High cortisol on NDT : hello all :) My NDT is... - Thyroid UK

Thyroid UK

141,246 members166,490 posts

High cortisol on NDT

36 Replies

hello all :)

My NDT is working really well for my body (losing weight, hair not falling out, energy is up, skin softer etc.) but I have extreme anxiety, agitation making focus difficult, and some insomnia is also creeping in.

I just found out I have a high reverse t3. I don’t want to post my labs because I’m obviously under medicated, and don’t want people to get distracted saying that when I really would just love the cortisol advice, but I am definitely very hypo atm .

So - I want very much to remain on NDT - but I need to know how to lower my cortisol. Please share with me, if you’d like to, how you lowered your cortisol effectively to tolerate thyroid meds.

Thank you 😊

Ps. My diet and lifestyle are all on point!

Read more about...

The ability to reply to this post has been turned off.

36 Replies
adin profile image
adin

That's my problem too. Maybe some antidepressants would help? You split your doses?

in reply toadin

I know I could do that but I spent 10 years on multiple different psych meds (even anti-psychotics) and I feel it just covers the problem instead of dealing with it.

adin profile image
adin in reply to

What is your ndt dose?

in reply toadin

1 grain

adin profile image
adin in reply to

Have you ever taken synthetic and what dose?

in reply toadin

I’ve done synthetic to death.

T4 - 150

T3 - 72

T4+ t3 - 50 + 50, also 88 + 15

adin profile image
adin in reply to

Hm, Your dose of synthetic was quite high. I think the dose of ndt is small compared to how much you took. You are underdosed.

in reply toadin

Yes I am profoundly hypo, my tsh is 8

adin profile image
adin in reply to

You need to increase the dose. Maybe it would be good to reach two grains,1 in the morning and 1 at lunch.

in reply toadin

i know i need to increase the dose, but I can’t due to anxiety

adin profile image
adin in reply to

Yes, I know, that is a problem. For me the anxiety disappeared as I increased the dose and reached the optimal dose.

in reply toadin

Hmmmm but I thought you said you were still struggling with this?

adin profile image
adin in reply to

Yes, there is a very fine line between optimal dosage and anxiety. As they decrease or increase anxiety appears. One day I'm fine, another day I'm not. This is what I meant.

in reply toadin

Oh dear, so you still struggle even tho optimal?

in reply toadin

I’m going to trial something called seriphos, apparently it helps high cortisol

adin profile image
adin in reply to

I take calm-z(with zembrin) and adrenal suport for cortisol balance.

Natural antidepressants
in reply toadin

Does it help?

adin profile image
adin in reply to

Yes for me it's ok, It replaces synthetic antidepressants but without the side effects. zembrin.com/

in reply toadin

I hope this doesn’t sound rude, but why didn’t you mention it earlier? This is exactly the kind of thing I’m looking for to help me

adin profile image
adin in reply to

No problem. Yesterday I drove all day and I wrote on the go while I was behind the wheel, I didn't remember. I've crossed half of Europe, I'm on vacation.

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

High cortisol linked to being under medicated

Adrenals try to compensate for lack of thyroid hormones

As levels balance you should see cortisol levels reduce

in reply toSlowDragon

But the anxiety gets worse with every raise 😟

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to

You may need propranolol…..as discussed in previous post's

in reply toSlowDragon

I don’t have raised heart rate

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to

No …nor did I ….I always had very low heart rate and low blood pressure…..symptoms of being under medicated for thyroid

Propranolol is often prescribed for anxiety.

in reply toSlowDragon

Yes… similar to my response above really. I don’t want to medicate over things, I did that for years and years. I’d rather actually address the high cortisol, but if there are no herbs etc. that can help I’ll just take the anti-depressants and be done with it because this isn’t tolerable.

in reply toSlowDragon

Also… the whole reason I want to get optimal on thyroid meds to get rid of my psych symptoms 😟 will they subside if I take the medications alongside the NDT?

June25 profile image
June25

This is counterintuitive but you could be overdosed with thyroid hormone. Your body is choosing to get rid of the excess T4 by converting it to RT3. This could be the reason for your high cortisol.

You end up more hypo because high FT3 levels can upregulate D3 enzyme. D3 can take apart and inactivate your T3 hormone after it enters cells but before it can get to the nuclear receptors, causing more empty T3 receptors. D3 enzyme is also what converts the T4 to RT3.

To find out if this is what is happening try reducing your NDT. If this also reduces your anxiety and your insomnia then you'll know you are going in the right direction.

in reply toJune25

Yeah, it's a good thought... But here are my numbers (I'm definitely hypo)

TSH: 8.32

T4: 11.5 (12 - 22)

T3: 4.4 (3.1 - 6.8)

rT3: 22 (8-31)

When I reduce the NDT, I do feel better. But I believe it's because the NDT is driving my cortisol up.

June25 profile image
June25 in reply to

In a situation like this you can't trust your numbers because they are not representative of your dosage and what is going on inside your cells. When D3 is upregulated it skews everything. Overdose can result in hypo. You have to trust how you feel.

in reply toJune25

I feel very hypo. I have weight gain, no period, hair loss, dry skin, poor memory and recall. I definitely don’t think I am hyper or being over treated, my tsh is 8. But thank you for the suggestion

June25 profile image
June25 in reply to

Here's an article by Tania Smith on rT3.

thyroidpatients.ca/2020/11/...

in reply toJune25

But my rt3 is within range

humanbean profile image
humanbean

Have you had any tests of your cortisol? There is a lot of overlap between symptoms of low and high cortisol. You can't just assume your cortisol is high or low, you will have to test.

The best kind of test is a 4-part saliva test. I don't know where you live, but if you live in the UK these two tests are the best ones because they both measure cortisol in saliva and include a test result for DHEA.

regeneruslabs.com/products/...

gdx.net/uk/product/adrenal-...

Dealing with regenerus is straightforward. You buy the test, get sent a test kit through the post, send the samples back to the lab and then wait for your results to be sent to you via email.

Genova is a bit more problematic. They refuse to deal directly with the public, so it has to be done under the auspices of Thyroid UK.

More info on both the above tests is given on this link. Read the sections on both Regenerus and Genova. :

thyroiduk.org/help-and-supp...

Note that there are other companies that do saliva cortisol tests but they don't include a test result for DHEA. They also have reference ranges which are bizarre. For example they have some reference ranges that start at 0. Having a cortisol of zero is never healthy. Another problem is that some companies can't measure really small amounts of cortisol. So, you might end up with a (made up example) result of < 3 for the amount of cortisol, while the reference range is < 2.

I had high cortisol. I tried various supplements to reduce it. The only thing that worked for me was Holy Basil supplements in a very high dose (at least to start with). I reduced my dose very slowly, and have now reached minimum dose (1 capsule per evening)

This is the one that I buy :

dolphinfitness.co.uk/en/swa...

If you decide to try this you should shop around. Some sources of the above product are a lot more expensive than others for the same product.

Knackeredandcross profile image
Knackeredandcross in reply tohumanbean

Please can I ask, is it better to take the tablet in the morning when my cortisol is super high? Will it have any better effect please? I’ve been trying to bring my cortisol down for two years now and have made little progress

PurpleNails profile image
PurpleNailsAdministrator in reply toKnackeredandcross

The original poster has unfortunately left the forum (we know this as their name is shown as “hidden”) they will not be notified or benefit from any new replies.

If members are interested in pursuing similar information it’s advised to begin a new thread.

To avoid inadvertent replies, I'll now close this post to replies.

The ability to reply to this post has been turned off.

Not what you're looking for?

You may also like...

High cortisol+NDT?

Is it dangerous to take NDT whilst cortisol levels are high (as shown by 24 hour saliva test)? If...
tickeyland profile image

NDT and chronicle cortisol issues

By all accounts, you cannot get optimal on NDT if your cortisol isn’t in the optimal place. I have...
c115 profile image

High cortisol

Hi Does anyone know anything about cortisol? I had a BH blood test to use up in December which...
MiniMum97 profile image

High cortisol

Just after having two reasonable days with few high cortisol symptoms ie. Severe anxiety, nausea,...
Jefner profile image

NDT causing high cortisol and anxiety

Hi, I'd be so grateful for advice. I feel dreadful. I've attached my latest Saliva test. I have...
Sally56 profile image

Moderation team

See all
Jaydee1507 profile image
Jaydee1507Administrator
PurpleNails profile image
PurpleNailsAdministrator
SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.

Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.