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Hello,
I’m thinking of buying online a home 24 hour saliva cortisol test with a written explanation of the results. However I’ve been told that a lot of NHS GP’s in the UK don’t take this test seriously. So I’m wondering if the test comes back and shows problems how do I then get treatment? Is the only way to find a private doctor that will treat this?
Also I’ve read that seeing if your blood pressure goes down when you stand up shows you have adrenal fatigue. Is this test 100% reliable way to tell? It seems sometimes I stand up my blood pressure goes up and other times it goes down. (monitor is a bit cheap tho!)
Thank you for your help.
Hi Briswharf. If you do the salivary cortisol test, you can speak to an endocrinologist or an integrative doctor who is familiar with chronic fatigue and hormonal issues. Remember that GPs and family doctors only have a cursory understanding of these things – their main role is to refer you on to someone with deeper knowledge.
Adrenal fatigue and HPA Axis dysfunction can affect your levels of a hormone named aldosterone. This controls your salt balance and therefore affects your blood pressure. If you find that your blood pressure is low and you get dizzy when you stand up, that could be the reason.
Thank you very much for your reply. Much appreciated.
I don’t suppose you could recommend the correct test I need to buy please. Is it the Comprehensive Adrenal stress profile test from Genova?
https://www.gdx.net/uk/product/comprehensive-adrenal-stress-profileI have recently paid an integrative doctor for an appointment who told me I should have a cortisol test, but she has literally disappeared and it’s been weeks now so I just want to get on with the test without her as I’ve been unwell for a long time now. Hopefully she will re-appear and I can then take my results to talk to her about. I just want to make sure I choose the right test!
Many thanks 🙂
I believe there are a few companies that do the 24 hour salivary cortisol test. Just make sure that it has 4 different collection times during that 24 hour period, and that they are analyzed separately instead of mixed together and averaged out.
Thank you for your reply. I have now found a doctor who is doing the test for me. There are a couple of things I’m confused about though:
Apparently if my levels come back abnormal my doctor says she can prescribe DHEA, Pregnenolone or low dose Hydrocortisone to me. Does this actually fix the problem? For example- you take it for a short while and it can fix the problem permanently? Or are you likely just to relapse at a later date after you stop taking the drugs?
If my levels are abnormal is this what is actually my problem or does it mean a sign of another illness in the body that needs to be found?
Many thanks with any help 🙂
You can search in the forum for posts on hydrocortisone (or cortef). Lots of people find it very hard to quit, but it can be helpful in some cases. It’s better to give your body a chance to produce the hormones on its own if possible.
I believe that DHEA and Pregnenolone are better solutions, as I don’t think they prevent your body from producing its own supplies. Let us know how your test results look, and what you plan to do 🙂
So I’ve had my adrenal cortisol results back today. The first morning result was abnormal and high. However the 3 other results during the day were within range.
Awakening – 12.17 (reference range 2.68-9.30)
1pm – 2.54 (reference range 0.75-2.93)
5pm – 1.32 (reference range 0.36-1.88)
Prior to sleep: <0.19 (reference range <=0.94)Just wondering how this compares to other peoples and if this result could explain why i feel so terrible? I only have high cortisol in the morning so would this explain my debilitating fatigue thoughout the whole day?
Thank you for any help 🙂
Honestly, those results are not too bad. A little high in the morning and a little low in the evening, but not enough to explain your fatigue. Did you get your thyroid levels tested? The problem might be elsewhere.
Thanks for your reply. Yes I did. All within range.
THYROID STIMULATING HORMONE 0.99 mIU/L 0.27 – 4.2
FREE THYROXINE 13.6 pmol/l 12.0 – 22.0
FREE T3 4.3 pmol/L 3.1 – 6.8A few years ago aged 33, I had 18 weeks of chemotherapy and I’m sure this must be related somehow! (however I felt fine for 1.5 yrs after I finished cancer treatment). Now most of the time I’m too tired and dizzy I can hardly leave the house.
Did your doctor make any suggestions? Were there any other tests that were out of range or almost out of range?
My appointment is next week on Tuesday however I managed to get the results emailed to me in advance today. So I haven’t actually seen my doctor for any suggestions yet. I know originally she said that sometimes she trials thyroid drugs on patients even if they have normal blood results so maybe that’s a possibility….maybe. No…all the other results were pretty well in range. Thank you x
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