Adrenal fatigue is an autoimmune attack on the adrenal glands where they're destroyed and they can no longer produce cortisol. Early recommendations were to really focus in on hormones, such as DHEA or hydrocordisone. The other recommendations were: You're not getting enough sleep and you're drinking too much coffee. And so part of what I recommend these days is focusing on restoring your energy levels before I even mention anything about maybe cutting back on coffee use.