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Posted 5/25/2017 5:11 PM (GMT 0)
For the last 3 weeks or so, I noticed that around 10am I am struggling to stay awake at work. I want to fall asleep so badly. I"ve tried snacking, I have tried walking around, etc it only buys me about an extra 20 mins of not falling asleep(doesn't make me any more alert).
BACKGROUND: I have had low adrenals and low cortisol for the last couple of years so I haven't slept throughout the night for about 4 years now I'm used to it. I tend to nap when I get home from work around 4 or 5pm usually just 45 mins to possibly 1 hour but I feel ok when I wake up.
BUT THESE PAST FEW WEEKS it's been embarrassing and debilitating...I sneak off to my car and nap for one hour to almost 1.5 hours I wake up feeling so out of it. My heart feels weird(not quite racing but off) I feel so weird inside I wish I could describe it better.
I feel like crap after a nap and I usually want to just lay there for another hour if I could
what is this? Has anyone experienced this?
I feel like a drugged mule waking up. Does that mean I got bitten by some bug(I noticed a 3 "bug bite" looking red itchy bumps on my leg and 1 on back. I had let my dogs jump on my bed and nap with me a few times and changed the sheets regularly but maybe fleas or some other bugs? COuld it cause these symptoms?

Post Edited (lymehater) : 5/25/2017 11:14:54 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 5/25/2017 5:14 PM (GMT 0)
Sounds like your adrenal issues are getting worse to me. Have you had any saliva testing done for this?
Posted 5/25/2017 5:16 PM (GMT 0)

Traveler said...
Sounds like your adrenal issues are getting worse to me. Have you had any saliva testing done for this?


I had my last adrenals done 6 months ago. and it was again below normal.
The weird thing is I have been taking GAIA adrenal supplement for the last 3 weeks. It was something from Whole Foods both were supposedly to help me sleep better and repair my adrenals.
Maybe that's the culprit?
Posted 5/25/2017 5:21 PM (GMT 0)
Is it possible you started out or built up to too high of a dose too quickly? I know I had to start off slowly and carefully 'find' my best dose. I have to have a high dose because I had entered into Addison's and I take 3 caps of Gaia ashwagandha in the am and 2 caps no later than 2 pm - but I also take another (homeopathic) adrenal supplement as well.

How low were your results? And at what time of day?

Is this the product that you are using?: www.gaiaherbs.com/products/detail/777/Adrenal-Health-Daily-Support It may be that it's not the right combination of herbal support for you, as it has several things in it.
Posted 5/25/2017 5:25 PM (GMT 0)
the bottle said 2 capsules so that's what I took every night of each adrenal support. maybe I over did it?
Traveler is your cortisol below normal or above normal range? I feel like a lot of these herbs say they are to lower cortisol. I need to raise mine.
I keep waking up every night around 2am WITHOUT fail. Even if I don't take anything or I take something ie melatonin, benedryl, adrenal support, Gaba, etc.
Posted 5/25/2017 5:40 PM (GMT 0)

Traveler said...
Is it possible you started out or built up to too high of a dose too quickly? I know I had to start off slowly and carefully 'find' my best dose. I have to have a high dose because I had entered into Addison's and I take 3 caps of Gaia ashwagandha in the am and 2 caps no later than 2 pm - but I also take another (homeopathic) adrenal supplement as well.

How low were your results? And at what time of day?

Is this the product that you are using?: www.gaiaherbs.com/products/detail/777/Adrenal-Health-Daily-Support It may be that it's not the right combination of herbal support for you, as it has several things in it.


gaia adrenal nightly restore and quite possibly the one you listed above. I don't have the bottles with me.
You might be right I probably and taking the wrong adrenal supplements.
Since you have Addisons, how do you get tested for it? Do you have to go on Prednisone? Does that help raise cortisol levels since you've been on it? Does it make you gain or lose weight? Does it help with sleep? I am so desparate for uninterrupted sleep. I sleep 30-45 mins at a time. If I'm lucky 60 mins at one time. I've gone to 10+ doctors for the last 3 years just on the sleep issue alone. No doctor has been able to help me.
They just want to send me off to a sleep study which I've done 3x.
Posted 5/25/2017 8:29 PM (GMT 0)
Hi lymehater -

I am so sorry you are struggling with adrenal exhaustion like this. It's common for us, unfortunately - the TBD infections and tx really overload the body. And if you already have adrenal issues - it can get alarming.

And not to sound alarming - but your body is trying so hard to waive red flags in your face with the adrenal sx. Doesn't sound like you have had comprehensive adrenal testing - it is 4-5 separate saliva samples throughout the day to provide a more accurate picture of what your adrenals are doing with cortisol. One measurement tells you very little.

Please talk with your LLMD about testing ASAP. Some NDs are much better than MDs regarding endocrine issues so keep that in mind. Supplementing can be very tricky since your adrenals do different things throughout the day - higher cortisol during day, less at night. You are likely flatlining like I did.

I agree with all of Traveler's info - and I would stop the adrenal support. It's probably not helping, maybe hurting. The BEST thing you can do right now without help is to sleep. Your body is trying to force you into it - because rest and recovery is what your adrenals desperately need. Supplements can help some people but they can't rejuvenate your adrenal function. Often, you also have to slow down and rebuild your reserves over time so that the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems can get recalibrate to function properly again. There is a lot of into online about this.

If you can at least check out this weekend and take some vacation days next week - please try that.

Hope this is helpful -

-p

Post Edited (Pirouette) : 5/25/2017 2:33:06 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 5/26/2017 4:09 PM (GMT 0)

lymehater said...

Traveler said...
Is it possible you started out or built up to too high of a dose too quickly? I know I had to start off slowly and carefully 'find' my best dose. I have to have a high dose because I had entered into Addison's and I take 3 caps of Gaia ashwagandha in the am and 2 caps no later than 2 pm - but I also take another (homeopathic) adrenal supplement as well.

How low were your results? And at what time of day?

Is this the product that you are using?: www.gaiaherbs.com/products/detail/777/Adrenal-Health-Daily-Support It may be that it's not the right combination of herbal support for you, as it has several things in it.


gaia adrenal nightly restore and quite possibly the one you listed above. I don't have the bottles with me.
You might be right I probably and taking the wrong adrenal supplements.
Since you have Addisons, how do you get tested for it? Do you have to go on Prednisone? Does that help raise cortisol levels since you've been on it? Does it make you gain or lose weight? Does it help with sleep? I am so desparate for uninterrupted sleep. I sleep 30-45 mins at a time. If I'm lucky 60 mins at one time. I've gone to 10+ doctors for the last 3 years just on the sleep issue alone. No doctor has been able to help me.
They just want to send me off to a sleep study which I've done 3x.

It took me a year to find and get in to see THE only doctor in my area that even believes that adrenals can cause issues like this (SMH), and she only did the blood testing - which I don't believe in, but she was willing to take me as a patient, and I hadn't been able to do my research on how to deal with this, so I just went with it for a while (about a year).

Then I plateaued, and she kept blaming my diet - even though I had filled out many months worth of food journals (she even commented on how detailed they were!) and she couldn't find anything wrong with my diet. I eventually fired her, as she was no longer able to help (and was blaming me for some office stuff that I had nothing to do with), and have been treating on my own for the last 2 years. The good news? I'm making more progress without her than with her.

I never did take any steroids - a very low hydrocortisone dose is usually prescribed for serious adrenal issues, but I'm making progress without it. Maybe I would have made better progress with it, but I am where I am with this. The very low doses of hydrocortisone do not interfere with Lyme treatment though.

I'm sure that this will not work for most, but it might help you figure out what will work for you. Here is what I use one hour before I try to sleep:
Lidtke brand tryptophan - 1500 mgs
Valerian - dose changes depending on what I need, but generally 1500 mgs (it helps relax muscles)
melatonin - I'm on 3 mgs nightly right now, but have been as high as 10 and as low as 1 mg.
Magnesium - helps avoid those nighttime muscle cramps

I also use a dose of avena sativa, as well as a cup of Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime tea.

I started out on Trazadone, weaned off of that to go to Ambien, weaned off of that to go to tryptophan. My doc told me that there was something different about the way Lidtke processes their tryptophan and it's supposedly "more potent" than many others. I don't know that I believe that, but since it's working for me, I haven't tried changing brands - once I find something that works for me, I stick with it.
Posted 5/26/2017 4:37 PM (GMT 0)
The adrenal issues are real and difficult to work through. But for those struggling, you might also make sure your viral load has been adequately addressed. High viral load(s) can also cause the incessant exhaustion.

My adrenal exhaustion - previously at dangerous levels - is finally reduced to just a few annoyances that are fairly straightforward to manage.

-p
Posted 5/26/2017 4:48 PM (GMT 0)
Very true, P. I am careful to work through or evaluate my viral issues before I ever consider changing something with my adrenal treatment - if for no other reason that it's easier for me to get back on track if I'm moving my doses around with anti-viral things than with my adrenal supplements.
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