Do adrenal problems cause weight gain?
Hi. My 24 yr old daughter has every classic symptom for adrenal fatigue and low thyroid right down to the "feed me or I'll kill you" symptom. She has suffered this since early high school, but we are finally on the road to understanding and hopefully resolving her problems. However, my daughter is 5'4" and barely 100lbs. She has always been very thin and tried to gain weight, but unsuccessfully. She is very self-conscious about this and wants to look normal. My question is: why does normal discussion of adrenal and thyroid problems always include symptoms of being over-weight when my daughter has the very opposite problem? Thank you!
Answer
Actually, low adrenal can cause weight loss (and high adrenal weight gain). Other factors that may travel with these can cause the weight to go either way as well, so treatment may help regardless of the weight.
L&B,
Dr. T
Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D. is one of the world's leading integrative medical authorities on fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. He is the lead author of eight research studies on their effective treatments, and has published numerous health & wellness books, including the bestseller on fibromyalgia From Fatigued to Fantastic! and The Fatigue and Fibromyalgia Solution. His newest book (June 10, 2024) is You Can Heal From Long COVID. Dr. Teitelbaum is one of the most frequently quoted fibromyalgia experts in the world and appears often as a guest on news and talk shows nationwide including Good Morning America, The Dr. Oz Show, Oprah & Friends, CNN, and Fox News Health.
