Posted by Bruce on November 17, 1999, at 8:22:40
In reply to Re: DHEA for depression, posted by JohnL on November 17, 1999, at 3:52:28
> Hi there Andrew. Hey, I love your research. Always very interesting. I've seen these studies on DHEA before but appreciated seeing them again.
>
> I've often wondered about trying some DHEA, but I've just been too afraid. I mean, it's a hormone. What if someone already has a normal hormone level and then they boost it beyond the normal range? That to me sounds scary, maybe dangerous, and not well studied. It's a completely different ballgame than vitamins, minerals, or amino acids. I think there exists the potential to really screw things up. Kind of like sailing in uncharted waters. Maybe I'm wrong. Hope so. In those studies, I wonder what happened to the people who didn't respond? I wonder if there was any permanent or temporary damage done by hormone supplementation. Hmmm. And in those who did respond, what problems did they encounter later due to long term treatment? Hmmm.
>
> It is quite intriguing though. I would love to hear from folks who have tried it for a while. Maybe then I would be brave enough to take a closer look. Somehow playing with hormones just scares me. I wish we knew more about longterm consequences.
Hello, AndrewB and JohnL!I take DHEA at 25 to 50 mg/day,a pretty paltry dose compared to the study. I do notice an oily face at these levels, consistent with a weak androgenic effect. I can also recover a little bit better from exercise.
DHEA does not have a negative feedback loop from what I have read, so it is possible to take all you want without shutting down natural production of DHEA.
*BUT*
I sure would be worried at the 450 mg/day level for excess androgen production. At those levels, it could disrupt the testosterone feedback loop (HPT axis). I don't know, I have never heard of anyone taking levels that high.That reminds me of an article I read a few years back where testosterone enanthate was given as a trial antidepressant. It worked REALLY WELL! (better than imipramine the article said). It also caused large-scale disruption to the body's natural hormone production.
Bruce
poster:Bruce
thread:15314
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19991108/msgs/15363.html