Anyone else here ever have Cortisol elevation issues?

[Nighthawkk]

I made a post a few weeks ago about my PCT after an 8 month cycle, and basically bloodwork showed everything was fine except for highly elevated cortisol levels. The doc wants me to give a 24-hour urine sample to be tested so I'm going to have that done soon to see what the problem is. I've never had cortisol issues during or after a cycle before so I was wondering if anyone else here has had some experience or issues with this sort of thing. I know it's a stress hormone so it could have something to do with that and not the cycle, but it's hard to tell. Right now I just know I feel very tired and depressed compared to the weeks during PCT and I've lost some mass too. If it remains a problem, what should I do about it? Do doctors prescribe anything for this sort of situation?

 

[Nighthawkk]

anyone?

 

[GoldenDelicious]

hiya, pharmacist.

ive personally had some cortisol issues, whereby i had a high normal cortisol reading taht may or may not have indicated cushings syndrome (overproduction of cortisol, leading to a bunch of sides) but i was very stressed at the time, and it coincided with a high creatinine reading (indication of fresh protein breakdown) so i didnt worry about it. interesting that one of the sides of cushings is weakness in the limbs, and im incline pressing 260 for reps at a bodyweight of 177ish

bottom line for you is that there is an excellent chance taht it is a transient thing related to stress, so relax until you get a test back - and be aware taht stressing out more may lead to a false positive reading of a problem

cheers

 

[x_muscle]

during PCT people become usually emotional, and more susceptible to stress, and that may indeed rase cortisol levels.

 

[Goodfellow]

During a cycle (esp a 8 month) somehow cortisol receptors are blocksd and post cycle it hits you like the flood. I believe this is normal.

 

[Nighthawkk]

Thanks for the help guys. Yea, it seems my creatinine was also slightly above normal range, so that would give more truth to what you said golden. It could definitely be the stress too since this is the first time I've had cortisol issues. Is it a bad idea to get back on cycle if the cortisol remains high?

 

[GoldenDelicious]

Thanks for the help guys. Yea, it seems my creatinine was also slightly above normal range, so that would give more truth to what you said golden. It could definitely be the stress too since this is the first time I've had cortisol issues. Is it a bad idea to get back on cycle if the cortisol remains high?

it doesnt really matter that much, to be honest.

the important thing is to work out what the underlying cause of the elevated cortisol was. if its a stress thing, itll take care of itself. if its a feedback loop (ie a hangover) that was tripped off by your previous 8 month cycle, then i suppose you start thinking about giving your body a chance to re-regulate itself (similar to pct, but with cortisol instead of LH etc) but logically, since the phenomenon of long term problematic elevated cortisol in roid using bodybuilders isnt well recognised, chances are its because it was never a significant medical problem, and so you probably wouldnt worry about it (this also adds weight to the idea that this is a result of a stress cycle)

if on the other hand youve developed a brain tumour thats giving rise to increased cortisol production, well then, you have to worry. but those are fairly rare, and thats something to consider after you take a few tests over a significant length of time and see wahts realy going on with your sustained, long term cortisol levels.

honestly, i wouldnt worry too much about it. the odds of it being a short term, self resolving thing are stacked sky high. chill out for a month or so, sort out your personal problems bla bla bla, and get another test.

cheerios

 

[x_muscle]

Most oral steroids downregulates ACTH and cortisol receptors while on cycle, when yo stop using the steroids, the body will rebound by upregulating cortisol recptors. the ody will go to homostasis, normal stage after a while. wait a month or two after PCT and test your cortisteroid values.

 

[GoldenDelicious]

Most oral steroids downregulates ACTH and cortisol receptors while on cycle, when yo stop using the steroids, the body will rebound by upregulating cortisol recptors. the ody will go to homostasis, normal stage after a while. wait a month or two after PCT and test your cortisteroid values.

you know, a couple things are wrong with this post, but i get the feeling its rushed typing that led it to be so.

 

[marshallmadman]

Get yourself some Cytadren, and follow the protocol in Building the Perfect Beast. If you aren't that hardcore, try something OTC. Bump up your intake of Vitamin C, or try some Phosphatidyserine.

 

[Güclü_oglan]

not had much problems with elevetad bad cholesterol, problem was in terribly low HDL-levels, i almost lost my class-1 medical certificate because of it

 

[Nighthawkk]

Get yourself some Cytadren, and follow the protocol in Building the Perfect Beast. If you aren't that hardcore, try something OTC. Bump up your intake of Vitamin C, or try some Phosphatidyserine.

I would only resort to that if it remained a serious problem. I'd rather try something OTC or herbal first, but hopefully it will level out on its own. Maybe the urine test the doc is giving me can shed light on the issue. I'd worry much more about cholesterol and test levels after PCT, but those were fine so I'm not worried as much. Though I'm a little disappointed that I'm gaining midsection fat quickly and losing mass at a faster rate with the cortisol being high so I do want to fix that.