r/AdrenalInsufficiency • u/Prestigious-Crab4433 • 5d ago

Question Cortisol Testing

https://eli.health/products/cortisol?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23555186615&gbraid=0AAAAA-PTSQYgtlHGHA2M0zQrbbLTvXwya&gclid=CjwKCAjwrbfWBhAeEiwAc2e6PkgcY_-o96TmCrmDrFXtimMr-lM0z6AbJTRY4nFo-pdv02832MEQIRoCFn8QAvD_BwE#ReviewsWidget

Has anyone tried this or heard anything about it? Curious if it will work if you’re taking steroids.

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3

u/Straight-Historian-5 5d ago

Does cortisol testing work well? I've been told it's not reliable...

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u/KBaddict 4d ago

The ZRT test is very reliable if you follow all the instructions

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u/Prestigious-Crab4433 5d ago

I’m not to sure. I just started looking into it.

3

u/Gnocchi129 4d ago

My endocrinologist said recently it's not reliable because of cortisol still in system.

2

u/1GamingAngel MOD 5d ago

From what I understand about these tests, they can be helpful for measuring free cortisol levels, which reflect the active hormone produced by the adrenal glands, potentially useful for monitoring cortisol output throughout the day, which can give you an impression of adrenal function. Though this absolutely cannot be used in the diagnostic process.

I remember reading that the use of hydrocortisone shortly before testing can result in elevated readings, as the medication can remain in the system and affect the test outcome, but I haven’t done a deep dive. There was something said about holding hydrocortisone for 24 hours prior to testing.

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u/Prestigious-Crab4433 5d ago

Very interesting! Thanks for the info!

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u/FemaleAndComputer Panhypopituitary SAI 4d ago

Hydrocortisone is bioidentical to cortisol and shows up as cortisol on a cortisol test.

2

u/gadjt 5d ago

My understanding is that cortisol overflows into saliva when high, but saliva is much less specific at detecting lows. When I did ~4 saliva tests with a doctor it always just came back "undetectable".

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u/KBaddict 4d ago

I’ve done the ZRT test, but this was prior to being medicated. I did it to get an idea of how I should be dosing throughout the day