Stages of Adrenal Dysfunction

Stage 1 is presented as the stage where intervention has the greatest impact. Stage 3 suppresses major stress hormones and DHEA, and often suppresses sex hormones as well. Stage 2 is characterized by elevated cortisol with declining DHEA and difficulty turning off despite exhaustion. Stage 1 involves elevated cortisol, DHEA, epinephrine, and insulin while stress response capacity remains intact. Stage 4 is rare and requires medical intervention, sometimes with pharmaceutical hormonal support.