Adrenal fatigue is becoming more and more common as people work overtime and there is no relief in sight. They are simply more and more exhausted, until they can barely get out of bed in the morning after staying up all night. Read on for the challenge of getting a decent diagnosis.

If you report symptoms of excessive fatigue in the presence of emotional trauma, your doctor may order blood tests to determine the levels of hormones such as hydrocortisone, aldosterone, epinephrine, and ACHT in your blood, urine, or plasma. That is if your doctor is any good.

There are also other tests for adrenal fatigue that involve injecting substances into the bloodstream that change the production of a specific hormone. For example, in the ACHT challenge test, in which the ACHT hormone is injected, there should be an increase in adrenal output; otherwise, adrenal fatigue is most likely present.

If your doctor suspects adrenal disease, he or she may also order imaging studies to rule out the presence of adrenal calcification, tumors, atrophy, or megalia of the gland. The most common imaging techniques include abdominal x-rays, MRI, CT scan, arteriography, radionuclide scanning, and an intravenous scan of the kidneys along with intravenous dye. Your doctor will use the results of your blood tests and any imaging scans done to reach a diagnosis of adrenal fatigue.

Unfortunately, most doctors don’t really diagnose adrenal fatigue unless the adrenals are completely depleted. Hopefully, you haven’t waited that long and it’s not too bad. Rather than take your chances with a regular doctor, you may want to go to an alternative health practitioner first, who might be able to help you restore proper functioning to your adrenal glands before they are completely depleted.