Safe ways to increase cortisol levels (slow oxidizers)

[Nina]

My latest blood test results show too low cortisol (8am/4pm). Saliva at 11pm was low/normal.

I was looking for ways to safely increase cortisol levels in the body and the things i have found are:
- Licorice root (not 100% sure if it's cortisol or aldosterone)
- Nicotine
- GABA agonists? Possible rebound to higher cortisol than before. I'm not sure though, just a theory.
- Possibly amphetamines by lowering GABA and thus increasing potassium/metabolism
- Calcium channel blockers, but i don't think this is safe at all.

That's all i got for now.

If you have experience with these supplements, that would be interesting!




Nicotine study posted on the forum: The effects of smoking on ACTH and cortisol secretion. - PubMed - NCBI

Amphetamine study i found: Effects of cocaine and amphetamine on acetylcholine release in the hippocampus and caudate nucleus. - PubMed - NCBI

Quotes about cortisol by Helen

"raising acetylcholine lowers calcium which increases metabolism and thyroid. action. and increases cortisol at the same time since acetylcholine raises ACTH which PSSD people have low, same as slow oxidizers. As calcium falls, body does not need as much progesterone, and progesterone gets turned into cortisol and ACTH goes up"


"AR is overexpressed my friends, and if you lower calcium or take thyroid. progesterone falls, and it is not blocking your AR anymore and you feel everything ))

Progesterone rises= to block AR and to increase potassium in high calcium scenario))

if you take calcium away, metabolism speeds up, progesterone falls- stops blocking AR and you will feel the real deal of how your ARS work)) you simply get bald in weeks))"

 

[tanedout]

I think with low cortisol you should avoid caffeine, so could try cutting out coffee or coke if you drink that

Also I guess TEI should address this in theory, as it could be over stressed adrenals? Adrenal support supplements could make a big difference!

 

[bruschi11]

I guarantee there is a foreign organism in your body that is at the root of causing this issue.

 

[MNK99]

You can't just increase one hormone, it's not like adding a chip to a car. Work on everything slowly over time don't rush.
issues with veleran only: (altho yes every single other option seems way way safer, you're right about that). pregabalin and the other stuff i forget seem pretty messed up too, lyrica or whatever its called. maybe straight gaba? idk.
MMJ, Vodka, Xanax all affect that too (gaba), not saying do street drugs either. In fact I'm saying, ideally don't. Just say no. Cortisol, there's an easy substitution that could work but it's ill advised if you know what I'm saying.

https://www.latimes.com/.../la-sci-sn-pancreatic-cancer-hypertension-20180417-story....
Apr 18, 2018 - A certain class of medications for controlling high blood pressure appears to double the ... Examples of short-acting calcium channel blockers (and the ... Cartia and Dilacor) and verapamil(Calan, Covera, Isoptin and Verelan).

Verelan - Uses, Side Effects, Interactions - Canoe.com
Verelan - Uses, Side Effects, Interactions - Canoe.com
Verelan: Verapamil belongs to the class of medications called calcium channel blockers. The sustained release (SR) form of this medication is used for the ...

Calcium channel blockers caught in the act at atomic level: Structural ...
Calcium channel blockers caught in the act at atomic level: Structural studies unlock basic mechanisms of common heart and blood pressure medications, and could lead to better drug design
Aug 24, 2016 - The study looked at the anti-arrhythmia drug verapamil, and the ... The researchers compared calcium channel blockers that treat heart ...

Side effects of calcium channel blockers. | Hypertension - AHA Journals
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1161/01.hyp.11.3_pt_2.ii42
by RP Russell - ‎1988 - ‎Cited by 97 - ‎Related articles

Calcium channel blocking drugs are a chemically heterogenous group, so it might ... the greatest negative inotropic effect is seen with verapamil first, diltiazem ...Verapamil for Migraine Prevention - Verywell Health
https://www.verywellhealth.com › ... › Migraines › Prevention
Apr 19, 2019 - The blood pressure drug verapamil sometimes is prescribed off-label to prevent migraine headaches. Learn how this calcium-channel blocker ...

Verapamil (Calan, Covera, Isoptin and Verelan) | Public Citizen
Verapamil - Public Citizen
Brand names: Calan, Covera, Isoptin, Verelan ... January 25, 1996; Petition to Require a Warning on All Calcium Channel Blocking Drugs, November 9, 1995.

Blood Pressure Medications (Anti-hypertensives) : Johns Hopkins ...
https://www.hopkinslupus.org/...medications.../blood-pressure-medications-antihypert...
Calcium channel blockers may have some side effects, the most common of which ... Tiazac) or verapamil (Calan, Isoptin, Verelan), since these drugs reduce the ...

Long-term use of calcium channel blocking drugs and breast cancer ...
Long-term use of calcium channel blocking drugs and breast cancer risk in a prospective cohort of US and Puerto Rican women
by LE Wilson - ‎2016 - ‎Cited by 12 - ‎Related articles

Jul 5, 2016 - Our results do not support avoiding calcium channel blocking drugs ... nondihydropyridines (verapamil, diltiazem, verapamil SR, diltiazem XR).

 

[tallglass13]

My latest blood test results show too low cortisol (8am/4pm). Saliva at 11pm was low/normal.

I was looking for ways to safely increase cortisol levels in the body and the things i have found are:
- Licorice root (not 100% sure if it's cortisol or aldosterone)
- Nicotine
- GABA agonists? Possible rebound to higher cortisol than before. I'm not sure though, just a theory.
- Possibly amphetamines by lowering GABA and thus increasing potassium/metabolism
- Calcium channel blockers, but i don't think this is safe at all.

That's all i got for now.

If you have experience with these supplements, that would be interesting!




Nicotine study posted on the forum: The effects of smoking on ACTH and cortisol secretion. - PubMed - NCBI

Amphetamine study i found: Effects of cocaine and amphetamine on acetylcholine release in the hippocampus and caudate nucleus. - PubMed - NCBI

Quotes about cortisol by Helen

"raising acetylcholine lowers calcium which increases metabolism and thyroid. action. and increases cortisol at the same time since acetylcholine raises ACTH which PSSD people have low, same as slow oxidizers. As calcium falls, body does not need as much progesterone, and progesterone gets turned into cortisol and ACTH goes up"


"AR is overexpressed my friends, and if you lower calcium or take thyroid. progesterone falls, and it is not blocking your AR anymore and you feel everything ))

Progesterone rises= to block AR and to increase potassium in high calcium scenario))

if you take calcium away, metabolism speeds up, progesterone falls- stops blocking AR and you will feel the real deal of how your ARS work)) you simply get bald in weeks))"

Hey, I've read that Pregnenolone and progesterone are the precursors to cortisol. Biotin helps the adrenals make cortisol from preg. so you can try preg plus biotin , and if you are female , small doses of progesterone. Stay away form thyroid t3 if your cortisol is low. t3 and cortisol work together.

 

[Nina]

Hey, I've read that Pregnenolone and progesterone are the precursors to cortisol. Biotin helps the adrenals make cortisol from preg. so you can try preg plus biotin , and if you are female , small doses of progesterone. Stay away form thyroid t3 if your cortisol is low. t3 and cortisol work together.

I tried t3 in the past yeah and it didn't work for me (jittery)

 

[Nina]

I guarantee there is a foreign organism in your body that is at the root of causing this issue.

Definitely, but in the meantime i'd like to increase my energy a little with safe supplements (like licorice).

 

[Bankai900]

Quotes about cortisol by Helen

"raising acetylcholine lowers calcium which increases metabolism and thyroid. action. and increases cortisol at the same time since acetylcholine raises ACTH which PSSD people have low, same as slow oxidizers. As calcium falls, body does not need as much progesterone, and progesterone gets turned into cortisol and ACTH goes up"


"AR is overexpressed my friends, and if you lower calcium or take thyroid. progesterone falls, and it is not blocking your AR anymore and you feel everything ))

Progesterone rises= to block AR and to increase potassium in high calcium scenario))

if you take calcium away, metabolism speeds up, progesterone falls- stops blocking AR and you will feel the real deal of how your ARS work)) you simply get bald in weeks))"

The more I read the less I understand.. I thought that fixing my metabolism, going from slow to not so slow/faster metabolism would be beneficial for health in most aspects. Which includes all parts of the body?
And now I read that speeding myself up is just gonna make me bald af, and who knows what else it's doing, why would I do it then. Or am I missunderstanding something here?

 

[MNK99]

Super Duper Slow = Bad.
Super Duper Fast = Bad.
Thus, Balance You Must.

 

[5 alpha]

My latest blood test results show too low cortisol (8am/4pm). Saliva at 11pm was low/normal.

I was looking for ways to safely increase cortisol levels in the body and the things i have found are:
- Licorice root (not 100% sure if it's cortisol or aldosterone)
- Nicotine
- GABA agonists? Possible rebound to higher cortisol than before. I'm not sure though, just a theory.
- Possibly amphetamines by lowering GABA and thus increasing potassium/metabolism
- Calcium channel blockers, but i don't think this is safe at all.

That's all i got for now.

If you have experience with these supplements, that would be interesting!




Nicotine study posted on the forum: The effects of smoking on ACTH and cortisol secretion. - PubMed - NCBI

Amphetamine study i found: Effects of cocaine and amphetamine on acetylcholine release in the hippocampus and caudate nucleus. - PubMed - NCBI

Quotes about cortisol by Helen

"raising acetylcholine lowers calcium which increases metabolism and thyroid. action. and increases cortisol at the same time since acetylcholine raises ACTH which PSSD people have low, same as slow oxidizers. As calcium falls, body does not need as much progesterone, and progesterone gets turned into cortisol and ACTH goes up"


"AR is overexpressed my friends, and if you lower calcium or take thyroid. progesterone falls, and it is not blocking your AR anymore and you feel everything ))

Progesterone rises= to block AR and to increase potassium in high calcium scenario))

if you take calcium away, metabolism speeds up, progesterone falls- stops blocking AR and you will feel the real deal of how your ARS work)) you simply get bald in weeks))"

Try to Source Cortisone? And take it. It’s used to treat Addison’s disease which is condition not making enough cortisol. I have wondered if the goal is to experiment with increasing cortisol Is this is the best bet . Probable not the safest but if it’s only a short experiment it’s probable not that risky...

You have also reported symptoms of high cortisol correct in instances where you should not be feeling surges of stress hormone? Have you ever seen low cortisol in your labs prior to this ?

I have been seriously thinking about cortisol lately. I can’t really articulate exactly what I’m thinking but in PFS it almost feels like their is an issue with cortisol regulation as well as the receptors. Perhaps if this is right this is a factor in other issues other then PFS.

 

[Nina]

The more I read the less I understand.. I thought that fixing my metabolism, going from slow to not so slow/faster metabolism would be beneficial for health in most aspects. Which includes all parts of the body?
And now I read that speeding myself up is just gonna make me bald af, and who knows what else it's doing, why would I do it then. Or am I missunderstanding something here?

I think it depends. Slow oxidizer/fast oxidizer can both feel good and can also both feel bad. Different problems in different oxidation. If you feel good in slow oxidation then i wouldn't try and force fast oxidation and just go on and live your life. It's more so people have health problems which is why the mineral balance matters to see where the problem is coming from. It's not really about being a fast or a slow oxidizer.

 

[Nina]

Try to Source Cortisone? And take it. It’s used to treat Addison’s disease which is condition not making enough cortisol. I have wondered if the goal is to experiment with increasing cortisol Is this is the best bet . Probable not the safest but if it’s only a short experiment it’s probable not that risky...

You have also reported symptoms of high cortisol correct in instances where you should not be feeling surges of stress hormone? Have you ever seen low cortisol in your labs prior to this ?

I have been seriously thinking about cortisol lately. I can’t really articulate exactly what I’m thinking but in PFS it almost feels like their is an issue with cortisol regulation as well as the receptors. Perhaps if this is right this is a factor in other issues other then PFS.

I did an urine cortisol test which came back very high but after reading about it, it actually means your body is wasting the cortisol and thus you actually have low cortisol levels, not high. Cortisol in blood has always been too low in me.

I think cortisol plays an important role in everyones health, but it is not easy to figure out where it's coming from.

 

[Nina]

Also i notice i feel better mentally and look better physically when i increase cortisol from the outside, but feel worse metabolism (more fatigue, get acne, hair starts falling)

 

[5 alpha]

Also i notice i feel better mentally and look better physically when i increase cortisol from the outside, but feel worse metabolism (more fatigue, get acne, hair starts falling)

I have been trying to learn more about issues with GR as well as the adrenal glands and how these issues could effect the HPA Axis throwing everything off. I never realized that the adrenal glands are a major component in the HPA axis.

“The hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis(HPA axisor HTPA axis) is a complex set of direct influences and feedback interactions among three components: the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland (a pea-shaped structure located below the thalamus), and the adrenal (also called "suprarenal") glands (small, conical organs on”

Than I found this:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128021750000309

“Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is conditional on exposure to trauma. Despite this, there is strong evidence from twin studiesand widespread agreement that genetic factorsalso contribute to risk for PTSD. Large-scale genomic studies of PTSD are planned. DNA can be modified by epigeneticprocesses via environmental inputs, thereby influencing how genes are expressed, making this an equally important area of research for PTSD. Results from a succession of studies of PTSD suggested that the negative-feedbacksystem of the HPA axis is overly sensitive, implicating the glucocorticoid receptor(GR) in the pathophysiologyof PTSD”

I’m wondering if maybe cortisol is low in instances where it should be high such as the morning sample and if it’s high in instances when it should be low. This would certainly indicate issues with how the adrenal glands releases cortisol. If there are issues with the GR and we know that issues with GR can effect the whole axis it makes sense that the GR issues are throwing off how the adrenal glands release cortisol. In other words the GR receptors regulate how much cortisol we need and when we need it. But if they are f***ed up they can’t regulate the adrenals properly

 

[Aflac94]

My latest blood test results show too low cortisol (8am/4pm). Saliva at 11pm was low/normal.

I was looking for ways to safely increase cortisol levels in the body and the things i have found are:
- Licorice root (not 100% sure if it's cortisol or aldosterone)
- Nicotine
- GABA agonists? Possible rebound to higher cortisol than before. I'm not sure though, just a theory.
- Possibly amphetamines by lowering GABA and thus increasing potassium/metabolism
- Calcium channel blockers, but i don't think this is safe at all.

That's all i got for now.

If you have experience with these supplements, that would be interesting!




Nicotine study posted on the forum: The effects of smoking on ACTH and cortisol secretion. - PubMed - NCBI

Amphetamine study i found: Effects of cocaine and amphetamine on acetylcholine release in the hippocampus and caudate nucleus. - PubMed - NCBI

Quotes about cortisol by Helen

"raising acetylcholine lowers calcium which increases metabolism and thyroid. action. and increases cortisol at the same time since acetylcholine raises ACTH which PSSD people have low, same as slow oxidizers. As calcium falls, body does not need as much progesterone, and progesterone gets turned into cortisol and ACTH goes up"


"AR is overexpressed my friends, and if you lower calcium or take thyroid. progesterone falls, and it is not blocking your AR anymore and you feel everything ))

Progesterone rises= to block AR and to increase potassium in high calcium scenario))

if you take calcium away, metabolism speeds up, progesterone falls- stops blocking AR and you will feel the real deal of how your ARS work)) you simply get bald in weeks))"

Bump