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Anyone W/ Low Cortisone Levels?


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recently i had labs done and my am cortisol levels were low (7-25) and i was at 5. i have looked online and cant find too much for low cortisol, it is mainly about high levels. my doctor said i need to do an adrenal stimulation test. but i was just wondering if anyone else has had low levels and what they mean?

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jr, have you heard of addison's disease?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001416/

Signs are high potassium, low cortisol, low serum sodium, and low blood pressure.

Symptoms are similar to pots, i think an endocrinologist might know the most about this..not sure though...

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I know the following thread is titled "High cortisol" but read it anyhow, there is low informtion there too.

http://forums.dinet.org/index.php?/topic/20593-anyone-with-elevated-cortisol/

I have Low Cortisol but not Addison's. Addison's is caused by the failure of your adrenals. Adrenal Insufficiency is caused by your Pituitary or Hypothalamus not telling your adrenals to make Cortisol.

The adrenal stimulation your Doc is talking about will tell the difference. The test is called an ACTH Stim Test. Ask for the low dose if you can, the following is a great article about all of it. The tests, the results, the diseases.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACTH_stimulation_test

Hope this helps. Feel free to PM me if you want, I know entirely too much about this topic.

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I have low cortisol (addison's) along with low thyroid and H-POTS.

My adrenal failure was picked up by an ACTH stim test. My base cortisol was only 3.9 and after given the ACTH it only went to 6.1. My ACTH levels were also low. I never had the hyperpigmentation (probably because my ACTH was so low). I currently take 35 mg of Cortef hydrocortisone as replacement.

I am strange in that my potassium, sodium, magnesium and sometimes chloride go low. I can't tolerate Florinef(due to migraines) so balancing my electrolytes are difficult. Usually potassium is high in addison's but with me it has always been low.

If your cortisol is that low, you definately need an ACTH stim test to determine if you have addison's.

Hope you feel better soon!

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I have low cortisol - but it's Secondary (or Central) Adrenal Insufficiency (caused by pituitary issues) and not Addison's. I agree about getting the ACTH test but be aware that it can give false results in POTS patients - my endocrinologist is very knowledgeable about pots and has found this in several of his patients. He did an Insulin Tolerance Test to determine my adrenal insufficiency. Apparently there is a population of pots pts who have this issue. It's great that you're looking into this tho as you may find you need stress dose steroids when you're sick or injured.

(null)

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I have low cortisol - but it's Secondary (or Central) Adrenal Insufficiency (caused by pituitary issues) and not Addison's. I agree about getting the ACTH test but be aware that it can give false results in POTS patients - my endocrinologist is very knowledgeable about pots and has found this in several of his patients. He did an Insulin Tolerance Test to determine my adrenal insufficiency. Apparently there is a population of pots pts who have this issue. It's great that you're looking into this tho as you may find you need stress dose steroids when you're sick or injured.

(null)

Your endocrinologist sounds like a keeper! Good ones are few and far between!

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thanks you guys are always so helpful. yes all my other labs were normal. except i was anemic too. i do have hyper pots and eds, and i have had my adrenal glands looked at for the tumor as my norepinephrine levels have been so high for so long, but nope, just my pots. i will look at the links. i have looked at addisons before but i didnt think it sounded like me too much, but who knows, lol

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  • 1 year later...

My son has low cortisone levels. ACTH stim test was normal. He is hypothyroid, and practically stopped growing. He is now on NP thryroid, cortef and fludrocortisone and is much better. He is far from 100%, but he is functioning. - but we need a skilled endocrinologist who understands dysautonomia. Any recommendations?

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I'm actually getting tested for this same problem. My doc ordered a congenital adrenal hyperplasia steroid panel.. not b/c she thinks i have hyperplasia ( b/c that's a rather screwed up condition that causes excess hair growth and ..er.. goofy effects), but b/c it has cortisol and DHEA checks in it. (and b/c it tests lots of other hormones) If anything shows up there, she may do the ACTH stim test as well. I have suspected adrenal insufficiency for some time, and even ordered an independent lab test once ( saliva cortisol 4 samples for the day). That was back when I didn't have insurance or a doctor. The results came back that my morning cortisol was 3 ( should be somewhere around 13-25? After that i got a doctor and was going to get her to test me again, but she left the clinic and i got stuck with an idiot who wouldn't test me b/c it was too expensive. Finally , the local lab gave me a 100 percent discount, and i talked her into a hormone check. I just did the lab today, so i guess my results will be coming back sometime next week!

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