Endocrine Health: Hormones, Metabolism, and How Medications Affect Your Balance
When we talk about endocrine health, the system of glands that produce and regulate hormones in your body. Also known as hormonal health, it controls your metabolism, mood, sleep, weight, and even how your body responds to stress. It’s not just about thyroid checks or blood sugar tests—it’s the quiet engine running everything from your energy levels to your menstrual cycle. If your endocrine system is off, you don’t just feel tired—you feel like a different person.
Many of the medications people take daily are directly tied to endocrine health. GLP-1, a hormone that helps control blood sugar and appetite, is now used to treat obesity and PCOS, helping women lose weight and improve insulin sensitivity. Thyroid function, how well your thyroid gland produces hormones that regulate metabolism, affects whether you gain weight easily, feel cold all the time, or struggle with brain fog. And insulin resistance, when your body stops responding properly to insulin—a key player in type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome—is often the hidden cause behind chronic fatigue, acne, and irregular periods.
These aren’t abstract medical terms. They’re the real reasons why someone might be on metformin, why an older adult is being taken off five pills at once, or why a woman with PCOS sees better results with semaglutide than with birth control. Endocrine health ties into nearly every post here: from how immunosuppressants mess with your hormone balance, to why dry eyes happen when you take antidepressants, to how dapsone or lenalidomide affect autoimmune triggers linked to hormonal systems. Even stress and pollution can throw your endocrine system out of whack, triggering skin issues, weight gain, or mood swings.
You’ll find practical advice here—not theory, not fluff. Real stories about what happens when you adjust hormone therapy, when you deprescribe meds that were never meant to be long-term, or when you switch from one diabetes drug to another. Whether you’re managing PCOS, dealing with menopause symptoms like migraines from tibolone, or just trying to understand why your weight won’t budge despite dieting, the answers often lie in your endocrine system. This collection gives you the tools to ask better questions, spot red flags, and work smarter with your doctor—not just take more pills.
- By Percival Harrington
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- 23 Nov 2025
Vitamin D and Endocrine Health: What You Need to Know About Targets and Supplementation
Vitamin D is more than a bone vitamin - it's a hormone that regulates calcium, insulin, immunity, and blood pressure. Learn who needs supplementation, why levels don't always explain symptoms, and what the latest science says about its role in endocrine health.