Has my adrenal fatigue turned into h... 
powertool4
15 y
14,957
† Cross †
I have "adrenal fatigue". I know it. I'm a 22 years old male and i was physically and mentally able to do everything. i was somehwat of a dare devil and rode a motorcycle, practiced martial arts, bodybuild-ed, pushed all nighters in college no problem and now... i cry at any stress and cannot drive because the stress makes my anxiety go insane. Something is not right. It's not psychological, its a hormonal thing. Something in my endocrine system is messed up and all signs point to adrenals.
However recently i ended up in the ER for stronger heart arrthymias and palpitations and new symptoms arose so I got a blood test. My TSH at the ER was a 2.9 I have heard that nowadays, anything near 3 is considered hypothyroidism, not the range of 5.5 And the 2.9 wouldn't bother me, but ive had a blood test every month for the past 4 months and the first 2 showed TSH at 1.0 and when I went to the ER for the NEW symptoms (cold hands and feet, yellowing of skin, heart palpitations, anxiety attacks, etc) is when the TSH has risen to 2.9
Could I be considered hypothyroid right now? And how would I test for that other than going to get my TSH checked again? Doctors seem to not believe until my blood test shows 6.0 TSH and THEN they start giving you medication. I am curious if I am going through something else or if my adrenal fatigue has started to show secondary symptoms of hypothyroidism. My newer symptoms are.. i have really cold hands and feet. Like ice cold. And I am starting to become hypoglycemic. My body wakes up at 3am and 5am every night with a low pulse rapid heart beat, cold extremities and body temperature and impaired vision, which I manage by going to the kitchen and eating something. I am extremely sensitive to cold (and actually have been for the past couple years. just not this bad), have tremors, have anxiety and panic attacks which lead to heart palpitations and arrthymias. And the worst of all, none of the anxiety and heart issues would arise if my body could handle stress. It cannot handle the tiniest stress. I cant drive because there are too many stressors. I have minor tiffs with my girlfriend and once a strong man both physically and mentally, i know get extreme heart rate increase, anxiety and a feeling of being overwhelmed and like im going to collapse and die at any stressful situation. My body just seems to not be able to take it.
Would you say my adrenals have affected my thyroid now?
very frustrating, i want to be better. And because i cant deal with stress its a perpetual cycle. Its messing up my relationship which is very important to me, and that's causing me stress.. which i cannot handle, which makes me handle my relationship issues worse, and it continues in a big circle. :(
- Re: Has my adrenal fatigue turned in... Iolite
15 y
13,158
MoreThis is a reply to # 1,504,948It sounds like to me that you're hypo. There is a really good website to get more info on hypothyroidism: http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com.
Pay particular attention to the recommended labwork:
TSH.....The recommended TSH range is .3-3.0 - If your doctor
........is using a different range, then it's time to find
........ another doctor.
Free T3..(This is the actual usable thyroid hormone
Free T4..available to the body and is a better indication of
.........thyroid functiong)
Anti-TPO..(antibodies be sure you get both)
Tg-Ab
RT3.......(Test if FT4 is in the upper part of the range)
Ferritin..(if it is too low, the thyroid hormone can't get
...........to the thyroid -- should be 70-90)
Also worth testing
B12- should be in the upper range
D3- (proper lab 25-hydroxyvitamin should be above 50)
Finally, take your basal temp (use a glass thermometer if you have it. If your basal temp is below 97.8 first thing in the morning before you get out of bed, then you're hypo.
Finally, are you on anything for your adrenal fatigue? It sounds like you've got it pretty bad and you're dealing with low cortisol. A 24-hr saliva cortisol test will be able to tell you how severe your AF is and whether you need cortisol supplementation. If you've got high cortisol, then you'll need to take supplements to lower it.
Janie Bowthorpe has a yahoo group: Natural Thyroid Hormone. Once you get all the labs recommended, if you post your labs with the ranges, one of the mods will help you interpret your results and help you find a doctor.
iolite
- Re: Has my adrenal fatigue turned in... socalgrl
15 y
13,507
MoreThis is a reply to # 1,504,948AF and hypo go hand in hand. If you have AF then most likely you are also hypo. If you can find a good ND or someone who specializes in AF and hypo then go to them. Mainstream medical docs won't help you, they will send you home with an anti depressant and say nothing is wrong.
Have you taken daily basal temps? Go here for more info and download a free temp chart http://www.drrind.com
Please also visit http://www.adrenalfatigue.org
if you have not already done so. Stay calm and try not to let yourself get overwhelmed. You can conquer this, you just need patience.
Meantime here are a few good books I strongly urge you to read:
Chronic Fatigue Unmasked 2000 by Gerald Poesnecker
Hypothyroidism Type 2 by Mark Starr
We Are All In Shock by Stephanie Mines
Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome by James Wilson
If you read the above books you will understand AF and why you got where you are. Knowing this will help you get better. I went through the same thing you did and I know it is frustrating but this will only make you more anxious. Take it one day at a time and research the living daylights out of this. Write down what you eat, this will help you figure out how to change your diet. Do things that give you pleasure and make you happy and forget things that stress you.
BTW your yellow skin sounds like liver toxicity. I Don't know what you eat but if you drink then stop all alcohol. No fried foods or soda of any kind and limit animal protein for now. Cut out Sugar and junk as well. If you drink coffee (my vice) then stop gradually. Caffeine worsens AF. Drink a lot of clean water (no tap water). Try a small amount of Redmonds Real Salt or Himalayan Pink salt in your water, this MAY help with your AF (not table salt ). Good luck and keep us posted.
- Re: Has my adrenal fatigue turned in... Iolite
15 y
12,982
This is a reply to # 1,505,049Oh yea... you might want to think about adding some liver supporting herbs like dandelion and milk thistle and N-acetyl cysteine to help detox your liver.
iolite- Re: Has my adrenal fatigue turned in... powertool4
15 y
13,179
This is a reply to # 1,505,052Do you ever feel like you're crazy because you listen to your body and everything makes sense but doctors tell you that nothing is wrong and that you have anxiety? I just saw yet ANOTHER doctor who listened to me very well and asked all my questions which was wonderful, did a full physical, but come down to a diagnosis as "im the sensitive type, take it easy." I really don't think he understands that i have BECOME sensitive to all stressors around me because frankly, my adrenals which handle stress, aren't working properly. He said I have minor Depression and everything is fine.. and yet i have to be driven around everywhere by my parents at the age of 22 and cant even walk into the grocery store.
Thanks so much for the advice. I just realize i do have yellowing of the skin but it looks extra yellow because first, my hands are cold and pale, and i have been eating TONS of carrots (juiced) everyday. So i heard that can happen.
I havent had a chance to get my cortisol levels checked but frankly i dont have the money nor do i have the resource or a doctor that acknowledge my problem. they are deceived by the fact that i look like a healthy 22 year old male and issues like adrenal fatigue or hypothyroidism doesn't exist in their books unless im a 55 year old female.
I am not taking anything for my adrenals but i am looking for something to take. I have looked into various supplements but im not sure exactly what method is best. I am thiking of trying some herbs and maybe chinese herbal remedies.
- Re: Has my adrenal fatigue turned in... powertool4
15 y
13,017
This is a reply to # 1,505,185a side note: I just took my temperature and its 2:30pm and its at 97.6
that's not normal is it?- Re: Has my adrenal fatigue turned in... Iolite
15 y
13,463
This is a reply to # 1,505,214NO!! It should be closer to 98.6 in the afternoon. Read Dr. Rind's site, Read Janie's site. Chart your temps. Start supporting your adrenals with LOTS of vitamin C (2-4 grams at least), B-complex, vit A and unprocessed salt like Redmonds RealSalt. Salt your food, put a pinch in your water. You can try isocort for your AF. With the symptoms of anxiety, it sounds like low cortisol. Do you know if your blood pressure is high or low. Low bp is a symptom of low cortisol and high bp is a symptom of high cortisol. Licorice supports the adrenals too.
Canary club has a 24hr cortisol saliva test for $99. It would be really helpful for you if you could swing getting that test. If you have a combination of low cortisol and high cortisol, you need to treat the low periods with stuff like isocort and licorice and high cortisol periods with zinc, holy basil and/or phosphydital serine. And if you do, have high and low periods, treating it with isocort for all times will only make the high cortisol higher.
OTC thyroid glandulars can help too, but because their so weak you'll have to take more than what's recommended. Iodine in the form of Lugols (Swanson vitamins have 2oz of 2% Lugols for $10 a bottle) or iodoral (tablet form of Lugols -- google for best price) will support the thyroid and selenium and l-tyrosine will help the thyroid convert the Iodine to the thyroid hormone. Tyrosine will support the adrenals too.
http://www.iodine4health.com
http://www.breastcancerchoices.org/iodine
will help explain detox symptoms.
iolite
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- Re: Has my adrenal fatigue turned in... powertool4
15 y
13,237
This is a reply to # 1,505,276Oh okay.
is the canary club a company that ships out for adrenal fatigue? I think $99 is pretty reasonable but what i am concerned with is how to treat or cure AF. Apparently my hypothyroid issue will go away if i take care of the AF.. and right now i have tried vitamin C and changing my diet and it did absolutely nothing for my symptoms. The only thing that has worked is ginseng (tried siberian and korean red ginseng).. and it works pretty well but I am not sure exactly if its a cure or a temporary feeling. I have low bp and a low body temperature that jumps up sometimes high and pounding heart beats when my anxiety kicks in/im unable to handle stress.
Have you ever tried chinese herbal medicine for AF and thyroid issues? I have heard some people saying it definitely works but so far my experience with it is not too great (mainly because the doctors i have met suck and don know what adrenal fatigue is)
More
- Re: Has my adrenal fatigue turned in... Iolite
15 y
13,593
This is a reply to # 1,505,451http://www.canaryclub.org/diurnal-cortisol-4x-zrt.html
I've used the chinese herbs for AF, but I have high cortisol so you've got to be sure that the herbs you take are right for your AF. My mom has a combo low and high and she had a bad reaction with the chinese herbs I gave her to try. She needs to take isocort during the low periods and phosphidityl serine during the high periods. I'm not sure about korean ginseng, but siberian ginseng was recommended to me.
Hawthorne berries help me when my heart starts pounding. Now that I'm better it doesn't happen every day. Magnesium helps too. Keep taking the vitamin C and add the unprocessed salt as well as isocort. I think Dr. Rind talks about isocort on his site. But you need to be off of any adrenal support before you take the saliva test. If you find out that your numbers are really low, then going on cortef will be better than trying OTC stuff, according to some folks on the NaturalThyroidHormoneAdrenals group on yahoo. Once you get your labs post them on that group and you'll get them interpreted and some guidance on how to treat it. It will get better. I know of one woman who was really bad off, she had anxiety, rages, pounding heart, low blood sugar, all the horrible symptoms of moderate to severe AF. She got on cortef and slowly got better to the point she was able to address her hypothyroidism.
Try to be easy on yourself and not get too frustrated. It'll only stress your adrenals even more. Don't worry about the cortef (hydrocortisone) causing bad side effects. The dosage you'll be on (if you need it) will be a physiological dose to replace what your body should be making. It will take the stress off the adrenals and allow them to recover.
Once your adrenals are supported, you can start supporting the thyroid more. You need iodine, selenium and tyrosine to help the thyroid. I don't know if starting Iodine right away would be a good idea or not. Your adrenals might not be able to handle it. Once you get your test results, you'll have a better idea. It's very possible that once your adrenals are on the mend, all you'll need is to provide your thyroid with the necessary building blocks to manufacture the thyroid hormones itself and not need thyroid hormone.
iolite
- Re: Has my adrenal fatigue turned in... powertool4
15 y
13,086
This is a reply to # 1,505,665Thanks for the advice! i was wondering, do you experience hypoglycemai as well?
I don't know what to do or why I am getting these symptoms but if i dont eat for a while.. and sometimes that means 2 hours.. i get hypoglycemic. But the worst of it is I cannot sleep for more than 2 hours at a time. And i am waking up so tired and drained. Whenever i drift off to sleep, within 2 hours time i am having a full on nightmare and then i wake up completely startled, vision blurry, and somewhat confused as to where i am and why i HAVE to get up that instant. then i try to go back to sleep but my heart is constantly going off on me and what not so i get up to eat something and calm myself down.
Is this related to adrenal fatigue? Even during the day i am easily startled by like noises or when in the car and someone honks, but its not my personality which makes me believe that its something purely physiological. I had a strong personality and was not the type to get startled easily.. i LOVED scary movies. And now i have become weak in body and in heart. Any idea why my body wakes up startled in the middle of the night? Is it possible that it is warning me that my body Sugar is dropping?
- Re: Has my adrenal fatigue turned in... Iolite
15 y
12,998
This is a reply to # 1,506,721I don't get hypoglycemic, unless I've been eating a lot of junk for a while. I try not to do that. Eating protein and some fat every few hours will help keep your blood Sugar stable, peanut butter, cheese, hard boiled eggs, etc.
Waking up in the middle of the night can be high cortisol or the hypoglycemia. You might want to try having a high protein snack before bed. Hawthorne really help my pounding heart, you might want to give it a try before you go to bed at night. Follow the directions on the label. I made the mistake once taking a double dose and ended up nauseous, clammy and light headed. You can also try drinking some water with salt (unprocessed) or eating a salty snack like cheese before bed too. A hardboiled egg and some cheddar cheese would make a good snack to help keep you blood Sugar stable.
With adrenal fatigue, you're going to over react to all kinds of stimulus. That's just the way it is. Some calming herbs to try: kava, chamomile, valerian, hops and passion flower.
Once you get the results back from your saliva test, you'll have a better idea as to how severe your AF is and whether OTC stuff like isocort will help or if you need rx hydrocortisone. If your doctor refuses to treat your AF (if it is severe enough to warrant a rx) you can get the 1% hydrocortison cream and use that instead. You'll probably use 1/4 tesp at a time. The NaturalThyroidHormoneADRENAL users group on yahoo have some wonderful mods that can walk you through all this and help you set up a treatment plan.
iolite
- Re: Has my adrenal fatigue turned in... blueprintfitness
15 y
12,864
This is a reply to # 1,506,721
Reactive hypoglycaemia often occurs with adrenal fatigue, as a direct result of adrenal dysfunction. One of the adrenal gland's jobs is to release adrenaline/cortisol whenever blood sugar levels fall, but when they stop working properly, this does not happen.
I would suggest getting an adrenal stress index test. Also I have more recommendations in my article on adrenal fatigue here.
Regards, Marek - Basingstoke Nutritionist / Personal Trainer
- Re: Has my adrenal fatigue turned in... Iolite
15 y
12,998
- Re: Has my adrenal fatigue turned in... powertool4
15 y
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- Re: Has my adrenal fatigue turned in... Iolite
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- Re: Has my adrenal fatigue turned in... powertool4
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- Re: Has my adrenal fatigue turned in... Iolite
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- Re: Has my adrenal fatigue turned in... powertool4
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- Re: Has my adrenal fatigue turned in... powertool4
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- Re: Has my adrenal fatigue turned in... Iolite
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