Cortisol deficiency, but with weight gain
Has anybody experienced unexplained weight gain when your cortisol levels are low? I recently had a two day stem test, which resulted with low cortisol levels that my adrenal glands are not producing correctly.. but I have unexplained weight gain. Usually when your cortisol levels are low, you lose weight.
I went back to all my test results from 2016 when I started to gain weight and feel drained and just sick. They gave me so many tests, and they claimed everything was normal. I did not have MyChart at the time, so I never could see the test results until recently when I scrolled all the way back to that time and seen my cortisol levels were extremely low. I don’t understand why nothing was ever done.
Last year, I started getting the same exhaustion and fatigue and weight gain for no reason and then I got Covid at the beginning of this year and then everything became severe. 24/7. That’s when I went back to the endocrinologist and thought it was my thyroid because I do have Graves’ disease, which is supposed to be in remission right now, but they said everything looked good in the normal levels, except my cortisol levels were low for that time of day and that’s when I took the stem test.
When I ask why I’m gaining weight, nobody knows. They want me to take steroids for the low cortisol levels, but I know I’m going to blow up once I start taking them.
I am also having muscle and joint pain and weakness in my whole body which I think might be related, but I don’t know… I just know I’m getting very frustrated.
Does anybody know or have any autoimmune disease that causes low cortisol levels, but unexplained weight gain instead of weight loss with fatigue and muscle and joint pain?
I’m getting tired of going from doctor to doctor when all they do is take blood tests and come into the room for less than five minutes to say blood tests are fine, nothings wrong. Ughhhhh I need answers!!!
Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Autoimmune Diseases Support Group.
yes for last 5 years been thinking its high cortisol. had same exact symptoms as yours. had covid many times thinking wrecked havoc on my body.. Just i am getting worse with fatigued/malaise its unbearable and body muscle aches everywhere. Now added is i am dizzy every now and then and no explanation. I was thinking maybe HRT would help and went to gyn and they did blood test and sure enough my cortisol which i thought was high because of this crazy weight gain was very low. very interesting and happy i found this site. thank you for sharing your journey as I going to begin another one w this new information.
Have you had your insulin levels checked or looked into insulin resistance?