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My Addison's Disease came around the time I had a second tick attached to me and my chronic symptoms developed. I've been trying to find out if it's at all related, if anyone else has this, or if it's just a coincidence. I heard that "in dogs", Lyme can be a catalyst for Addison's, though the Lyme itself wasn't the original cause.
My LLD doesn't think it's related. Anybody else have it? It's just too coincident.
Posts: 39 | From Massachusetts | Registered: Jul 2006
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Almost everyone with Lyme and tickborne illnesses has low adrenal function. Any stress to the body can trigger an adrenal problem. Also many nutritional factors are involved.
Actual Addison's disease is uncommon I think. However, many Lyme patients do take low doses of Cortef (hubby takes 4 or 5 mg daily).
Bea Seibert
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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Getting checked for adrenal fatigue is very important when you have lyme. I've read a couple of books on it now and its very interesting. I'm actually surprised at the amount of lyme literate doctors who DO NOT do the hormone testing. If there is a stressor (work, foods)or an infection in your body, chances are your adrenals are going to have problems.
Two books that I highly recommend are Adrenal Fatigue,The 21st Century Stress Syndrome by James L. Wilson. N.D.,D.C., Ph.D. and The Cortisol Connection by Shawn Talbott, Ph.D.
Chapter 5 in Adrenal Fatigue lists symptoms as 1.Difficulty getting up in the morning. 2.Continuing fatigue not relieved by sleep. 3.Craving for salt or salty foods (this is what made my doctor suspicious that I had this). 4. Lethargy (lack of energy). 5. Increased effort to do every day tasks. 6. Decreased sex drive. 7. Decreased ability to handle stress. 8.Increased time to recover from illness, injury or trauma. 9. Light-headed when standing up quickly. 10. MIld depression 11. Less enjoyment or happiness with life. 12. INcreased PMS. 13. Symptoms increase if meals are skipped or inadequate. 14. Thoughts less focused, more fuzzy. 15. Memory less accurate. 16.Decreased tolerance 17. Feels better after evening meal. 18. Decreased productivity.
Don't know about you, but I can say yes to every one! If the above symptoms aren't going away with ABX maybe you should have your adrenals/homones checked. Adrenal fatigue can happen for many reasons but from what I have read it seems to make sense that if you have lyme you most likely have problems with your adrenals as well.
Posts: 547 | From Maryland | Registered: Mar 2005
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You guys are great!! I've been looking for months and months to find a connection. Probably what happened was that I developed adrenal fatigue, and since I didn't take care of it (I just thought I was tired from the Lyme), it developed into full-blown Addison's. By the time I was tested, I had no bump in cortisol when they gave me the ACTH test, and my skin was dark, blood pressure low, and everything else that went along with it.
As long as I keep taking my hydrocortisone, my Lyme symptoms don't come back. If for some reason I haven't taken enough or I had a particular stressor where I should've taken more cortisone, I will start to feel my Lyme symptoms come back - first with muscle spasms. I know that's my first sign, so I'll quickly take more cortisone and usually it goes away. If I don't catch it, I have to go on antibiotics again.
Posts: 39 | From Massachusetts | Registered: Jul 2006
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I also took a 24 hour urine test at AAL labs, and they found my cortisol low. Then they gave me an ACTH test (cortrosyn stimulation test). They give you a hormone that's supposed to stimulate production of cortisol. If there's a bump in cortisol, you're fine, if not, you've got Addison's. Also, there are different degrees of bumps in cortisol, and if you have low adrenal function, that would pick it up too.
If your skin is turning dark and you feel fatigue over and above what Lyme products and you're losing weight (although lyme can do that too), check with an endocrinologist. If you have mildly low adrenal function, an alternative doctor might be better. Endocrinologists like to deal in absolutes - you have it or you don't, no in-betweens.
Posts: 39 | From Massachusetts | Registered: Jul 2006
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Can you have the adrenal fatigue symptoms and have weight gain?
Posts: 191 | From Eastern Shore. Maryland USA | Registered: Jun 2003
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Can you have the adrenal fatigue symptoms and have weight gain?
Posts: 191 | From Eastern Shore. Maryland USA | Registered: Jun 2003
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I don't really know. I'm not that familiar with adrenal fatigue. Addison's is when you have no adrenal function at all, so there may be a difference in how it manifests itself as far as weight.
Posts: 39 | From Massachusetts | Registered: Jul 2006
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