Anyone familiar with cortisol lab results? Bad anxiety on TRT

[lemonflavor]

Dr Saya was thinking that the reason I have such terrible anxiety on TRT is because of adrenals. I'm assuming that would be low cortisol, and then that T can lower it even further. My DHEA is also at the low end, but it does the same thing as testosterone for me--anxiety and overstimulated feeling. Without going into a long story, it looks to me like everything is inline, but I know nothing about reading this. I don't consult with the Dr until next Wednesday, so I'm trying to have patience. I'm pretty disappointed right now. (Edit: with my situation, not Dr. Saya!)

 

[Vettester Chris]

Can't really provide much without the reference ranges on all four labs. The circadian profile needs to be graphed with where your results compare within the reference ranges.

Also, on DHEA did you get that in a saliva sample. With a full adrenal profile the results should include cortisol w/ DHEA correlation, which can be used for helping to assess the different stages of adrenal fatigue.

Yes, to concur with Dr. Saya, the adrenals will play a key role with how effective TRT will be. Another key factor that will be impacted is your thyroid. T3 won't effectively reach the cells without adequate cortisol, and that tends to put a higher demand on Reverse T3, which will promote more of a catabolic state on everything ... Needless to say, it's chain action of imbalance throughout!

 

[lemonflavor]

The reference ranges are under #1, if that's what you're referring to. That's all I have.

The DHEA was part of the regular blood work as opposed to being part of an adrenal thing. It was:
DHEA-Sulfate 76.4 ug/dL (71.6 - 375.4)

Dr. Saya was satisfied with my thyroid results, including a good reverse T3 ratio, so that seems to be in order. Thanks for the reply.

 

[RussianAnimal]

For some reason i had bad, bad anxiety when i just started TRT for a month or so and than it went away eventually
Not sure if its cortisol related

 

[Vince Carter]

Any previous anxiety or related behaviors prior? Diagnosed or not?

 

[lemonflavor]

Vince, I've had treatment resistant anxiety for all of my adult life. No doctors have checked cortisol except ACTH, which was always within normal range.

Just had consult with Dr Saya. The noon spike was concerning. Originally thought it was low cortisol. He's having me try supplements to try to lower it, along with some morning exercise (ugh) and keeping sugar low, which I already pretty much do. I've never tried a supplement that actually did anything to help me feel better, but there's a first time for everything. More labs in 8-12 weeks to see how it's going.

 

[fifty]

What supplements?

 

[lemonflavor]

Ashwagandha and Phosphaitidylserine.

 

[lemonflavor]

I'm down to 50mg of testosterone a week now. Any more and I can't handle the anxiety. It's worth it, but not by much. It's nice to have a doctor who will stick with me and keep trying. I'd be glad to just get up to 77mg again, but 100 would most likely put my free T near upper range and give me more energy, which is also a big problem.

 

[Vince Carter]

I use this I think it helps me sleep just a little bit better

Phosphaitidylserine

 

[lemonflavor]

I use this I think it helps me sleep just a little bit better

Good to hear it helps someone. I need more than a little bit for all of this to work.

Edit: phosphatidylserine is the correct spelling. I had never heard of this before today.

 

[fifty]

I just tried a day of ashwaghanda ksm-66. It made a marked difference in my mood. Very relieving. I had tried the NOW brand in the past but felt bad on it. This ksm-66 “variant” really helped me. I have been dealing with bad stress lately.

I had also tried jarrow phosphatidylserine but didn’t notice much effect.

The charts on this ashwaghanda study are crazy

A Prospective, Randomized Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of Safety and Efficacy of a High-Concentration Full-Spectrum Extract of Ashwagandha Root in Reducing Stress and Anxiety in Adults

So thank you for this thread.

 

[lemonflavor]

Thank you for the comment. I can't say I've noticed anything, however, for whatever reason, I'm able to handle 70mg of test now instead of just 50mg. (I'm using ksm-66 also.) At some point I will try going off of each one, one by one to see if anything bad happens. I hate spending money on supplements if they don't work, but if they do, that's OK. They're not cheap.

I want to get blood work around 2-3 weeks from now, including saliva cortisol.

 

[xqfq]

FWIW, 400 mg of magnesium glycinate taken twice a day really calms me down. You might want to give it a try. I’ve read TRT does something with magnesium so the body may need more (don’t quote me on this!)

 

[lemonflavor]

I've read similar about magnesium. I've tried it in the more distant past, but not glycinate, and I'm pretty sure my diet doesn't leave me deficient, and injectable CALM doesn't seem to make a difference, but I'm still curious nonetheless. It's not an inexpensive supplement.

 

[xqfq]

For what it's worth, I never noticed an effect with the magnesium in the "ZMA" supplement, which is magnesium aspartate.

 

[lemonflavor]

I got the magnesium complex. The only benefit I get is the laxative effect, which is actually part of the reason I was willing to spend the money on it. So at least there's that. I'm assuming that's better than taking any laxative, but I haven't looked into that. I'm pretty sure I'm getting enough from food, so who knows if supplementation helps in other regards.