Low Cortisol

M

Mattie

Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Just received my Cortisol test results.
I had it tested because I considered Seriphos for sleep.

But as it turns out Cortisol is not too high but too low.
Any help interpreting these results is greatly appreciated.
How bad are these values?

Should I ask my GP for ACTH testing?
Will I need Hydrocortisone? or Pregnenolone?
Or should I try supplements first?

Or is it pretty common in ME to have these low levels?

No skin hyperpigmentation (Addison)
Thyroid values tested normal before

Thanks.
 

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Thanks.
My GP has not been helpful so far and that is an understatement.
Would it be common for a GP to refer me to an endocrinologist based on these test results you think?
 
Mattie said:
Thanks.
My GP has not been helpful so far and that is an understatement.
Would it be common for a GP to refer me to an endocrinologist based on these test results you think?
Click to expand...

Mattie,

I'm not sure what it is like where you are but both my GP and the endocrinologist I eventually saw were scathing about private cortisol tests and especially those from saliva.

I had a very bad time with the UK NHS endocrinologist who dismissed the medical journal papers I brought in to show him. Had a similar low saliva test done privately. The Endo did do a short synathen test and although my response was right down the end of the low normal range he declared that I had no problems in the adrenals / pituitary and refused to even discuss it further.

There's a reasonable history behind low cortisol findings in CFS and patients have been experimenting with supplementing through HC and vitamins for a long time with mixed levels of success.
 
Thanks,
The situation here is similar I'm afraid.
I will read up on the subject and on alternative approaches before I take these results to my GP and risk to lose my last bits of credit there.
 
I would suggest to get your blood cortisol levels tested additionally.
Because low salivary cortisol can even appear when blood level is elevated (saliva is free, unbound cortisol). Cortisol is bound to transcortin in the blood and saliva meassures only the free fraction.
There are so many scenarios why saliva cortisol is low....its so hard to tell (elevated transcortin along with hpa axis downregulation at the receptor level and many more).
I have a similar problem and still try ti figure out whats going on (my steroid precursur - pregnenolone - is very low in blood, its pathologic but no doctor has an explanation)
 
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