Morning cortisol --25.9-- range--4-22
ACTH--53---range--6-50
i have hashis and diabetes 2 low estrogen am 69 yrs female do I have an adrenal problem? My vit D level is 44 my vit B-12 is 358 doc is doing vit deficiency labs. I am worried because when I try to raise my thyroid meds they don't seem to help and I get more fatigued.
Tsh2.38
ft3--2.7
ft4--1.1
i know I need more than the 68.5 synthyroid that I am on because of fatigue. Some help needed for the high cortisol and ACTH is it a adrenal problem?? Called docs office and they never get back to me. Need to know now please help .
Hello Jean:
I am an RN - Nurse and live in the USA. Our blood cortisol reference range in USA is 7-28. So you would not be considered High here. You are slightly over in your UK ref. range of 4-22. I am ssuming this is blood level and not a 24 hour urine collection sample.
Your T4 is low and should be 4.5 to 11.2 and maybe you are not able to take LEVO and make T3 enough. Ask your MD for another type of thyroid med. Are you taking it an hour before meals? Maybe you should try Armour Thyroid. It is NDH. Your TSH is okay but I willrely on your symptoms.
As long as your estrogen is low you should not see cortisol levels go haywire. How about your mineral panel, potassium, iron, magnesium, etc...that all has to be okay for Levo (synthroid), to work well.
Meds like Dilantin, or epilepsy drugs can spike your cortisol levels. Try a different thyroid med, as our bodies are complex sometimes a pill stops working well, and I had to go through a bunch of them. I suffer with Hashimoto's and was on Armour for years. I was unable to take LEVO. I was not converting T4 into T3 well.
I hope this helps Be well - Shelly
Doc is doing 24 hour urine and dexamethasone pill what is she looking for adrenal prob?
Iam in florida use quest labs
Hello Jean:
Yes, 24 hour urine is to see the amount of cortisol put out in a 24 hour period. It is a very good test to see how much is in your urine in that time period. The Dexamethasone tablet you take allows them to 'shut off " the adrenal gland and then check by a few blood level draws for your cortisol level. They sometimes need to check and draw blood at different times of the day.
Some people may have a tumor on the gland and it can secrete the hormone also, so it tells the doctor if you have a problem.
I had this done when they were testing me for Cushing's syndrome. It is a good test and will help the doctor rule out any adrenal problems.
I hope this helps, Shelly
Ask for your labs after it is done. Keep a copy in your records. I am in the USA also and I trust your lab results.
Shelly
Thank you so much for the info. I shake in morning at 8 am when I get up I guess it's the high cortisol it stops about 10 am.
Would cushings have shown up in an ANA screen panel?
Would cushings have shown up in an ANA screen panel?
Would cushings have show up in a ANA panel?
Also my Dhea is 147 range is 12-133 for a person that's 69 like me they say it would be ok to 200 quest labs is it ok?
Hello Jean:
The ANA test is good for Lupus, Hashimoto's, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Sjogren's. It is looking for antibodies only.
The Cushing's Test is a blood draw test over a period of 24 hours with you taking the Dexamethasone tablet to "shut off" your adrenal gland. It also can be detected from the 24 hour urine test. They can tell by that and it is easier. I hope this helps.
Hello Jean:
Normally DHEA levels decrease around age 30 or so in women. Your level is a little high for your age, and I wonder if you have an adrenal tumor that is making extra hormone. They can see that on a CAT with dye and I would ask for that test. have you had that done?
Keep me posted, sorry for the delay in answering. Shelly
No haven't had cat yet doing urine and dexa pill this week first. Can an adrenal tumor be removed with levels returning to normal? Will three be no further problems from the tumor? Will my thyroid meds work more efficiently.? Can this tumor cause my bad fatigue?
Hello Jean:
I have an adrenal tumor and did the above tests you are going to do. My tumor is not making any extra hormone and was less than 1 inch big.
The problem with these tumors is if they are in an area like the adrenal cortex of the gland and then they would have to remove the whole gland! you can live with one gland but since I was not having any symptoms I decided not to have it removed. Mine was found by accident when they were doing a CAT scan for a kidney stone.
Yes, they can remove it -depending where it is as a single tumor. If your cortisol is high, it would be wise to remove it and yes, it can cause problems like Cushing's Syndrome. It can make you feel awful and fatgue goes along with that syndrome. There is a related link to thyroid disease and adrenal gland problems. Yes, extra cortisol is going to interfere with your thyroid meds.
Ask your doctor to order a CAT scan with dye, to see what is going on. Let me know how the Dex test came out. I guess the next step would be to image it after your blood work. I had an endocrine surgeon who ordered my imaging.
Shelly
Does the urine test and dexa pill test show a better true level of the cortisol?
Hello Jean:
Yes, the Dexa tablet and 24 hour urine collection test are very good tests to see what your TRUE cortisol level is. Since the tablet will "Shut off" for a short time your adrenal gland and if you are making too much it will be in your urine. I did it also. You must get all your urine in the time period. If it comes back high, you may have a tumor there. Let me know how it goes.
Shelly
I will let you know when I get results back.
Hello Jean:
Okay, I hope all goes okay. Thinking of you,
Shelly
I may not find out til next Monday thank you
jean