What are the Signs of Adrenal Gland Problems?

Many people know that if they have unexplained symptoms such as fatigue, weight gain, or mood changes – they may have underlying adrenal problems that are behind them. But, we now know that’s only half of the story.

So, what are the signs of adrenal gland problems?

In this article, I want to take you through some of the warning signs of adrenal crisis, as well as some of the symptoms of overactive adrenal glands. I hope it helps give you some clarity.

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Table of Contents

Adrenal Disease Versus Adrenal Dysfunction
Understanding Adrenal Diseases
Diagnosing Adrenal Disease
Adrenal Dysfunction
Adrenal Dysfunction Is Not a Disease

Adrenal Disease Versus Adrenal Dysfunction

First, let’s talk about the difference between adrenal disease and adrenal dysfunction. Dysfunction, often called adrenal fatigue or stress, is a real thing. But, it often gets confused with what we call adrenal disease.

Adrenal dysfunction is when the adrenal glands can work, but the whole balance is out of whack. Essentially, your adrenals still do as they are told, but what they are being told is out of sync with what should normally be happening.

On the other hand, adrenal disease typically means that your adrenals simply do not do what they are told. They either cannot make anything, or they make far too much and lose control. That’s the high level distinction I want us to keep in mind.

Understanding Adrenal Diseases

Let’s talk a little bit about some of the most common adrenal diseases out there…

1. Addison’s Disease

Addison’s disease is to the adrenals, what Hashimoto’s disease is to the thyroid. It is similar because Addison’s, just like Hashimoto’s, is an autoimmune disease.

In this case, the immune system attacks the adrenals and makes it to where they can’t make much of anything. When your adrenals work well, they make over 57 different hormones.

Some of the big ones include:

• Cortisol
• DHEA
• Pregnenolone
• Aldosterone

These, as well as other hormones, have a lot of control in our bodies. They can control when we wake up and go to sleep, our blood sugar, electrolytes, inflammation levels, and they also affect our other hormones.

In the case of Addison’s disease, the immune system wrecks the adrenals. Now, they are unable to make much of anything. This is not subtle – it can be very dramatic.

This can be fatal. We need these hormones to survive. Or, it can cause small stressors to leave big impacts because there is nothing to account for change in the body.

We begin to suspect Addison’s disease when we encounter the following symptoms:

• Electrolytes leaking out
• Bad swelling and fluid retention
• Horrible exhaustion
• Uncontrolled blood pressure
• Non-measurable cortisol levels

With Hashimoto’s, we measure the hormones coming out of the thyroid (T3 and T4), but we also measure how the brain is communicating with the thyroid (via TSH).

In the case of Addison’s, it is all the same. We measure what comes out of the adrenals, especially the cortisol, and how the brain is talking to the adrenals. This is called ACTH.

How Common is Addison’s Disease?

A few people per million (maybe two to five per million in most populations). Many people may have low cortisol, and not have Addison’s disease (because it is so rare).

2. Cushing’s Disease

On the opposite side of things, we have Cushing’s disease or syndrome. This is a case where there is simply too much cortisol or hormones like cortisol.

This can happen from the body not working correctly (making too much), but it can also happen from taking medications that are a lot like cortisol.

These kinds of medications are often given for acute inflammation. In a lot of ways, they are akin to cortisol, but the amounts in use are much higher than the body would make.

All of these things are termed Cushing’s syndrome. Some of the top signs include:

• Marked fluid retention
• Thinning of the skin (loss of muscle tissue)
• Hair thinning
• Insomnia
• Agitation and anxiety

Much like how ACTH is relative to TSH, your ACTH levels when dealing with Cushing’s syndrome tend to be very low. This is the body trying to take a break from cortisol.

Ultimately, while there do exist others, Addison’s and Cushing’s are two of the most common forms of adrenal disease out there.

Now, let’s turn back to adrenal dysfunction…

Diagnosing Adrenal Disease

Adrenal dysfunction is something that is often not diagnosed or not even entertained by doctors. Most who have it are not aware of it.

Adrenal disease is quite different. because it is so severe and causes such dramatic symptoms, it rarely goes undiagnosed for long periods of time. It even tends to cause dramatic telltale changes in common lab tests.

When it is suspected, it is most often diagnosed by detailed tests of adrenal function including blood tests, urine tests, and imaging studies if needed.

Adrenal Dysfunction

In cases of adrenal dysfunction, this is where the body can make cortisol, but it is deliberately making amounts that are not timed properly.

What this means is that the normal cycle of a lot of cortisol in the morning, slowly shut off as the day progresses, isn’t happening at all.

This can look like your cortisol levels are always low, always high, or being completely backwards. But, this does not mean that the adrenals are broken!

If you do give cortisol, you can reverse some of those symptoms for a short period of time. You simply force them to work harder, without addressing the real underlying issue.

An easy way to distinguish this is to measure your ACTH scores. It is our most reliable indicator to understand what is going on with the adrenals.

When someone does not have adrenal disease, the prognosis for adrenal dysfunction is quite good! You could go back to feeling like your best self in just a few weeks or maybe months.

Regaining that kind of healthy cortisol slope can result in:

• Better mental focus
• More steady energy
• Easier time maintaining body weight
• Healthier sleep at night
• Better health long term

We know that adrenal dysfunction correlates with just about any chronic disease out there (in addition to many forms of long-term illnesses).

Adrenal Dysfunction Is Not a Disease

This is my most important takeaway for you today. Adrenal dysfunction is not a disease, and it is often not solved with additional cortisol. In cases like these, you need to push further.

Adrenal issues are common. Many struggle with ongoing symptoms and do not feel their best. On the other hand, adrenal diseases are rare (but they should not be missed).

In cases of adrenal dysfunction, lifestyle steps can be incredibly powerful.

As I was writing the Adrenal Reset Diet, I explained how adrenal symptoms can improve. In fact, the average person can move their adrenal levels over 60% closer to normal within a month.

The diet itself explains how careful timing of carbohydrates can help. By having the right amounts of good carbs, at the right times, you can restore your cortisol slope.

Click here to learn more about it. I hope today’s discussion has helped you assess where you stand with your adrenal health, and what you can do to confidently take the next step.

P.S. Whenever you are ready, here is how I can help you now:

1. Schedule a Thyroid Second Opinion with me, Dr. C, Click Here for Details
2. Need A Thyroid Supplement Recommendation? Take My Thyroid Specific Formulations Quiz Now
3. Need a Personalized Supplement? Check out My Thyroid Specific Formulations
4. Download and use my Favorite Recipes Cookbook Here
5. Check out my podcast Medical Myths, Legends, and Fairytales Here

Dr. Alan Glen Christianson (Dr. C) is a Naturopathic Endocrinologist and the author of The NY Times bestselling Adrenal Reset Diet, The Metabolism Reset Diet and The Thyroid Reset Diet.

Dr. C’s gift for figuring out what really works has helped hundreds of thousands of people reverse thyroid disease, lose weight, diabetes, and regain energy. Learn more about the surprising story that started his quest.