What are the downsides for using lysotrine or mitotane to suppress cortisol?
anyone?
Supressed cortisol levels can be very dangerous.
The simple fact is that your body NEEDS cortisol.
If you are taking excess amounts of one of these supplements than get a fever, stung by a bee (if you’re allergic), or in some way are seriously injured your body will have no way of coping with it by releasing stress hormone.
I myself suffer from this problem–caused by drug use mind you–and cannot even do cardio aerobics or risk going into a seizure, coma or extreme discomfort.
Use carefully.
Well, also, a) how do you know if you produce excess cortisol and b) how do you know if you’re supressing it too much? We need cortisol, so I think those are important questions.
NeilG, excess cortisol is apparent in increased hunger muscle deterioration–of course those are affects of it. A person with allergies or an inflammatory illness can tell that their cortisol levels have shot up if their symptoms reappear.
Like I said earlier, increased hunger and muscle detioration are not exactly good things. We need cortisol, but some people have the bad luck of producing too much of it (because their body is overcompensating for its inflammatory disease) and therefore dealing with its side effects.
Oh yeah, cortisol also makes you age three times faster–not fun unless you really can’t wait to be able to buy beer.
Rather then guessing that your cortisol levels are elevated why not get them measured? There are saliva tests which measure your cortisol levels usually at 4 points during the day and compare them to normal levels.
Neil,
Too much = a) muscle wasting, especially in the limbs, b) increased accumulation of abdominal fat, and c) decreased immune function.
Too little = really sore joints as well as the problems alluded to above.
Im sure Grant apreciates this somewhat delayed response.
Sergius you said “A person with allergies or an inflammatory illness can tell that their cortisol levels have shot up if their symptoms reappear.”
I might be wrong, but my take on this is that Cortisol is an anti-inflammatory, shouldn’t that say disappear rather then reappear?
Kelly–I thought that I wrote that with a bit too much ambiguity.
It’s a cause and effect which I put backwards.
Cause: Allergic Symptoms, Effect: Cortisol levels raise to combat inflammation.
Thus if you’re allergies start up, it’s a given fact that your adrenal glands are going to begin manufacturing cortisol