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PTSD vs Adrenal Fatigue

Total Stress Load is a Factor in PTSD
PTSD symptoms improve with cortisol replacement

This article will hopefully convince you that the cause, progression and treatment of PTSD indicates that it is very similar to Adrenal Fatigue.

Page Contents:

Total Stress Load

Stages of PTSD?

Cortisol Replacement

Unfortunately, many people (including doctors) still believe that PTSD is a pure psychological disorder. i.e.... it is all in your head.

However, there are many studies showing measurable differences in the physiology of those with PTSD symptoms.

There are also studies that indicate PTSD is very similar to the progression of Adrenal Fatigue (originally called the General Adaptation Syndrome).

This article covers the following:

Excessive stress before or after a traumatic event increases the odds of PTSD symptoms. i.e, the total stress load is a factor.
There are signs that PTSD may have Stages, just like Adrenal Fatigue (General Adaptation Syndrome)
Treatment with cortisol (adrenal hormone) reduces PTSD symptoms

Total stress load a factor? Stages? Effective treatment with cortisol replacement?

PTSD sounds a lot like adrenal fatigue.....so let's get started.

Total Stress Load

Stress before or after an event increases the odds of PTSD symptoms

A 2014 article, published in the Psychiatry journal Depression and Anxiety, studied the affects of stress before and after the Boston Marathon Bombing².

Since they were already studying a group of 78 adolescents (mean age =16.7), they had unique data to correlate total stress load to the development of PTSD symptoms.

After the Boston Marathon Bombing, they observed that PTSD symptoms developed in two groups of people:

Group #1: Individuals prone to stress. (They had a dominant sympathetic nervous system)
Group #2: Those without a dominant sympathetic nervous system

Those in Group #1, more prone to sympathetic dominance, were much more likely to develop PTSD symptoms after the bombing.^2b

Group #2 only developed PTSD symptoms if they were exposed to a high level of media coverage. i.e...they were exposed to high levels of stress after the event.

Media exposure, preattack psychopathology, and prior violence exposure were associated with PTSD symptoms. Moreover, media exposure interacted with sympathetic reactivity to predict PTSD symptom onset, such that adolescents with lower levels of sympathetic reactivity developed PTSD symptoms only following high exposure to media coverage of the attack. ²

Although not a slam dunk, this study does provide a hint that total stress load is a factor for PTSD, making it similar to the General Adaptation Syndrome, and therefore Adrenal Fatigue.

Stages of PTSD?

The Stages of Adrenal Fatigue are based on the Stages of the General Adaptation Syndrome.

In a nut shell, Stage 2 is a period of hyper adrenal function. When you are exposed to continuous high levels of stress, you adapt by being able to produce an above average level of adrenal hormones. You are wired, but not tired.

Stage 3 develops when your organs and glands can't keep up the pace. You are now wired and tired.

A 2015 article published in Psychoneuroendocrinology noted differences in those with recent PTSD vs those with long-term PTSD.

Individuals with current PTSD had higher nor-epinephrine. They were stuck in a state of stress, and producing a higher than normal level of stress hormones. That sounds similar to Stage 2 of the General Adaptation Syndrome
Individuals with lifetime PTSD have lower cortisol levels than normal. This sounds very similar to Stage 3 Adrenal Fatigue, where energy levels crash from reduced adrenal output.

Here are a couple of quotes from the study:

Patients with current PTSD had significantly higher nor-epinephrine secretion compared to those without PTSD.³

Patients in the lifetime PTSD group exhibited lower cortisol values compared to those without PTSD. ³

Again ... not a slam dunk, but it does sound like PTSD has stages. Depending on how long people have had PTSD, they seem to switch from hyper-adrenal function to hypo-adrenal function.

This sounds a lot like the stages of Adrenal Fatigue, as well as the stages of the General Adaptation Syndrome.

Cortisol Replacement & PTSD

PTSD symptoms improve with adrenal hormone treatment

Finally, treatment with the adrenal hormone cortisol reduces PTSD symptoms, including episodes of traumatic memory recall.

Below are a few quotes from studies using the cortisol to treat PTSD symptoms.

The results of this pilot study indicate that low-dose cortisol treatment reduces the cardinal symptoms of PTSD⁸

In each patient investigated, there was a significant treatment effect with cortisol-related reductions in one of the daily-rated symptoms of traumatic memories without causing adverse side effects. ⁹

The prolonged administration of glucocorticoids (stress doses of hydro-cortisone) to critically ill patients resulted in a significant reduction of PTSD symptoms measured after recovery without influencing the number of categories of traumatic memory¹⁰.

By inhibiting memory retrieval, cortisol may weaken the traumatic memory trace and thus reduce symptoms even beyond the treatment period. ⁹

Summary

Studies show that total stress load is a factor in PTSD
Adrenal hormone levels are high with recent PTSD, but low with lifetime PTSD, which is similar to the stages of adrenal fatigue.
Cortisol replacement therapy has been shown to greatly reduce PTSD symptoms.

Is PTSD real? Is Adrenal Fatigue real? I believe they are both real, and pretty much the same condition, and with the same root cause.... chronic stress.

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