Could anyone explain what causes anxiety? Glutamate levels or cortisol levels?

I am reading too many things here that anxiety stems from glutamate levels or cortisol levels? What is the difference?

Both.

Both.

 

Glutamate is a neurotransmitter and cortisol is a hormone I believe.

perth is correct...sadly in recovery we are battling both glutamate and cortisol. Our bodies are quite complex in how everything interacts with everything...its quite fascinating really. Hard to see it that way when we are struggling though.

 

We are healing

Glutaminate. Prof. Ashton says that saliva cortisol levels in her patients were normal.

pacenik, would you say that we are not experiencing cortisol surges? I used to get this feeling of a panic wave up and down my body when sleeping.

I am reading too many things here that anxiety stems from glutamate levels or cortisol levels? What is the difference?

 

We don't know what causes anxiety. The brain is still too complex for us. We know that glutamate and cortisol have roles to play in it. But we also know that serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine also have roles to play in it, so this knowledge does not really help us in any way.

 

pacenik, would you say that we are not experiencing cortisol surges? I used to get this feeling of a panic wave up and down my body when sleeping.

 

We feel cortisol, adrenalin, norepinephrine and other excitatory neurotransmitters more strongly because of our downregulated GABAA receptors. Our chief inhibitory system is atrophied from benzos. But our levels of those neurotransmiters are probably normal. Even our levels of glutaminate and GABA are probably normal, it's just that our NDMA receptors are upregulated and GABA receptors downregulated.

This is a terrific piece on the brain during withdrawal; helps explain the processes that lead to elevated anxiety/fear.  Even if you've read it before it's worth re-reading at various points in your recovery:  What's happening inside your brain

I agree that it's both. When I had a neurotransmitter test done during my taper, I was expecting glutamate to be high and gaba low but was supprised that all of my excititory NTs were high and calming NTs were low. I'm thinking they somehow have an influence on each other and also cause the adrenal gland to produce too much cortisol as well as epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine.

What was the name of the test? Did your doctor comment on it?

 

Thanks!

What was the name of the test? Did your doctor comment on it?

 

Thanks!

 

Yes my functional doc recommended it. I took a 2 year break to address my health problems and this was one of the many tests I had done. It was a neurotransmitter and cortisol test by Pharmasan labs. NeuroScience labs also does them.

What was the name of the test? Did your doctor comment on it?

 

Thanks!

 

Yes my functional doc recommended it. I took a 2 year break to address my health problems and this was one of the many tests I had done. It was a neurotransmitter and cortisol test by Pharmasan labs. NeuroScience labs also does them.

 

Sounds like these results should be taken with a grain of salt.

 

One important aspect of CLIA regulation is that each test performed by a laboratory must be subjected to a process commonly known as “method validation” to ensure that the test is reliably and accurately reporting results.  In his guilty plea, Kellermann admitted that he intentionally subjected neurotransmitter testing to a “multiplication factor” that altered the results of the testing, without performing method validation on the multiplication factor.

 

Same dude started both Pharmasan and NeuroScience which makes it even sketchier.

 

https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwi/pr/nutritional-supplement-provider-and-ceo-plead-guilty-false-claims-act-violations#:~:text=One%20type%20of%20test%20that,the%20brain%20and%20other%20systems.

 

(that popped up at the top of my search for that test, I wasn't actually looking for anything to refute it but for more info, just FYI).

Interesting, although I don't know what the benefit would be in altering results. It could be too that I was always high in excititory neurotransmitters and that's why I got put on benzos in the first place. At any rate, it's common that most of us suffer from too much glutamate and I feel that his treatments in restoring glutamate/gaba balance as well as promoting NT production have helped me so I'm now symptom free. We'll see how it goes as I tackle my last 1 mg.