Re: Is this low cortisol and AF? What to do next?

What's caused your adrenal insufficiency is what you should focus on too.

From everything i've read about causations of adrenal problems, persistent chronic 'life' stress will eventually deplete cortisol production - it takes years but it's possible. This is mainly chronic emotional stress coupled with physical decline.

The other causes of a quicker decline of adrenal function is a bacterial/viral problem which is also triggering the HPA axis constantly - leading to depletion of all hormones, symptoms and change in mood so often reported.

With emotional stress, coupled with a bacterial or viral problem the AF issues will snowball faster.

Also, worth factoring in is excess ammonia and acetaldehyde (bi-product of candida and krebs cycle) which also will over-trigger HPA axis.

Studies show that any kind of abuse exposed to as a child, whether physical, sexua| or emotional - messes up the HPA axis and depletes adrenal function.
Emotional abuse caused less reactivity of cortisol release in adults who experienced childhood abuse. There was not a spike in cortisol as expected like in 'normal' subjects exposed to stress.
It seems the HPA axis does not 're-wire' despite the abuse stopping. It programmes the stress system from the get-go of childhood to be out of whack.
The abuse causes a surge of hormone reactions and neurotransmitters so eventually the receptors down-regulate and de-sensitise to serotonin for example because there is so much serotonin floating around. The same happens to all other receptors. Thus, while most victims of abuse are plagued with addictions of drugs, caffeine, cigarettes in order to boost neurotransmitter production.
So any abuse issues need to be taken seriously by victims as having a real tangible chemical physical effect on them potentially for the rest of their lives, and will require supplemental help to help achieve better balance.

Auto-immune conditions also can affect adrenal glands and cause physical destruction of the glands, requiring steroid therapy...which with most is for life...unless lucky to find balance and eventually wean off of them.

So if you know your cause, it will help more with figuring out a protocol.
Saliva results and other testing helps us figure out how depleted those functions are.

This is an interesting site and practitioner who is fairly reasonable for sessions. Has been there herself with imbalances and has healed, just thought i'd pass it on to you stardust:

http://www.holistichelp.net/adrenal-fatigue.html