Can you split capsules to reduce the dose? I'm starting on dhea, has anyone had side effects?

[Lolalois]

Morning all, there seems to be endless conflicting info about dhea online. I'm hypo and my adrenals have be very flat for a long time, and my dhea and dhea/cortisol ratio are both low. I've tried all the vits & herbs to heal the adrenals but recently had a crash. My thyroid doctor, who seems very good, suggested either dhea or glandulars or both. I opted for dhea but a now feeling a bit apprehensive about taking it, so any experiences welcome!

[Jackie]

Hi If they cannot be split, start every other day, next best thing.

Best wishes,

Jackie

[Xanthe]

Hi Lolalois,

My adrenals were under-performing and tests showed that whilst cortisol levels weren't bad, my DHEA was low. I took tablets for 3 months, beginning on 10mg and later increasing to 25mg. In my case this restored my levels to normal, but most importantly, I felt much better, especially energy-wise. DHEA was a real turning point for me! The level of DHEA in the body decreases naturally with age, so the "normal" level will vary from one individual to another.

As I understand it you can't do any harm by supplementing at physiological levels (i.e. less than the body would produce normally - and I believe that the body produces a lot!). Taking too much can cause an excess in one of the sex hormones (for which DHEA is a raw material) which can lead acne, facial hair etc - but, as I understand it, that means really high levels of DHEA!

I was on tablets which were easy to cut with a tablet-cutter. I also eventually went onto tablets which could be taken sub-lingually (under the tongue) because I'd read that that makes the hormone more bio-available (some commentators believe that DHEA taken orally may be "dismantled" by the liver).

Good luck!

Xanthe

[Heloise]

DHEA gave me a big headache. If it does that, you might wait for another time to try again.

I'm taking the glandular instead and may try again later.

[Lolalois in reply to Heloise]

Thanks for letting me know, I'll keep a eye out for that. It was one or the other for me, not really sure why I decided to start with dhea, I think because the glandulars seem to give lots of people on here problems. But at least there's an option if I don't get on with the dhea.