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Old 02-22-2012, 12:58 PM
xanadu00 xanadu00 is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 239
10 yr Member
xanadu00 xanadu00 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 239
10 yr Member
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I'm pretty sure I've had Adrenal Fatigue for some time now--long before my injury. I've had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome since 2001 and have done a whole bunch of trial and error with various supplements and medications. After about 8 years with little progress, I thought about Adrenal Fatigue, bought a book on it, and tried the relevant supplements. That has made a pretty big difference in my energy level--more than any other supplement regimen I've tried.

The book is called Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome, by James L. Wilson. Many of the supplements he recommends are things that you may already be taking for brain health: C, Bs, E, etc., but in some cases he recommends pretty high doses. Here are the doses he recommends:

Vitamin C (with a 1:2 ratio of bioflavinoids to ascorbic acid): 2,000-4,000 mg/day, spread out over at least two doses.
Vitamin E (in mixed tocopheral form): 800 I.U./day
Pantothenic Acid: 1500 mg/day
Niacin: 25-50 mg/day
B6: 50-100 mg/day
B3: 75-125 mg/day
B12: 200-400 mcg/day
Magnesium (as Magnesium Citrate): 400 mg/day
Calcium (citrate or lactate): 750-1000 mg/day
(He says not to take Cal and Mag together. I've heard conflicting views on this.)
Trace Minerals, including zinc, manganese, selenium, molybdenum, chromium, copper, and iodine.
Fiber

As you can see, some of these doses are really high, but my understanding is that they're all safe. All the same, it probably wouldn't hurt to double-check. I know that Niacin in high doses can produce a harmless but unpleasant "Niacin flush," but the dose he recommends above is well below flush levels.

Some of the herbal supplements he recommends are Licorice Root, Ginseng (either Siberian or Panax), and Ginkgo Biloba. I noticed a big difference in energy level with these. There are some cautions with Licorice Root--most notably, it elevates blood pressure--but since you have low blood pressure this may not be as much of an issue. I also have low blood pressure, so it hasn't caused me any problems. It wouldn't hurt to double-check possible side effects of all these herbs before trying them. I tend to get sleep difficulties with anything higher than a minimal dose of Ginkgo.

There is also replacement hormone therapy, via cortisol or adrenal cell extracts, but one has to be really careful with this. It might be a good idea to get your cortisol levels tested.

Finally, Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum has a very helpful site on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, which might have some helpful info. on adrenal insufficiency and hypothalamic/pituitary dysfunction:

http://www.endfatigue.com/

Pete
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Male, 39 years old, suffering from PCS as a result of being rear-ended on 1/23/11. Part-time philosophy professor.
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"Thanks for this!" says:
DeborahB (06-14-2012)