as I don’t believe it will help at all.

I’m going to try to take one PS100 an hour before each 4 point saliva test result initially and see how that works. I will retest in a month or so. Do you know if you can retest using a saliva cortisol test if you are still on PS 100 or do you have to stop taking it?

Jill

[humanbean in reply to JillBailie]

Do you know if you can retest using a saliva cortisol test if you are still on PS 100 or do you have to stop taking it?

I don't know how you would go about retesting saliva cortisol after taking supplements to lower cortisol. In your shoes, I would suggest coming off it just for 24 hours (or possibly not at all) and seeing what the results were and if your cortisol was improving.

I found the biggest problem I had personally was that lowering my cortisol and getting it to stay down was very, very, VERY slow, and if I reduced my dose of Holy Basil too early my cortisol would just rise again and give me unpleasant symptoms. So, it wasn't a quick process for me at all, which is why I was on Holy Basil for such a long time. Eventually it did work and my cortisol problems did reduce and (mostly) have stay reduced. But I still take HB occasionally and would go back on it at a low dose more often if necessary.

I think my problem with cortisol is that I was under severe stress for a very long time, mainly because I suffered from chronic pain, and doctors simply refused to believe me, told me I was depressed, and prescribed anti-depressants which did absolutely nothing for pain at all. I finally got pain killers that worked about six years ago, and I have them on repeat prescription (for now). I still keep expecting to be told that they made a mistake and I shouldn't have been prescribed them.

[radd]

JillBailie,

I previously took 100mcg x2 daily of Phosphatidylserine alongside Ashwagandha for elevated cortisol, as advised by a nutritionist. Doses can go much higher if necessary. Datis Kharrizan advocates a transdermal cream that contains 2000mg.

Although I can’t remember my exact cortisol patterns it doesn’t matter because Phosphatidylserine doesn’t directly address the adrenals but influences the stress pathways in the brain. I seem to remember I retested about 6 months after taking it & cortisol had reduced & I was sleeping better.

Think I might need some now. My sleep patterns are rubbish after submerging into the depths of low thyroid hormone on suboptimal NDT.

[JillBailie in reply to radd]

Radd thanks for your reply. I appreciate it. I was on NDT successfully for years but it stopped working for me too and that along with chronic stress are probably why I feel so unwell. I’m taking Levo and Liothyronine now but I’m not tolerating them very well. I’m working on vitamins also to try to rectify this.

Did you start gradually with the PS100 and take two straight away?

Do you know if you need to stop taking PS100 before retesting?

[radd in reply to JillBailie]

JillBailie,

I can't remember as was very ill during this time but would assume I started with 1 a day for a week or so and then increased to 2. I definately didn't stop taking until test results showed cortisol had reduced.

I said 6 months for retesting but it may have been quicker. You don't want to take cortisol levels too low. I seem to recall I retested after a couple of months of good sleep patterns and feeling more rested instead of 'wired & tired'.

I think its a case of finding an adaptogen that suits as some can make us feel weird as are altering brain behaviours. If you have bad effects I would stop and find another but Phosphatidylserine suited me well, and have continued to take Ashwagandha on & off over the years.

[humanbean in reply to radd]

I agree with radd. Finding the adaptogen that works for you is something you will have to experiment with. Some people have told me that Holy Basil did nothing for them. However, Ashwaghanda, which is quite popular, just makes me feel sick.

You might find this of some interest :

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[radd in reply to humanbean]

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