LDN and Cushing's (Recovery Phase)

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Is anyone familiar with LDN and its effect on Cushing's patients?

Are there any forum members using LDN for Cushing's or Cushing's related symptom

relief?

I have a rarer form of Cushing's (hyper-cortisolism) called Psaeudo Cushing's

and on top of that, of the numerous causations for Pseudo Cushing's, I have a

very rare type of the multiple forms of Pseudo Cushing's (an unfortunate name

because it IS hyper-cortisolism, just simply is not caused by either an adrenal

gland tumor or pituitary gland tumor, etc. - so they just group all the other

forms of hyper-cortisolism not otherwise categorized and call them " Pseduo

Cushing's).

Anyway, while this probably started in the very late 1990s and began showing

symptoms in mid 2002 but they were mild and sporadic. Then in May of 2004, the

symptoms exploded into multiple symptoms. I ended up finally at the NIH Hospital

in December of 2005 and began a treatment regimen in January of 2006. And my

cortisol levels began steadily reducing from that point on. Slowly but surely.

Finally in August of 2009 my cortisol levels returned in the normal range for

the first time since definitely mid 2004, probably since mid 2002. My cortisol

levels were normal in August, September, October, November, and December (2009),

however moderately elevated in January (2010) with a 73.1 (normal range 4 - 60)

and then normal range again in February and then clearly elevated in March with

a (rounded off)level 85. (Note these readings are all 24-hr UFC reading as taken

at the first of the month inidcated).

I started LDN in mid December of 2009 (1.5 mg for three weeks, 3.0 mg for 3

weeks and then to 4.5 mg - which is where I am currently at).

I wondered if it was coincidental that I started LDN in mid December and my

24-hr UFC (which had shown normal range results since early August) now showed

an elevated level (73 in range of 4 - 60) in early January testing. Then during

January I was off of the LDN for about the whole third week of January (due to

an error in amount of prescription initially dispensed and getting that

straightened out) and my early February 24-hr UFC cortisol test results came

back in the normal range (after being off the 24-hr UFC for a week about 2 weeks

earlier). Then the early March test returned again showing a very noticeably

elevated level.

Now Pseudo Cushing's (of my variety) is known to have instances - once the

cortisol levels start getting normal - that the feedback loop to the HPA Axis

(that was malfunctioning initially and causing the hyper-cortisolism as the

signal was not being received that there was already plenty of cortisol) WILL

(in rare instances) revert back to its malfunctioning state anywhere from one to

several times before correcting itself completely... or may not ever completely

correct itself completely. So that " could " pretty clearly be one of the reasons

for the elevation of the cortisol secretions - BUT - it just seems strange that

after months of normal range levels, that the first elevated test result level

was just about 3 weeks after starting the LDN and that the next test result

level was normal after (two weeks earlier) having been off LDN for a little over

a week and then the test taken early the following month showing yet even higher

elevated cortisol levels (I took my April test around April 2nd or 3rd, so those

test results won't be back until towards the end of next week).

So, I guess my main question (aside from the first couple) is:

Does LDN cause an elevation in secretion of cortisol, decrease the secretion of

cortisol, normalize cortisol secretion whether high or low? Or have " no effect "

on cortisol secretion???

Thanks for any information.