Testing times:
Within a half hour of your normal waking time
4-5 hours later
4-5 hours later
Your normal bedtime
The following information is CRITICAL information that we have learned about testing your adrenals with a saliva test and is based on patient experience.
READ THE LIST OF PRESCRIPTIONS AND SUPPLEMENTS TO AVOID BELOW
IF YOU HAVE TO SHIP YOUR TEST IN HOT WEATHER, SHIP THE TEST OVERNIGHT. It is always best to ship in cooler weather, but sometimes we have no choice. Freeze the samples, even in cooler weather. Use overnight shipping no matter what country it’s shipped from: Do NOT believe that you can get away with NOT doing overnight shipping. We saw a lot of WEIRD results when saliva results took a week, years ago. We are not saying they would all end up that way, but enough did, that we started saying to overnight it. We have found it best to test between Sundays and Tuesday so the test arrives and processing has begun all within a couple of days of the test for accuracy. You can do a Wednesday test only if you overnight it Thursday morning with a guaranteed Friday morning delivery. We do not recommend testing on Thursday, Friday or Saturday as the test will sit around for too long before processing.
UPS/Canary Club/Canada: ZRT website indicates customers do not receive a shipping label with orders outside the US when ordering directly from them. Canary Club doesn’t send a pre-approved label for Canada but they do recommend UPS (special instructions from ZRT: If UPS or any other courier requires extra documentation you could give them these 2 documents and it would probably solve the problem. All you have to do is ask Canary for them when you order the test kit) Invoice sample if you need it:
Please do not rinse before spitting, we do suggest that you put nothing in your mouth at all a half hour before testing.
Things to avoid the day before and day of the test:
- No lip products on the day of the test.
- Caffeine- has disruptive effect on adrenals.
- Exercise- can lower or raise cortisol
- Alcohol
Use ZRT or one of the other labs with ranges. If we get labs done using less than signs we cannot do the math to figure out the top 1/4 and mid-range.
Try magnesium to get to sleep the night before the test.
Supplements and medications to avoid when testing cortisol
Patient experience has shown that thyroid patients with suspected adrenal issues learned that if they continue to take certain supplements and medications right up until doing their saliva cortisol test, they don’t see what their adrenals are doing without an influence on them by those medications and supplements”.
When possible, we have found that we want to treat the “natural state” of our adrenal function, not the “influenced state”, whenever possible. There are things that are simply just not safe to stop, antidepressants for example, in these cases, we would need to test while still on them. Always work with your Dr before stopping anything.
Below is a list of more common medications and that may be influencing adrenals in their cortisol production. Many patients state they stop taking as many of these over-the-counter supplements they can for two weeks before testing. Some may not be able to go that long without them.
Caffeine is mostly out of the system in about 24 hours, to be safe, we suggest no caffeine the day before or day of saliva cortisol testing. Many find they need to wean back gradually to not have withdrawal symptoms while testing, which also may cause an influence on the cortisol results.
SUPPLEMENTS THAT COULD POTENTIALLY AFFECT ADRENAL FUNCTION (giving a false result of what your adrenals are doing naturally–you want to know what they are doing on their own). These need to be off of 2 weeks when possible, unless noted otherwise:
- Adrenal glandulars
- 5-HTP (serotonin precursor)
- Adrenal Cortex
- Astragalus
- Ashwagandha
- Caffeine (for 48 hours, this can be from chocolate, coffee, tea or caffeinated sodas, for example)
- CBD Products
- Cordyceps
- DHEA in higher amounts (it’s recommended to be off all DHEA for at least 72 hours)
- Flonase
- GABA
- Holy Basil
- Jujube
- Kava kava
- Licorice Root
- Magnolia root extract
- Melatonin
- Over-the-counter and prescribed antihistamines (with pseudo-ephedrine)
- Over-the-counter asthma supplements (with pseudo-ephedrine )
- Over-the-counter cold supplements (with ephedrine and pseudo-ephedrine)
- Paba
- Pantothenic Acid -Vitamin B5
- P5P–the active form of B6 (could lower cortisol in some)
- Phosphatidylserine (PS)
- Pregnenolone
- Progesterone
- Relora
- Rhodiola
- Schizandra Berry
- Siberian Ginseng (Eleuthero)
- Theanine
- Valerian
- Zinc
PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS WHICH DO OR COULD AFFECT ADRENAL FUNCTION (you may or may not be able to safely get off these! Please work with your doctor):
- ADHD meds (Adderall for example)
- Anti-depressants (whether Tricyclic or SSRI)
- Anti-anxiety meds, such as Benzodiazepines or Benzos (Xanax is an example)
- Asthma prescription medications or sprays
- Beta Blockers (Lopressor or Toprol XL, Atenolol or Tenormin, Labetalol like Normodyne and Trandate)
- Blood Pressure medications
- Compounded Progesterone
- Florinef
- HC (Hydrocortisone like Cortef and other brands)
- Lyrica/Gabapentin
- Medrol (aka Methylprednisone)
- Pain killers for arthritis
- Pain killers for Migraines (aka Imitrex)
- Prednisone or Prednisolone
- Sleeping Pills (such as Lunesta, Ambien)
And here’s a medical article about it all:
Medication effects on salivary cortisol
How caffeine affects Cortisol:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2257922/
WHERE TO ORDER A SALIVA TEST KIT:
In the U.S.:
https://www.canaryclub.org/shop/zrt-diurnal-cortisol-4x-stress
In Canada ( You need a Doctor to order it):
Adrenal Check – FLUIDS iQ
Note: we have learned that Canada can also use Canary club to order testing, Canada residents will be required to pay for return shipping to Oregon.
https://www.canaryclub.org/shop/zrt-diurnal-cortisol-4x-stress
Adrenal testing for UK and Europe
https://www.mindovermetal.co.uk/adrenal-function-stress-test-cortisol-saliva-and-dhea-uk-and-europe.html
Mexico City:
http://www.ndimexico.com/kit-hormonas/?fbclid=IwAR0V3AQA3AjOVbqpORMNJKwG5rIaVXl7Cv3ChUlH9D9lisnmt-o7La9GWK0
In Australia:
http://nutripath.com.au/product/adrenocortex-stress-profile-basic-or-extensive-saliva-test-code-1001-1002/
Ask for a ‘self-referred patients disclaimer agreement’ waiver form to be emailed/sent to enable you to order your own kit and results without needing to go through a doctor. Phone: 1300 688 522 Address: NutriPATH PO Box 442 ASHBURTON, VIC, 3147 Australia
South Africa:
Ampath Labs is located in most cities in South Africa an does the 4-point saliva cortisol test with full lab ranges. Phone the depot in your area and ask them to send a saliva test kit to the nearest lab to your home or work for you to pick up.
Although they state the last test is to be done at 8:00 PM, simply do the test at your regular bedtime and put 8 PM on the form as that time (make note for yourself the time you actually did it)
When you bring the completed test back to them, instruct them it is to be kept frozen. You do have to put a Dr’s name and add the test by hand onto the test form.
When you return to collect the results, if they tell you that they can only release them to the Dr you listed, insist loudly that you had paid for the test yourself and the results belong to you and you have a legal right to them, as other thyroid patients in South Africa have done successfully.