Anyone recovering from hypoadrenia (adrenal fatigue)?

salama · Silver Member Joined: 13 Nov 2000 Posts: 285

I was just diagnosed with adrenal fatigue but I'm concerned because I can't find any solid medical writing about adrenal fatigue, nothing that appears in any peer reviewed journals, that is. I'm going along with my doctor's supplement protocol for the time being. I don't know what else to do. I've been on anti-depressants for about 5 years for symptoms that seem to match with hypoadrenia and my doctor feels hopeful that with this treatment we might be able to wean me off of those since the adrenal fatigue might be the underlying cause. Is anyone recovering from hypoadrenia here?

bendite · Silver Member Joined: 04 Jun 2002 Posts: 258

Even the anti-depressants can't keep away the fatigue, brain fog, loss of sexual appetite and general malaise. Anyway, I know it would just be anecdotal evidence but I'd love to hear that a real person actually recovered from hypoadrenia by following a protocol of supplements and diet modification. It would make me feel a little bit better about spending so much money on oversized pills.

Guest · Guest

There are two types of stress - physical and emotional. It is well know that physical activities that require sudden strenuous movement use adrenalin that must be replenished. There are no studies showing emotional stress does the same thing and the mailstream medical community does not support the hypothesis that it does.

The question of how to increase adrenal funtion has not been answered. If you get the nutrition needed to support adrenal function you have done all you can on the physical side. If you subscribe to the idea that emotional stress depletes the adrenals then reducing emotional stress should be your next goal.

Here is a test you can try called Ragland's test. In the morning just after getting up, when your adrenals should be at their best, measure your blood pressure while lying on your back on the floor. Then stand up quickly and measure your blood pressure again. If it goes up, you adrenal function is normal. If it goes down you have hypoadrenia. Now, assume your blood pressure went up. In the evening, when you are totally fatigued, repeat the test. If it still goes up, then your fatigue is unlikely to be related to adrenalin.

Guest · Guest

I was dragging, energywise, for months and living a high-stress lifestyle. Then, one day in October of 2007, I noticed a strange acetone-like smell on my breath. I dismissed it as a bit of ketosis since I was also on a strict diet at the time.

A few days later my symptoms got worse and I was having trouble keeping my blood sugar stable. Every 2 to 3 hours I would have to eat or risk becoming ravenously hungrey and VERY shaky and sweaty. Apparently, my adrenals were not able to supply enough cortisol to keep my blood sugar from plunging. Also, I began urinating a lot and the urine was almost colorless. I noticed that I had a salty flavor to my saliva that would not go away. I had only the most limited tolerance for mild exercise and had to take to my sick bed.

I've been bedridden for almost 3 weeks now and am making a slow recovery. But, recovery is measured in weeks, not days.

I'm retired and do not have health insurance so I am forced to treat myself. I have eliminated as much stress as possible from my life and take a Walgreen's "ULtra Choice" Mature formula Vitamin / Mineral tablet, one 250 mg chewable Vitamin C tablet, and 2 100 IU Natural Vitamin E capsules per day. I divide the tablets in half and take them 12 hours apart. EVERY two to three hours I eat a low glycemic meal and sleep about 12 hours per day. I am confident, despite an occasional "bad" day of making a complete recovery in another month or so.

Yes, I learned the HARD way that "hypoadrenia" is REAL despite what all of the doctors who do not have the problem say. I agree that using steroids to treat the problem should only be reserved for the worst cases in which the problem becomes life threatening. Otherwise, rest and nutrition will restore you. And, most importantly, ELIMINATE as much stress from your life as possible.

MY definition of stress is ANYTHING, physical or emotional, that will cause your blood sugar to drop. Actually too much of ANY activity will, in time, become stressful and put extra demands on your adrenals. You need to take the pressure off of them to manufacture cortisol constantly as much as possible.

In reality, I think what happens is that a person with hypoadrenia has, literally, KILLED off a large percentage of the hormone producing cells in his adrenals. That then puts the remaining functioning cells under even more pressure to make hormones and this will so overwhelm them that they will just slow production to a dribble.

Remember, when you are recovering from hypoadrenia, your FIRST priority is to ceate NEW cells in your adrenals. New cells there are formed at the rate of hundreds per SECOND. But, if you have, say, destroyed half of your adrenal cells, that means you must form BILLIONS of new hormone producing cells. THAT takes time...figure on several months...BUT only if you assist the process by reducing the stress that keeps prompting your surviving cells to make cortisol and other hormones.

How do I know if an activity I'm doing is too much and beginning to stress my adrenals? The first sign for me is that my hands start to feel ice cold. Then a quick digital temperature reading shows my body temperature dropping down below 98.0 degrees Fahrenheit.

Anyway, the human body has a remarkable ability to heal itself. You are not the first person to get hypoadrenia and will not be the last. You can make a COMPLETE recovery, but exactly how long it will take will depend on how much YOU reduce the stresses in your life. Good Luck!

Guest · Guest

adrenalfatigue.org/adrenal_recovery.php

If you checkout this website it may help a lot. I have been struggling scince i was 18 and am now 32 i`ve tried so many different therapies and tried to treat indivisual symptom which i now realise are caused by the same underlying problem, the adrenals. Dr J.Wilson is gunuine and his book ' Adrenal Fatigue the 21st century stress syndrome' has explained to me many of the missing links. it has diagnostic tests, case studies and a lot of info that will help you understand. I live in Australia so i had to order it from amazon.com cause you can't get it here. Don`t give up on yourself! some suppliments that will help the adrenals are: Dhea, siberian ginsend, withania{indian ginseng}, maca, and licorice{which helps with lack of cortisone} also high doses of vitamin c. and vitamin e. and a spoon of salt in a glass of water in the morning. anyway check out the book good luck

Anyone recovering from hypoadrenia (adrenal fatigue)?

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