Adrenal Fatigue: any treatment that has worked?

[bakunin]

Hi folks,

I've been spending too much money to get better of my chronic fatigue.

Well, the saliva test showed I have low cortisol, testosterone and some other hormones. The doctor said I have adrenal fatigue. For sure it was caused bu the dry eyes related stress. In the last weeks some new symptoms, that point to a possible Chronic Fatigue Symdorme either. The doctor said adrenal fatigue may trigger it and vice-versa.

Has anyone have adrenal fatigue? If so, how have you treated?

My doctor prescribed me 'V-4 Men' and 'Just for Life' (both from PhytoAble - Vitalabs), to improve my energy. He has a natural approach. I'm staring taking them today...

[PotatoCakes]

It is my understanding (and I'm not a physician) that adrenal fatigue tests are fairly inaccurate. I took the tests and was shown to have low levels and the naturopath put me on a regimen that included licorice root. It gave me headaches and did nothing to improve my situation. Later I went through a battery of tests in an actual hospital and my hormone levels were absolutely fine. It turns out my low energy level was caused by depression as I was coming to grips with my dry eye disease and had nothing to do with adrenal levels at all. I wish I still had the links for the articles I read about testing, etc, unfortunately I don't.

If the new regimen helps, great; if not, you might try more traditional medicine. Isn't CFS an auto-immune disorder? Auto-immune disorders frequently appear together, so you may want to see a rheumatologist.

[bakunin]

Thanks Potatocakes for the feed back!

I don't think CFS is autoimmune. Well, I saw a rheumatologist last january, but he didn't find anything wrong.
Yes, I don't think the tests for cortisol are reliable. My blood tests are normal, but the saliva test show it is low. But I know many doctors don't think it is a reliable test.
My doctor prescribed me licorice root too, and many other natural supplements for the adrenal fatigue. He says in one month I shall feel improvement. By the way, he says he, himself, has/had adrenal fatigue. His chronic fatigue was the cause he started researching about fatigue and has become kind of expert on it. I talked with him about taking antidepressants (because of course I suppose my serotonine level is low), and depite he is also a psychiatrist, he disagrees with the idea. Let's see what happens.

Like when I had inflammation in my throat, the chronic inflammation in my brain (CFS) makes my eyes feels a lot better, really, really better. So, I found the cure for dry eyes: brain inflammation! (Ook, i'm kidding)

The next doctor you meet who says to you that your cornea is fine despite your several dry eye pain, and he didn't care about what your feeling because you wil not be blind, tell him that severe dry eye symptoms can screw up the adrenal glands and lead to chronic brain inflammation.

[Rowanberry]

Cortisol levels vary throughout the day so a single test is not very accurate. If your adrenals are not working well because of stress then relaxation techniques like meditation, massage, relaxing your muscles sytematically should help.

You have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, rather than chronic fatigue (a symptom, not a disease) if you have an abnormal response to exercise/effort. Typically, a patient can lift a weight up once, but become exhausted by lifting a spoon to their lips five times. It is milder in some people but recovery from minor exercise is still prolonged. There is also a variability in symptoms over the course of a few hours even.

Recent research has shown that people with CFS go into cellular anaerobic respiration very quickly. One clinic which treats patients uses a VO2 Max test (like they use to test for heart failure) to diagnose the disease and to find the point at which this happens for individual. They then get a heart monitor with an alarm to tell them when they must stop what they are doing. (This research has been replicated by separate centres and was first discovered by NIH)

You can get your own heart monitor and set a level which will be near enough and use that to try to stop any further damage and maybe allow for some healing. A decent diet, sleep hygiene, fresh air to reduce toxins might help. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment can help fatigue in MS and some people think that low dose naltroxone might be a treatment. MS patients were advised to eat berries for fatigue at one time too.

Decades of research has shown that there is a dysfunctional immune system in CFS but recent work is finding that autoimmunity may well be involved. There have been clinical trials in Norway where patients actually became well enough to go skiing again so now they are running large scale trials but it will be years before any treatment becomes readily available.

I hope something helps, but fatigue can be made worse by rushing about trying everything! friends with MS have felt better when they gave up and just tried to cope as best they could

R.

[Cali]

I had adrenal fatigue from stress. I was prescribed DHEA, (micronized adrenal hormone). I took 10mg. daily. At first I was having it made at a compounding pharmacy. Then I found out you can buy it outright. I buy "pure encapsulations" (http://www.pureencapsulations.com). I am able to buy it in the U.S. at a store called "Pharmaca."

Here's what it is:
DHEA, dehydroepiandrosterone, is the most abundant adrenal steroid hormone in the body. After it is made by the adrenal glands, it travels into cells throughout the body where it is converted into androgens and estrogens. These hormones regulate fat and mineral metabolism, endocrine and reproductive function, and energy levels. The amount of each hormone that DHEA converts to depends on an individual's biochemistry, age, and sex. DHEA levels peak around age 25 and then decline steadily. - See more at: http://www.pureencapsulations.com/dh....O98yeXNb.dpuf

[DCRdryeye]

bakunin - Adrenal fatigue is almost an epidemic. It starts with very high and irregular cortisol levels (did you do a saliva test 5 times throughout the day, and before you go to bed?). Some people have higher levels before bed and it explains their insomnia.
DHEA doesn't improve energy as much, it can convert to testosterone and/or estrogen. Blood serum is a more accurate diagnosis of DHEA and yes, it's a hormone made by the adrenals and decreases with age. So why not increase it to normal levels? Doctors usually say, "Oh it's normal at your age to have these levels", not true, we have the technology to increase your levels and overall health.

Back to cortisol, when it's high for too long you get adrenal burnout and the cortisol levels drop very low making you feel fatigued. Herbs called "Adaptogens" increase cortisol levels eg: Panax ginseng, Siberian ginseng, Codonopsis. I'd be using the higher end of these herbs, but always start low with Panax ginseng and increase over time (it's very potent).

If your cortisol levels are lower than low and the Adaptogens aren't working, some integrative doctors may prescribe you with a replacement for cortisol. In Australia it's a tablet called Hysone (hydrocortisone) and is safe at levels of 40mg and under. It's commenced on a very low dose and titrated upward over time.

Hope this helps.

[bakunin]

Thanks DCRdryeye.

I had a saliva test, 3 times during the day. The integrative/othomolecular doctor I'm going, made the adrenal fatigue diagnostic looking the results. Cortisol lower than the normal minimum, and DHEA higher than it should be. The DHEA/Cortisol ration puts me in tha so-called "stress adaptation" area. It means that due to intense and continious stress my adrenal gland adapted to that stress, and stoped producing cortisol as it should.

He said in one month I shall be better taking the supplements he prescribed me:
Just for Life: http://www.vitalabs.com/Private-Labe...ete-Multi.aspx
V-4 Men: http://www.vitalabs.com/Private-Labe...n/V-4-Men.aspx

and manipulated herbs: Panax gingens, Rhodiola, Licorice, Astragalus, Ashwagandha and some others I don't remember now.

He said he had/has adrenal fatigue and still take those supplements.

I hope the saliva test was accurate. I hope the diagnostic is right and I hope those supplements work , so I will not need hydrocortisol.

Cali, thanky you very much for your feedback.
But in my case DHEA is a little bit higher than it should be.

Rowamberry.

thank you very much for you reply.

I think now I have both: chronic fatigue and CFS. CFS syjmptoms started a month ago (symptoms of brains inflammation). Well, I have some doubts if the brain inflammation is due to CFS or something else.