Cortizol Shmortizol

Huzzah and sweet action on fire!

Went to the doctor today and got some good news. Well, not good like, "Nothing's wrong! Hooray!" but good news like I know what might be wrong.

Hooray!

So, apparently, my cortisol levels are absurdly low.

It was tested at four different times throughout the day, 8 AM, 12 PM, 4 PM, and 12 AM. The normal range is 13-25nM, 5-10nM, 3-8nM, and 1-4nM of cortisol, respectively. You want to be somewhere in there.

Mine however, were 2nM, 3nM, 4nM, and 2nM...

Respectively.

18% of the lowest range of normal when I wake up.

He seemed fairly certain this was why I have such low energy throughout the day. It's a sign of adrenal deterioration, so my body isn't producing what it needs to in order to jump start every day.

That's what I gathered anyway, I realized I didn't ask as many questions about it as I should have and most information online is about too much cortisol, which can also a factor in depression.

But: "Low cortisol results in cell receptors failing to adequately receive thyroid hormones from the blood, and can explain certain emotional and behavioral symptoms even when a patient is on thyroid meds, such as the need to avoid leaving one’s house, seeking peace and quiet, unable to tolerate stress, low tolerance to loud noises, rage, emotional ups and downs similar to bi-polar, panic, obsessive compulsive tendencies, hyper sensitive to the comments of others, phobias, delusions, suicidal ideation,and more."

I definitely have several of those symptoms.

So he prescribed me a cortizol supplement and said I should start to see improvement within the month and I might even able to start curbing my intake of the supplement when I do.

If I don't see improvements in three months, then I'll report back and take it from there.

So some good news finally on that front. Hopefully it'll provide the boost I need.