Posted by MarkinBoston on February 15, 2001, at 11:55:09
In reply to Targeting cortisol for depression?, posted by JasonL on February 12, 2001, at 20:35:59
I looked down this path and found studies published in PNAS last year by the NIH on CRF antagonists. Those drugs are not available yet, and most current drugs that are enough to wipe out cortisol will take your sex hormones away too!
Ketaconozole is one that will turn you into a unich. Its an anti-fungal that very closely resembles steroidal hormones, and like most anti-fungals, damages your liver.
My cortisol and estradiol measured high and testosterone low at the fringes of "normal", but in the least desireable combo. I'm sure this is pretty common and the interrelation makes sense. One other thing is that high estradiol levels amplify CRF response to stress, so managing that could be considered. Its easy to do, risky to overdo, and I have yet to find a Dr. that could understand why it was important to me to get my estradiol down to a median value and give me a script. Don't try this without blood work.
I decided that treating high cortisol as a symptom would be nice until an AD kicked in, but was a lot of hassle and compromise. An AD is the right way to fix the HPA axis and get cortisol down.
High cortisol is bad for long term health. All those studies and suggestions on cutting stress are about cutting cortisol. Its important to treat the depression for this alone.
I picture a huge market for these future CRF antagonists as anti-stress pills for everyone, not limited to the depressed.
> Has anyone on this board specifiaclly worked to lower
> cortisol levels with drugs like ketaconozole or procaine HCI (soon to be Anti-cort)for depression/anxiety. I've read a lot of studies lately. Results seemed to be mixed and dependent on basil cortisol levels in patients. My own cortisol levels are high and I have been treatment resistent thus far.
>
> JasonL
poster:MarkinBoston
thread:53836
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010212/msgs/54064.html