What Increases CRH/ACTH/Cortisol?

So I made a thread about what decreases CRH(Corticotropin-releasing hormone) & ACTH(Adrenocorticotropic hormone), so I thought why not make a thread about what increases them for people with low functioning cortisol?

 

here is what comes to mind(list is incomplete not 100% correct):

 

- Licorice 

- Serotonin & Dopamine / norepinephrine etc

- Hydrocortisone & prednisone

- Low Calorie Dieting Increases Cortisol

- Caffeine Stimulation of Cortisol Secretion

- don't sleep & finding ways of getting stressed out

- Cold showers.

- Intense workouts

- Fasting / IF

Edited by farshad, 29 August 2018 - 10:46 PM.

- marijuana

 

''exogenous cannabinoids have been shown to robustly affect the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis causing increases in levels of corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH), adrenocorticotrophic hormone, and cortisol''

..''Stimulation of the HPA axis is believed to occur via brain cannabinoid receptor (CB-1R) activation primarily in the paraventricular nuclei of the hypothalamus where these receptors and CRH mRNA are co-expressed and also in the pituitary''

Edited by farshad, 30 August 2018 - 11:30 PM.

- Nardil

 

..''phenelzine significantly increased plasma ACTH and paraventricular hypothalamus CRH mRNA ''

forskolin-stimulated CRH promoter activity

 

Nicotine stimulates secretion of corticosterone via both CRH and AVP receptors

''Naloxone, which increases endogenous corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) release by blocking an inhibitory opioidergic tone on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal''

Edited by farshad, 14 September 2018 - 07:15 AM.

''memantine alone at 20 mg kg(-1) (i.p.), but not 10 mg kg(-1), increased corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) mRNA levels in the hypothalamus and both adrenocorticotropic hormone and corticosterone levels in the blood''

Alcohol Dysregulates Corticotropin-Releasing-Hormone (CRH) Promoter Activity by Interfering with the Negative Glucocorticoid Response Element (nGRE)

These results suggest that extrahypothalamic CRF1 receptors are involved in the effect of yohimbine on operant alcohol self-administration and on relapse to alcohol seeking and support the notion that CRF1 receptor antagonists should be considered in alcohol addiction treatment.

Edited by farshad, 07 August 2019 - 03:11 PM.

Although both yohimbine and naloxone stimulated the HPA axis, only yohimbine appeared to have stimulatory effects on central NE and non-HPA CRH.

 

All these have effects on libido as well.

It's not as easy as to throw some stimulants into the mix to enhance cortisol production. People got to the point of a relative hypofunction by doing exactly this, i.e. abusing their bodies. Your best bet is to simply stay off everything and letting your body rest by itself. Only if symptoms are severe I would try a very low dose of ssri as ssri increase cortisol in people with low cortisol output but even if you feel better you have to rest and change your lifestyle.