Adrenal help please

[Joant24]

I posted a few weeks back as I was feeling jittery, spaced out, irritable etc and been having some low grade headaches. Did a MMH blood test which showed T3 & T4 had gone down slightly. . I had stopped my T3 lunchtime dose for a few days and calmed down a bit , then back to normal dose for a few days adding an extra 25mcg levothyroxine to see if it helped. Which it did a little.

But now I’m back to being jittery, light headed, my blood pressure is slightly lower but I would stress only slightly and feeling generally miserable.

I’ve taken a cortisol test but it’s not back until 8th October. Is it worth trying some Thorne support or is there an alternative as I’m mainly vegetarian that won’t turn my bowels into mush! Or is it all bovine related?

Thanks for any help it’s always always appreciated. 🥰

[seveneleven]

It certainly sounds like low cortisol, especially if reducing the T3 helps. Unfortunately all ACE (adrenal cortex extract) is animal derived because all the benefit comes from it being actual adrenal cortex, and there isn't a way to replicate that with anything plant-based. But, it's generally well tolerated digestion-wise. People with extremely low cortisol (like me) sometimes take hydrocortisone for a period of time, but that's best avoided if you can possibly handle the ACE. Adaptogens are not really a good idea if you have low cortisol because they can make it even lower, but can help if it's high. The exception being licorice root, which can be helpful for mildly low cortisol and also support low blood pressure, but you just need to be careful about monitoring blood pressure so that it doesn't go high.

So the short answer is, it really would be better for now to wait til you get results before adding anything like ACE, because even though it sounds like low cortisol, it could be high, and then you might make it worse. Might just need to reduce T3 slightly (like you did already) for a short period to keep the jitters at bay while you figure out what's going on. In the meantime, try to take things easy as much as possible and keep stress minimal with whatever makes you feel relaxed. You can also try drinking adrenal cocktails when you feel out of sorts and a bit shaky: 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/2 teaspoon seasalt, 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (potassium). Adrenals runs on vit C and electrolytes, so this can boost things a bit.

[Joant24 in reply to seveneleven]

Thank you so much for your helpful reply. It’s all as I thought really but wasn’t too sure. Knowing me, there was a reason I didn’t jump in with supplements, normally I like things yesterday! I’ll see how I get on and wait for my results. Will also give the cocktail a try and see if it helps. Thanks again 🥰

[seveneleven in reply to Joant24]

Good luck!