A 30-year-old member asked:
what kinds of tests do you take to determine your cortisol level to decide if you have excess cortisol?
1 doctor answer
Dr. Melissa Young answered
9 years experience Internal Medicine
Suppression or urine: The 2 screening tests that can be performed are an overnight Dexamethasone suppression test (odst) or a 24 hour urine collection for cortisol. For the odst, you take Dexamethasone (a steroid) the night before you get blood drawn for a morning cortisol. The normal response to taking dex is a decrease in cortisol production. If one of these tests is abnormal, a 2 day dex test is done to confirm.
Answered on May 7, 2016
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Need more info: Why are you having this tested? Is it for addison's disease?
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A 28-year-old female asked:
Dr. Kate Erwin answered
Specializes in Child Psychiatry
Possibly: Reducing anxiety (Ativan ). Can lower cortisol levels but Ativan does not directly affect cortisol levels. So, if you took Ativan due to anxiety befo ... Read More
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. David Geffner answered
54 years experience Endocrinology
Depends: On why it was suppressed. If you were given steroids it will depend on how long and what dose you were given. See an endocrinologist.
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A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Melissa Young answered
9 years experience Internal Medicine
Suppression or urine: The 2 screening tests that can be performed are an overnight Dexamethasone suppression test (odst) or a 24 hour urine collection for cortisol. For the ... Read More
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