iThei mdcdaelcinfd o c elllllrllll ThofthThseSupplemental Hormones
A variety of hormones and adrenal-supporting substances may be used
based on the cortisol saliva test results and adrenal insufficiency stage.
Although most of these hormones are available over the counter at health
food stores, they are certainly not benign and should be used under the
supervision of a trained professional with extreme caution. Not everyone
will need all of these supplements.
One person may do fine with only glandular extracts, another may need
to add DHEA, and yet a third may not need hormonal supplements at all.
The approach should be highly individualized. It is especially important to
start low and increase slowly with these supplements. People should start
one supplement at a time at the lowest dose and then increase every few
days to reach the target dose. After the first supplement has been tolerated
for a week, another may be added. The doses provided here are for refer-
ence purposes and may not be appropriate for all persons and stages.
Many hormones, including cortisol and thyroid hormone, are controlled
by a feedback loop system that shuts off production when levels get high.
Not so with DHEA and pregnenolone—your body will keep right on
making these hormones in the same amounts as before you began sup-
plementation. In other words, taking DHEA and pregnenolone supple-
ments will not suppress your body’s production of these hormones or
cause adrenal atrophy.
Glandular Adrenal Extracts
Adrenal extracts have been used medicinally since 1931. Similar to
Armour® thyroid (derived from pig thyroid glands), adrenal extracts from
pig, sheep, or cow adrenal glands are made into tablet and capsule form
for human ingestion. Commercially available adrenal extracts are made
from the whole gland (whole or total adrenal extracts) or the outer part
of the gland (adrenal cortex extracts). Adrenal extracts are usually taken
one to three times daily.
These extracts are not FDA-regulated, and not all are created equally. The
whole-gland adrenal extracts contain norepinephrine and epinephrine,
which can cause anxiety, palpitations, and panic attacks in Hashimoto’s
patients who already have too much epinephrine without enough corti-
sol to balance it out. Adrenal cortex extracts may be preferred for those
already feeling on edge.
Adrenal extracts can cause HPA axis suppression and atrophy. This
means they can turn off production of the body’s own steroid (adrenal)