Adrenal Fatigue? Is this real?

[SSMommy]

Ok so the last couple weeks have seen me at the docs several times. I wanted to post this here as this 'issue' seems to go hand in hand with stress.
Since I got the flu a few weeks ago I started having increasing issues focusing, sensory overstimulation, extreme dizziness, and blood sugar issues (really low checked by monitor) not just by symptoms. Range was 30 to 50 and it improved with eating but left me anxious and shaky afterward because I know that's not good.
My allergies appear to be really bugging me a ton so I went into my doc told her what was going on and felt like it was really affecting my anxiety as well. I mentioned the blood sugar and she said no way is it that low and completely disregarded that aspect. She did however refer me to a psychologist for a Psych evaluation.

Anyway, ended up in prompt care after an extremely busy day and another really extreme drop in sugar. The doctor did some blood work some of which is still not back yet. So far cortisol, metabolic panel, and thyroid were fine.

Since my sugar has been low I've been doing my best to include protein where I can so that afternoon I snacked on some trail mix (tropical). Relatively shortly after eating it I started to get vertigo... Not just dizziness.... But motion induced vertigo and became very nauseated because of this. It wAs very disruptive. I couldn't drive home that day and couldn't go to work the following morning because I was feeling so wooZy from it. I had another episode of dizziness yesterday after eating a salad.

I had an already scheduled follow up with my ob gyn on Friday and she was concerned about the blood sugars and is suggesting adrenal fatigue. I have to do a saliva test Monday and mail it off to see what they can find. This is due to my low energy, fatigue, lack of concentration, and now apparently low blood sugar. She thinks my surgery one year ago may have put a lot of stress on my body on top of every day stress and now I'm struggling more especially after getting sick with the flu.

I have looked some things up on adrenal fatigue and many sources basically say there is no proof of this condition and it's not a true medical diagnosis. There are extreme forms but my ob gyn basically said adrenal fatigue is like a precursor to the extremes of say Addison's.... Not that that is what she thinks I have.

I'm concerned because this is very disruptive to my life and those in my family. Yes it has spurred additional anxiety but it doesn't feel like it's the only issue.

I'm just curious as to if anyone here has been told the have adrenal fatigue or issues and how they were diagnosed.

[Enduronman]

Adrenal fatigue is a real issues, yet it is not recognized by most in the medical community.
I suffered from adrenal fatigue, which is why I ended up with these auto-immune system disorders that I now have.
I have been taking a low dose of(prednisone=cortisol) since this all began.
My adrenal glands were not producing "enough" of the stress hormone cortisol..but the prednisone keeps it in better working order.
I recall much about your blood sugar issues, as you has typed about them here multiple times...(orange juice is by far the best at correcting hypoglycemia even if you're not diabetic..which it doesn't seem that you are as nothing really suggests that and you have not mentioned that it runs in your family).
I get those same "sugar lows" as you do, and I am not a diabetic and neither is anyone in my family either.
Remember that only a small percentage of (prednisone) is actually utilized by your system and that number is somewhere along the lines of 20%. I take 5mg a day, which about 2mg per day is actually used by my adrenal glands and I feel the best when I take 10mg per day.
It also keeps my AIS diseases under control too..which I believe are caused by an out of control adrenal system...
You should also have your (hormones) tested too while youre searching for answers as that may be what the saliva test is looking for (adrenal system issues)...

Hope some of this helps you SS!...

Enduronman.. :)

[jessed03]

I believe in it. In a sense. I didn't get diagnosis, I just figured my living had been so AWFUL, that my adrenals were gonna be taxed.

People will argue about what it means/ if it exists until the sun comes up and goes down again, but there are still many chronic illnesses that are unexplained (ME being one of them), and stress related illnesses, whereby some sufferers respond well to treatment of supposedly weak adrenals.

You've got to be your own doctor sometimes. (Once you get over hypochondria)

There are still many fatigue and stress based issues in medicine in which the cure stills need work.

Just because it's not a full on medical condition yet, doesn't mean it won't ever be. Or at least perhaps have an influence in a future one.

Medicine has to take much longer about their business than everybody else.

Things like leaky gut even 5 years ago were kind of laughed off by many doctors, now the condition is talked about all the time in the medical field. Medicine is always slow. It's always the last one to join the bandwagon. It has to be. An holistic therapist can go do whatever they want really, medicine is run by rigorous testing, and has to adhere by certain guidelines. It can't go by hunches, or by 40% evidence for something. Something needs to be conclusive before it ends up in a text book.

It needs to show a treatment is effective for the masses, and show clear diagnostic links, but, that's not always the case. It can take a while for those links to be found, or understood.

I've known quite a few people with M.E, which is a medically untreatable illness really, respond very well to adrenal health plans. There is talk within certain circles that M.E is a blanket term for a multitude of conditions, adrenal fatigue perhaps being one of the. Similar to IBS really, which stands for nothing more in the medical field other than I'm Bloomin' Stumped.

Mercula, who I'm quite a big fan of really, recommends the Kalish method, for diagnosis, which is a saliva test, that combines holistic therapy and science. That's the sweet spot really when those two manage to meet. Holistic therapies do no favours for their credibility by some of the stuff they spew out.

A really good book to read is Adrenal Fatigue: A 21st Century Syndrome. If you read the Amazon reviews, you can see patients who suffer various ailments, responding well to adrenal treatment.

I'd say most people on this forum have problems with theirs one way or another, although whether that would constitute adrenal fatigue, I don't know, the concept is too loose.

Maybe the best place to begin, would be just a standard hormone test. It's good to check cortisol levels and all it's other friends when feeling under the weather.

If you get lightheaded upon standing, that's another sign.

[jessed03]

And like Eman, I believe adrenal fatigue is responsible for many of my own ailments. Sure, science can't prove that necessarily, maybe it could but I'm not special enough to test :)

Call it a hunch. I lived very very badly.

Then one day it came to bite me in the ass.

[SSMommy]

Thank you both for responding. I find it encouraging. Some doctors just piss me off so when I felt like someone is listening only to find that the greater medical community sees it as B.S. Granted, many divine and outstanding findings start out as far fetched and widely unaccepted. In my mind it makes sense but wanted to put this out there.... I guess maybe for support, insight, experience, etc. I feel so much better knowing others relate.

I've been doing my best to rest and eat very balanced meals and monitoring my sugar closely. So far it's proving successful but the dizziness, fatigue, and extreme sensory overload is there so I'm just dreading work tomorrow. It is my first day on a less stressful job so that's a positive but it's a massive office with fluorescent lighting sitting in front of a computer all day long.

I have been reading about the Kalish method and doing lots of research as it's kind of my thing. I trust myself more than I do doctors. I am going to do everything I can to try and keep my stress level lower. I just have not isolated how to do that at work. It's impossible to escape the environment. I have been at this company for over 10 years (since 18) and been pretty successful this far. So quitting isn't ideal.

My concerns got higher as my medication doesn't seem to help... It almost makes me feel worse. I have never had trouble staying awake and at work I feel so tired especially in the afternoon.

[SSMommy]

That was supposed to say 18 not a sunglass smiley face...

[SSMommy]

Jesse / Eman,

I guess I have a question.... What should I do now in the meantime? Until I get results back and all that good stuff?

[jessed03]

Do you take any supplements at the moment? Are you allowed to with SVT?

[SSMommy]

I am taking 25mg metoprolol ER for SVT and so far that is going well after getting past the initial anxiety of the reduction minus all of these new issues.

I will admit I'm nervous about supplements because of my SVT.... Same reason I'm nervous about going back on zoloft. Each time I started them within one week I had massive SVT attacks, each documented on monitors and long running. Granted my heart has more room now so should be better and that is the thought in reduction.

I take 2000mg of vitamin D and a multi vitamin although I forget a lot.

I also take Valium but it does not appear to be helping at all even with dosage increase which is part of the reason I think there is a physical driver behind some of this stuff going on.

I do know that my ob said that if I show deficient as she thinks I will, my insurance will not cover supplements since it is 'not recognized.'

From what I have read thus far our body releases cortisol when it's stressed so in my mind that makes me think that after having a low blood sugar and an ensuing panic attack, followed by the stress of going to a prompt care out of frustration, my cortisol should have been higher than the low end of normal. I believe their low end was 5 and I was 7. I keep thinking of how stressed I was at that point and thinking it should have been high at that point. I know I don't truly understand this completely so not sure if this makes sense. But I don't want the normal
Stresses of my day to break me before I get this figured out.

Sorry my responses are so long but I think the general thought will be that I should be able to take supplements however I'll be cautious.

[Enduronman]

Hey SS Mommy what country are you in???....I have some ideas BUT if you tell me that you're in Canada or Australia then its a big ole deal....

E-Man... :)

[SSMommy]

I'm in the US. Illinois. My doctor did tell me to pick up a specific type of magnesium and b-complex so far.

[jessed03]

You could start on some B- Complex and Vitamin C 2000mg. That's a good place to begin if that's ok for SVT. Or you could substitute the B for Ginseng.

Nice and easy whilst you wait.

[SSMommy]

Also I've been forced to consider an antidepressant again because of my general feelings of not being able to get through a day. I'm kind of worried about doing that tho with the bad reactions in the past and the general physical instability I am feeling these days... I mean I've got to do something. Will an antidepressant help me stress less and therefore improve adrenal function or potentially do the opposite?

[jessed03]

A lot of clinics do amino acid therapy for anxiety first, as it's more helpful to the adrenals. I know tyrosine is a big factor in adrenal fatigue and anxiety, and most peoples levels are depleted.

But you've got to do what you've got to do. If that includes anti depressants, this is real life ya know. I know those dudes on curezone.org seem to manage everything by juicing, but we can't all be that fortunate ;)

[Enduronman]

Yay! American!..(just because she can go out and get things much easier of course)....
Since you loooovvvveeee to research, and yes, you're on the right track with this being your hormones/adrenal system..
the first things that I'd like to throw out there is a hormone that you can buy at Wallace World called DHEA (no its not just for guys)...
You could start your additionaly research right there because when I just went to take my afternoon dose, I noticed that the bottle says (for sugar metabolism)..
YAAY!!!????????????
I really had no idea that it helps to also regulate that but I use it to keep my adrenals functioning properly because I have to take (prednisone=cortisol) everyday..
My adrenal system did shut down..but you won't ever hear a Doctor say that..
So, you may just be an hour or so away from some actual control and relief with the DHEA... just be sure that it's the Spring Valley brand. Its real...
Also yes, as 13 and Jesse have suggested that the ginseng and some amino acids are good to "nurture the adrenals" as well and they're also there and cheap too..
Let's just start right there...
There are others that I use, but, you may not need them as of yet so please at least try the DHEA.. :D

E-Man..

[nf1234]

YES adrenal fatigue is very real. The saliva test should help you with that diagnosis. Check out a book called adrenal fatigue by james wilson. Here is the link on amazon it is packed full of everything you need to know including how to fix it. One of the most important things you can do is eat often, cut out sugar and high glycemic foods, increase protein and fats, get lots of rest, reduce stress. See what the test says. Treating low cortisol is totally different than high cortisol. Sounds to me like low cortisol due to the hypoglycemia. The fact that you have a doc that is willing to do a saliva test is a good thing. Let us know what the results are.

[steven-123]

Hi everybody,

Adrenal fatique is as real as life itself. I have adrenal fatique myself and so has pretty much ruined my life to far. I only surfived because i have quite a character and iron will. I must say that adrenal fatique is good for character building :D And staying positive is also very important!!! I must say that adrenal fatique is a pain, but it found out, about a year ago that i also have a mercury problem, and that is quite a bit worse. There is nothing worse that not being able to think in the way most people can think. But were getting of topic and i am sure that everybody here has their own story :D. Like i said, adrenal fatique is very real and i use a product for it called Metarelax, this product is high in magnesium and b vitamins and it takes away the edges. I take to tablets each day. You can find the product here: voedingssupplementennederland.nl/nl/metarelax-metagenics-90-tablets.html, i think is a Dutch product, but is also sold in France. This website ships worldwide.

My recommendation to everyone with adrenal fatique, do not use iodine to support thyroid, because the more efficient the thyroid works, the harder the adrenals have to operate because of the HPA-axis.