Adrenal fatigue and progesterone?

[June]

Serious Progesterone Side Effects and Brittle Adrenals

Progesterone side effects when used for hormone balancing are varied and may differ between women. Make sure you know the risks.

www.drlamcoaching.com

Is there truth to this? That progesterone usage can exacerbate adrenal fatigue symptoms? If that's so then I am screwed. Spent ten years total with SSRI/benzo discontinuation syndrome not sleeping a wink. Then last 6 years bleeding to death daily (I'm a female) and not sleeping a wink. Long story but started bleeding in 2018 after doctor gave me glutathione and myers cocktail IV. My recent tests show estrogen dominance and my body is slimmish but "ovary" and "adrenal" type with most of my weight front belly and thighs. I have high TPO and feel cold or hot most days, but mostly cold unless nervous. Recently I took one use of Relora to hopefully calm my heightened state and it helped after it caused extreme fatigue and sleepiness. After that, I've been more even keeled. Or it could be I was able to stop this bout of bleeding with acupuncture and no longer in crisis mode for now. So as you can tell, I'm in need of progesterone but how do I go about this?

Back in 2018, a gynecologist gave me Prometrium at my urging, to try and stop my bleeding because I knew I needed real progesterone. I used 100mg that day and bleeding slowed. That evening I took 200mg to work up to 300mg and went to bed. Keep in mind I was half way through my SSRI/Benzo discontinuation syndrome at that point and still in hell every day. That night, I jumped out of bed with my body on fire. I was so hot and dripping with sweat and panicking. That heat in my body would take years to dissipate. Following that, gynecologist gave me birth control pills, 6 daily for a month to stop it but failed. Crazy man poisoned me and I was in a crazy state. Hot, sweating, throwing up and body fell apart. Yet bleeding persisted. Now i'm here present day and whilst still on edge dealing with daily bleeding, I'm feeling more even after that Relora. Tried Vitex recently to bring down my prolactin and that didn't go well. Heightened anxiety and a buzzing in my ear from the rise of dopamine (cortisol?) and prolonged bleeding. I don't convert dopamine well due to a gene defect. SSRI/benzo withdrawals have screwed with my receptors and hormones. Now I'm at a standstill. Bleeding..needing something to end this nightmare. Yet I am too weak to tolerate anything. But I have to try..what should I do?? If i take a small dose of progesterone cream I risk activating estrogen receptors. I take too much to avoid that, say 400-500mg, and I risk creating cortisol. I can try to dampen cortisol with Relora but there's no way progesterone would not bypass that. Please..anyone with suggestions..I am grateful.

Estradiol 131 pmol/L
Estradiol adult female reference intervals------------------------------------------Follicular: 77-921 pmol/LMid-cycle: 139-2382 pmol/LLuteal: 77-1145 pmol/LPost-menopausal: <103 pmol/L
Progesterone <0.6 nmol/L
Progesterone adult female reference intervals---------------------------------------------Follicular: <1.7 nmol/LLuteal: 4.0-50.0 nmol/LPost-menopausal: <0.7 nmol/L

Dehydroepiandrosterone [DHEA-S] 4.4 < 9.8 umol/L
Testosterone <0.4 < 1.8 nmol/L

Thyroid Stimulating Hormone 1.16 0.32-4.00 mIU/L
Free T3 4.0 2.6-5.8 pmol/L
Thyroperoxidase Antibody HI 57 < 35 kIU/L

 

[Bioenergy_Space]

Progesterone does not convert into cortisol except in states of severe corticoid deficiency. The fact that it is a steroidal precursor does not mean the body will automatically convert it. The conversion enzymatic reactions are heavily regulated.

Because it has weak cortisol-like activity it acts like an agonist in deficiency states and an antagonist in excess states.

Ray Peat on progesterone

Explore the wisdom of Ray Peat by topics

raypeatexplained.com

 

[June]

Progesterone does not convert into cortisol except in states of severe corticoid deficiency. The fact that it is a steroidal precursor does not mean the body will automatically convert it. The conversion enzymatic reactions are heavily regulated.

Because it has weak cortisol-like activity it acts like an agonist in deficiency states and an antagonist in excess states.

Ray Peat on progesterone

Explore the wisdom of Ray Peat by topics

raypeatexplained.com

I thought when I found that article, I could finally explain what happened to me in 2018. But if what you say is true, then I have no clue why I reacted that way. Do you know why it could have caused my body to overheat that way? It was like I was stuck in a permanent panic/hot flash for several years. My naturopath kept telling me that my saliva cortisol was off the charts, you couldn't even read it..

 

[Bioenergy_Space]

I thought when I found that article, I could finally explain what happened to me in 2018. But if what you say is true, then I have no clue why I reacted that way. Do you know why it could have caused my body to overheat that way? It was like I was stuck in a permanent panic/hot flash for several years. My naturopath kept telling me that my saliva cortisol was off the charts, you couldn't even read it..

The fact that you were going through double benzo and SSRI withdrawal may have something to do with it.

Progesterone metabolizes into allopregnanolone, a potent GABA-A agonist. Benzos are also GABA-A agonists, and after prolonged use desensitize the GABA-A protein. When you took the prometrium you took a GABA agonist when going through a withdrawal, which may have led to symptoms of a phenomenon called "kindling". Kindling happens with repeated withdrawals from the same type of substance, and it is characterized by each withdrawal being worse. In your case, the single dose of progesterone taken while withdrawing from benzos may have kindled your GABA system, which would explain the elevated cortisol since GABA restrains cortisol release.

Keep in mind that even if all the progesterone you took converted into cortisol, it was only one dose, and hormones rarely have such an immediate, profound, and long-lasting effect unless they affect neurotransmission in some way.

As to what you should do, consider the basics first: here is the order of how I would try them

- A Peat-inspired diet: Guide to Ray Peat Inspired Eating
- Plenty of magnesium (a functional NMDA blocker, very important to restore the GABA system)
- A good not too high-dose B-complex (B6 Is needed for GABA synthesis and glutamate detoxification)
- The fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K)
- Small amounts of thyroid

 

[Highserotonin90]

@Bioenergy_Space Hi, what do you think could cause constipation when using oral pregnenolone? excessive conversion to progesterone?

 

[LizRey86]

In my experience progesterone does make “adrenal fatigue” or adrenal dysfunction worse. Ive tried all different kinds including Dr Peats recommended brand. Getting your natural progesterone production going is the only way I have had recovery. Although an unpopular opinion on this forum, low cortisol is the main issue with adrenal dysfunction. Getting the 4x salivary test will help you determine if this is your issue but your symptoms are very similar to mine, I still struggle with sleep but it is much better than it was in the beginning of my health decline.
I did try progesterone for about 6 months at varying doses from 5-80 mg daily and the more I took and the longer the worse my symptoms became. They only started getting better with vitex, pregnenalone and delta 8 cbd.
Reading the book “ safe uses of cortisol” is a good place to begin, I have carefully and very gradually been following these principles and have been seeing relief with these things also.

 

[LizRey86]

I also wanted to point out that most advice on here is for those with High cortisol, so most things Ive tried have made symptoms worse because I was lowering cortisol even more(not knowing that was bad for me in particular) so having an open mind has been important to find answers for my specific situation.

 

[Bioenergy_Space]

@Bioenergy_Space Hi, what do you think could cause constipation when using oral pregnenolone? excessive conversion to progesterone?

Maybe impurities or steroidal trace metabolites contaminate the pregnenolone. Ray stopped recommending pregnenolone because it started causing negative reactions after the standards of manufacture fell.

Another possibility is that the anti-stress effects of pregnenolone lowered your serotonin, and since it is one of the factors that promote bowel movements, it may have revealed an underlying issue that was masked by high serotonin.

 

[Highserotonin90]

@Bioenergy_Space

Good point about serotonin, I just want to avoid blocking bile flow and accumulation of endotoxin.

 

[Bioenergy_Space]

@Bioenergy_Space

Good point about serotonin, I just want to avoid blocking bile flow and accumulation of endotoxin.

Yeah, magnesium carbonate and cascara sagrada are safe laxatives, but their mechanisms are different. I combine them with activated charcoal (which is constipating on its own) to reduce intestinal toxin absorption as much as possible. The ratio of laxatives to charcoal can be very individual.

 

[Highserotonin90]

Yeah, magnesium carbonate and cascara sagrada are safe laxatives, but their mechanisms are different. I combine them with activated charcoal (which is constipating on its own) to reduce intestinal toxin absorption as much as possible. The ratio of laxatives to charcoal can be very individual.

With zeolite or carbon, isn't there a risk of chelating useful things too? how to manage?

 

[Bioenergy_Space]

With zeolite or carbon, isn't there a risk of chelating useful things too? how to manage?

Yes. You have to space it away from nutrient-heavy meals, supplements, and drugs you are taking. Long-term it may deplete some nutrients, but it is also very effective at easing the toxin burden on the body.