I have had a long batle with extreme fatigue for the last 2 years, along with a range of other symptoms which have been progressively been getting worse! After 2 years of repeated bloods, ultrasounds, CT scans and MRI's the trail led to an issue with my hormones. The majority of hormonal blood tests were and are below the normal range. When my prolactin became elevated they did a Pituitary MRI and found a 3mm Lesion / Part Cystic Adenoma.
UPDATE: The good news is that after sending an email to my Endocrinology Consultant yesterday who told me that this was not an Endocrine problem...???? They have now agreed to prescribe me an initial 3 months of DHEA - Prasterone 25mg (1 per day).
Whilst I am relieved that I am finally getting some treatment I cant help being a little nervous about the side effects I have read!! I certainly dont want to put any more weight on; I dont want acne as I already suffer with my skin; and I dont want to develop cancer!!
I just felt that anything has got to be better than how I am feeling now so I have taken 1 tablet this afternoon.
If there are any safer DHEA meds to take please let me know as I am aware that they are not regulated in the UK. Mine were prescribed and came with a leaflet warning me that they are not a licensed medication in the UK.
Has anyone got any positive stories about taking DHEA???
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Sparkle44
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To be honest, with all hormones results low like yours, and being fobbed off with "not our problem" or " nothing wrong with you" I'll be looking for another team of endocrinologist.
Yours not fit for purpose.
From what I gathered you have below range at least 4 hormones - all.shouk be addressed and treated.
Letting you go with measly 25 mg dhea you can purchase without prescription anyway it's not going to solve your health problem.
By the way - I wouldn't stress out about dhea. I've taken it, loads of people with within range levels supplement too. 25mg is starting dose.
I personally prefer supplementing with pure testosterone instead.
By the way my dhea and testosterone levels are on the lower side but within the ranges.
Hi I am under my second Endo now from 2 different hospitals. It is frustrating!
I will ask about pure testosterone but I am slightly worried about developing male characteristics. I will see how I go on this for a couple of weeks. I have many more blood results below the normal range its hard work. Your advice is appreciated.
I'm on my 4th endo and probably 10th GP...?!🤔 And yet to find a GP who's educated and knowledgeable to standard.
You're not going to develop male characteristics if your testosterone is within female ranges. But yours is even below that.
You need to discuss each and every hormone below or low or too high separately with your endo and start treatment for all. I.e. testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, dhea, cortisol etc whatever is missing.
If they refuse or fob you off you need to move on to someone who's knowledgeable and willing to help you - another endo. You may have to travel further afield.
From personal experience - the bigger the city the better team and choice of consultants. And good endocrinologist are notoriously hard to find.
This is valuable advice, thank you! The consultant is only treating my low DHEA despite all these other results either below the normal range, above the range or very borderline!!
You've got thyroid and pituitary problems there, and all deficiencies and out of whack bloods possibly stemming from that pituitary adenoma with thyroid chiming in. See if it's possible for you to zero in on endocrinologist/oncologist or endo specializing in pituitary problems, to get you sorted with that. Have a good Google to see if you can find one in bigger city. You have clearly inflammation going on in there - high esr - pituitary input?
Couple of the deficiencies you can tackle yourself i.e. iron and folate, however I'd ask for two more referrals gyne and endo/oncologist/pituitary wizz referrals ASAP with fast tracking. Replacing only with dhea or testosterone without tackling root cause it's only going to mask real problem.
Your prolactin is high - again pituitary input....!?
You may possibly need that pituitary tumour lasered off and all will sort itself out then. You definitely need more clued up endo. Leaving you with those blood results unresolved and feeding you dhea instead it's not medically and morally justified.
If you don't get answers, resolutions to your health problems change doctors as often as needed till you find one clued up. Don't settle without proper medical resolutions.
Low testosterone, low estrogen, low thyroid, cortisol - all major players when it comes to fatigue. Your all bloods are very low, well some are higher.
I'm.Not a doctor but I've had my fair share of various hormonal problems and I know all hormones work together as well as they're antagonize each other. So there has to be balance and harmony for good health
Your doctors did not analyse your blood tests at all and didn't come to a conclusion of treatment.
I don't know why, is it because that doctor is lazy, stupid, poorly educated or all three....
You need a good endo to look at it and start treatment
Hi I am 45 and I have regular periods on average 29 day cycle. Lasts 5 days and is like clockwork to the day of my period app. They checked if I’m pre-menopausal and apparently not. I started periods late at 16. Might be a factor? I do have 5 fibroids. 3 of which are 4.5cms. I also had a cyst that was bleeding on my left ovary. Due to on going lower back ache I am having another scan to check my ovaries!
Back pain = low estrogen or low cortisol or fibroids or spine degeneration.. possibilities are endless however you have some of those.
You're still young yet at the age of starting menopause.
There's lots going on. You should educate yourself so you don't have to rely only on doctors opinions.
I was told I'm.not menopausal yet I had all symptoms of peri menopause, as soon as I.went on HRT all disappeared. I've had debilitating back pain due to low estrogen and progesterone but they didn't test that only fsh to diagnose me with "not menopausal".
Some fibroids if not growing or causing bleeding or pain are left alone otherwise they should remove them. I don't know your situation. But the problem is doctors you see seem to leave you to plod on instead of relief your problems via medications or removal. This is quite common in the UK due to - insert appropriate.
Anyway you have lots of quite obvious imbalances and some various growth I.e adenoma, fibroids etc. Fibroids are hormonal by the way often seen during prior to menopaue .
Try to sort it out. You need to get yourself more involved from medical knowledge point of view and start pestering doctors for solutions
Thanks! Will do! I’m constantly researching & trying to find answers and it’s because of the knowledge I go armed with that I have got this far, otherwise I would have been discharged - that’s what Kings attempted to do!
I will persevere! I recognize as there is a lot going on it’s not going to be a quick process. In terms of peri menopause I would have experienced irregular / changes to my periods as a first sign which is not the case so I am defo not worrying about that at this stage. Although, I’m sure it’s waiting in the wings
I couldn't take testosterone as I gave me real 'roid rage. That's why I take DHEA. It keeps my testosterone near the top of the range for a woman and doesn't make me smash things every time I get cross or frustrated. Note that although supplement companies sell DHEA and will sell to UK, it is actually illegal without a precription. See gov.uk/government/publicati... You'll find it under Prasterone
I think I may have asked you this before, but if you could possibly let me know a bit more about the pharmacy that supplies your DHEA, your experience with them and the preparation you're taking, I'd be grateful. A PM, of course, please. I really feel that I'm chasing my tail on this at the moment and the stress is doing me no good at all. Thank you.
I've been prescribed DHEA for about 10 years. Can't think of any side effects - mine is a bioidentical though. Just 12.5mcg a day in a divided dose. 25mcg is high for a woman. DHEA is a controlled drug in the UK - you aren't allowed to import it or buy it without a prescription. If I don't call and get my prescription within 28 days of issue, it is cancelled because of this and I have to get a new one.
I don't know, but I'd ask why that amount and why no other hormones (if there is pituitary problem, I would expect you to need most hormones) as DHEA is one of the least prescribed hormones in the UK as it is unlicensed so the prescribing doctor has to take responsibility. I found that a very small increase or decrease in dose makes a big difference. I can feel the difference between 10mcg and 12.5mcg a day.
I have taken dhea for a nil reading of dhea. It felt a little red bullish for me and my specialist prefers pregnenelone ( 50 mg would be the equivalent)
I’d say the dose you were given was about right.
However I now take adrenavive - completely natural and I feel so much better on it.
Hi Howard any chance of inboxing me your Endo’s details if they are based in London? I do feel like I might have been fobbed off & still have many results out of the normal range which haven’t even been discussed or raised by consultant! First morning after taking DHEA was the worst fatigue I have ever felt. Yesterday I had a left temple headache & pressure for most of the day ( I never get headaches). This morning I woke up feeling nauseous but I am watching out for any symptoms/changes!
My specialist is also a top women's private endo, so I'm lucky in that. Fewer steps from DHEA to testosterone (can't take testosterone directly without turning into The Hulk on bad day) and It avoids the progesterone steal, Cortisol doesn't convert to testosterone so no way could Adrenavive replace DHEA.
The ingredients have been made available to a few specialists.
I know personally that it does as I produce 0 dhea. I’d have flat lined when I came off pregnenelone.( pregnenelone was preferred to dhea as it is more physiological because it is upstream of all adrenal hormones including progesterone and cortisol.
Cholesterol is the raw material from which steroids are made in the body. The next biochemical step is pregnenelone as this is the mother and grandmother of all steroid hormones. By starting off with pregnenelone it means that all hormones can be naturally synthasised in the correct physiological balance.
Hence the body can do it’s iwn natural balancing act)
I take DHEA for low testosterone. I think that what is supposed to happen is that if you up your cortisol, things start going down the DHEA-testosterone pathway instead of the progesterone-cortisol pathway, but that just doesn't happen for me, and it all assumes that your brain is capable of the balancing act, which, with my sub-optimal pituitary, it just doesn't seem to be. that's why I need to start at least one step down the required path.
I once saw a documentary about a woman who was apparently healthy, but died suddenly in her sleep. It turned out she had been taking large doses of DHEA, & it interfered with her heart rythm. This is why I`d be wary of using it.
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