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Re: cortisol - my problem?! » tlc1222

Posted by MarkinBoston on January 9, 2001, at 13:28:50

In reply to Re: cortisol - my problem?!, posted by tlc1222 on January 4, 2001, at 13:14:07

>
> Has anyone found that they gained weight with this problem? I suffered a traumatic situation a couple of years ago after which I gained 20 lbs. I've been searching like crazy for an answer as to how to get it off -- I've tried everything -- and am down to overactive adrenal glands possibly causing my thyroid and many other systems to slow down... I just did a saliva test and found that my am level of cortisol is quite high. Also, I think I read that the herb licorice root is supposed to be helpful for this.
>
> Thanks!

My cortisol is high and I've done much researh on this issue. High cortisol is almost a given with melancholic depression. Depression throws the endocrine system out of whack and AD meds help restore it. Recently, the NIH has suggested treating endocrine symptoms along with AD therapy.

Cortisol (stress hormone) is not good at high levels unless you are in some temporary life threatening situation where shutting down non-essential functions (sex, muscle building, immune response) and preparing for a tough time by storing energy as fat and breaking down muscle for energy. High cortisol will decrease your level of testosterone, making weight loss harder,
and it will increase your blood pressure. It is associated with heartburn and heart disease.

CRF (the hormone that triggers cortisol release from the adrenals) is generally high in the depressed (in spinal fluid), and associated with lower levels of Human Growth Hormone. HgH also helps keep you thinner and support lean tissue over fat tissue. Its expensive and a literal pain in the ass to inject 6 IU's daily though.

Exercise temporararly increases cortisol, stress increases cortisol (social interaction, e.g.), high estrogen amplifies the response to stress in men and women. Having more fat raises estrogen levels in men and women.

Many of the drugs that supress cortisol will also supress other steroids like testosterone, so you will likely need exogenous replacement with a drug like ketoconazole (which is also liver toxic). Search for treatment of Cushing's Syndrome or Pseudo Cushing's Syndrome. Depression is in the Pseudo catagory, but actual physiologic Cushing's should be screened for as depression is one of its symptoms. Key markers for Cushing's is that your cortisol does not decrease significantly at night, or 8 hours following 1mg of dexamethasone ingestion at 11pm (the DST test).


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