Over the years, patients learned, or found out the hard way, that certain supplements and certain medications can potentially affect one’s adrenal functioning and not give a true picture of what’s going on with their adrenals when testing. Many of our doctors agreed!
Below is a list of more common supplements or medications that can influence your adrenals. Many patients state they stop taking the over-the-counter supplements for two weeks before testing. As far as medications, some are not easy to get off, or shouldn’t be stopped anyway! So just knowing how these can affect the adrenals is good to know when evaluating one’s adrenal results. Also, some of the below takes much longer than others to stop their influence, whether due to length of time one has taken them, or the metabolism of a person.
A word of caution: this page is for information only as to what can influence our adrenals. Always work with your doctor with this information!
SUPPLEMENTS OR SUPPORTS:
- Adrenal glandulars
- Adrenal Cortex (Isocort or other brands)
- Licorice Root
- 5-HTP
- Progesterone via cream or gel
- Phosphatidyl serine (PS)
- Astragalus
- Ashwagandha
- Rhodiola
- Kava kava
- Holy Basil
- Siberian Ginseng (Eleuthero)
- Schizandra Berry
- Valerian
- Zinc
- Melatonin
- Cordyceps
- Theanine
- GABA
- Magnolia root extract
- Caffeine (from your coffee, tea or certain sodas, for example)
- Over-the-counter asthma supplements
- HC (Hydrocortisone like Cortef and other brands)
- Prednisone or Prednisolone
- Medrol (aka Methylprednisone)
- Anti-depressants (whether Tricyclic or SSRI)
- Anti-anxiety meds, aka Benzodiazepines or Benxo (Xanax is an example)
- Blood Pressure medications
- ADHD meds (Adderall for example)
- Beta Blockers (Lopressor or Toprol XL, Atenolol or Tenormin, Labetalol like Normodyne and Trandate)
- Asthma prescription meds or sprays
- Sleeping Pills (such as Lunesta, Ambien)
- Pain killers for arthritis
- Pain killers for Migraines (aka Imitrex)
- Compounded Progesterone
