Hi,

I'm new here. My medical history is a bit long, so please bear with me.

I've recently been diagnosed with hypothyroid and adrenal fatigue. I have no ovaries; so it's common for adrenal fatigue (aparently) . I also suspect I have insulin resistance.

I recently had saliva labs done on my hormones and my cortisol

These are the results:

Cortisol . A.M 1.0 ng/ml Range (3.7-9.5)
DHEAS 2.1 Range ( 2-23) Age Dependants
The above two are very low.

My Testosterone level is through the roof.
427! Range (16-55) Age Dependant

I've done research and have found that high testosterone levels can be due to insulin resistance.

I also have hypothyroid. I take Erfa Thyroid (Canada)

Presently, I am taking Isocort for adrenal fatigue and trying to take care of all the vitamins.

My question is this:
Is high testosterone a normal side effect of insulin resistence.

Some of my symptoms:

Severe sweating
When sweating very thirsty
Brain Fog
Depression
Bad bad concentration
Severe Fatigue.

I have no been tested for insulin resistance; as I can't find a Dr to help me.
the other day about 3 hours after eating i went to a walk in clinic to have my sugars checked as I was really sweating and thirsty. It was 7.8. I'm not sure if that's normal or not.

The DHEA is very low, but at this point to supplement would be scarey because my testosterone is so high. High testosterone is NOT normal in women with no ovaries.

Can anyone give me any insight on what might be happening here.

I crave sugar alot and have to confess I eat it alot, lots of days I don't eat breakfast or even lunch. No appetite. I am on day 2 of trying to follow the low glycemic diet and eating 6 times per day.

Thanks !

Hi Shallie, & Welcome!

I believe I was developing insulin resistance a few years back... I had \"fasting hypoglycemia\". Real shaky and sick before meals.

I had been trying a lot if supplements for my MCS, and two of them were Acetyl-L-carnitine and Alpha-Lipoic Acid. Both have been shown to help stabilize blood sugar and insulin function.

Don't know if it was these, or some other supplement I take (Lecithin, SAM-e, and B-Complex), but the fasting hypoglycemia vanished.

You might look into these supplements. I've heard it is best to take them (Acetyl-L-carnitine at least) on an empty stomach, or with a small carbohydrate meal (toast/crackers).

WalMart has a combo pill with both supplements made by Spring Valley for a very reasonable price.

Good Luck, and GodSpeed<br /><br />Post edited by: bolam56, at: 2010/02/05 08:53

Hi Shallie,

Welcome to the site and thank you for providing us with such in depth details - that really helps!

You are certainly right to suspect insulin resistance and I am sorry to have to say this but with your symptoms of excessive thirst and sweating and your blood sugar result it looks like you have severe insulin resistance and may actually meet the criteria for a diagnosis of diabetes.

Three hours after eating your blood sugar should be well on its way back to close to normal/fasting levels (4.5 - 5.5 mmol/l). Diabetes is diagnosed when someone has a blood glucose level above 7 mmol/l about 8 hours after eating.

See this site for more info: http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html

You really need to have your GP/primary physician run proper tests for diabetes - these might include the test described above, an oral glucose tolerance test, glycosylated haemoglobin (haemoglobin that has been altered due to high blood sugar), and blood insulin levels. Tell them your symptoms and what you have told us about the walk-in clinic result and they would have to run the tests!

I am unsure of the testosterone link with all this particularly as you state you have no ovaries but I will try to look into it for you. It is certainly alarmingly high. Since your cortisol levels are so low I would suspect steroid hormone production is being directed to testosterone instead of cortisol but this is just an educated guess.

Please go to your doctor and get checked for diabetes/insulin resistance and let us know what your results are. I can then certainly suggests some dietary changes and nutritional supplements that can help you manage your blood sugar and symptoms much better.

Take care,

Maff<br /><br />Post edited by: Maff, at: 2010/02/06 21:30