Posted by SLS on September 13, 2001, at 9:09:01
In reply to Re: Thanks for responses » SLS, posted by shelliR on September 12, 2001, at 22:45:01
> BTW, I just read the posts on ketoconazole and hypercontisolemia. Interesting stuff. Have you been tested for this?
Hi Shelli.Yeah. I was given the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) very early on. I tested positive. My adrenal glands did not reduce their cortisol output as would be normal in a healthy individual when challenged with a single dose of dexamethasone, a synthetic corticosteroid. This was performed as a blood-test that was given the day after ingesting the dexamethasone.
I was also given the "spit-test", and tested positive for that too. This differs from the DST in that it simply tests for the level of cortisol for any moment in time. It is not as reliable for two reasons. The levels of cortisol can fluctuate greatly over the course of a day, hours, or even minutes. It also does not give a clear picture of the functional state of the system. The DST can show whether the endocrine regulatory mechanisms are operating properly whereas the spit-test might only be reflecting a momentary level of stress. I guess it can be a good preliminary indicator of dysfunction, though.
No doctor ever mentioned cortisol, HPA, or ketoconazole, even though I was aware of its limited use eight years ago. In the past, I felt like trying things like ketaconozole was an act of foolish desperation. It was not consistent with the views of mainstream medicine, and I was more desperate to believe that mainstream medicine and my mainstream doctors had all of the answers necessary to get me well. I guess I am still trapped by mainstream medicine. I had hoped that the doctor I have been working with over this past year would have offered me some radically different and unheard of things to try. I am willing. Crap. I might need to find another doctor. This is so hard for me because I am generally too vegetative and listless to act proactively. I am left very passive, and pretty much rely on doctors to think for me. I imagine this seems hard to believe based upon the way I write.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:78595
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010907/msgs/78713.html