# Could Cortisol be the answer?



## calibraa (Feb 23, 2008)

Hi, all!After I have done a serious research on the topic and after living 5 yars with IBS-D and a lot of experiments I think I might have found the answer for myself. First of all - when are our simptoms worse? In the morning. Why? What's so different in the morning? Stress! As i have found in some really scientifical posts here it is well known that Cortisol is the main stress hormone and our worst enemy. I have also noticed that my symptoms are also bad after a workout - do I have to write down which hormone level is elevated than? " High intensity exercise and prolonged exercise both increase cortisol levels, which remain elevated for about 2 hours following the exercise bout." This is from the following source: http://www.trifuel.com/triathlon/nutrition...isol-000667.phpAnother proof of this theoty could be the fact that a lot of us feel better on L-Glutamine. Do you know what is the main function of this amino acid- well it's anticatabolic. It lowers cortisol levels. Again from the same source: "Finally, there are a number of supplements that are also helpful in modulating cortisol. A blend of high levels of B vitamins, branched chain amino acids, *glutamine* and key adaptogens like ginseng, rhodiola and ashwaganda all help you adapt to 'stress' by helping regulate the body's endocrine hormones also known as the 'fight or flight' response to stress. "Another observation from my experiments. Last year I took the anabolic steroid Stanozolol for which Ben Johnson was stripped from his medal. It is well known with his effect of supressing cortisol... Do I have to tell that these two months were one of my best! I was eating 4000 kcalories a day and above! Can a regular IBS-D sufferer do this???After a course of antibiotics I've been prescribed Ketoconazole (Nizoral) with suspitions for intestinal Candidiasis. I really felt beter, but was it because of the Candida-killing effect, the diet or the fact that Ketoconazole is well known Cortisol-inhibitor... Before and after the treatment Candida was NOT detected in my stools, but I wanted to be sure, this is why I took Nizoral tabs.My last experiment is with a blend of testosterone. You might know that the body tends to equalize hormone levels in the body. So when testosterone is raised (when injected for example), the body is trying to adapt and is producing much more Cortisol. Well three times already the day after my injections I was sufferin severe cramps and diarrhea!At the moment I'm experimenting with another drug that lowers cortisol and maybe I will post the results from my "study" here. I DO NOT RECOMMEND ANY OF MY EXPERIMENTS TO ANY OF YOU PEOPLE. I'M DOING THIS BECAUSE I AM STUBBORN AND REFUSE TO ACCEPT IBS-D, WHICH IS STEELING FROM MY LIFE!


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Just a comment on the morning thing.If you put a probe in a totally normal person (no GI problems at all) and measure the activity of the colon you find that it is most active first thing in the morning around the time you get up.There are also peaks of activity after meals.Many IBSers have symptoms (pain or diarrhea) during peak activity times. Some have more problems with the morning peak, other with the after meal peaks.I don't know that coritsol plays any role in that very normal circadian rhythm. Pretty much every organ functions differently at different times of the day. This means certain diseases typically have certain times of the day they are the worst (asthma tends to be worse in the wee hours of the morning because the lungs are tighter at that time in all people).I do agree that stress of any kind, including physical stress tends to make anything worse. Not just IBS.K.


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## smil (Feb 23, 2008)

Hi calibraaOne of the things I notice is I am usally worse during the morning and if I do have an attack. If have conlcluded that I produce excess bile acid and it peaks in most people during the morning. I take welchol and calcium caronate to act as bile acid binders. I don't beleive cortisol to be a cause of IBS. As you stated in your post and other posts you exercise. I tend to beleive in the energy in engery out. If your body is using up all of it energy storage i.e. food than there is less enery waste to send out i.e poop/D etc.. A lot of people tend not to eat when threre suffering from an IBS attack and I know my body will still produce bile acid causing me to visit the bathroom. That is why Lnape always recommedds eating three meals a day with taking calcium carbonate. I am not sure what drug you are using to reduce your cortisol level as you stated you are trying something new. In my opiion AAS are alright but drugs specifically created to reduce cortizone in the body can be dangerous. At least without a doctor supervision. I would stick do the other stuff.smil


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

As Kathleen mentioned the body uses cortisol to wake the gut up in the morning and this is a natural process.Cortisol is unlikely a cause, but an effect in the way the body works.The strongest evidence to why there is d and c and d/c has to do with the release of serotonin from EC cells. This is also the neurotransmitter that signals to the brain pain and discomfort which is a must for an IBS diagnoses. Since the 1990's they have known altered motility alone doesn't fully explain pain in IBS. 2007 IFFGD Symposium Summary Report, Very much worth reading/state of the art researchhttp://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/index.php?s...p;hl=stress+ibsStress and Irritable Bowel Syndromehttp://www.primarypsychiatry.com/aspx/arti...?articleid=1047"Stress and Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Unraveling the CodeBy: Yvette Taché, Ph.D., Center for Neurovisceral Sciences and Women Health, Digestive Diseases Center, Department of Medicine,Digestive Diseases Division, University of California at Los Angeles and VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System, CaliforniaDr. Taché was the recipient of the IFFGD 2005 ResearchAward to Senior Investigator, Basic Science. Her earlypublications put the "brain-gut axis" on the map. Since then,she has been one of the pioneers in this field. In many ways,it has been her energy and enthusiasm that has ensured thecontinued vibrancy of the field. Her identification of the roleof corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) signaling pathwaysin stress-related alterations of gut motor function andvisceral pain are of major and lasting importance.At a Glance "Stress" is a term doctors use to describe normal responses in the body that are needed for health and survival.Our bodies regularly respond to the constant flow of changesthat happen around and within us.CRF is the brain's "stress hormone." When stimulated, itinteracts with many systems within the body.These interactions include those between the brain and thedigestive tract. They effect whether or not we feel discomfort orpain, and the way our bowels move.In some people, the stress response is overactive. When thestress response is out of balance, unwanted symptoms canresult.Understanding how this works will help find new and betterways to treat an illness like IBS.http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/index.php?s...p;hl=stress+ibsIn the gut one of the cells stress effects is the mast cells."The 'brain-gut axis' helps to explain the influence that thoughts, emotions, and psychological or social stress have on the function of the gut."http://www.merck.com/yourhealthnow/volume2-2/braingut.html


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## calibraa (Feb 23, 2008)

OK. I already answered my question about the cortisol. It is not the answer and more important its management does not affect IBS. Of course serotonin levels are high in the morning, after workout and after meal, and much more after meal with a lot of carbohydrates. But its management is almost impossible. Medications that are 5HT3 antagonists are almost impossible to find even with prescription. How can we than prevent higher levels? And what can theoretically be done except taking calcium, cholesterol medications and antidepressants? Yeah Amitriptyline helps, but has brought my testostereone to 4mg/nl. It must be between 3 and 10,6. And as a normal 23 year old it shoult be much higher, considering the fact, that I do weight training, eat the way abodybuilder should and before this test have never abused AAS. I was even taking herbs like tribulus to boost my natural production. I want to get rid off the Amitriptyline, but it is the only thing that keeps me living now. And what does it mean that in 2008 the medicine hasn't yet found what causes IBS... Stupid, stupid, stupid...


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## overitnow (Nov 25, 2001)

Calibraa, I know eric will disagree because he looks toward limiting the IBS diagnosis to one set of disfunctons; but since it is popularly diagnosed when there is no obvious cause, there are any number of contributing factors in developing functional digestive/eliminative problems that get called IBS. So, unless you are willing to undergo and pay for extensive testing which may or may not diagnose the cause for your disfunction, IBS will be what you are stuck with. I smoked and ate a bad diet. It is pretty clear that both of those contributed to both my cardiovascular problems and my IBS. It is interesting to me that I have found one supplement to treat both of those problems; but that probably won't effect someone with SIBO, as an example.Since finding my own treatments to my whole range of "chronic" diseases, almost 10 years ago, I have decided that we are better off treating ourselves as our own test tubes than just going back to the doctor over and over. I have now reached the age when people are dying and I am still pumping up and down my local mountain with my dog every day and I would NOT have been able to do this 10 years ago. I have to think it is more than just good luck. You show every sign of being open to different treatments. Don't give up. Somewhere within you is the source of your problem. Something out there will help. Mark


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## calibraa (Feb 23, 2008)

Wow! That's what I call useful! In fact you managed to put in one place all my thoughts about IBS. I know the reason is inside me. I almost know the reason for me being so. My worst periods "coincided" with very big stress (from an end of a relationship or a drastic change in lifestyle). My best period (after i have been diagnosed) was the one living with my girlfriend. I almost discontinued the Amitriptyline. I still don't know why am I looking for another reasons. Maybe because I think that I live well at the moment and want to be healthy like my friends, but I am not. The most important in my case is that I don't accept IBS and will fight with it for my life as long as im breathing. The worst thing anyone of us is to accept his or her "destiny". This will not be mature, but pathetic.Thank you "overitnow" for your willingness to help and for your ability to inspire people. I hope everyone here will have the desired relief one day, just like you do!


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