Hi,
I want to ask how much of an issue weight loss was before you got diagnosed with Addisons. If you are still chasing a diagnosis do you currently have weight loss? And if so why is that? Is it appetite loss or another reason?

I have severe appetite loss that alternates with occasional periods of extreme hunger which I now understand is hypoglycemia. I've lost a large amount of weight from this, about 40 pounds. I'm trying to keep control over this by making efforts to eat anyway and also have Ensure Plus stocked in my fridge. It's not as helpful though as it could be though.

I'd like to know how common this happens. I am not diagnosed yet but have an appointment coming up that will hopefully turn up some kind of answer.

Added: With this appetite loss plus fatigue (and other things) I've been asked by two doctors so far if I'm depressed. They were doctors I was seeing for another thing and so I know they didn't have time to diagnose this but I am annoyed that depression was the first thing that came up in the discussion. I am not depressed and I almost feel that if I were male that wouldn't have come up immedieatly. Has anyone else come across this issue?

Thanks!

-Val

I have Addison's for a year now and prior to my diagnosis, I had severe loss of appetite and weight loss. I'm not really sure how long before I was diagnosed that I started to develop Addison's. They say you can have it for quite awhile before knowing it. I would say that for about 6 months I had the severe loss of appetite and I lost between 10 & 15 pounds. I did the Ensure Plus also but had an awful time getting it down, did not like it at all and did nothing for me as far as gaining weight back. I never experienced depression but had severe fatigue, muscle aches, low blood pressure, pigmentation of the skin, the weight loss and loss of appetite. I was also dealing with hypothyroidism making the fatigue that much worse. Once I got the diagnosis and started on the meds, I felt a huge improvement within a couple days. I have never been a large person but I love to eat and I have to say that the loss of appetite was horrible. Not wanting anything to eat and having to force myself to eat was the worst experience. Get an appointment with an endocrinologist and try to get some answers. Good Luck

It took a year for them to diagnose me. I could not eat, had no appetite, and always felt like my stomach was full. I lost 30 pounds. As soon as I started on Cortef, the gastro symptoms disappeared. I am now sad to say that I have gained 40 back! Too much! They tried the depression diagnosis on me, too, and I have actually read of people with Addison's who have been diagnosed as anorexic and confined to an eating disorder or psychiatric clinic! Arm yourself with as much information as you can get and be prepared to advocate for yourself. I figured out I had Addison's from research on the Web, and I told my doctor I needed the ACTH stim test. Luckily, he was very responsive and we solved the mystery: hypopanpituitarism. Good luck to you, and let us know how you are doing.

For what it's worth, I get the idea that emotional or psychological disorders are the top of the doctors list whatever your sex. I just had my long awaited appointement with an endo. today and we spent most of the time covering depression and panic attacks, this despite having gone armed with a chronology for him showing yes, I was depressed - after the symptoms started.

As for panic attacks, I wish I had the energy!

I think we have to just smile sweetly and nod, but don't get up from the chair until they say they're going to do something.

(Results in a fortnight, still not sure what I want to hear!)

hi guys im new to thsi site my name is kat and my user name is pursie you usually find me hanging about with barb mad maz brans birch elmhar and all my good freinds on the thyroid dissorders lol!
so hello anyway i have had hypo t for about 2 years with awfull sinsitivity to it having to chop pilsl is no fun and i went hyper on 50 i had to come off it and go back on the thyroxine! anyway i always has my cortisone trested aswell its always been right at the bottom of the scale um it was 237 last time i have extreemly heavy periods and they sais it was due to that anyway i got sent to the endo just for that reason low cortisone he went on to loose 3 sets of 3 urines anyway it is now a cortisone of 100!!!!???? please help is this a really bad reading i do feel ired but as im on thyroxine and morphine i might have a false appetite a s the appetite does improve after treatment i cant help feeling they have been lax and maybe they could have been treated first before the thyroid stuff??? what doe s anyone make of thsi an d how bad is addisons what woudl i be feeling rigth now im tired?? and its hard to get up even though im wide awake i used to go on my e bike but i cant do much atall on it my legs hurt go9ng upstairs i am over weight but you have to bear on mind my thyroid is not optimated yet and i need more thyroid hormone hope you can help me and i hear that a few of you have hypo t i got depressed with that im abit down but how do you tell from what the thyrod or the low cortisone and how can you trell when to low is to low???? what blood level woudl it be to be addisons?? thanks so much for any help i would really apreciate it guys from katxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:wave: :nono: :nono: :wave:

Hi everyone,

I have a secondary problem and ended up losing loads of weight even when I was eating lots I could not seem to keep any weight on. I was told that it was "nerves" and depression causing it. Once I went to the hospital and my blood sugar was 32 and the doc said it was because I was anorexic!!!! (which I am not). Hang in there and stand your ground, try to ignore the comments. I got so angry at the docs who brushed me off before even examining me and listening properly.

Take care and good luck,
Naomi