Coop...I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on what causes the symptoms being associated with 'adrenal fatigue' when adrenals can't be fatigued. I ask because I went through a period of intense, prolonged stress that culminated in a whole host of symptoms which when researched coincided entirely with those listed on the more 'credible' adrenal fatigue web-sites. The symptoms manifested I hadn't been on any stims for a few weeks. To recover I needed to eat every 3 hours and stop all training for several months because of the constant fatigue and internal weakness I felt. It still bothers me that I can't understand the physiology of this state.Thanks mate.S.
It's impossible to make a diagnosis over the web, nor am I qualified to do so, but a couple things are getting confused here.
1. Stims work through the adrenal medulla by releasing catecholamines. This is physiologically and anatomically SEPARATE from the adrenal cortex which produces glucocorticoids. So stimulant use/catecholamines (acute) vs cortisol and the PROLONGED stress response are different entities in many respects. Stimulant tolerance is because peripheral stimulant receptors are endocytosed into the cell, not because your adrenal medulla cannot put out adequate catecholamines.
2. Needing to eat every 3 hours is a sign of poor blood glucose control and not necessarily related to any one hormone.
3. This is the most important point: the symptoms you are describing are textbook signs of a ridiculous amount of diseases. For instance, I've undergone such a period before due to megaloblastic anemia. Others have it due to overtraining. Others I know had undiagnosed infections. Others had allergies.
Your doctor really is your best bet here. He has the vital patient history and past diagnostic tests like bloodwork that may help identify the cause of your weakness. Is it possible you have an autoimmune adrenal gland disorder like Addison's? I guess, but given the fact that you "recovered," it's highly highly unlikely.
