Unvailed adrenal insufficency after starting Thyroid.

[loopy107]

@marsaday1971 2421 wrote:

I am working through getting well too.

I am taking 20mg HC and 2 grains thyroid-s.

i increased the thyroid last week and had a great week, but now feeling a bit low /hypo again. It is really weird when i make a change in medication as i always feel great for a week. Placebo for sure, but temps did increase, so maybe i just need more thyroid hormone.

i may increase again today as it has been 7 days since my last increase.

Thyroid is just one of those things that takes some tweaking for a bit before getting it to the sweet spot.

On my last lab my t-3 did get better, but I’m still tweaking. I can tell because my ears ring from the minute I wake up and until I go to bed. My hypothyroid is definitely getting close to being all set very soon. I’ve been hypothyroid for many years and never knew that the symptoms I was having was related to thyroid.

my current t-3 lab:
t3 = 326 (230-420 pg/dL)

[hardasnails1973]

@marsaday1971 2421 wrote:

I am working through getting well too.

I am taking 20mg HC and 2 grains thyroid-s.

i increased the thyroid last week and had a great week, but now feeling a bit low /hypo again. It is really weird when i make a change in medication as i always feel great for a week. Placebo for sure, but temps did increase, so maybe i just need more thyroid hormone.

i may increase again today as it has been 7 days since my last increase.

After 2 grains increase 15 mgs ever 6-8 weeks because you are getting in to that optimal level. Go slow and steady.
Or instead you may be at the point of t4 is going more to rt3 then t3 may need to check the ratio of the too to make sure its going in the right direction.

[MetalMX]

HAN i feel as though i am still suffering thyroid resistance to some degree due to being low for so god damn long. I also suspect insulin issues which hypo could have caused too.

Right now i am on 100mcg T4, 25mcg T3.

But i still find i have little appetite, bowels not regular enough etc… and muscle strength is still an issue for me and still seeing floaters, swelling in my legs and not being able to comprehend a lot of information when somebody is talking to me as if half is not being received – i know this is due to hypo.

You mentioned people eating 5000 calories precontest dieting where as my body maintains on something like 800 calories a day due to the chronic hypo issue if i was to eat more i would just gain fat weight.

Although energy has improved, motivation and general well being.

Im 6″4 and 79-80kg their abouts. Is this even enough thyroid for someone like me sizewise?

Still waiting on the saliva results. But my temps are constantly fluctuating 35.8C when i wake up 36.4C after mowing the lawn. Then after thyroid meds in the afternoon 35.3 and its up and down. I started on a bit of Isocort im on 3 pills a day this seems to be helping.

I am also on a bit of DHEA cream small amounts 10-15mg a day which seems to be helping. I know you said it can drive e2 crazy but i dont think it will with small doses such as this. It certainly can help with insulin resistance and even improve hypo state i feel.

What can be done to speed things up?

[marsaday1971]

it sounds like your adrenals are not working, hence the fluctuations in temps. are you not taking hc. you need it i reckon.

i have increased thyroid to 2 1/2 grains and i will stay here for a good while. i am feeling good and i think i am sleeping better. does thyroid affect sleep? i notice i am getting off quicker as it takes a while normally.

Also noticed my blood pressure has increased in the last few days. it was 160/75 the other night and last night it was back down to 125/65 (after going to the gym). The only other thing i have changed is using l-carnitine in the last 2 days and i think this has caused my pressure to rise. i have read it is a side effect.

[MetalMX]

I am not on any HC no. Awaiting saliva cortisol results first. But i will likely need it due to the constant temperature fluctuations. Im still feeling very hypo though and yer its due to the adrenals.

I just want my muscle strength, appetite and a consistent flow of energy throughout the day to come back, so i can play tennis and start doing weights again which has been really difficult. I can play tennis but weights is impossible.

I am curious though did you have confirmed low cortisol levels? or did you add HC due to fluctuating temps?

[marsaday1971]

these were my results. they are not terrible, but most say i needed the HC. i tried dr wilsons adrenal dynamite and it did very little. however, one thing i will tell you is that the electrolyte level is very key to getting well.

i have just found this out and am working on stabilising potassium and sodium. potassium was bottom of the range for me. i think i also need magnesium. i am using a magnesium and potassium tablet combined and i feel very good when i take 2 – no effect on 1 – but i am not sure which mineral is helping me.

i am also taking sea salt once a day and this is good.

results = nmol/l

15.6 (12-22)
2.7 (5-9)
3.4 (3-7)
0.9 (1-3)

overall burden 22.6 (21-41)

dhea was mid range and ok

You can see i have overall low cortisol and it tanks by noon. Not sure if this is because my electrolytes are not balanced or if it is because of my poor functioning thyroid. my thoughts are that if your thyroid isnt working that well it will stress the adrenals more and so the body uses up the cortisol avaliable to it. Thoughts anyone?

[MetalMX]

When i take thyroid T4/T3 i experience sometimes goosebumps on my arms and legs and back and calves and it feels like someone is writing on my scalp as well as my arms and legs like a tinging sensation i also feel very cold, generally weak and muscle weakness and extreme anxiety/irritability.

Just want to make sure does this sound like low cortisol symptoms or something else?

I hope their is not some other issue going on with my pituitary because i have done all the blood work and everything else is relatively normal.

Total T is ok but Free T is low probably due to the adrenals.

IGF-1 is low.

DHEA is a bit low due to adrenals.
Thyroid aint working due to hashimoto’s so i am on meds for this.

Aldosterone was nil on last urine test. But since going on Thyroxine and T3 i am not feeling excessive thirst like before so it was likely low due to the thyroid. Renin was high normal.

[MetalMX]

I got my cortisol saliva results back this is on 75mcg T4, 50mcg T3.

9am DHEA’s – 6.7nmol/L

DHEA Reference range – (5 – 30nmol/L)
DHEA Target Range Male – (15 – 20nmol/L)

Cortisol –

9am – 23nmol/L (6 – 38)
Target – 25nmol/L

12am – 19nmol/L – N/A
Target – 15nmol/L

6pm – 12nmol/L (1.2 – 12.3)

10pm – 12nmol/L – N/A
Target – 2nmol/L

So i have normal cortisol levels throughout the day and a high at night what looks like in this test no wonder i cannot sleep sometimes till 1am and i am constantly awakening from sleep maybe due to the higher night cortisol. I also see low DHEA’s so this could be another issues.

My temps are still constantly fluctuating. And in the morning it’s hiting 36.2C after i take thyroid hormone it drops to 35.2C and then 35.5C and their abouts with fluctuation as well as being low.

Opinions…

My Peripheral neuropathy still hasn’t completely healed and i am still experiencing muscle weakness issues.

Or maybe my thyroid T4/T3 dosing is suboptimal or i could add ERFA thyroid to this maybe….

[marsaday1971]

your cortisol rhythm is well out.

get on some hc to correct it plus some dhea.

what time do you wake up?? i bet it is late.

simply make yourself get up at 8am and you will help correct your rhythm. you will need to go to bed early as well. say 10pm at latest. you may then toss and turn, but you should get off by 12pm.

it will be hard to do, but you must give it a go.

[MetalMX]

I try to wake up early 9am or so recently been putting alarm clock on whereas i usually awake at 10am. I go to sleep at midnight or 12:30am usually.

How do you suppose my cortisol rhythm is out of whack? It looks fine, tell me what am i not seeing and what should good results look like…

And if i was to try some HC at what times should i be taking my doses according to these results?

My Morning Temps are: 97.3F, 98.2F, 97.1F (These are measured same day 5 minutes apart).

Im experiencing:

Shortness of breath
Feeling weak, fatigued
Muscle weakness
Noticing awakeness of pulse/heart rate sometimes and slight chest discomfort at times
dizziness upon standing quickly at times
Eye floaters
decreased urination
swelling in the legs (intermittent)
excessive thirst/dry mouth and throat
Decreased smell and taste despite normal zinc on blood test? 14.1 (10 – 20)
Sugar cravings
Awakening from sleep 3 times a night… hungry? (high cortisol)?
Decreased appetite during the day

Marsaday How often should i get routine blood tests done or how often do you get routine bloods done to make sure everything is ok with your body functionally?

[marsaday1971]

i dont get routine tests done on the nhs. the system is crap here. just self treating. however i will go in soon for a new tsh test. not much point really, but i always ask for a ft3 and sometimes they do test it. My last tests were in sep 09. but since then i have come off there levoT to go onto NTH and am self treating. i tried the nhs system, but it is no good.

your costisol starts out ok’ish and then drops as normal. it then flat lines and then spikes at night. this is not a good rhythm. what you want is an ever decreasing curve from left to right.

you go to bed when your adrernals are trying to make the cortisol. so go earlier and you will be asleep when the manufacturing is taking place. i am also trying to make myself go earlier. really i need to bed in bed at 9 to relax and then lights out at 10. i take an hour to get off anyway, so i will be alseep by 11. it is good to get up at 9 though.

you would take hc 20 per day – 10 at breakfast, 5 noon, 5 late afternoon. but you must increase it slowly, starting on 5, 2.5. then a few days later doing 5, 2.5, 2.5. but dont take this info as gospel. read STTM website about how to dose hc.

your waking temps are ok. the middle one is great. what are your day average temps though? if these are up and down then you have adrenal issues.

get reading about temps and start tracking them.

[MetalMX]

The temps are up and down right now its 96.2F.

Morning they are ok yet up and down. After thyroid meds they drop to about 96.2F and fluctuate a little but remain low. So i have adrenal issues.

Is tingling in the extremities a symptom of adrenal fatigue?

Marsaday can you list the symptoms you are experiencing? and what relieved them/ what relieved some e.g. HC or more thyroid etc….

[MetalMX]

One issue thats really been bothering me is a lack or large decrease in my sense of taste and smell. When i took one pill of Isocort this sensation begins to return within an hour when i taste something how is this possible?

[marsaday1971]

i am getting there and so not having too many problems at the moment. i am monitoring my body like never before and this is like a new religion 🙂 i mean i am pretty confident to spot any positive or negative change. i would recommend it to all struggling with adrenal/thyroid problems.

i have a thyroid problem and adrenal. i am not sure which came first, but i hope to get fully optimised this yr. i am on 3 grains now and 20mg hc.

my energy has really increased and i am loosing this layer of fat i have always carried. it is happening slowly, but i am making progress. i am feeling hungry more often as well. my muscle strength is really improving as well.

i have also noted i am not breaking wind as much and my stools are a bit more solid. they were ok before, but could be a bit soft.

to me you are screaming out adrenal metalmx and i dont know why you dont get on the hc. this will give your body what it needs and then it can start to heal itself. when i first took hc at 5mg in 1/2h i became so calm, it was great.

i tried last yr to stop the thyroid meds, thinking i didnt need them and it was just an adrenal problem i had. 3 mths later i crashed and no amount of hc helped. so that clarifyed i have a thyroid problem foremost. the adrenals are also a problem, but i think will come good when i am fully optimised.

tell us when you get on the hc, i am sure that all you need, plus some attention to the electrolytes.

[MetalMX]

Thanks very much for your posting marsaday.

Ill start on HC 5mg per day and see how i go. And move on up from their, things should be good, great even when i add it. I have no opposition to using HC, i have tried some before and i experienced the same thing as you after 5mg 1/2 hour i was as calm as the dahle lama.

From my understanding the times you want to take HC are 8am, 12pm and 4pm like your natural rhythm. You wouldn’t want to take it at 10pm or something would you…

So when you mentioned 5mg, 2.5mg i assumed this meant at 8am and noon.

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