Iron Deficiency and Fatigue | Covid Vaccine Update
Click to watch Dr. Friedman’s views on the Pituitary Society “Consensus” Guidelines
on Cushing’s disease and new Cushing’s medicines.
Power point can be accessed here.
APPOINTMENTS CAN BE MADE HERE | GH Stim Testing

HealthFlex
×
  • Home
  • Symptoms
  • Hormone Testing
  • Cushing’s | Hypopituitarism
  • Appointments

Does Having a High Morning Cortisol Mean I Have Cushing’s Disease?

Does Having a High Morning Cortisol Mean I Have Cushing’s Disease?
November 24, 2018

The answer is no for 2 reasons. First of all, I did a study when I was at the NIH about 25 years ago showing that people with Cushing’s syndrome and those tested for Cushing’s syndrome and not having it, have similar morning cortisol [Friedman, T.C. and Yanovski, J.A. (1995) Morning Plasma Free Cortisol: Inability to Distinguish Patients with Mild Cushing Syndrome from Patients with Pseudo-Cushing States. J. Endocrinol. Invest. 18:696-701. PMID: 8719300]. It is the nighttime cortisol that is important to test in Cushing syndrome, as people with Cushing syndrome have high nighttime cortisol while normal individuals have low nighttime cortisol.

Also, patients taking oral estrogens or birth control pills will have a high morning cortisol, but it does not mean they have Cushing’s. That is because oral estrogen and birth control pills raise the cortisol-binding globulin (CBG) which leads to high total cortisol, as it is bound to the cortisol- binding globulin. However, the free cortisol which the cortisol receptors in the body sees, is normal. Many patients come to see me with a high morning cortisol due to being on birth control pills, and I have to explain to them that it does not mean they have Cushing’s syndrome.

If you would like more information, please do not hesitate to make an appointment or visit Dr. Friedman’s website at goodhormonehealth.com.

Add Comment Cancel


Follow Us On Youtube

Quick Links

  • ARTICLES
  • CONTACT
  • CURRICULUM VITAE
  • HEALTH LINKS
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • STAFF
  • TESTIMONIALS
  • WEBINARS

Patient & Visitor Guide

Plan your visit to our Clinic

More

Recent Articles

  • Medications used to treat Cushing’s
  • Covid Vaccine Article
  • Weight Loss Drugs
  • COVID-19 Vaccines & Comorbidity
  • The CubeLA Podcast on Thyroid Health

Archives

Presentation Library

  • Had Your Surgery Now What?
  • Determining the Type of Cushings
  • Diagnosing Cushing’s Disease
  • When Cushing’s Persists
  • What is Pseudo-Cushing’s
  • Cushing’s Disease Is Not Necessarily a Progressive & Fatal Disease
  • Using Blood Sugar Levels To Determine When To Test Cortisol Level
  • Cushing’s Post-Op Information
  • Adrenal Crisis
  • What To Do When Cushing’s Symptoms Return
  • Familial Cushings: Could Be Genetic
  • Cushing’s Help Blog Talk Radio Pt 1
  • Cushing’s Help Blog Talk Radio Pt 2
  • Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition
  • Dr. Friedman Cushing’s Disease Chat
  • Chagas’ Disease and A Suprasellar Mass
  • Cerebral Aneurysms Impinging On The Pituitary
  • Adults Need Growth Hormone Too!
  • Is Taking Growth Hormone Enough?
  • Things Your Doctor Never Told You About Pituitary Hormone Replacement
  • How Pituitary Hormones Affect Weight And Sleep
  • Everything You Wanted To Know About Pituitary Hormone Replacement
  • Adrenal Insuffucuency How To Diagnose, Treat and Manage
  • Live To Be 100

Refer Us

Had a good experience with Dr. Friedman?  Tell others about it by submitting a review on Google and Yelp.

Clinic Address:

(310) 335-0327

mail@goodhormonehealth.com

1125 S. Beverly Dr. Ste 730, Los Angeles, CA 90035

Quick Links

  • ARTICLES
  • CONTACT
  • CURRICULUM VITAE
  • HEALTH LINKS
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • STAFF
  • TESTIMONIALS
  • WEBINARS

Latest News

  • Medications used to treat Cushing’s

    Dr. Friedman uses several medications to treat Cushing’s syndrome that...

  • Covid Vaccine Article

    All of our country is very encouraged by the declining...

  • Weight Loss Drugs

    Dr. Friedman's main approach to weight loss is to rule...

Goodhormonehealth ©2016 all rights reserved.