How Hormone Therapy Can Help You Fight Adrenal Fatigue

Your adrenal glands are responsible for releasing stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones help regulate certain bodily functions, such as metabolism and blood pressure. When stress hormones are released in excess, it can lead to adrenal fatigue. Hormone therapy can help treat adrenal fatigue.

What Are Adrenal Glands?

The adrenal glands are part of the body’s endocrine system. They release chemicals that communicate with the body to regulate certain processes. You have two adrenal glands: one on top of each kidney.

Adrenal glands release stress hormones such as cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. When your body detects a stressful stimulus, your adrenal glands release these hormones to help fuel your body. This is also referred to as a fight-or-flight response. When you experience chronic or poorly managed stress, your body can remain in a fight-or-flight state even when it’s not necessary.

Stressors can be external or internal:

• External stressors include things that are happening outside of the body, like feeling pressure at your job or juggling a lot of responsibilities at once.
• Internal stressors are those that occur inside the body, like having blood sugar imbalances, living a sedentary lifestyle, drinking excessive alcohol or caffeine, or being exposed to toxic chemicals.

When you live in a chronically stressed state, your body’s demand for cortisol can become too great for your adrenal glands to manage. When the adrenal glands become overworked, they can lose the ability to meet your body’s needs, and you can fall into a state of adrenal fatigue.

What is Adrenal Fatigue?

Sometimes the adrenal glands release excess amounts of stress hormones. When this happens, the adrenal glands can become tired out and start to function poorly, which is called adrenal fatigue. There is no medical test for adrenal fatigue, but your doctor may determine that you have it based on symptoms alone.

Causes of Adrenal Fatigue

Many different factors can cause adrenal fatigue. Some common causes of adrenal fatigue include:

• Chronic stress. When your body is under stress, certain hormones are released to help your body protect itself. Stress hormones increase the heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar in the bloodstream. If you aren’t managing daily stress well or if you are experiencing excessive stress daily, this can lead to an excessive release of stress hormones.

• Recurring disease. Chronic inflammation from recurring disease can cause stress on the body, which leads to adrenal fatigue.
• Poor lifestyle choices. Habits such as an unhealthy diet may possibly lead to adrenal fatigue. Long-term exposure to harmful chemicals might also be a trigger.

Symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue

The most common symptoms of adrenal fatigue include:

• Tiredness throughout the day, despite getting a good night of sleep
• Poor healing from sickness
• Craving salty and sweet foods
• Having energy at night and being tired during the day
• Relying heavily on caffeine throughout the day
• Body aches
• Hair loss
• Abrupt weight loss

Adrenal Fatigue vs. Adrenal Insufficiency

Adrenal insufficiency is also a state in which the body does not produce enough stress hormones. Adrenal fatigue and adrenal insufficiency are similar conditions, but they are different. Adrenal insufficiency is a more widely accepted medical diagnosis, while some medical professionals still question adrenal fatigue.

Unlike adrenal fatigue, adrenal insufficiency—also referred to as Addison’s disease—can be diagnosed with medical tests such as blood tests, CT scans, and MRIs. Adrenal insufficiency is caused by damage to the adrenal glands, which causes them to malfunction. It can also happen as a result of pituitary gland dysfunction, since the pituitary gland is responsible for signaling the adrenal glands in healthy individuals. Adrenal fatigue, on the other hand, is typically thought to be caused by chronic stress.

Some people question whether adrenal fatigue is a real diagnosis since it doesn’t have diagnostic tests and the symptoms are a bit vague. For this reason, it’s important to work with a trusted healthcare professional when diagnosing and treating both adrenal fatigue and adrenal insufficiency.

How is Adrenal Fatigue Treated?

Treating adrenal fatigue looks different for everyone, but it often comes down to simple lifestyle adjustments. Many people can treat adrenal fatigue by adjusting their diet, sleep habits, and exercise. Sometimes, certain vitamins and supplements, as well as hormone therapy, are also used to help with the treatment of adrenal fatigue.

How Can Hormone Therapy Help with Adrenal Fatigue?

Hormone therapy is commonly used to help replenish the adrenal glands to correct adrenal fatigue. Because adrenal fatigue is related to a state of hormonal depletion, replacing hormones can help correct symptoms. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) is a functional medicine approach that strives to naturally treat adrenal fatigue by balancing hormones.

How Does Hormone Therapy for Adrenal Fatigue Work?

Hormone therapy for adrenal fatigue typically uses BHRT. This form of hormone therapy (or hormone optimization) uses plant-derived hormones that are biologically identical to those naturally found in the body.

Because these hormones are similar to the ones your body naturally produces, they can fit into hormone receptors better than the synthetic hormones that are typically used in other forms of hormone replacement therapies. For this reason, BHRT is thought to be more effective and has a lower risk of side effects when compared with traditional approaches to hormone replacement.

There are several methods that are used to deliver BHRT to the body, including patches, pills, and injections. This therapy is generally considered safe, but it’s important to only use a trusted and credible health professional.

Contact Cornerstone Pharmacy & Compounding About Hormone Therapy for Adrenal Fatigue

If your energy levels are depleted despite your best efforts, there’s a chance you may be experiencing adrenal fatigue. Adjusting your lifestyle and habits by managing stress, exercising regularly, and eating well may be enough to help adrenal fatigue. However, some people need a little extra help from hormone therapy.

Talk with your provider about hormone therapy for adrenal fatigue to learn if it’s the right solution for you. We encourage you to reach out to the medical professionals at Cornerstone Pharmacy & Compounding to request a hormone consultation. If our pharmacists determine that you may benefit from hormone replacement therapy, we will help you obtain a prescription-based hormone therapy written by your physician.