Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Support Group

I know we've discussed this in previous posts. You might want to scroll through and see if you can find this topic. I had adrenal insufficiency, to the point of near failure. Was treated with two different cortisone medications. It really helped. Darn if I could only remember the name of that excellent book on adrenal problems.

Something like, The Twenty-First Century Disease, not sure. Great book. Try going to www.barnesandnoble.com and searching for "adrenal insufficiency."

There are tests for this. One is a collecting urine test. The other is administered in a clinic or hospital, and they test your adrenal output via intravenous test. Good luck, certainly you should discuss this with your doctor.

I think the book is called Adrenal Fatigue: The Twenty-First Century Disease or something... Here we go, this is the website of the doctor who wrote it: http://www.adrenalfatigue.org/

Thank you for the information. I went to the site and took the "burn-out" questioniare and scored very high (severe). I ordered the book. I had a Drs. visit today and she drew blood to check cortisol levels but I don't think that is how you really check for adrenal exhaustion. I didn't say anything to her. Lets see what comes back. I'll be surprised if its neg. Lisa

You can do a saliva test over 24 hours to check your cortisol levels. Depending on where you live, this can be done direct via the lab and you can order the kit to do it yourself

I really like the AF articles at Women to Women -- it's from a holistic perspective. Here is their Adrenal Health Profile and a good intro article Adrenal fatigue — the effects of stress and high cortisol levels . good luck!

Oops forget the links
Adrenal Health profile: http://www.womentowomen.com/assess...

Adrenal Fatigue Intro: http://www.womentowomen.com/adrena...

Good luck!!!

If you have CFS, you most likely have suppressed adrenal function. From the CDC website:

"Recent studies revealed that CFS patients often produce lower levels of cortisol than do healthy controls. Similar hormonal abnormalities have been observed by others in CFS patients and in persons with related disorders like fibromyalgia. Cortisol suppresses inflammation and cellular immune activation, and reduced levels might relax constraints on inflammatory processes and immune cell activation. As with the immunologic data, the altered cortisol levels noted in CFS cases fall within the accepted range of normal, and only the average between cases and controls allows the distinction to be made. Therefore, cortisol levels cannot be used as a diagnostic marker for an individual with CFS."

Notice how many people with CFS have cortisol levels that fall within normal range, but are on average lower than healthy controls. It's likely that low(er) cortisol is one facet to the piece of CFS pie of what is making us feel ill.

A more serious condition is adrenal insufficiency or Addison's disease. It occurs when the adrenal cortex is destroyed by autoimmune disease. It can be fatal and requires close monitoring and medication.

It's good that your Dr. is screening you but I wouldn't worry too much about having regular results.

Thanks for posting this. I hadn't heard of this. I am still being diagnosed with CFS, down to my last run of docs (Cardio, Neuro) before they officiallly diagnose me, although I'm fairly certain now that CFS is my underlying problem. I see Cardio tomorrow for the results of my heart echo. Not expecting anything there.

Question: Anyone have surges of adreneline on a regular basis? I do, but do far none of the docs seem concerned about this. Would/could this be linked to an adrenal problem? I know they felt my throat and said that gland wasn't enlarged so they weren't worried about the adrenaline surges I have (literally all day long with absolutely NO reason-I can just be sitting there thinking of nothing and will have one).

They've already ruled out the standard stuff for me: thyroid, diabetes, menopause, cancer, lymes, rocky mtn spotted fever, etc. So far I just have low levels (but barely so) of iron and calcium for which I've been taking supplements for years to no relief.

The adrenal fatigue info made me think about those adrenaline rushes I get. I'd love to know if anyone else ever has that.

@Carey #8

The adrenal glands are near the kidneys, not in the throat.

You are in the age zone for perimenopause, have you been keeping up with your hormones? What you're feeling may not be adrenaline but unchallenged testosterone. If you haven't had any previous gyn issues that you haven't listed, keep watch and see if the surges have any kind of cycle, monthly or bi-monthly.

It's VERY difficult to pinpoint peri, because levels can shift hourly. I started noticing changes when I was 39-40 but was told I was too young.

We now now that THAT WASN'T TRUE.

If you have a compounding pharmacist near you, you might ask them who the GYNs are that believe in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). Those docs sometimes do more thorough testing.

I'm stressing this because I'm 50 now, and for the last 10 years, I may have had more hormonal causality to my fatigue that went ignored and undiagnosed. Only time will tell now, since I'm post-meno. I'm severely deconditioned, and still get post exert crashes, but they aren't as severe as they used to be. And my sleep is improving on its own.

Nutshell, to all the women here in the CFS group. DO NOT LET A DOC TELL YOU YOU ARE TOO YOUNG FOR HORMONE SHIFTS AS EARLY AS YOUR EARLY THIRTIES. It's known to be documented now that women are beginning the whole menopause thing a good 10-15 years earlier than their mothers and grandmothers.

Maybe we all do have CFS too, but if there is hormone involvement, why suffer with that add-on when something might be done about it for relief??

(Any terse in tone is here is directed at doctors, not DS members.)

Thanks for the answer. I was thinking that the thyroid in your neck had something to do with adrenaline, but after reading your post and looking at it on Wickipedia, I see that it doesn't at all. I wonder why none of the docs have considered checking my adrenal gland (on the kidneys...). I think I'm going to push for someone to address this at my next appt. I see Neuro at the end of this month. Would they be the ones to talk to ?? I'm still in the middle of my cardio work up, but nothing there is remarkable (which is what I expected). I do a treadmill test on Thurs. Getting a dianosis is so frustrating b/c it is so many docs and so many tests!!

I have had my hormone levels checked a couple of times for pre-menopause, but they say that I'm not yet. Like you, I've heard too many people with conflicting results on this (my sister being one of them). WHO do we go to to get good pre-menopause testing and screening and such?? Regular docs don't seem to want to do anything other than a quickie blood test.

Thanks for the help!