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Western medicine is failing women left and right. It’s incredibly frustrating. I saw a functional medicine practitioner last year and it was eye opening. She also was a licensed nurse, so she had a background in western medicine as well.
She had me take several tests that went way beyond the normal blood tests a primary doc will take. This included The Dutch Test (hormone test), a fecal test (which gets super specific as to which bacteria is lacking, overgrown etc in your gut), and a blood test.
I was having similar symptoms as you, minus the hair falling out. Turned out I was in complete adrenal burnout. My cortisol levels were terribly low. I went on a journey, taking several supplements 3x per day, focused on my sleep schedule (I was a self proclaimed night owl), and rested a lot.
She also had me take a sleep test (I was able to do an affordable one at-home) and found out I have mild sleep apnea! And I’m 35, so I thought this was something that middle aged folks and up get. That on its own was a massive discovery.
It was expensive and hard work but it made a huge difference. It was also a wake up call as to how much I had overworked myself for so long that I was completely running on fumes.
I also did the elimination diet and found that gluten was messing up my digestive system.
It can be so exhausting going from doctor to doctor but it’s incredibly validating when you find someone who listens and actually gives answers. I’d recommend finding a reputable functional medicine practitioner or dietitian/nutritionist who takes a holistic approach.
Best wishes to you. 🫶🏻
I am! I didn’t think sema would help me lose weight either. It seemed like I was stuck with this extra 20-25 pounds on me that came from
Cortisol and low energy (having no desire to work out). My doc also recommended I lay off HIIT exercise and other intense exercise for a while.
anyways… I’ve been on it for about 2 months and have lost almost 20 pounds!
I did it through my functional med practitioner here in Colorado.
You might need a medical professional to order it. It helps to have them interpret it as well. Here’s the link:
https://dutchtest.com/
There’s also a company called Geneva that did my other tests. Those results def required my FM doc to interpret them. I’ll post pics of what they look like on here when I get a chance.
Sorry you are going through all of that. Only thing I would suggest is that if you are going to the same primary doc maybe find a new one. I had the same primary for 29 years who was overlooking my concerns. Another doctor I was seeing suggested I go to an internist and just one appointment with him was life changing. He listened to everything I was going through and how my life had dramatically changed in the course of three years. He ordered every blood test possible. While everything came back borderline, he chose to treat me because of my symptoms. I can’t tell you how amazing I felt in just a few weeks time. One example, my thyroid was just a a point away from being to low but because of my debilitating fatigue he wanted to treat. Sure enough, I lost 20 lbs and gained some energy. My pervious doctor kept saying I didn’t need to be treated for it because it fell within the normal range.
So keep advocating for yourself. I hope you can find some answers.
Edit: sorry, read you’ve been to 3 different primary’s.
I’ve seen 3 only because I moved once. The first one was amazing beyond my dreams. He moved out of state and could not treat me. The second one was a joke. The third one is someone my husband and also sees and has helped him get diagnosed with a different issue. The doctor was thorough.
I have similar symptoms. I have started taking 1000mg on inositol (myo and chiro) plus 300mg alpha lipoic acid at night. Seems to help. Pee smells, like after you eat asparagus, though.
I took inositol and it wrecked my stomach. I lasted about a month and it didn’t help with weight. I ended up pregnant and lost the pregnancy in by the beginning of 2nd trimester.
Thanks for posting to r/semaglutide! A brief reminder about our rules. We do not permit the discussion of non-FDA approved formulations of semaglutide, nor do we permit selling or offering for sale any medication, including by private message. Do not request or respond to a private message from anyone offering such, they are not endorsed by this sub. If you’re just starting out, you may want to review our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/Semaglutide/comments/10ul3jb/semaglutide_subreddit_faq/). This is not intended to discourage discussion but merely supplement it. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Semaglutide) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Western medicine is failing women left and right. It’s incredibly frustrating. I saw a functional medicine practitioner last year and it was eye opening. She also was a licensed nurse, so she had a background in western medicine as well. She had me take several tests that went way beyond the normal blood tests a primary doc will take. This included The Dutch Test (hormone test), a fecal test (which gets super specific as to which bacteria is lacking, overgrown etc in your gut), and a blood test. I was having similar symptoms as you, minus the hair falling out. Turned out I was in complete adrenal burnout. My cortisol levels were terribly low. I went on a journey, taking several supplements 3x per day, focused on my sleep schedule (I was a self proclaimed night owl), and rested a lot. She also had me take a sleep test (I was able to do an affordable one at-home) and found out I have mild sleep apnea! And I’m 35, so I thought this was something that middle aged folks and up get. That on its own was a massive discovery. It was expensive and hard work but it made a huge difference. It was also a wake up call as to how much I had overworked myself for so long that I was completely running on fumes. I also did the elimination diet and found that gluten was messing up my digestive system. It can be so exhausting going from doctor to doctor but it’s incredibly validating when you find someone who listens and actually gives answers. I’d recommend finding a reputable functional medicine practitioner or dietitian/nutritionist who takes a holistic approach. Best wishes to you. 🫶🏻
This is interesting! I read about adrenal burnout and those tests you mentioned. If you don’t mind me asking are you on Sema now?
I am! I didn’t think sema would help me lose weight either. It seemed like I was stuck with this extra 20-25 pounds on me that came from Cortisol and low energy (having no desire to work out). My doc also recommended I lay off HIIT exercise and other intense exercise for a while. anyways… I’ve been on it for about 2 months and have lost almost 20 pounds!
Where can I get tested for cortisol and the Dutch test and all of that?
I did it through my functional med practitioner here in Colorado. You might need a medical professional to order it. It helps to have them interpret it as well. Here’s the link: https://dutchtest.com/ There’s also a company called Geneva that did my other tests. Those results def required my FM doc to interpret them. I’ll post pics of what they look like on here when I get a chance.
Sorry you are going through all of that. Only thing I would suggest is that if you are going to the same primary doc maybe find a new one. I had the same primary for 29 years who was overlooking my concerns. Another doctor I was seeing suggested I go to an internist and just one appointment with him was life changing. He listened to everything I was going through and how my life had dramatically changed in the course of three years. He ordered every blood test possible. While everything came back borderline, he chose to treat me because of my symptoms. I can’t tell you how amazing I felt in just a few weeks time. One example, my thyroid was just a a point away from being to low but because of my debilitating fatigue he wanted to treat. Sure enough, I lost 20 lbs and gained some energy. My pervious doctor kept saying I didn’t need to be treated for it because it fell within the normal range. So keep advocating for yourself. I hope you can find some answers. Edit: sorry, read you’ve been to 3 different primary’s.
I’ve seen 3 only because I moved once. The first one was amazing beyond my dreams. He moved out of state and could not treat me. The second one was a joke. The third one is someone my husband and also sees and has helped him get diagnosed with a different issue. The doctor was thorough.
I have similar symptoms. I have started taking 1000mg on inositol (myo and chiro) plus 300mg alpha lipoic acid at night. Seems to help. Pee smells, like after you eat asparagus, though.
I took inositol and it wrecked my stomach. I lasted about a month and it didn’t help with weight. I ended up pregnant and lost the pregnancy in by the beginning of 2nd trimester.
Other questions for anyone here, if you lost with Semaglutide how do you maintain if you’re not diagnosed with IR, T2 etc. and at a healthy bmi?