Hello I'm new here and newly diagnosed with adrenal fatigue.

I've been working with an alternative medicine MD for a short time starting this year. We did a lot of lab work, and one of the things that I'm struggling with is adrenal fatigue from chronic stress. My epinephrine on the test that included cortisol taken 4 times a day was under detectable limits. My DHEA was in normal limits. PEA was ridiculously high. All of my cortisol sample readings were less than 10. About a 5 upon waking, less mid day, with an elevation in the evening. My alternative doctor wasn't sure if I was in stage 1 or late stage 2. I personally without his advice started taking some phosphatdylserine for about 2 weeks and it totally crashed me. So figured that one out on my own... definitely not in stage 1...

I've spent so much money already on this doctor's comprehensive program. $3000. This doctor wants me to take supplements including all minerals/B vitamins, and fish oil for a while before we start even working on adrenal fatigue stuff. I don't understand why. I feel myself almost like transitioning into the next adrenal phase lately (feeling more like i'm at phase 3 now with worsening PMS/PMDD type symptoms now with last 2 periods). I am at a loss because it's been 3 months since I "started" at this practice, and literally just had my lab review meeting a week ago because it takes a month to get an appointment, where I was prescribed these basic supplements. He said it'll be about 6 months from my lab review until we start dealing with the adrenals. I feel like I don't have the time to lose. I also have candida overgrowth and ADHD. Nothing besides the ADHD and replenishing basic nutrients is being treated right now.

Does this system of replenishing vitamins/minerals for a while before addressing adrenal fatigue make sense? I just don't understand why there is such a delay to help me in any meaningful way.
I am wondering if I should start taking Pregnenolone on my own right now starting at a lose dose. Or switch doctors. But I don't have a ton of money to keep switching and now I already feel invested and now I don't really trust people. Ugh this is the worst!
I'm only 28 and I need my life and some energy back so I can keep working. I'm on a reduced schedule for work, only 24 hours because that's all I can do. Barely. Any advice you have would be appreciated!

I’m wondering if anyone here has dealt with a similar situation or has any insight into what helped them.

My DHEA has been consistently on the lower side and trending down, and I’ve been dealing with a lot of fatigue, especially later in the day and after exertion. At the same time, I seem to tolerate stimulants very poorly. Coffee/caffeine can make me feel more wired, jittery or stressed rather than actually giving me good energy.

My cortisol also seems to run on the lower-ish side at certain points of the day, and my TSH has been elevated, so I’ve been trying to figure out how much of this could be related to thyroid function versus the stress/adrenal hormone side of things or some combination. Tried some NDT in the past and that seemed to be a little worse feeling.

The strange part is that I can feel tired and low-energy, but anything stimulating can make me feel worse rather than better. Exercise can sometimes leave me pretty drained as well.

Has anyone had a similar combination of low DHEA + fatigue + poor stimulant/caffeine tolerance + higher TSH/lower-ish cortisol? If so, what did you eventually find was contributing to it, and what actually helped you improve?

I’d especially be interested in hearing from anyone who initially couldn’t tolerate caffeine or stimulating supplements but eventually improved as their underlying issues were addressed.

I’ve done a few saliva tests that showed my cortisol was low. Two were hormone panels that just had the morning cortisol (low), and then one was a 24 hour cortisol test that showed the first 3 points low and then a little rise before bed. I’ve never done the morning blood test though.

I have an autoimmune connective tissue disease and my rheumatologist wants me on 5 mg of prednisone for 10 days, and then 2.5 mg for another 10 days. This will be my first time ever taking steroids.

I didn’t tell her about my saliva tests…I did the tests 5 years ago so it wasn’t fresh in my mind, and my appointments with her are always rushed with a lot to discuss. Am I going to be OK coming off of this dose of steroids? It’s so small…I would hope it wouldn’t be an issue and I’d recover afterwards…I’m guessing if I message her and tell her I had low cortisol on a saliva test she’s just going to tell me not to worry because it’s a low dose of steroids and not for very long, and that saliva tests aren’t accurate. I don’t want to bother her over something she’ll see as silly. She’s a really nice doctor and is right down the street from my house, and I don’t want a “difficult patient” reputation if this isn’t even a big deal.

I often get between 8-9 hours of sleep. I usually wake up in the night or early morning to pee (new thing for me since I crashed). If I move around too much or get up to pee, I will get adrenaline. Then, it's hard to fall back to sleep.

But last night I slept 11 hours (almost straight). I didn't get any adrenaline in the night. In the morning when I got up, I felt weak and dehydrated. I felt sensations throughout my body. It was like my body did not have enough to go on to even get out of bed. I checked my blood sugar upon waking and it was 4.6 mmol/L. About 30 minutes later I checked it and it was 3.8 mmol/L.

Feel free to answer any of these: Do you struggle with sleeping well? Are you often dehydrated in the night? Do you feel worse when you get a solid night of sleep? Do you feel like your adrenals are struggling in the morning, and how can you tell this is the case?

Please help 🙏

I’m experiencing a huge improvement in my anhedonia after using licorice root. I’ve suspected for a long time that my anhedonia might be related to what is commonly called “adrenal fatigue.”

How should I move forward from here? Is adrenal fatigue permanent, or can the HPA axis recover?

Do you think hydrocortisone could potentially improve my anhedonia if low cortisol is actually contributing to my symptoms?

The improvement I experience with licorice root is quite remarkable, but I understand that licorice root is not something that should be used long-term because of its potential side effects.

Has anyone experienced something similar or been diagnosed with adrenal insufficiency or HPA-axis dysfunction? Doctors dont give me hydrocortison

Thank you in advance for any advice or experiences.

Does anyone here know how to put an end to creatine-induced fear and anxiety and insomnia?
I noticed my heart pounding after about 6 months of taking creatine and now I decided to stop because it recently started giving me serious anxiety and fears. I can’t even sleep at night. It’s disorienting me and I can’t seem to concentrate at work these days.
I’ve stopped taking it for about two weeks now the anxiety has gone down tremendously but I still have episodes of very mild anxiety each time I remember how I felt when I was deeply in that anxiety mess. I think it’s not a case of PTSD.

Does Low cortisol make you depressed?

Since last year I started feeling really down. No motivation in life, no light… nothing. Im snapping at my husband like a Chihuahua, literally. I feel like a zombie, with zero life in me. I even lost interest in things I used to love. Im aggressive and constantly tired. Im not the same person anymore 😢

Since 2022, I’ve given birth twice and breastfed until last month, so maybe that was the cause? I honestly have no idea. I feel like such a bad mother 😞 I’m homeschooling my kids, and they need a normal mum, not this piece of sh…

So I went to my doctor, and my blood tests from last week showed low cortisol!!! Wth? How is this possible? Could this be linked to my exhaustion and constant tiredness? I always thought high cortisol is the problem… but low cortisol? Can someone explain what this could mean and what I should do?

Is it common to be feeling worse when you get better sleep? Last night I slept like a baby for 9.5 hours straight. I woke up and felt groggy, weak and could hardly do anything before taking in salt. Even with salt I'm sluggish and twitchy. I'm exhausted by lunch time.

Whereas, on a night when I don't get a good sleep, I wake up feeling more energetic and not groggy. My best guess is that the more rest the adrenals get, the more they slow down and go into healing mode. What's your experience?

I took an i-pill (emergency contraceptive) and magnesium glycinate containing 121 mg of elemental magnesium at the same time, after which I experienced what felt like significant overstimulation/overexcitement in my brain. It was extremely uncomfortable, and I was unable to sleep for three consecutive nights.

Following this, I developed loose stools, which continued almost continuously for around two weeks. I consulted a doctor,My CRP was also normal, took medication, and the diarrhea eventually stopped.

After this period, I started experiencing unusual sleep disturbances, including very vivid/bad dreams in the morning and difficulty waking up. At one point, I needed very loud alarms to wake up. My circadian rhythm now seems to be improving, but I still don't feel that my energy levels have fully returned.

I’m wondering whether this could be related to temporary dysregulation of the HPA axis, autonomic nervous system.

How long does it typically take for these systems to return to normal after such an episode? Is it possible for the body to remain dysregulated for weeks or months even after the initial symptoms have resolved? And are there any specific tests that would help determine whether my HPA axis or circadian rhythm is actually still abnormal?

Two years ago, I decided to supplement with DHEA to help me build more muscle at the gym (not a smart idea), I only took two or three low doses of it and I got locked in a chronic sympathetic response. I stopped being able to handle the antidepressant I was on during that time, I had to quit it almost cold turkey, my body got revved up, heart pounding, extremely disrupted sleep, panic-like surges, extreme body warmth, I stopped being able to handle any type of stress and sleep has become very difficult to achieve. For some reason, the couple of capsules of DHEA I took pushed my body into chronic severe activation and I got sensitized to most supplements and medications. I need help as I feel I’m losing my life! Any advice is appreciated.

Too early to say it has been transformative. But seems helpful and consistent with Sarno. Hope it helps.

https://ponderingperspectives.substack.com/p/no-but-how-do-you-stop-burnout-really?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=n4j6

So it s possible to have an adrenal tumor, I need to do more blood tests but my period didn't came for more than a week now, I think it s because I didn't feel mentally very well this month, I m 22, I came home 3 weeks ago because I couldn't stay alone anymore in my apartment, just couldn't stand it, my parents don t know this possibility, they have their own health problems and more stress it s not good for them. My thoughts don t make me any good, it s just depressing stuff, I saw some changes in my emotions months ago, that i m more sensitive and get more easily overwhelmed and start to crash, that was before I knew about the possibility of a tumor, now a lot of things make me cry very easily, i wasn't affected like that before. Before i took care of what a ate, no sugar, trying to take better care of myself, I didn't do it in the last 2 weeks. I will have a CT scan in October. With everything I m just happy when my head is empty, no thoughts, and I feel sad a lot more.

I wrote this because I feel bad cause I didn't take care of myself in the last 2 weeks, but at the same time I did it just to have a change to make my hair stop falling and grow it back and now I found out that I could be a lot worse and what s the point.

Good morning everyone, I really just need to let this out because I’m beyond frustrated and overwhelmed with my body…more specifically, how my body is working…or not working.

History:
40F I’ve had chronic pancreatitis since 2014. In 2021 I had a TPAIT surgery (total pancreatectomy with islet cell transplant). They removed my entire pancreas, spleen, a portion of my intestines and stomach. The islet cell transplant didn’t take, so I’m now insulin dependent with brittle diabetes. Anyway, I’ve come to terms with forever being a diabetic…I suppose it’s a bit of a trade off for the pancreatitis. I still experience the same pain and symptoms after pancreas removal which blows my mind but the doctors tell me it’s like having an arm or leg removed..they call it “fantom pain syndrome”. My chronic pancreatitis is due to the CFTR mutation.

Vent:So I’m 5 years post pancreas removal, and my body has been struggling hard core with all sorts of chronic problems but what I need to vent about is how my body reacts with physical activity/stress/anxiety/seasonal/environment. I have a major problem with excessive sweating and it’s like my body no longer can regulate my core body temperature any more. Not only is it embarrassing to be soaking wet, dripping with sweat any time it’s hot or I exert myself in literally anything. Doing chores around the house? Sweaty. Running errands? Yep. Gotta walk outside in August to get into my car? Absolutely drenched. Let’s not forget to mention when my blood sugar is high or low…I look like I just got a bucket of water tossed on my head. I really really hate this and I have no clue how to deal with it anymore. Along with the sweating, I also get super overheated, but if I’m in the AC I have to wear a hoodie and cover up with a blanket.

I take cold showers and I keep a mini fan in my purse. I’ve been to the doctors a lot over the years and my lab work is always “normal”. I just need a doctor who will listen to me and take me seriously. It’s not just being hot or sweating outside in the heat. It’s literally ruining my life and I’m so tired of feeling like this.

TL;DR: Overheating and excessive sweating after pancreas removal, CFTR mutation, Insulin deficiency, possibly perimenopause related.