# Cortisol and Anxiety



## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

*Cortisol, Nitric Oxide and Anxiety*

I found this article that sounds interesting. It says that people with anxiety have higher levels of cortisol. Are there any supplements or drugs that lower cortisol? Has anyone here tried them?

http://psychiatry.jwatch.org/cgi/content/full/2002/425/1



> Researchers have reported that children and adults with anxiety disorders share similar respiratory responses to the CO2 inhalation challenge test (Journal Watch Psychiatry Jan 23 2001). Cortisol levels before CO2 inhalation in adults with anxiety disorders have been reported to be higher than those in healthy adults, and so these investigators tested salivary cortisol levels before CO2 inhalation in 62 children with anxiety disorders (panic disorder, social phobia, separation anxiety, or generalized anxiety disorder) or depression (17 children with comorbid depression, 5 with "pure" depression) and in 36 age-matched, healthy children. Participants underwent cortisol testing at baseline and before and after CO2 inhalation on the same day.
> Children with anxiety disorders who developed panic symptoms during CO2 inhalation had significantly higher mean levels of cortisol before CO2 inhalation than did anxiety-disordered children who did not develop panic and normal children; cortisol levels in the group of nonpanicking, anxiety-disordered children did not differ significantly from those of the normal group. Similarly, among anxiety-disordered children without depression, cortisol levels before CO2 inhalation were significantly higher in the 14 children who developed panic symptoms during inhalation than levels in the patients who did not panic.
> *Comment:* As the authors note, these biologic test results provide strong evidence of the continuity of anxiety disorders across the age span. These findings, which were based on relatively small subgroups, warrant further research into the role of comorbid depression in anxiety disorders. The findings are consistent with the reported role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in anxiety and depression.
> *- Barbara Geller, MD*
> _Published in_ Journal Watch Psychiatry _April 25, 2002_


----------



## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

I'm pretty sure cortisol levels are usually a RESPONSE to stress, not so much a cause. Abnormally high cortisol levels usually results in Cushing's syndrome, which has VERY obvious symptoms.


----------



## kirribilli (Mar 9, 2010)

Still, why do some people have cortisol rushes when stressed and others do not? That seems key.


----------



## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

meyaj said:


> I'm pretty sure cortisol levels are usually a RESPONSE to stress, not so much a cause. Abnormally high cortisol levels usually results in Cushing's syndrome, which has VERY obvious symptoms.


I ve done some more reading. Seems like you are right. Theres one study that says that people that are exposed to a stressful situation while being given cortisol before the test have got a less painful memory of it than those that havent. 
I ll try and look for it.
Edit: Found the article. The link for the study on the article is broken. but you ll get the whole idea if you read the article.
http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=28462&w=12&cn=1

From the sound of it cortisol would be a good addition to CBT


----------



## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

Found another article that better explains than the above article:



> *Researchers from the University of Zurich are suggesting that a dose of the stress hormone cortisol may help people overcome phobias.*
> 
> They have come up with a pill which is based on cortisol. Cortisol impairs the retrieval of memories, and people forget what they are fearful of.
> Working on this principle the researchers were curious to see if people with a phobia such as fear of spiders, when given a dose of the hormone before exposure to a spider, or their own personal phobia trigger, would be helped.
> ...


I also found that aspergers syndrome, a condition that causes similar symptoms as social anxiety is linked with low cortisol.
Also feeling fatigued and having low blood pressure is also linked with low cortisol (something that I have). Sleep deprivation increases cortisol levels. When I have been deprived of sleep I usually feel like talkative, with lots of energy.

From what I ve read licorice and D-ribose can help increase cortisol levels. I buy some licorice extract and see results. If I see significant improvement I ll ask my doctor to do a test. They also sell 20mg Hydrocortison pills on the pharmacy.


----------



## kirribilli (Mar 9, 2010)

Can an endocrinologist measure cortisol levels in an easy lab test? What is hydrocortison pills? How can you tell if you have mild Asperger's?


----------



## mark555666 (May 1, 2008)

meyaj said:


> I'm pretty sure cortisol levels are usually a RESPONSE to stress, not so much a cause. Abnormally high cortisol levels usually results in Cushing's syndrome, which has VERY obvious symptoms.


Agree.

Vitamin C can lower stress hormones (like cortisol) I believe. Large doses make me sleepy.

http://bodybuilding.about.com/od/supplementationbasics/tp/reducecortisol.htm


----------



## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

kirribilli said:


> Can an endocrinologist measure cortisol levels in an easy lab test? What is hydrocortison pills? How can you tell if you have mild Asperger's?


Any doctor can test for cortisol levels, and yes the test is easy. A GP will probably order it if you ask, you don't need a specialist for it.

Finding out if you have Asperger's is difficult and requires an extensive process with a well-trained specialist in the area. "Mild" Asperger's is not even easy for THEM to catch, but if it's mild, it shouldn't be a significant issue. There's no real treatment FOR Asperger's anyways, so it doesn't really matter. Just generic therapies like occupational, social, and life skills training. Asperger's is something you pretty much just have to "accept" you have, so a "mild" diagnosis isn't really all that useful anyways. There is also a really terrible trend of people diagnosing THEMSELVES with Asperger's, and out of any disorder this is easily the one that is MOST INCORRECTLY self-diagnosed, so I strongly urge you not to do so, and see a specialist if you think you actually need a diagnosis. A lot of people with even mild social problems find Asperger's an attractive diagnosis because, as I said, there's nothing you can really do about it, so it allows people to justify to themselves doing nothing to solve their problems, which is a really unhealthy attitude if you DON'T actually have Asperger's. Thus, I stress the importance of a professional diagnosis if you really feel like you need that label.

Lastly, hydrocortisone is a CORTICOSTEROID. It is not a supplement. It is used to raise blood sugar, and more importantly, it is used to SEVERELY WEAKEN THE IMMUNE SYSTEM in auto-immune diseases. It is practically the equivalent of giving yourself drug-induced AIDS. Why you would want to do that for no reason, I don't know. It can also make you gain a TON of weight, as well as possibly cause Cushing's syndrome, which includes such pleasant symptoms as brittle. thin, and possibly falling out hair, and a freaking HUMP OF FAT on your back.


----------



## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

It looks like there is a relationship between dopamine and cortisol.

This is interesting:
http://content.karger.com/produktedb/produkte.asp?typ=fulltext&file=000106056



> *Plasma prolactin levels are sensitive to dopamine and serotonin function, and fatigue. Low cortisol, dopamine and/or serotonin may be involved in burnout and detachment. Methods: In this double-blind within-subject study, we treated 9 female burnout subjects and 9 controls with 35 mg cortisol and placebo orally. We measured state affect and plasma prolactin, oxytocin, cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone levels, and administered an attachment questionnaire. Results: The burnout subjects displayed an extreme distribution of basal prolactin levels, displaying higher or lower levels compared to the controls. The low prolactin burnouts had profoundly low attachment scores and tended to have low oxytocin levels. The high prolactin burnout subjects tended to show cortisol-induced decreased prolactin and fatigue, and increased vigor. Conclusion: Results are consistent with the hypothesis that burnout subjects are either characterized by low serotonergic function or by low dopaminergic function, and that the latter group benefits from cortisol replacement. These preliminary results suggest that differentiating between two syndromes may resolve inconsistencies in research on burnout, and be necessary for selecting the right treatment strategy*.


This is from one article I ve read (its been talking about new experiences, like sky diving):
http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/050829/29book_2.htm



> *But with dopamine in the striatum, cortisol interacts synergistically. Novelty releases dopamine, stress releases cortisol, and when they come together they create an intense feeling of satisfaction.*


Or in this article :
http://www.ehow.com/facts_5798168_cortisol_-dopamine-learning.html



> *Cortisol is needed for the hypothalamus to be fully alert. When cortisol is produced, it helps stimulate dopamine production in the brain. Helped by cortisol, dopamine levels typically remain elevated until midday. This is why most schools are open from early morning until late afternoon, when dopamine levels are at their peak. *


Also here:
http://www.nature.com/npp/journal/v30/n4/abs/1300667a.html



> *Findings showed that cortisol levels were positively associated with AMPH-induced DA release in the left ventral striatum (LVS) and the dorsal putamen. Subjects with higher cortisol responses to AMPH also reported more positive subjective drug effects than subjects with lower cortisol responses"*


Also here:
http://jds.fass.org/cgi/content/abstract/89/6/2051



> *Our results indicated that a dopamine antagonist increased cortisol, suggesting that endogenous dopamine, at least in part, regulates cortisol and prolactin secretion.*


There are more. Those are just a few.


----------



## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

It seems like I am on the right track.
I have a (second) rare condition called thalassemia minor. The study below shows that people with thalassemia have low cortisol levels.

Heres abstract of the study:



> Serum *cortisol* levels of 100 children 3-10 years old with various haemoglobinopathies were measured. The mean *cortisol* levels of sickle cell trait, sickle cell disease, _ß_-*thalassemia* minor and
> 
> 
> 
> ...


http://tropej.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/39/1/30


----------



## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

karoloydi said:


> It seems like I am on the right track.
> I have a (second) rare condition called thalassemia minor. The study below shows that people with thalassemia have low cortisol levels.
> 
> Heres abstract of the study:
> ...


Sounds like you were on the opposite track :lol

You wanted to know how to lower cortisol at first


----------



## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

meyaj said:


> Sounds like you were on the opposite track :lol
> 
> You wanted to know how to lower cortisol at first


lol. Yeah, at first I thought that high cortisol=high anxiety. But from what I ve read and from what other people have pointed, I was wrong. High cortisol=low anxiety (or normal cortisol=low anxiety more likely). Read my post with the many quotes.


----------



## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

yeah i was just teasing


----------



## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

I also noticed that my dad, after startign taking nitric oxide, he stopped being the confident man he used to be. Now I ve read here that nitric oxide is causing low cortisol:

http://www.newtreatments.org/Hypoglycemia/ga/123



> If one were looking for a single factor that would completely
> explain chronic fatigue syndrome,including every single crazy symptoms known to occur in this
> illness, you would need only look atupregulated nitric oxide (NO).
> 
> ...


Also here it states that Reducing Nitric Oxide in the Brain Improves Memory & Social Function in Patients With Schizophrenia:

http://www.schizophrenia.com/sznews/archives/005764.html

This research says that Inhibition of neuronal nitric oxide reduces anxiety-like responses to pair housing

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=19957051

Also a US patent of a drug for anxiety that reduces NO:
http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/5665757/description.html

*Inhibition of neuronal nitric oxide synthase increases dopamine efflux from rat striatum* 
http://www.springerlink.com/content/6ke141a9quvhj64j/

Nitric oxide mediation of cocaine-induced dopaminergic behaviors
http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/275/2/551.abstract?ck=nck

Theres like A TON of articles about nitric oxide and anxiety!


----------



## The Professor (Jul 31, 2011)

This can't be true... cortisol has to be bad


----------



## imrj (Jan 20, 2009)

Wrong!!! Cortisol is GOOD!!! is your hormone army to defend you against STRESS.....cortisol its simply doing its job when you are under STRESS.....
STRESS is the enemy...not cortisol

w/o cortisol your life is a total misery, I have Addisons and you dont want to ever be low on cortisol....cortisol is the ONLY hormone you cant live w/o for more than a few days......

People, dont ever try to lower your cortisol, EVER!!! you will not be pleased....once you have downregulated your cortisol production it can take years of pain and agony for your adrenals to recover....leave your cortisol alone, let it do what it was made to do and take control of your STRESS


----------



## swim (Apr 4, 2011)

I like your avatar Karol it paints the picture


----------



## Oioioi123 (Nov 1, 2011)

Part of stablon(tianeptine)'s action is too lower cortisol. It's a unique anti-d An SSRE


----------



## A Sense of Purpose (May 8, 2011)

Certain antipsychotics have infulence over cortisol levels via regulation of the HPA axis, however this can come at a price of dompaminergic blockers leading to eps and td


----------



## baranok (Nov 17, 2011)

> *Factors generally reducing cortisol levels*
> *Magnesium supplementation decreases serum cortisol levels after aerobic exercise,[56][57] but not after resistance training.[58]
> *Omega 3 fatty acids have a dose-dependent effect [59] in slightly reducing cortisol release influenced by mental stress,[60] suppressing the synthesis of interleukin-1 and -6 and enhancing the synthesis of interleukin-2; the former promotes higher CRH release. Omega 6 fatty acids, on the other hand, have an inverse effect on interleukin synthesis.[citation needed]
> *Music therapy can reduce cortisol levels in certain situations.[61]
> ...


so is it good to have it high?
its antiflammatory, increase adrenaline and decrease serotonin in brain

but all reducing agents are known to be healthy and vise versa, so can somebody explain? or it is about harmony at some level?

also it does some trick on short-term memory, from what i got its action is "think and do right now" and less "dreaming" about past


----------



## lazy (Nov 19, 2008)

karoloydi said:


> Are there any supplements or drugs that lower cortisol? Has anyone here tried them?


Holy Basil?

The first time I tried it (in the evening), it gave me that low-blood sugar feeling. I ate food, but still felt that sweaty-like feeling. Does cortisol lowering meds do this to people? I had trouble sleeping that day.

Then after that day, all it did to me was make me really drowsy for about 1-2 hours then I'd feel normal again (I took it during the day). I stopped taking it after a few days. Though recently I tried taking it again, and it doesn't seem to do anything to me anymore... :con

So I experienced two opposing symptoms, the first dose keeping me up, and the second sedating me :|


----------



## imrj (Jan 20, 2009)

lazy said:


> Does cortisol lowering meds do this to people?


yes, low cortisol very commonly leads to hypoglycemia, you need cortisol to metabolize glucose.....


----------



## Wizard1969 (Apr 9, 2013)

I suspect Cortisol is just a symptom not a cause.


----------

