Posted by andrewb on February 6, 2000, at 16:45:19
In reply to DHEA, posted by Reenee N on February 5, 2000, at 1:04:08
> Has anyone tried DHEA. I'm sure it has probably been discussed here before, but I didn't catch it or(more likely)forgot what was said. Would it be safe to take if I also take Wellbutrin, Effexor,ADDerall, and bloodpressure medicine?
DHEA is probably a victim of its own hype. After being touted as the universal ‘fountain of youth’, studies have shown that DHEA only offers modest benefits to the average person in combating some of the effects of aging. In addition there are risks associated with taking DHEA. A small fraction of DHEA is converted to testosterone and estrogens. Both of these sex hormones have been associated with tumor growth. Also other androgenic effects have been noticed in some people taking DHEA. Women may experience acne, hair loss, hirsutism and deepening of the voice. The hirsutism and voice changes may be irreversible.
That being said, DHEA has been shown to offer great benefit to certain populations. People with HIV and those with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome often have depressed DHEA levels. In HIV, DHEA supplementation to normal levels has been very effective in decreasing fatigue, eliminating muscle loss and dementia and alleviating depression,
Some small scale studies have also shown that DHEA can be effective in treating depression even in treatment resistant individuals. It seems about half of those depressed will be relieved of depression by taking DHEA. How it does this is a bit unclear. It may in part do this by increasing the amount of estrogen and testosterone, both can have an antidepressant effect. DHEA may owe most of its antidepressant activity however to its antagonism of the negative effects of cortisol.
Cortisol, a hormone released in response to stress, is often elevated in those with depression. Elevated cortisol causes depression by impairing serotonergic transmission (and possibly norandrenergic transmission) via the hippocampus. Over time cortisol physically damages the hippocampus, causing dendritic atrophy and neuronal death, thus explaining the shrunken size of the hippocampus in depressives. This damage to the hippocampus predisposes a person to future bouts of depression via abnormal neurotransmitter transmission.
DHEA is able to combat cortisol’s damaging effects. Evidence from several sources indicates that DHEA can act as an antiglucocorticoid (a cortisol reducer). In addition, DHEA protects the hippocampus against the nuerotoxic actions of glutamic analogues such as NMDA (These nuerotoxic actions are increased in the presence of cortisol.).
It is common for depressives to find their memory abnormally poor for their age. It is therefore interesting to note that people taking DHEA for depression also often find their memory improves. For example in one treatment depressive who received DHEA supplementation to normal blood levels, found not only relief for her depression but also memory improvement that included 63% improvement in semantic memory performance.
DHEA improves memory by protecting the hippocampus and allowing it to repair itself. The hippocampus is crucial to certain types of memory.
What does this all mean. For one, if you have depression you should get your cortisol and DHEA levels checked. Especially if you have poor memory. Normal blood levels of DHEA are 300 to 600. The units are ng/dl for DHEA-S (another form of DHEA in the blood) and pg/dl for DHEA. Ignore the normal range values the laboratory uses because they are usually too wide or age adjusted.
It is claimed that if DHEA levels are properly monitored it is almost completely devoid of side effects. For men, if blood levels are below 100, a 200 mg/day supplement of DHEA is required, if below 200 a 100mg/day supplement is required, and a 50mg/day supplement for when levels are between 200-300. If you are a woman, take 50mg/day if your level is below 100 mg/dL and 25 mg/day if it is below 200.
A promising new alternative to DHEA is an analogue, 7-Keto DHEA. 7-Keto does not convert at all into sex hormones. Therefore it does not have the possible side effects like acne or tumor growth. It is also supposed to have stronger memory enhancing properties than DHEA. I take 100mg/day of 7-Keto. I’ve noticed it has taken away my unusual muscle soreness after exercise and has made it easier to put on muscle. Both 7-Keto and DHEA decrease the body’s catabolic (muscle destroying) processes. Prices for 7-Keto vary widely. The best price I have found is at www.nutrition-center.netBest wishes for your health,
AndrewB
poster:andrewb
thread:20549
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000128/msgs/20633.html