Cortisol results help

[clairel996]

Hi all,Recently started levo for underactive thyroid, have been feeling not quite right for a long time, think it all kicked off when my husband was diagnosed with cancer in 2019 when our baby was only 6months old. Thankfully it was caught early and after surgery and chemo he was given the all clear. It has changed me in ways I never would have imagined and I can't help but carry a world of worry around with me.

So I decided to look into adrenals and did a cortisol test.. here are my results and I think it shows I'm overall quite low. Is low end of range OK or should I be looking into some adrenal supplements?

Sorry for the long post! Just trying to get a bit of my old self back.

Normal waking time for me is around 7am but on the day of the test I had an early appointment so woke at 6 and took first sample 30mins later at 6.30.

Thanks all!

[seveneleven]

Gosh, you've had a lot on your shoulders! Others with more knowledge will be along to advise on the levels, but just curious, do you get physical symptoms of stress, and do you tend to 'crash' in the afternoons or have trouble getting to sleep?

[clairel996 in reply to seveneleven]

I have definitely noticed a crash in the afternoons, if I have any important work meetings I need to make sure they are in the morning as afternoons are often a struggle! Thank u so much for your reply

[seveneleven in reply to clairel996]

Ah, yes sounds familiar! It could be other things though. Looking at another post, you're only just starting out on an increase in Levothyroxine, so maybe it'll take some time to get energy up again. I'm taking adrenal cortex supplements, but my cortisol is in the toilet, and my understanding is if your cortisol is kind of OK, then just getting thyroid and vitamin levels optimal first can improve things.

[clairel996 in reply to seveneleven]

Thank you, I will keep going with the levo to see if my levels steady out. I'm so impatient so finding the slow steady approach rather frustrating but I know it's best in the long run!

[marvalrus]

Hi,

When did you begin taking Levothyroxine? What is your dose? Have you had any labs done since you began taking it?

Your cortisol saliva looks fine. Not too much, not too little. Cortisol production fluctuates throughout the day and yours seems to have a decent pattern.

If you are due for new labs, ask your doc to add an iron panel that measures iron, ferritin, and saturation. Also ask for a B12/Folate and Vit D test.

If you are feeling tired and sluggish, it could simply be iron level. Thyroid patients do find they have sinking iron levels, so it's important to keep the level up. Many mainstream docs only look at a CBC for red blood cells/hemoglobin, but you need to know Iron and Ferritin and Saturation.

If you're feeling off, it could also be your dose of Levo. It's necessary to see the results of a full thyroid panel, not just TSH. Does your doc only go by TSH? If so, that's bad sign. You must make sure the doc tests for TSH, Free T4, Free T3, and antibodies. All this, in the very least.

I've had cortisol issues for a long time. Once is was too low, now it's too high. Both make me feel bad.

I'd rule out Cortisol, and focus on your Levo dose and see about your iron/B12/VitD levels. You need to get fresh labs for all of it. Many people here will help you if you can provide the results. Test at 8am, fasting, and no vitamins or supplements a week before the blood draw.

Also, you'll find that many people do their own private labs. If that's quicker for you, go for it.

Btw: I was having the afternoon crash, and what helped was not increasing my Levo, but adding a small dose of T3 (Cytomel) around 3 or 4pm. I could not handle it at first, but with some help from this board I persevered.

Hope that helps! Have a great weekend.

[clairel996 in reply to marvalrus]

Thank you for your reply! My doctor has been pretty good at looking at t3 and t4 so even though my tsh was down on this weeks thyroid labs, he seen the t3 and t4 haven't gone up so agreed an increase to 75mcg which I started just today.

I am working on my ferritin with better diet and frequent chicken liver pate so will give it a while before testing again to see if it has made any difference.

Thanks again, it's reassuring to know you don't think the cortisol is too low so I will focus on optimising the levo dose and maybe retest cortisol if things are still feeling a bit off by that stage.

Really thankful for all the wonderful advice and support from this wee community!

[marvalrus in reply to clairel996]

Hi, So you were on 50? Just started 75 today? If so, that's a good sign your doc is moving in the right direction. Thyroid medication does take time to level out. You may feel better today but some days you may feel off again, tired. But just hang in there till the next lab. If things look better but you still have an afternoon slump after about 4-6 weeks, next visit, ask to try a little T3 in the afternoon. If labs look mediocre, the doc may try you on 100 levo. But still that bit of T3 def helps. Just ask about it. You will then see where the doc stands on that. It's nice the doc tested cortisol. Did the doc previously test your iron, too?

[clairel996 in reply to marvalrus]

Doctor didn't test cortisol, I tested that myself as I was curious to see what my levels were at. My friend had recommended ashwagandha and I'm always reluctant to take things without testing first, I read ashwagandha can lower cortisol so wanted to check it first. My iron is all OK apart from low ferritin which I've been trying to raise through diet. I will keep the t3 in mind, I don't think it's easy to get here in N. Ireland though so would probably need to self source if I went down that route.