Adrenal insufficiency(cortef) LOW cortisol.

Sl65

New member
Hey guys I've been diagnosed with secondary adrenal insufficiency, after spending 4 days in the ER they found out my cortisol levels are very low. Caused me to lose 40 pounds, I was in great shape prior to getting so sick. Now I'm skinny, still have muscle but I'm skinny. I've been on and off cycles since 19 years old(I know young and dumb). Now I'm started on cortef aka hydrocortisone. My question is can I run a low dose of test let's say 250mgs a week while taking cortef? Only reason I want to is because when I got sick I was on cycle 750mgs test a week. I got sick and was not able to perform proper pct so my test levels are non existent, no energy, suffering from anxiety, lethargy, depression. Let me know what you guys think.
 
Damn, can't believe no one else has posted anything.

You may want to do some digging on drugs dot com, see if your med will have any interactions with post cycle therapy medicines Clomid and Nolvadex, as well as HCG.

I would try to find some additional information on using it all together if you can find any useful medical publications.

I would, before considering anything, have blood work done to see where you stand.

If you're low I would ask around here about an HPTA restart, but especially do your research on all the meds you will need. HCG, Clomid, Nolvadex and your hydrocortisone medication.
 
Damn, can't believe no one else has posted anything.

You may want to do some digging on drugs dot com, see if your med will have any interactions with post cycle therapy medicines Clomid and Nolvadex, as well as HCG.

I would try to find some additional information on using it all together if you can find any useful medical publications.

I would, before considering anything, have blood work done to see where you stand.

If you're low I would ask around here about an HPTA restart, but especially do your research on all the meds you will need. HCG, Clomid, Nolvadex and your hydrocortisone medication.

Turns out I'm not secondary, I have what they call adrenal burnout, it was caused by my dumb ass taking 1mg arimidex ed off cycle. Causing me to go hyperthyroid, staying hyper for so long caused my adrenals to burn out. Had a morning cortisol level of 3.6 while in the ER. They gave me a acth stim test. 30 min after stim cortisol rose to 19.5. 60 min after stim cortisol rose to 26.7. So my adrenals do work but are just pretty much fried and need a rest?

Lab results as of 7/4/15:
Total test 187 ref range 260-1080
Free test 4.75
Shbg 15
Bio avail test 121.9
Dhea 175 ref range. 280-640
Lh 3.0
Fsh 5.6 ref range 1.4-18.1
Tsh 1.020 ref range .200-4.7
Total t3 52 ref range 60-180

I'm seeing a urologist that just started me on trt 200mg test cyp every two weeks starting today. I know it's gonna take some time for the test to kick in but man I've never felt so miserable in my life. I'm severely depressed and can you say skin crawling anxiety? Can't stop eating Xanax. Never had anxiety or depression in my life so I just keep telling myself "it's just you're hormones" trying not to eat a bullet.

Now low test obviously comes with list of symptoms, anxiety, depression, no sex drive. Pretty much you just exist In life but can care less about anything in life.

As for my low dhea that's from the adrenal burnout, I haven't supplemented with any dhea because I really don't know much about it or what kind of symptoms come along with low dhea but my levels are very low. Maybe you guys can help me? As well as my total t3 is low don't know much about that either.

Pretty much desperate for any advise! Thank you
 
Also do you guys think I will over time with proper diet and rest recover from my "adrenal burnout" with supplementing with hydrocortisone to let my adrenals rest? A lot of docs I'm seeing know little to nothing about it besides one that says he deals with it quite often with bodybuilders and cage fighters. He told me it will take time can take 6-12 months or even longer for full recovery. This is the doc that has me on hydrocortisone. But even on the hydrocortisone 30mg a day I still feel really weak, shaky, malabsorption(yellow stool undigested food in stool). Low blood pressure. Any knowledgeable advise would be great. Thanks again.
 
I wish I knew more. But my guess is your body & mind will feel better once your Testosterone levels go up. I would split the shot up into every week though, so you don't start feeling crappy in between shots.

I think the best thing when you are at a low point, is to realize it can get better. You have a good reason to believe it will, since your dr is doing something to correct some of your hormones. I've had depression for so long, I don't think of it as depression, just a constant, negative emotional state to try & avoid. People who don't know me well, don't realize I have it.

Basically, I feel pretty optimistic for others...because while I've had it...almost everyone I know who has got depression got better.
 
I wish I knew more. But my guess is your body & mind will feel better once your Testosterone levels go up. I would split the shot up into every week though, so you don't start feeling crappy in between shots.

I think the best thing when you are at a low point, is to realize it can get better. You have a good reason to believe it will, since your dr is doing something to correct some of your hormones. I've had depression for so long, I don't think of it as depression, just a constant, negative emotional state to try & avoid. People who don't know me well, don't realize I have it.

Basically, I feel pretty optimistic for others...because while I've had it...almost everyone I know who has got depression got better.

Makes me feel a little bit better, never in my life have I had anxiety or depression then all the sudden in only 10 months my life went to a living hell. I'm deffinetly gonna split my dosage up into two pins every 2 weeks just to keep blood levels more steady. I'm going to see a trt doc at the end of the month and I'm gonna aim for 150-200mg a week at least. I just believe anything under 200mg a week is kinda pointless. 200mg a week will simply put me at the higher range of the scale 900-1000. But man let me tell you adrenal burnout, is nothing to mess with one stupid mistake and I might just be screwed for life. What was the cause of you're depression? And how did you go about correcting it?
 
Makes me feel a little bit better, never in my life have I had anxiety or depression then all the sudden in only 10 months my life went to a living hell. I'm deffinetly gonna split my dosage up into two pins every 2 weeks just to keep blood levels more steady. I'm going to see a trt doc at the end of the month and I'm gonna aim for 150-200mg a week at least. I just believe anything under 200mg a week is kinda pointless. 200mg a week will simply put me at the higher range of the scale 900-1000. But man let me tell you adrenal burnout, is nothing to mess with one stupid mistake and I might just be screwed for life. What was the cause of you're depression? And how did you go about correcting it?

Even if it ends up being 100mg a week...it will definitely be a lot better, since your total level was under 200...it would definitely go up.

The thing is, I have no idea of the cause of my depression...I have done almost everything one can do(therapy, medications, blood tests, even ECT, where they shock your brain)...so the only thing is to wait until there is more research on whatever happens to be wrong. It could be 1 year or it could be 20 years. I take medication, but I doesn't fix it..it just keeps it above "whale turd at the bottom of the ocean level"...the rest is just trying to be positive, avoiding negativity & not giving up.
 
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Even if it ends up being 100mg a week...it will definitely be a lot better, since your total level was under 200...it would definitely go up.

The thing is, I have no idea of the cause of my depression...I have done almost everything one can do(therapy, medications, blood tests, even ECT, where they shock your brain)...so the only thing is to wait until there is more research on whatever happens to be wrong. It could be 1 year or it could be 20 years. I take medication, but I doesn't fix it..it just keeps it above "whale turd at the bottom of the ocean level"...the rest is just trying to be positive, avoiding negativity & not giving up.

Wow, see I've never felt depression or anxiety and ever since I screwed myself up It all hit me like a ton of bricks. I've used aas for quite sometime and even during pct never had any anxiety or depression so I'm guessing a lot of it has to do with the adrenal burnout on top of the low test. People that do not have depression will never know the actually pain, I'm a very strong person but depression and anxiety will break even the strongest man and he will sob like a little girl. Its been so bad lately if I didn't have my family that I love so much I would have taken my own life by now. But I have a little brother that looks up to me and I know I'd destroy my family if I ever done such a thing. Any body that has or has had adrenal burnout or anderenal issues please chime in and let me know what you think.
 
Wow, see I've never felt depression or anxiety and ever since I screwed myself up It all hit me like a ton of bricks. I've used aas for quite sometime and even during pct never had any anxiety or depression so I'm guessing a lot of it has to do with the adrenal burnout on top of the low test. People that do not have depression will never know the actually pain, I'm a very strong person but depression and anxiety will break even the strongest man and he will sob like a little girl. Its been so bad lately if I didn't have my family that I love so much I would have taken my own life by now. But I have a little brother that looks up to me and I know I'd destroy my family if I ever done such a thing. Any body that has or has had adrenal burnout or anderenal issues please chime in and let me know what you think.


I've been through that part before(where you need to find something to prevent yourself, from ending it). You should find some other people to talk too & get in group therapy. It helps to realize your not the only one going through it, even if it feels like you are. There is a medication called Ketamine, that some Drs use for Depression & it works(for some people). When it does work, you can usually tell within an hour.

I don't use it much now, because of tolerance...but its very easy to explain...it's an anesthetic that is used for things like surgery. When you have really bad depression, it can help without taking 2-3 months like other anti-depressants. I have no idea whether it would work for you, but..at least you would know really quickly. It basically numbed my brain also, to the some of the effect of all the negative emotions. If something like smoking weed or taking Valium works for you..I would do whatever you need to do to feel better & not care what anyone else thinks.
 
I've been through that part before(where you need to find something to prevent yourself, from ending it). You should find some other people to talk too & get in group therapy. It helps to realize your not the only one going through it, even if it feels like you are. There is a medication called Ketamine, that some Drs use for Depression & it works(for some people). When it does work, you can usually tell within an hour.

I don't use it much now, because of tolerance...but its very easy to explain...it's an anesthetic that is used for things like surgery. When you have really bad depression, it can help without taking 2-3 months like other anti-depressants. I have no idea whether it would work for you, but..at least you would know really quickly. It basically numbed my brain also, to the some of the effect of all the negative emotions. If something like smoking weed or taking Valium works for you..I would do whatever you need to do to feel better & not care what anyone else thinks.

Doc put me on Zoloft 50mg everyday, been on it about two weeks and don't see any difference in mood or anxiety, I've been eating Xanax like candy to stop the "crawling out of my own skin" feeling. But I feel it's just all hormones and vitamin-mineral deficiencies that's causing my unbearable anxiety and depression. Up until I screwed myself up I was the happiest dude ever nothing could make me depressed and everyone gets anxious here n there but holy hell there is a huge difference between anxious and full blown anxiety. I feel once I correct my hormones and address any other issues my crazy thoughts and anxiety will subside. But you never know. I give u props bro to deal with depression non stop you must be a strong minded person. Everybody keeps telling me stay strong don't give up but when they aren't going through it they simply do not understand.
 
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