I started taking DHEA (50 mg twice a day) a couple of weeks ago and I noticed significant strength gains since then. Has anybody else made similar experiences with DHEA?
If you are low on dhea, it can impact hormone levels (testosterone), and adrenal function. I’m not sure how much, but I would guess pretty minimal unless you were very low. I don’t think having surplus dhea helps either, but if you were low it can help.
Did you go into this experiment expecting it to help? If so probably placebo.
I’m curious as to what others say.
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Placebo is usually the first thing I expect. But the fact that those gains are based on sets to muscle failure and that they were pretty significant makes me think that there may be more to it. I did not really expect any effect either, but I like to experiment with different supplements from time to time. My testosterone is pretty low and there may be a connection here for me.
Yeah. I’m leaning down pretty nicely, responding to carbohydrates very well, libido and production are at 17-21 year old levels, and joints feel great instead of creaky and dry.
Haven’t tested strength for a while though. Wouldn’t be surprised if it bumped up a little.
Odd one I’ve noticed is that I’ve almost entirely eliminated allergy medicine. I had taken Loratadine daily for about 10 years before becoming resistant to it, then switched to zyrtec for the past 2 years, but for the last 3 Mos. have only taken it maybe 4 times.
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So you are taking DHEA as well? If so, what dosage?
Yeah. 100 MG. 2x per day.
My hair has also gone from sort of frizzy older guy kind of hair to long soft and smooth like it was in my early 20’s.
Honestly, I find it pretty damn strange. The allergy thing is really something.
200 mg a day. And I thought I am taking a lot with my 100 mg. I am worried because I read that if you take too much your body will use it to make more estrogen.
I’d read a few things about that, but it would have to be very large doses, and even then it’s not a significant amount produced. There was also something about it having a low affinity to both estrogen and test receptors, but not to any great degree. If I understand receptor binding, it would be kicked off by the androgen that the receptor is designed for.
Just in case, I also use resveratrol.
I have to look into that, never heard about it.
Did you by any chance compare got pre-DHEA testosterone levels to your current levels?
No. I just decided to experiment with it after reading up on it a little. Figured if there were any noticeable changes (good or bad) I’d only be out $4.79.
Don’t know where you are, but the stuff is dirt cheap here.
It’s pretty good stuff. There’s a good bit about it through the home page.
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Also fwiw, this is what I’m seeing at 46 years old,which may be why the differences seem so dramatic (to me).
@mindphaser since you decided to supplement DHEA why didn’t you supplement pregnenolone as well?
Both pregnenolone and DHEA are “parent” hormones of the sex hormones estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. Taking pregnenolone or DHEA supplements, therefore, may indeed raise levels of those sex hormones; in fact, that is considered one of the desired effects.
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Well, to me it seemed like pregnenolone is the precursor of DHEA, therefore I didn’t see a need for that. My thought is that the closer it is to testosterone, the better.
I’m on a HCG, low dose adex and dhea 25 mg protocol. The Dr thought 25 mg a day was sufficient to bring me from low to high range. I ran out, and it took me a bit to go buy some. Did 75 mg per day for a couple days, then back down to 25 mg.
I don’t think having surplus is going to help much. 25 it 50 mg a day is probably all you will get benefit from.
I wonder if the surplus will become estrogen…
What is your diagnosis?
Low T. I’m only 31, so the doctor did not want me to go on test without trying HCG.
HCG has gotten me from high 300s total, and like 10 free, to mid 500 total and low 20s for free (units in ng/dl).
Some improvement, but probably not what I would see with testosterone.
Edit:. We added the dhea after the last blood work analysis, to see if I could get into the 600s total, but most importantly get the free test to mid to high 20s. Haven’t had blood work with dhea in the protocol yet.
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Was your DHEA low? Is the plan to keep you on HCG indefinitely or is this supposed to restart your own production amd then you won’t have to take it anymore? I am curious to see how the DHEA changed your numbers, if it did.
I’ll try to respond to this post when I get my next bloodwork.
The HCG protocol does a couple things. If you get a big response from it it indicates that your balls still work and that you are secondary. I really don’t know what the doctor will do after the next checkup. He said that t injections would be an option if he can’t get my free t to mid 20s with the addition of dhea.
I don’t think a restarts usually work for someone who has never used aas.
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Also to the main question. Dhea was 260 range was 136-475. So not super low, but he thought getting it into the 400s could yield some increase in testosterone.
After looking at the bloodwork again, testosterone total was at 536, and free test was at 17.4 ng/dl.
Not super stellar, but it was a 70 percent increase on free testosterone.