Normal ACTH stim test results

[NBRyan113]

My Dr emailed me ysterday and said that ACTH test result was great. 25.3 cortisol level after 60 minutes. But my base was 7.8 and what even made her run the ACTH was the orginal cortisol test results of 6.8. SO my question is, if the ACTH test is normal (great in dr words) then WHY was the cortisol level so low in the first place?

[rumpled]

The doc could be busy.

Just take any imaging with a grain of salt. A lot of us have normal scans and the adrenals are not.  Plus with low cortisol, the adrenals tend to shrink and may be hard to see.

I would get more testing too! Did they do ACTH correctly - chilled tube, spun immediately?

[katfivezero57]

LLHI AND THANKS FOR ANSWERING ALL SODIUM AND POTASSIUM RATED GOOD HAD EXTENSIVE HEARY WORL UP CARDOLOGIST SAYS HEART IS STRONG AS A BULLS DEFINETKY ADRENAL SINCE MY LAST POST FOUND EXCELENT ENDROCINOLIGIST SHE WAS SHOCKED TO FIND OUT NO MRI OF MY ADRENALS HAD BEEN DONE, I CALLED TODAY NURSE SAID RESULTS WERE IN BUT DOCTOR HAD NOT SIGNED OFF ON THEM NOW IM FREAKING OUT BECAUSE SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO CALL ME AND DIDNT. I KEEP THINKING IF MRI WAS NORMAL IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN HER TWO SECONDS TO CALL AND EASE MY MIND SHE IS A VERY GOOD DOCTOR SHE WOULD NOT WANT ME TO WORRY

[rumpled]

How are your sodium and potassium?
Have you had heart testing?

[katfivezero57]

MY CORTISOL LEVEL WAS NOTHING IN NOVEMBER 2010 GIVEN ACTH TEST PASSED DR, ATTRIBUTED IT TO NARCOTICS FOR HEADACHES. WHILE IN HOSPITAL HEART RATE WAS 40. I WAS OK UNTIL MARCH 2011 HAD WEAKNESS WAS DIZZY CONFUSED GO TO HOSPITAL THIS TIME HEART RATE WAS 32 FOR FOURTEEN HOURS!  GAVE ME CORTISOL THE WHOLE TIME FINALLY MOVED TO 40 AT FIFTEENTH HOUR. RAN EVERY TEST KNOWN TO MAN. EVERYTHING FINE, BUT IVE LOST 25 POUNDS STOMACH UPSET VOMITING REALLY REALLY FATIGUED, OH LAST WEEK BP WAS 80/50 HEART RATE 48. NOW NO ENDO WILL SEE ME I THINK ITS GOT TO BE ADDISONS RELATED ALSO DEVELOPED SHALLOW BREATHEING HELP!

[rumpled]

Your doctor did the test and you doubled, so technically, you passed.
Your level is low probably because your adrenals are still working ok, but they may be diseased still or your pituitary is not signaling them properly and should be watched as your adrenals are likely going to fail at some time.

Any other tests - renin, aldosterone, ACTH, dhea sulfate...