I started taking DHEA over a year ago for my lupus side affects, namely memory loss and mood swings. It works like a magic pill, I swear, taking away the mental fog within hours. Also, I didn't realize how important this mineral is for our body as we steadily loose more and more of this from our body past the age of 30 making it a must for your immune system if it is already compromised.
So just what is this miracle mineral? DHEA, dehydroepiandrosterone, is an endogenous hormone (made in the human body) secreted by the adrenal gland. DHEA serves as precursor to male and female sex hormones (androgens and estrogens). DHEA levels in the body begin to decrease after age 30, and are reported to be low in some people with anorexia, end-stage kidney disease, type 2 diabetes (non-insulin dependent diabetes), AIDS, adrenal insufficiency, and in the critically ill. DHEA levels may also be depleted by a number of drugs, including insulin, corticosteroids, opiates, and danazol.
There is sufficient evidence supporting the use of DHEA in the treatment of adrenal insufficiency, depression, induction of labor, and systemic lupus erythematosus. Also, those in the medical establishments claim that there could be long term side affects and even set out to name a few (higher than normal levels of androgens and estrogens in the body, and theoretically may increase the risk of prostate, breast, ovarian, and other hormone-sensitive cancers)> And while there is no clinical trial/medical study available to prove these claims, if you are on any medication these could become side effects so please consult your doctor before hand to make sure you do not encounter any of the side effects mentioned at the end of this posting.
For women with Lupus, taking
DHEA has also been show to increase bone mass. And of course the FDA has seen this and is on its way to making a synthetic
DHEA called
prasterone (
Prestara ). This could be good or bad. Good if they are creating it so that those on other
med's don't have the side effects of other drugs they may be on. Bad if they are just trying to take away from the vitamin
supplement industry.
This synthetic version is currently under
investigation for the treatment of this condition and the prevention of loss of bone mineral density. The FDA has already granted orphan drug status for the prevention of loss of bone mineral density in systemic lupus patients taking
corticosteroids.
I take then natural form and my
Naturopath recommends no more than 25mg a day when I am in a lupus flair, and no more than 25mg once a week when I am in remission.
However,and I cannot stress this enough, if you are on ANY medically prescribed drugs you need to talk to your doctor before taking this to makes sure there is no drug
interactions.
That brings us to side effects. Personally, I have had none. However I should warn you that some people have experienced them, and not in a good way, and those quoted below were on medical
prescriptions at the time or taking this in large doses for the wrong reasons!
One of the most common side effects is acne. Others include abdominal pain, hair loss, insomnia, nasal congestion, fatigue, oily skin, rapid or irregular heartbeats, or heart palpitations.
DHEA supplements may alter liver function, so people with liver disease shouldn't use DHEA. People with mood disorders such as severe depression should only use DHEA under the supervision of their doctor, as DHEA may worsen mood. Overly high levels of the body's natural DHEA has been associated with psychotic disorders, so people with or at risk for psychotic disorders shouldn't use DHEA unless under the supervision of their health-care provider.
Since DHEA supplements may influence the production of male and female hormones, acne, greasy skin, facial hair growth, hair loss, weight gain around the waist, a deepening of the voice and other signs of masculinity may occur in women. Men may develop high blood pressure, male pattern baldness, aggressiveness, breast enlargement ( gynecomastia ), breast tenderness and shrinkage of the testicles.
DHEA supplements may also affect the levels of other hormones, such as insulin and thyroid hormone, and affect cholesterol levels. People with diabetes or hyperglycemia, high cholesterol, thyroid disorders, Cushing's disease or other hormonal disorders should be particularly cautious.
DHEA may alter the levels estrogen and testosterone, which can theoretically increase the risk of hormone-sensitive cancers such as breast, prostate and ovarian cancer. It's also not known whether DHEA supplements may inhibit the body's ability to make DHEA.
People taking DHEA supplements may be more likely to develop blood clots, so people with clotting disorders, heart disease and those with a history of stroke should avoid DHEA supplements.
Theoretically,
DHEA supplements may interfere with the
effectiveness of
antipsychotic drugs, such as
chlorpromazine (Thorazine),
fluphenazine (
Prolixin ) and
prochlorperazine (
Compazine ).
DHEA supplements may increase the effects of the following medications:
- AZT ( Zidovudine ) -- HIV medication
- Barbiturates -- medications for sleep disorders
- Cisplatic -- cancer medication
- Estrogen and oral contraceptives
- Testosterone
- Benzodiazepines, such as triazolam ( Halcion ), alprazolam and dizaepam for anxiety and sleeping disorders
DHEA may interact in negatively with the following drugs:
- Corticosteroids, such as prednisone, beclomethasone ( Beconase, Vancenase ), dexamethasone, hydrocortisone, prescribed for inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, asthma and skin infections.
- Insulin
- Lithium
- Prescription drugs that are broken down by the same liver enzymes, such as: allergy medication such as fexofenadine (Allegra), antifungal drugs such as itraconazole ( Sporanox ) and ketoconazole ( Nizoral ), cancer medications such as etoposide ( VePesid ), paclitaxel ( Taxol ), vinblastine, or vincristine, cholesterol medications, such as lovastatin, and oral contraceptives.
Again, if you are going the natural route and stay with the minimum dosage you should be fine, however check with your doctor (MD, homeopath,
naturopath, etc) before adding something new to your regime.
If you are wondering about the cost, it is very inexpensive. I get mine from the Vitamin Shoppe for $6 ...a fellow Lupus patient found hers as
Walmart for $3.99 (both are 25mg bottles, if you need smaller dosages they are available in 10mg tablets).
So for now I wish you many happy days of mental and emotional clarity!!!
So just what is this miracle mineral?
DHEA, dehydroepiandrosterone, is an endogenous hormone (made in the human body) secreted by the adrenal gland. DHEA serves as precursor to male and female sex hormones (androgens and estrogens). DHEA levels in the body begin to decrease after age 30, and are reported to be low in some people with anorexia, end-stage kidney disease, type 2 diabetes (non-insulin dependent diabetes), AIDS, adrenal insufficiency, and in the critically ill. DHEA levels may also be depleted by a number of drugs, including insulin, corticosteroids, opiates, and danazol.
There is sufficient evidence supporting the use of DHEA in the treatment of adrenal insufficiency, depression, induction of labor, and systemic lupus erythematosus. Also, those in the medical establishments claim that there could be long term side affects and even set out to name a few (higher than normal levels of androgens and estrogens in the body, and theoretically may increase the risk of prostate, breast, ovarian, and other hormone-sensitive cancers)> And while there is no clinical trial/medical study available to prove these claims, if you are on any medication these could become side effects so please consult your doctor before hand to make sure you do not encounter any of the side effects mentioned at the end of this posting.
For women with Lupus, taking DHEA has also been show to increase bone mass. And of course the FDA has seen this and is on its way to making a synthetic DHEA called prasterone ( Prestara ). This could be good or bad. Good if they are creating it so that those on other med's don't have the side effects of other drugs they may be on. Bad if they are just trying to take away from the vitamin supplement industry.
This synthetic version is currently under investigation for the treatment of this condition and the prevention of loss of bone mineral density. The FDA has already granted orphan drug status for the prevention of loss of bone mineral density in systemic lupus patients taking corticosteroids.
I take then natural form and my Naturopath recommends no more than 25mg a day when I am in a lupus flair, and no more than 25mg once a week when I am in remission. However,and I cannot stress this enough, if you are on ANY medically prescribed drugs you need to talk to your doctor before taking this to makes sure there is no drug interactions.
That brings us to side effects. Personally, I have had none. However I should warn you that some people have experienced them, and not in a good way, and those quoted below were on medical prescriptions at the time or taking this in large doses for the wrong reasons!
One of the most common side effects is acne. Others include abdominal pain, hair loss, insomnia, nasal congestion, fatigue, oily skin, rapid or irregular heartbeats, or heart palpitations.
DHEA supplements may alter liver function, so people with liver disease shouldn't use DHEA. People with mood disorders such as severe depression should only use DHEA under the supervision of their doctor, as DHEA may worsen mood. Overly high levels of the body's natural DHEA has been associated with psychotic disorders, so people with or at risk for psychotic disorders shouldn't use DHEA unless under the supervision of their health-care provider.
Since DHEA supplements may influence the production of male and female hormones, acne, greasy skin, facial hair growth, hair loss, weight gain around the waist, a deepening of the voice and other signs of masculinity may occur in women. Men may develop high blood pressure, male pattern baldness, aggressiveness, breast enlargement ( gynecomastia ), breast tenderness and shrinkage of the testicles.
DHEA supplements may also affect the levels of other hormones, such as insulin and thyroid hormone, and affect cholesterol levels. People with diabetes or hyperglycemia, high cholesterol, thyroid disorders, Cushing's disease or other hormonal disorders should be particularly cautious.
DHEA may alter the levels estrogen and testosterone, which can theoretically increase the risk of hormone-sensitive cancers such as breast, prostate and ovarian cancer. It's also not known whether DHEA supplements may inhibit the body's ability to make DHEA.
People taking DHEA supplements may be more likely to develop blood clots, so people with clotting disorders, heart disease and those with a history of stroke should avoid DHEA supplements.
Theoretically, DHEA supplements may interfere with the effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs, such as chlorpromazine (Thorazine), fluphenazine ( Prolixin ) and prochlorperazine ( Compazine ).DHEA supplements may increase the effects of the following medications:
DHEA may interact in negatively with the following drugs:
- Corticosteroids, such as prednisone, beclomethasone ( Beconase, Vancenase ), dexamethasone, hydrocortisone, prescribed for inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, asthma and skin infections.
- Insulin
- Lithium
- Prescription drugs that are broken down by the same liver enzymes, such as: allergy medication such as fexofenadine (Allegra), antifungal drugs such as itraconazole ( Sporanox ) and ketoconazole ( Nizoral ), cancer medications such as etoposide ( VePesid ), paclitaxel ( Taxol ), vinblastine, or vincristine, cholesterol medications, such as lovastatin, and oral contraceptives.
Again, if you are going the natural route and stay with the minimum dosage you should be fine, however check with your doctor (MD, homeopath, naturopath, etc) before adding something new to your regime.If you are wondering about the cost, it is very inexpensive. I get mine from the Vitamin Shoppe for $6 ...a fellow Lupus patient found hers as Walmart for $3.99 (both are 25mg bottles, if you need smaller dosages they are available in 10mg tablets).
So for now I wish you many happy days of mental and emotional clarity!!!