I had my cortisol tested and I was over the limit on the high-end at 23 (range 4.0 - 22.0). The test was done 90 minutes after I woke up.

My thyroid tested fine and according to my doc my high cortisol levels are probably due to anxiety and stress. Which I am stressed and I have anxiety.

Can high cortisol levels contribute to PN symptoms?

It is best to test four times in a day. It varies all day and you will get the whole picture that way.

No matter what else I am experiencing, if things start to pile up on me, if I am finding myself not in control of important life events, if too many demands are made on me, if I am required to give more than I feel like I have, everything starts to complain.

Pain will flare up, blood pressure will rise, headaches appear, my back will become fang central, and my mood, well let's just say no one enjoys that!

Rest is what works best for me, though it is not always available in time to save me. At some point in the past I learned that I have to care for me with the same diligence as i would care for a sick child. Being the sick child who's caring for me just makes it harder, not less necessary.

I hope each of you has the help you need to manage to live with your ailments, and enough rest to forget for a moment what those are...
StormE1

Raised cortisol levels can also be explained by glucose/sugar/fructose. (I'm not making this up)

Source: http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/cortisol-14668

I'm not 100% sure yet, but I think my pain levels were/are almost directly correlated to cortisol levels.

To get a better picture of cortisol, a second test is performed around 4pm. If THAT one is elevated, then there are problems.

Also a dexamethasone suppression test is another way to test for cortisol problems.

The steroid is given the night before and the test performed the next morning. In a normal person the drug will suppress the cortisol you would normally make and the value will result low.
If cortisol is high in spite of the drug administered,then there is a problem (Cushing's is suspected for example with this test if cortisol remains high)
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/e...cle/003694.htm

Just taking a morning cortisol doesn't reveal much, as it is typically elevated for everybody on a typical day (active) night (sleeping) cycle. (night shift workers may show alterations in
levels because their sleep cycle is different).

Cortisol levels rise after breakfast daily. This is a normal function for the adrenal glands, to get you going. Cortisol tends to rise with eating at other times, but less dramatically so. It has been postulated by some researchers to be a factor in food addiction.
I find myself, that my arthritis pain is always more obvious when I am really hungry or have skipped a meal.

Test ranges are only statistical estimates of "normal". They are not absolute, and people will fall outside ranges and that may be "normal" for you. Ranges are not cast in stone, and are only best guess ESTIMATES. Then there are calibration issues at the lab level, and so then things may not be 100% accurate or reliable.

This sounds so much like me! Body goes haywire when mind can't cope!

I once tested high for stress hormones from a urine test. But I have to admit I was suffering from daily anxiety and panic during that time of my life.

Am I wrong in thinking the odd buzzing I have in the morning could be a response to the cortisol?

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/al...eripheral.html

This blog post touches on the issue, but his one statement really made me chuckle.

http://gettherightdiagnosis.blogspot...eripheral.html


"That’s science…diagnose the cause, treat the cause, resolve the problem."

It's apparently simple.
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