Adrenal test results

[Guest guest]

Hello everyone,

If anyone has experience with low adrenals and

treatment, please write to me! Because of past tests I

have been taking DHEA and natural hydrocortisone

(cortisol) for several months -- adjusting my dose

with saliva tests and symptoms ... and since I still

haven't been feeling much better, my doctor decided to

give me an ACTH stimulation test. More recent saliva

tests showed that my DHEA and cortisol levels were now

fine ... However, I finally received the conclusive

interpretation of my ACTH stimulation test and

apparently my cortisol level, although a bit too high

for the pre-stimulation (cortrosyn shot) test (and I

have since lowered my dose due to bad side effects),

after the cortrosyn shot, it only increased by about

60% and it is supposed to increase by 100%. Anything

below 100% suggests low adrenal reserve.

Also, my DHEA was low to begin with and it only

increased by 25% and is supposed to increase by 50%.

It is no problem for me to increase my DHEA dose ...

but I can't tolerate an increased cortisol dose. What

do you do if you have too much cortisol before stress

(pre-test) and not enough of an increase to deal with

extra stress (post-test)? Also, does anyone know if

this degree of low adrenal reserve (it's not terrible)

would be the reason why I have not yet felt much

benefit from the 3 grains of Armour I am now taking?

In fact, as I have written in before, I have been more

tired and weak since being on thyroid treatment even

though I clearly need it (even my most recent thyroid

test results still showed a pretty low T3)?? Do you

think this explains why?

The other important hormone that was tested,

aldosterone, was again, fine for the pre-test but

instead of going up for the post-test (it is supposed

to increase by about 25%), it went down a bit ... Does

anyone know if this is very important? I know

aldosterone has to do with blood pressure and my blood

pressure has remained around 100/50 before and since

thyroid and cortisol treatment (I take it myself

everyday). My doctor doesn't think the test reveals a

clear yes for taking aldosterone (Florinef), but has

given me a prescription to experiment with. I am going

to take 1/2 of a .1mg pill tomorrow morning and see

how I do. Does anyone have experience with Florinef

and have any tips or warnings? I don't like being on

the cortisones [even though they are bioidentical and

in physiological dosages] but I realize it is

necessary at times ...

One of the reasons my doctor said that the test

doesn't give a clear answer about aldosterone is that

apparently renin also has to do with aldosterone

levels so for cortrosyn to not stimulate it could

possibly have to do with renin. Today I got tested for

renin and will report back about that ...

Thanks for considering my situation ...

Marlena

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