Dehydroepiandrosterone testing...

[autumnchill]

I have taken DHEA-tablets just for 3 days, so please do not think I am being "experienced"...

Well, I am supposed to take 1/2 of a 25 mg tablet in the morning. Being sensitive to meds in general, this dose, even taken in the morning, has created an energy rush so it is hard for me to fall asleep! I have stayed awake until 3 a.m. and then slept 2-3 hours. Funny it is: I still do not need any daytime naps. So I figure this dhea is a good thing for me (so far).

I have an increased appetite as well, which is good! I think I an finally starting to go down in weight. I try to eat a well-balanced meal (gluten and milk free) every day plus have healthy snacks. Figuring my milk-free diet was not that hard even though I spent more money than usually buying groceries.

Love to hear experiences from those being on dhea! Thank you!

(Weather in Finland: we are expecting the first snowflakes this week! Outside it is +3-7 and the water (I go cold water swimming) is about +5 C!)

Love,

AC

[Naomi8]

Have you got auto-immune hypo?I understand cold water swimming is fantastic for the immune system.How did you come to be on DHEA?I am suffering from depression with anxiety.I have lost my appetite & sense of taste,&what little motivation or energy Hashi's has left me with.

I am looking for help to ease this state.I am on T3 & LDN, I am GF & have had a very good year on this regime til I crashed,a few weeks ago.I hope you get some good feedback on DHEA.Are you on 7 Keto or straight DHEA.I am thinking of adding some progesterone to see if that helps & wonder if DHEA would be a better option.

[autumnchill in reply to Naomi8]

Hi Naomi8! No I am not diagnosed with hypo (yet) -I am low in TSH and FT4 but my dheas level was so low that my doc subscribed DHEA 25 mg tablets.

I am also allergic to milk protein so that is what maybe behind this hormone storm (plus the menopause!) & the nasty symptoms.

I am on Serenity progesterone cream (just started) and it seems ok. I have to order a new jar, though. The best before date on this one has expired! I did not remember I had Serenity until I my head started to clear...

Have you had your dheas measured? I am no expert but maybe you could benefit from additional dhea if the reading is somewhat low?

All the best,

AC

[Naomi8 in reply to autumnchill]

I am ordering a full thyroid panel from Blue Horizon & a cortisol 24 hour test(had one last time this happened,on T4-only in2012).I think it is a good idea to test for DHEA & progesterone as well.Many thanks!

Last time this happened,SAMe(S-Adenosyl Methionine) pulled me out.Not working this time-increasing anxiety.Horrible!How do you handle the long dark winters up there?

[autumnchill]

Hi again, Naomi8!

We don´t. I mean handle the long, cold winters!

It is a fact that dark and cold weather places a stress on both body and mind. We need lots of vitamin D all year long (even in summer, when the sun does not go down) and cold weather activities like ice hole swimming (it really boosts up the immune system), cross-country skiing, skating ect. help us to adjust to cold. But not everybody enjoys these outdoor activities, so most Finns take a vacation in between November and March somewhere warm and sunny. It is not for everybody, though (the costs are high).

It is easy to get isolated and depressed during the winter season.

So, luckily there is Xmas, which brings "light" to the darkest time of the year. Then one must have activities to enjoy, friends, bright light treatments ect. to survive through the winter (it gets a hell lot of easier in March...! And right now the worst month is about to begin: November! It is a sad month because there is no snow (there used to be, but the global warming has done it´s job...). Snow warms and lights the landscape up! So welcome, snow.

In fact the dark season was meant for "taking it easy", but it does not work like that any longer. We must work full hours and in December you leave home to work in dark and when you come home around 16 hours, the darkness has fallen again. It takes its toll on people and during the winter season, the Finns keep quiet and in summer they live life to the fullest. Well, that is my opinion of this issue.

Basically, I think it is all about adjusting. I myself could not cope if I had to live in a place where there´s hot all the time. I enjoy the coolness and I enjoy the nature when everything is frozen. (I even froze my camera one winter, keeping it outside for too long!). But it is no joke when the thermometer shows -30 C frost outside. Then it is time to have a good book to read, light the fire and some candles, pre-heat the car and dress warmly if peeking outside! And maybe have a chat with a friend. Gather together with the family. Take care of pets. Heat the sauna! Dream!

-Well, it is good that you can have your dheas tested and maybe supplemented. I am going to have the sex hormones measured in the beginning of December, just in case the dhea & progesterone have not worked well enough.

I wish you all the best and do tell about your experiences when possibly on dhea-medication!

Love,

AC

[Hidden]

Hi, I've been to see and Endo in London recently re my horrible hypo. I'm 61 and cutting long story short (if you can find other posts you can see the long version lol) he came up with two treatment options which I could either use one or the other or even both.

First was NDT (he prescribes Erfa) and second was HRT patches. I was quite stunned when he mentioned these and looked at him quizzically. He said that some of my symptoms were menopausal. (I berated a GP for saying this a year ago!) and I protested that last period was at age 52, done with all that etc etc. But he insisted that symptoms were indicative of low oestrogen. Had a blood test done and he left me to think about it while blood test results came, but gave me a private prescription for the patches.

But he also mentioned DHEA and I recall this being mentioned when I saw a different private doctor last September, but stopped seeing him as I felt I was paying for more and more supplements but not really feeling any better.

But he said to take 10mg once a day. So I wonder if perhaps your 25mg dose is a little on the high side? I also tend to have sensitivity to medicines. Tried increasing Levo earlier in the year from 75mcg to 100mcg and had awful symptoms.

Anyway the outcome of the appointment was that I decided to decline the patches for now (several reasons) and asked to try Erfa and just going into my 4th week on it. I didn't get the DHEA as I felt it would be better to try one thing at a time so I can see which might be working best. But he did recommend a website to get them from called Biovea. I did look them up and the brand recommended had a whole stack of fillers in, so I thought I would look around for one with less in before starting those.

Perhaps try a smaller dose? Are they tablets or capsules?

[autumnchill]

HI Georgina61! Thank you for your comments :)!

I had a gynecologist (years ago), who subscribed me Evorel Combi HRT patches. He thought then that I may be experiencing early menopause symptoms (I was about 49). I have used those HRT patches for about 3 years until I figured out that I may use those in vein...

So I cut using them. But now that I am really at menopause age (53), I found out that I need some boosting up so I tried Evorel again, but "traded" that a week ago for Serenity progesterone cream. Now I think that MAYBE Serenity estrogen plus progesterone cream could be the best option for me to try. Serenity products are not expensive; my DHEA tablets were: about 70 euros per 100 tablets!

My doctor recommended starting DHEA with a quarter of a tablet, so I did. Now I am taking half a tablet and yes, I think I am going back to a quarter because I get symptoms back ( fatigue, tired muscles...). It is too early for me to say if they are good for me or not. Hope so!

So I understand that you may not want to buy HRT patches! Why not try estrogen & progesterone cream, if the Erfa alone does not seem to work. And of course DHEA is worth trying as well. It is wise to add a new med one at a time and this goes to supplementing with natural products as well. I was stupid enough to start B 12, folate, bigger doses of vitamin C and iron at the same time.

All the best and do write when you have had your experiences with any results!

Love,

AC

p.s. I am coming to London Nov the 15th...just to sniff British "air" again...

[Pastille]

Beautiful picture! I love it