Post Script: Having high cortisol can be as bad as low!

If any of us are under stress, whether emotional, psychological, health reasons (such as being on nothing but T4, having Lyme, mold inhalation, a viral illness, etc), or physical stress, it’s natural for the body to respond with a greater release of cortisol (and even adrenaline) to eventually equal high cortisol. But it causes problems if it goes on for awhile. Here’s information for you to read about high cortisol. ~Janie, hypothyroid / Hashi’s patient and site creator

Why do bodies push cortisol up?

The purpose of rising cortisol is to change amino acids into glucose, called gluconeogenesis. That extra glucose helps give the body the right amount of energy to deal with the stress.

And why do we as hypothyroid or Hashi’s patients see our cortisol go up?

There are many reasons. One is when we are poorly treated with nothing but T4!! Another is a doctor who keeps us underdosed even if we have T3 in our treatment. Hashi’s patients also tend to have inflammation due to the attack on the thyroid which pushes cortisol up, or the consumption of gluten. Even non-Hashi’s patients who are poorly treated can see cortisol go up due to inflammation

List of common causes of elevated cortisol

• autoimmune Hashimoto’s attack stress
• being on T4-only
• being underdosed on NDT or T3 and not optimal (have you fully read what optimal is about?)
• working out too intensely, too often, not allowing rest between workouts (especially common with men, but can happen to women)
• dosing with too much progesterone, which will convert to cortisol (very common with women)
• reactivated viruses like EBV or any viral illnesses
• any chronic illness
• Lyme
• mold exposure
• high heavy metals
• detoxing
• candida
• detoxing of metals, candida, mold
• your current and chronic life stressors

Why would continuing high cortisol be a problem?

Though rising cortisol has a good purpose, we run into trouble if it stays high too long. High cortisol promotes T4 to convert to more and more RT3 (reverse T3), the inactive hormone. And uncontrolled rising cortisol can also lead to weight gain, problems falling asleep or staying asleep, depression from the rise of RT3, fatigue, blood pressure problems, cortisol resistance, and even anxiety, since adrenaline goes up with cortisol. See the last chapter in the STTM II book–BRILLIANT explanation by Dr. Laura Stone.

How will I know if I have elevated cortisol??

For most of us, we have found it unwise to simply guess if you have too-high cortisol! Don’t guess! Symptoms of high and low cortisol can be the same for many.  Additionally, we have learned we can never assume we have it because “blood results” show it. Blood is measuring mostly unbound, unusable cortisol, which means your blood lab result can look high, when in reality, you could have normal or low cortisol results as accurately revealed by saliva testing. This has been very common!

The best way to know is order and do a 24 hour cortisol saliva test. You will test at four key times–read who times so you don’t mess up. When you get your results back, do NOT just go by their normal range graphic. Go by this page. 

What are other symptoms of high cortisol, even if we know it’s important do a saliva cortisol test?

Elevated cortisol can create similar symptoms as having low, such as nausea in the face of stress, adrenaline surges which wire you or keep you awake (insomnia) or make you wake up 1-2 hours after falling asleep, other wakeups, lowered temp, high RT3…you name it. In fact, since excessive cortisol inhibits conversion of T4 to T3, it’s very common to see increases in your RT3 level. You can see a return of hypothyroid symptoms and a lowered temp. But again, it’s not always wise to be guessing, and instead do a saliva test to know for sure.

Another problem with long-term high cortisol–it leads to low cortisol

There comes a point in anyone’s body that the high cortisol will be forced down to low cortisol…and that is a whole another problem to treat. This is what patients see when they have saliva results which are low, high, low, high…or even low, low, high, high, or low, low, low high…or other manifestations.  Often the last high cortisol result to fall is bedtime, but there can be individual variations. It’s just the most common.

The last chapter in the Stop the Thyroid Madness II book by Lena Edwards MD does a bangup job explaining what happens with our cortisol levels, See below.

What does high bedtime cortisol do to me?

High bedtime cortisol can cause disruption of your sleep pattern, resulting in problems falling asleep, or waking up 1-2 hours after falling asleep, or both…which is the very thing you don’t need! High bedtime cortisol can also contribute to low morning cortisol…another bad issue.

How do I treat my high cortisol?

Patients have found help just around the corner at their local health food store or on the internet. The following are examples of over-the-counter products that are taken about an hour before you did the saliva spit for that particular high. (Remember: you don’t take these based on a guess!!) So if you are high at 10 pm, these are taken by 9 pm…etc.  It may only take only a couple of weeks to get a high down if enough of the below is taken. i.e. being able to fall asleep and stay asleep, or less anxiety at any particular high time, or lowering of a high heartrate, etc). You can then decrease the supplement for a few weeks, then get off so you don’t lower it too much!  Some people take a combo of the below, but if enough of one is taken, that has worked too!
NOTE: always, always read about any of these before taking them by doing a search. Let your doctor know what you are taking, too. AND DO NOT GUESS about high cortisol. Test!!

1. Zinc can also help lower high cortisol levels and there are studies to prove it, which mention 25mg, 50 mg, 75 mg, etc. NOTE: for some, it can be important to have a little food in your stomach to prevent nausea. We do NOT take zinc, at a targeted time to lower a known high level, much longer than 3 weeks to lower high cortisol revealed by a saliva cortisol test--it can lower copper levels if take it awhile, and your body needs “some” copper for many important actions. (Note: if you have an active MTHFR mutation (you may have the mutation and it’s not active), you may need to check your zinc and copper levels before using zinc. If your copper is high, the addition of zinc will cause detoxing of that high copper and potential misery, say experts. So some go low and slow.)
2. Holy Basil, which is a member of the mint family, is an adaptogenic herb which has a proven history of lowering high cortisol. It’s a favorite to lower high cortisol. It usually takes more than the bottle says as a serving. This is Janie Bowthorpe’s favorite supplement to lower high bedtime cortisol, or even the morning, if either occur. Two capsules does the trick for Janie, sometimes three if it’s quite high. Then it’s lowered each week until we are off after the third week. ***Please note that a small body of people can have allergic reactions to Holy Basil. But luckily, most do not.
3. Ashwagandha an herb also called an adaptogen, is known to help counter the effects of stress and can eventually lower high cortisol. Janie uses it, too, if she’s keyed up due to stress.
4. CBD oil: CBD is the non-psychoactive chemical found in marijuana, which means there is no THC. So there’s no high. There is good information that it can help lower high cortisol.
5. Fish Oil--yes, studies report it can do a fabulous job lowering high cortisol. Here’s one. But we don’t yet know if it works as fast as the above do!
6. Several other calming supplements, which range from l-theanine (found in green tea, too), chamomile, passion flower, magnesium, etc. but we often need to combine a few of them.

There are other supplements mentioned in the updated revised STTM book, shown below–the bible of worldwide patient experiences and wisdom!

Need help interpreting your lab results? Go here: stopthethyroidmadness.com/lab-values/

(Important note: STTM is an information-only site based on what many patients have reported in their treatment. Please work with your doctor. This is not meant to replace that relationship or guidance, and you agree to that by reading this website. See the Disclaimer.)

Important note: STTM is an information-only site based on what many patients worldwide have reported in their treatment and wisdom over the years. This is not to be taken as personal medical advice, nor to replace a relationship with your doctor. By reading this information-only website, you take full responsibility for what you choose to do with this website's information or outcomes. See the Disclaimer and Terms of Use.