My doctor says my cortisol doubled during the ACTH stimulation test, so I am ok-is he right?
Most people with pituitary caused adrenal insufficiency, aka secondary adrenal insufficiency, do double on that test, but from a low base cortisol value. If your STIM started below mid 20’s for women and below upper 20s for men, but doubled or more, then that suggests possible secondary adrenal insufficiency. A serum ACTH must be tested just before the STIM is started. From what I’ve seen, serum ACTH can be as high as lower 40’s for secondary AI, but most are below 30. Keep in mind the ranges today are even more flawed than they were 2+ years ago when 99% of labs used a range of 10-60. In my opinion a good range for ACTH would be 40-55. See here for a greatly detailed explanation of how to interpret your ACTH STIM test.
