Cortisol is a stress hormone, and when you have too much of it, it causes hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) that doesn’t respond to typical glucose-lowering medications. Hypercortisolism expert Dr. Dan Einhorn discusses the causes, symptoms, screening tests, and treatment options for this difficult condition.
Disclaimer: Dr. Dan Einhorn is Vice President of Endocrinology Strategy, Corcept Therapeutics. This video was supported through a sponsorship from Corcept Therapeutics.
I’m so angry right this minute I shouldn’t even comment.12 yrs ago I woke up w clammy skin & felt very strange on top of having a nasty head cold for 3 wks. The ER said my blood sugar was 635, I was in ICU for 5 days, given metformin (which made me extremely nauseous but was even sent home with it, said I’d get used to it. I didn’t. Plus my stomach became a pin cushion/dart board getting multiple shots I was too sick to count, honestly thot I wasn’t going to make it. I knew SQUAT about diabetes When told my sugar was 635 I asked”what’s it suppose to be?” Took 2 weeks & several local ER visits to take me off metformin. My face was literally green/gray in color, I begged the Dr crying & at the end of my rope to help me. God bless him, he took me off that damned metphormin and gave me glypizide. 2 years later, my sugar constantly consistently running in the 300s, my pancreas was declared dead in the water AND told by a Dr that my type 2 had morphed into type 1. Since then, I’ve had 4 endoscopy Drs because they’ve each relocated to bigger cities BUT not one of them ever told me anything different. One got me a cgm, then moved.All off them dangled a promise of a pump, but I’ve yet to even see one let alone had one. No one has ever mentioned this LAPD? 1.5 diabetes AT ALL & guess what? I JUST found out about it RIGHT HERE and im a big reader and very big on learning especially about MY health and I’ve read hundreds of articles on dozens of medical/diabetes sites including the MAYO CLINIC site & if they mention it I sure missed it or since that was one of the first sites I went to, it wasn’t there earlier. So, yeah I’m both mad as hell that NOBODY has told me Anything about this and yet SO VERY GRATEFUL YOU INCLUDED THIS AND EXPLAINED IT SO WELL!! And while it may not be common I’ve got every indication that I do tho I’ve never been tested I bet I will be now I still don’t have an endoscopy Dr. There aren’t any closer than 3 hrs from me that take Medicare tho I have Medicaid, United healthcare and I receive extra help. None of the Drs I’ve had ever did anything except one finally changed my long acting insulin but only went I dropped down to 104 lbs & looked & felt like a walking dead corpse. I had given up my A1C has never been below 12, never. Nobody seems to know what to do so they do nothing. I’m scared of sugar & carbs I’m 5’5″ & weigh about 118 thank God. I walk everyway w my dog. I don’t drive or own a car I enjoy walking tho I have to be careful & pack a lunch everywhere I go cos as high as it is its known to drops like a rock in mere minutes. I’m 67, female and not feeling much love at the moment ifact is, I’m very hurt. I now feel like nobody cared at all if I lived, died and felt like crap. I’m still healing from my ex hub who turned out to be a covert narcissist and weaponized me getting diabetes to mentally & emotionally tear me apart and rip me to shreds. Refusing to take me for apptsment & heart ca
th & a back surgery. It’s been pretty horrific. Sorry this is so awful long. I needed to get this out. Thanks again. It’s going to be a long day. Suppose to snow soon. Like 5 inches. Take care.
So sorry for all you are going through. If you are concerned that you might have hypercortisolism, the overnight dexamethasone suppression test (DST) is easy, and any doctor can order it. Hope things improve for you soon. Take good care.