Hello☺️My question is I am on Armer natural thyroid for 4 years and I have been struggling with low energy for the past 10years 😔 I have tried hard to fix with diet with Gap diet and adaptogens herbs like Licorice root, maca, iodin, magnesium, and fixing nutritional deficiencies but still I can’t seem to control my energy enough to stay awake all day and I want to be involved with others. I would like to know if anyone has tried hydrocortisone in small doses for times a day to help with adrenal fatigue and have found it safe and affective Dr Durrant-Peatfield auther of the Great thyroid scandal and how to servive it recommended adrenal glandular before trying hydrocortisol. I have tried adrenal glandular and yes it has helped to a degree with getting my sense of humour back and feeling a little better but not enough to get me off the couch and feeling normal energy again. I take three capsules of adrenal glandular and then wondering should I be upping the dose and by how much.?
has anyone going on to use hydrocortisone with success that don’t have Addison’s disease just adrenal fatigue?
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Have you actually had your cortisol and DHEA tested? Not a good idea to just take HC without testing first. And, certainly not a good idea to take it four times a day! HC should be a last resort, when very low cortisol levels show up early morning.
It rather sounds like you're under-medicated on Armour. How much are you taking? And, when did you last have your TSH, FT4 and FT3 tested?
I have tried hard to fix with diet with Gap diet and adaptogens herbs like Licorice root, maca, iodin, magnesium, and fixing nutritional deficiencies
What were your nutritional deficiencies? And, are you still deficient? One has to be very careful with adaptogens, because they can reduce cortisol levels in some people. And, the iodine was definitely a bad idea. You should only take iodine if you have tested deficient, and then only under the supervision of an experienced practitioner. Are you still taking it?
Hi Greygoose, thank you for your reply ☺️ yes I have had my cortisol and DHEA tested but my Docter didn’t give me a copy. I will follow it up and get it .also had TSH, FT4 and FT3 tested and my Docter just took my medication down from 215 mg Armer to 185mg a day so I was not under medicated but getting over medicated. I don’t use Iodine anymore because I get it from my diet. And I agree Iodine can be tricky to work with and bad if you don’t need it.
I was low in VitD,B12,iron, I always need monitoring and the blood work shows I am good .
I am in the research faze of HC. hydrocortisone was something that came up as a solution for those how still have issues with fatigue on thyroid medication . I would much prefer to stay away from anything harsh or dangerous and yes I know cortisol has terrible consequences if you don’t actually need it. That is why I was hoping to find out who has actually found benefit and success using it if you didn’t have Addison’s disease.
I’ll be very grateful if you could tell me what has worked for you and if you have Energy now?
yes I have had my cortisol and DHEA tested but my Docter didn’t give me a copy.
No, he wouldn't. He'd probably prefer you don't know so that you don't ask any questions he can't answer. But, it would be insane to start taking HC without knowing your levels. Ask at reception for a print-out.
also had TSH, FT4 and FT3 tested and my Docter just took my medication down from 215 mg Armer to 185mg a day so I was not under medicated but getting over medicated.
Not necessarily so. Doctors are notoriously bad at interpreting blood test results. With thyroid, they tend to just look at the TSH and if it's low/suppressed, assume that you are over-medicated. They don't seem to understand that when taking T3 your TSH is going to be low/suppressed, because that's what it does.
In fact, blood tests aren't a lot of good when taking T3, it's how you feel that is important. But, in any case, it's the FT3 that tell you if you're over- or under-medicated. Did he even test the FT3? Without getting a copy of your results, you won't know. Please, do not ever just take your doctor's word for it.
I was low in VitD,B12,iron, I always need monitoring and the blood work shows I am good .
Do you have the exact numbers? Or did your doctor just tell you you are good? Low iron/ferritin will cause terrible fatigue.
I've never heard of people taking HC for fatigue. They take it for Adrenal Fatigue, but that's not the same thing as being tired. I took it for a couple of years because my cortisol was very low, and yes, it made me feel a lot better. But, I took it under the supervision of a doctor who was not only experienced, but had Adrenal Fatigue himself. And, after a couple of years I was able to wean myself off it. But, you have to know what you're doing with it. Or, it could shut your adrenals down permenantly. Also, it caused horrendous water-retention, which was why I was so keen to get off it.
But, without seeing all your blood test results, with the ranges, it's impossible to pinpoint exactly what is causing your fatigue.
Dear Greygoose, thank you for sharing your experience with HC. I sent you my current blood test results. I am not too savvy with what it all means but any assistance would be much appreciated 🙂 it is so nice that you are willing to help. Thank you and I appreciate the fact that you care to share. ❣️
OK so your DHEA is on the low side, but I can't see any results for cortisol.
Your doctor was wrong to reduce your NDT if you didn't have any over-medicated symptoms. Your FT3 was slightly over-range, but not enough to worry about if you felt well. But, your FT4 was low, which might or might not be a problem. But, now he's reduced your dose, it will be even lower. Some people need their FT4 higher in range, even when their FT3 is good.
Your antibodies are negative, but that doesn't automatically prove you don't have Hashi's.
Your ferritin is high, but that doesn't mean much without inflammation markers, because inflammation can raise ferritin. Your iron is below mid-range.
Dear Graygoose, I was feeling lots of fatigue and inflammation body pain and constipation and my hair started falling out again 😔so thats why I went to see what the Docter could find. I had an iron infusion 2 months ago and I was given B12 injection 5x one every month but after seeing her again she lowered my meditation and recommended I self injected B12 every week for 5weeks and see how I go. I will be on holiday for two weeks so I will try to get cortisol results and post them when I get back. Thank you for looking at my results 😊 and feedback ⭐️👍😁
Hello Greygoose 😊 I haven’t been told I have Pernicious Anemia. I just had my last injection on Monday last week and my Docter said I need to try injecting myself in a fortnight 5ml every week and see her in Five weeks time.
I was reading in another post that you recommended thorne Vitamin B because its more bio available, is that still the one you recommend? I do like Thorne HCL&pepsin that I take to help me with Stomach acid with meals in the hope it will help me absorb more nutrients from my food .
Dear Graygoose, thank you for helping with what B complex to take👍 What is PA and should I ask for this at my next Doctors appointment ? Anything else you recommend? 😊
PA is Pernicious Anemia, an autoimmune disease where the body cannot hold on to B12. People with PA have to have B12 injections. But, it's too late to test for it now, because you're having injections. It should have been done before you started them, when your B12 levels were found to be so low that you needed them.
Do you have any recommendations of any book or website that could educate me on how to workout what my blood work needs to be to feel good and how to read results ? I feel so lost just waiting for the Doctor to tell me whats wrong and as you have pointed out often they don't know.
Have you had a sleep study done? I have sleep apnea, which is probably a result of decades of mismanaged thyroid. It doesn't seem to be an uncommon thing for us with thyroid issues.
Dear Heartwoman, Thank you for your reply 😁yes this has been a long journey I have had apnoea tests and fortunately that is not one of my problems. Although getting sleep that is replenishing is still a challenge. Blue bolcker glassed are great at night and a sleep mask helps but every once in a while I am up at 3am and back to sleep At 5am so I really need to stay sway from stimulants like coffee , tea, chocolate 🍫 too and too much stress doesn't help Either🙃
Have you had an early morning cortisol blood test done to see what your cortisol levels are? If not then ask your GP to do one, it should be between 300-500nmol/Ls if done around 8-9am, if it is low then ask to be referred to an endocrinologist for a short synacthen test. You don't want to be taking Hydrocortisone if you don't need it as you will end up with more problems than you have now. Too much cortisol in your body causes all sorts of issues such as weight gain, insomnia, thin skin, easy bruising, osteoporosis, blood clots, heart attacks, fractures without an accident. Also if you take hydrocortisone you run the risk of packing up your adrenal glands all together as they don't produce cortisol because you are supplementing it, this will then cause you to be adrenal insufficient & needing to take steroids for life, this is a life threatening condition. Vot D & Vit B12 can also impact your health if low.
Thank you Pauline for your advice I really appreciate you taking the time to reply. I have had a cortisol test but the doctor didn’t give me the results I’m new to all this so I’ll have to see if I can get them off her.. thanks for the comparison (should be between 300-500nmol/Ls i) I am wondering have you found anything that helps with energy?
I have been tested for nutritional deficiencies and I think I’ve got them all under control now😁no vitamin D deficiency now or vitamin B 12 or iron my blood test shows I’m all good there.. I try very hard to have a clean diet I follow the gaps diet which has brought me along way with getting rid of nutritional deficiencies and learning how to eat clean healthy food. I tried for a long time to help my thyroid with diet alone then with supplements and then I just had to find a Doctor Who would give me Armour NDT. So I’m not one to run to medication but after making so many changes hydrocortisone was something that came up as a solution for those how still have issues with fatigue on thyroid medication . I would much prefer to stay away from anything harsh or dangerous and yes I know cortisol has terrible consequences if you don’t actually need it. That is why I was hoping to find out who has actually found benefit and success using it if you didn’t have Addison’s disease. I’ll be very grateful if you could tell me what has worked for you and if you have Energy now?
Addison's is only one form of Adrenal Insufficiency as it's where an auto immune condition causes your adrenal glands to stop working or both glands have been removed & then you can't live without needing steroids. There are other causes of adrenal insufficiency such as the pituitary gland doesn't message the adrenal glands to produce cortisol, or there is an issue with the hypothalamus; or for some unknown reason they stop working. The cause of my AI is due to removal of a pituitary tumour. Hydrocortisone is definitely not a "solution", I would love not to have to take it but if I don't I will die - it's not a drug to be messed with. As to energy I have other conditions as well so my energy is not good, so for me it's a case of pacing myself, if I do something one day then I have to rest the next day. If you have low cortisol then it will need to be under300nmol/ls for it to be investigated, it might even need to be even lower by some Endo's.
Dear Paulines, thank you for giving me insight into what you are managing and for sharing your knowledge so freely ☺️ I think I really need to get started on learning how to read my test results. It does get overwhelming but I really appreciate you giving me an example of what is Low =( If you have low cortisol then it will need to be under300nmol/ls for it to be investigated, it might even need to be even lower by some Endo's.) this is so helpful for me 😁👍☺️
Dear Paulines, is there a book or website you recommend that could help me understand how to read blood test results and what is the best results to have or aim for? I would really appreciate your advice😊 thank you ❤️
I'm not sure there is as labs can vary with their reference ranges, I usually Google the ones I don't know but it needs to be a UK site as the US use different units to ones we use.
As per Dr P’s protocol hydrocortisone can be useful if used in physiological doses first thing in the morning when long term inadequate cortisol levels steadfastly refuse to rise.
Adrenal issues will make you tired but additional symptoms evidencing actual stage 3 adrenal fatigue are low DHEA (as well as cortisol), unbalanced electrolytes, possible blood sugar issues, an absence of supporting sex hormones when the ovaries supply falls, etc.
It his easy to mistake adrenal troubles with poor thyroid med performance. Are thyroid hormones optimal for your own individual sweet spot? Have you optimal levels of all the cofactors needed to make thyroid hormones work properly, ie iron, Vit B12, folate & Vit D?
I found as soon as my thyroid meds start working effectively it took pressure off the adrenals who will always try to prop up other hormonal shortfalls. I still suffer constant thirst but my cortisol levels have risen after years & years of being low or even under-range.
Have you had cortisol levels tested either blood serum or saliva?
Hello Radd, yes I have had blood cortisol checked but my Docter didn’t give me results. I will try to ring clinic to see if I can get a copy.
I am just wandering is there a point that you find your sweet spot with medication and you stay there ?
I have found it a juggling act always working out what is going on. I keep doing the good diet and supplements and all of a sudden I’m feeling terrible again and back for another blood test.
Have you found a routine that works with keeping your key vitamins up like iron, Vit B12, folate & Vit D? Diet alone doesn’t seem to work for me😔
Is there a point where you are in control and it is manageable or is getting blood tests every 3 to 5 months and still feeling tiered just gonna be part of life from now on? Sorry if I sound negative but I am always thinking That If I work hard enough I can fix this or it will get better but I haven’t found this to be true for me and I don't know what is realistic? Have you found a way to feel good again and get on with life and if so How🙂
I do really appreciate hearing your thoughts on this❤️
Yes! Works amazing for me, I take 5mg generic hydrocortisone in morning and 5mg at about 1 or 2 pm. Before this, I was constantly fatigued and everything I did felt like a big chore. I would crash big time in the afternoon . My energy levels are more solid now. I don't crash in the afternoons either. It helped my brain fog clear more too, They say under 15 mg is safe with little risk of any side effects.
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