<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> While I haven't had the type of symptoms you have had with regard to adrenal insufficiency, I have been treating myself for adrenal fatigue since September. In midsummer, following a few heat waves, I became extremely fatigued and barely able to function. Searching the web, at first I suspected I was hypothyroid. I gave myself an iodine patch test, and the iodine stain vanished within just a few hours. My basal temperature (underarm) was low, in the mid to high 96 degree range (it should be above 97.8 degrees.) However, when I took a BIOSAFE TSH home test, my result came back 0.87... well within normal range. So much for hypothyroid. Patch Test - http://substance.altmedangel.com/iodine.htm Basal Temperature - http://www.allocca.com/basal_temperature.pdf Further web searching led me to suspect adrenal fatigue, and I bought the book "Adrenal Fatigue - The 21st Century Stress Syndrome" by James L. Wilson from Amazon.com . The book is informative and interesting, but lacks a certain amount of scientific professionalism. But there are few books on the subject, and the price was right. I began to experiment with various supplements: pantothenic acid, DHEA, pregnenolone, L-taurine, L-tyrosine, L-carnitine, iodine, selenium (in addition to my other supplements: multivitamins/minerals, vitamins B12, C, E, Co-Q10, in ample quantities.) Nothing really worked to relieve the fatigue until I heeded to advice of the book and most adrenal insufficiency websites... consume plenty of salt (sodium chloride) and salt-water. It seems that when adrenal function is compromised, the adrenals fail to produce an adequate supply of the hormone aldosterone. Aldosterone acts to cause the kidneys to reabsorb sodium. If there is insufficient aldosterone, too much sodium is excreted and hyponatremia (low serum sodium) results. Fatigue is one resulting symptom. The summer heat was enough to drive the sodium loss over the edge. This website discusses sodium and sodium chloride and has a bit of discussion on aldosterone: http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/sodium/index.html Some highly detailed and technical info on the function of aldosterone and sodium management in the kidneys can be found in: Kidney Atlas Vol. 3 Chapter 1 THE KIDNEY IN BLOOD PRESSURE REGULATION L. Gabriel Navar and L. Lee Hamm (The PDF file takes a while to download.) http://www.kidneyatlas.org/toc.htm#vol3 My favorite adrenal insufficiency website also has a discussion on salt: http://www.drkaslow.com/html/adrenal_insufficiency.html I never had any salt cravings. In fact, I've always hated excessive salt, prefering no-salt or low-salt foods. (When I was a kid, I even waited until McDonald's made a fresh batch of french fries so I could get a bag of fries before they were salted.) Besides, don't doctors say to stay away from salt? (Another medical fallacy.) But I finally decided to force down a glass of salt-water with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt in it. YUCK!!!! Eventually, I got used to salt and salt-water, and now drink several glasses of water with 1/2 teaspoon of salt a day and liberally salt my foods. After a few weeks of salt therapy, the edge began to be taken off my fatigue, and I became more alert and could think creatively again. My basal temperature has now risen to the low to mid 97 degree range, much closer to normal and a whole degree above when I started. I'm still not completely normal. But it's nice to be alert and be able to function somewhat better again. I know I am not getting enough sleep and not sleeping regular hours. I need to try to rearrange my life to get more sleep, ... A comment on Stress Eze. My daily supplements, which includes 4 grams of vitamin C and 1 gram of pantothenic acid, provides everything in Stress Eze but the Adrenal Substance, Valerian Root, and Kava Kava. I've never tried an adrenal extract. (First I need to try getting more sleep.) I assume you are already taking other supplements. Maybe you should just take an adrenal extract alone (and maybe pantothenic acid) instead of Stress Eze. ---------- Stress Eze http://www.phoenixnutritionals.com/st.html Serving Size: 4 capsules ... ... ... 4 Capsules Contain ... ... % Daily Value Vitamin C ... 750 mg 1250% Vitamin B-1 (thiamine) ... 50 mg 3333% Vitamin B-2 (riboflavin) ... 50 mg 2941% Vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine) ... 50 mg 2500% Vitamin B-12 (cyanocobalamin) ... 500 mcg 8333% Pantothenic Acid ... 1200 mg 12000% Magnesium (Citrate) ... 100 mg 25% Adrenal Substance ... 200 mg * Valerian Root Extract ... 200 mg * Kava Kava ... 150 mg * * Daily value not established. Other ingredients: Gelatin, Water --Roy [Thanks, Roy, for doing our research for us! ha ha ha!] -------------- Your situation is similar to mine, so I thought I'd share my story... Over two years ago, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and hypoglycemia. I immediately went on a high protein/no sugar/low carb diet. It took about a week for my body to adjust to the new diet and not need food every hour. It took about another year before I really didn't need to carry emergency food with me everywhere (although I still do). Before my diagnosis, I had lots of problems with light headedness, dizziness, and fatigue, occasionally passing out in inopportune places like Wal-Mart. After my diagnosis, it took a while for me to read my body as my hunger symptoms had changed, but now I very rarely have any problems. About five months after my diagnosis of hypoglycemia, I was diagnosed with low adrenal function. I had problems with tingling and numbness in my fingers and toes, sometimes spreading up my arms. I also had low blood pressure (90/60). My doctor tested my cortisol levels and although they were in the normal range, they were on the low side. Considering the other symptoms, he put me on 2.5 mg of Cortef daily. Now my cortisol levels and my blood pressure is normal, and I don't have any of the other symptoms (unless I forgot to take my meds). Less than a year later, I was diagnosed with CD. I've done some research into this adrenal thing since then. It is also called Addison's Disease. It is usually treated with Cortef (or some other steroid) or an adrenal extract. As you said, it is often paired with hypoglycemia. One often causes the other. In your case, you probably developed the adrenal fatigue from the celiac and had not yet become hypoglycemic. Since I have both fibromyalgia (which is often paired with hypoglycemia) and celiac (which can cause adrenal fatigue) it's hard to say which I had first, or if they didn't just develop simultaneously. Considering my carb cravings and weight problems as a child, I have probably had the hypoglycemia a long time. Angela Taylor (Tulsa, Oklahoma) [Angela is right; our stories are almost identical! I believe it's a common scenario! I think it's four members of the autoimmune quartet all singing in irritating perfect dischord -- celiac, fibromyalgia, hypoglycemia, adrenal insufficiency!] -------------------- DO YOU STILL TAKE THE THYROID MEDS?? [ Very good question! I do. I have had my thyroid removed and must take thyroid replacement hormone for life. As I said above, taking thyroid hormone often uncovers a hidden case of adrenal insufficiency. It sure did for me -- BIG TIME! The adrenal extract has made it possible for me to gradually increase my thyroid medication to the level required to maintain normal thyroid levels. Without the adrenal extract, I'd still be suffering those horrid symptoms I did my first month on thyroid -- not a pleasant prospect. I'm hoping that I will eventually be able to stop taking this adrenal hormone product or at least reduce the dosage as my health improves. I've missed a few doses of adrenal hormone extract and the symptoms come back within 12 hours with muscle tension, jitters & anxiety. So for now, I'm as dependant on adrenal hormone replacement as I am on thyroid hormone replacement. As I mentioned in my original post, none of my doctors including an endocrinologist were able to do anything to help me with this problem other than prescription medications to mask the symptoms. It was a friend, an herbologist and colon therapist, who suggested I try adrenal extract. Another point for alternative medicine! Another black eye for convention medicine!] ------------------- ...I did take an adrenal hormone suggested by my doctor for at least a year, maybe longer. I recall buying it at his office and it is pure adrenal hormone of an animal extract (I think).... Do you think adrenal extract is the same thing as adrenal hormone? [I believe they are the similar. I've seen it called by different names -- adrenal concentrate, adrenal extract, adrenal hormone, etc. However, I can't say if they are all exactly the same. I can guess that they are probably similar, but the exact dosages probably vary from product to product. These are over the counter products and therefore not standardized. I guess the only way to know if something will help you is to try it.] ----------------- ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! *Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the Celiac List*