Hi all, does anyone have any insight into these cortisol results? I take Erfa (NDT) 250mg (total) twice a day at 5.36/6am 125mg and then at 12pm - 125mg. I workout quite hard for one a half to one and three quarters hours every morning fasting until lunch (6 x per week).
I was wondering whether the T3 in the NDT is raising my cortisol (My levels of T4 - top of range and T3 near top of range), and to take my second dose in the late afternoon around 4pm as my cortisol is towards the end of the spectrum then? Or whether I'm just making a mountain out of a mole hill.
Many thanks for thoughts.
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DaisyJones1
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Sorry you haven’t had a reply yet, but hopefully my response will bump it up the message board and someone with knowledge of Cortisol will reply.
My first query would be how much NDT? Even if it was mcg that’s a very large dose?
Second query is what are your most recent FT3 and FT4?
The only other observation being that as cortisol is a stress hormone and yours is over range at midday, could your admirable workouts and fasting routine be putting your body under too much stress? Could you change it up, have something light an hour before you start the workout, what type of workout are you doing? Cardio? Resistance weights? What is your pulse/resting heart rate or blood pressure? Any other signs?
I came to a very painful realisation about 2 years ago that my fitness routines were doing more harm than good and I’ve switched to weights, Iyenga yoga and walking and am much stronger and have less pain.
Cortisol is a stress hormone. Your exercise and fasting routine might be over the top for someone who is hypothyroid and it could be causing your adrenal glands to struggle to produce enough cortisol.
In a completely healthy person with the normal day/night hours the highest cortisol output of the day is usually in the morning, roughly at about 9am. Then it reduces as the day goes on until about midnight - 3am when cortisol shoots up again in preparation for the next day.
When the cortisol output at 9am is too low the adrenal glands continue to try and produce more. As a result, while the levels of cortisol at 9am might start to struggle the next results in a cortisol saliva test starts to rise. Eventually sample 1 and sample 2 might drop and sample 3 starts to rise. When taken to the extreme, all the results of a saliva test might end up low and you will be struggling hugely.
Unfortunately, you chose a poor saliva test. The best one used to be the one done by Regenerus labs but they have bumped up the price hugely and will no longer sell the test to patients they will only sell to doctors or therapists. (Or at least that is my understanding, and I could be wrong.) Another option might be the Genova Diagnostics test, but again, they don't deal directly with patients either.
I don't know if either of the following links are up-to-date :
I've never followed the instructions myself but some people have claimed they found it helpful.
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There are adrenal glandulars that some people find helpful. Both of the following links describe the same products and they have been mentioned on the forum occasionally :
If you search the web for "adrenal glandulars" you'll find a few other options that I know nothing about, and haven't been mentioned on the forum either (that I've noticed).
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I would suggest that you should optimise the nutrients that get mentioned over and over on this forum - vitamin B12, vitamin D, folate, ferritin (iron stores) - and keep them optimised. Others that are helpful to some people are magnesium and zinc.
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What you might possibly have (I'm not a doctor) is adrenal fatigue. This is a condition where the patient doesn't produce enough cortisol but they aren't suffering from Adrenal Insufficiency. Doctors think adrenal fatigue is quackery, and they get annoyed if anyone ever mentions it, so don't ever let the words pass your lips in the presence of a doctor. See the difference in the tone of the following two links :
AF can be cured, isn't fatal, and can be treated with all the things that help people to stay healthy e.g. good diet and nutrition, adequate sleep, adequate exercise etc.
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.
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