High Adrenal Cortisol Symptoms

Our adrenals get us through everyday stress. They may be small, but they are critical in maintaining hormonal balance. These precious glands lie above the kidneys and adapt to situations within our environment. Having high cortisol can increase problems with other disorders. If you're on medication for an endocrine disorder, but are still suffering, your adrenals could be the culprits. It is important to speak with your physician about any symptoms related to high cortisol.

Related Diseases

• If your body makes too much cortisol you may develop Cushing's Syndrome. This condition is rare, but affects women between the ages 20 to 50 five times more than men. It is sometimes labeled as hypercortisolism. High cortisol can aggravate hypothyroidism.

Causes

• Taking glucocorticoid hormones can increase cortisol levels. Having an inflammatory disease can cause the adrenals to overproduce cortisol, causing Cushing's Syndrome. Having a benign tumor in the pituitary gland causes the majority of Cushing's cases. Adrenal tumors that are non-cancerous may produce too much cortisol.

Testing

• A 24-hour cortisol urinary test cortisol over 24 hour period. An ACTH tests whether the high cortisol is due to a pituitary tumor by giving the patient synthetic glucocorticoid. CT and MRI scans are used to see if there are any pituitary or adrenal glands. T

Symptoms in Men

• Men may experience low libido with low fertility.

Symptoms in Women

• Women may experience an overgrowth of hair on the face, chest, legs and stomach. The menstrual cycle may become irregular or stop completely.

Typical Symptoms

• Men and women can experience weight gain, extreme fatigue, irritability, and hyper symptoms in hypothyroidism patients. Your face and neck may have increased fat deposits. Normal activities can become difficult because of bone weakness. High blood pressure and sugar can result from too much cortisol. Anxiety and depression are extremely common.