How to Heal Adrenal Gland Dysfunction

Adrenal gland dysfunction occurs when adrenal glands do not make enough of the hormones cortisol, aldosterone or adrenocortioctropin (ACTH). It is the result of damage to the adrenal cortex which can be caused by infections such as HIV, tumors, blood loss, use of blood-thinning drugs, and your immune system attacking your adrenal glands. Also known as adrenal insufficiency or Addison's disease, adrenal gland dysfunction can be primary or secondary. Symptoms include chronic diarrhea, skin darkening, extreme weakness, salt craving, mouth lesions, loss of appetite, unintentional weight loss, and changes in your heart rate or blood pressure. Adrenal gland dysfunction cannot be cured but treatment can help you lead a normal life.

Instructions

Instructions

• 1

  Get diagnosed. Your doctor may do blood and urine tests, X-rays, and computed tomography (CT) scans to determine if you have adrenal gland dysfunction and which hormones are not being produced. This will help determine treatment.

• 2

  Use corticosteroids. Your physician will prescribe hormone replacement therapy for a lack of cortisol or ACTH. The medicine will be a synthetic glucocorticoid, such as prednisone, dexamethasone or hydrocortisone. You will take this up to three times a day in doses which match the amount of hormones your body should normally produce. During stressful situation, such as illness or having surgery, you may need to temporarily increase your medicines dosage. In other stressful times when you are not with a health care professional and need an emergency boost of medicine your doctor may teach you how to give yourself a hydrocortisone injection.

• 3

  Use a mineralocorticoid. You will be given a medicine called flucrocortisone acetate for insufficient production of the hormone aldosterone, the hormone which controls sodium and potassium needs in your body and maintains your normal blood pressure. You will take flucrocortisone acetate twice a day as well as increase your salt intake.

• 4

  Have intravenous treatment. If your symptoms suddenly get worse it is called Addisonian crisis or acute adrenal insufficiency. You will have low blood pressure, low blood glucose levels, and high potassium levels. This can be life-threatening and you will need to be treated with intravenous injections of glucocorticoids and a type of sugar called dextrose.