Posted by Bill L on January 16, 2003, at 8:39:35
In reply to Cortisol testing, posted by Dinah on January 15, 2003, at 21:12:22
I asked an endocrinologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital the same question a few years a go. He said that the cortisol level is often elevated due to anxiety and depression but that there is no reason to have it tested. I didn't go into detail with him but my understanding is that knowing how high your cortisol level is does not affect your treatment.
I guess it would be simple if you could simply see how high your cortisol is. Then take a drug to lower it and then you feel better. But apparently it doesn't work that way. I guess it's possible that elevated cortisol is an effect of anxiety and not a cause of it. But I'm not sure.
poster:Bill L
thread:136050
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030113/msgs/136085.html