Hi,
I don't know if this topic has been posted,if it has please disreguard.I am thinking of trying DHEA,I have read some articles,but I'm none the wiser as to how safe it is.Has anyone here taken or is taking it?
Garry

Garry,
Be very careful with DHEA supplements. I am a female who was given 25 mgs of DHEA and took it for 8 months and in the last 2, lost 1/2 my hair. It became dry, brittle and fell out handfuls. It is a pretty common side effect from what I understand. I wish my doctor would have warned me.

thank you for replying.I didn't realize It could be that bad!,I bet you were scared to death!.Are you better now?
I did some reading on It and to me It's not right that manufacturer's claim that It's a miracle supplement.It makes me wonder how they are allowed to sell It!.I am already losing hair due to thyroid trouble,I don't need any more to fall out lol.
thanks
garry

Like any drug you take, the right dose is the key. Look what happens when you take 2x the normal tylenol dose for a while; some people die...and yet Tylenol isn't banned!

First you need a blood test for DHEAS to determine your present levels. Then you need follow up blood tests to find the blood level that matches youthful levels but not higher. Normally woman start at 5 mg/day and can slowly work up to no more than 25 mg/day, going up 5mg/month. Men start at 10/mg per day and can slowly work up to 50 mg/day.

In my case my body makes zero DHEA due to an illness and I found 25mg/day worked well. Having come from zero, I can describe the changes DHEA made for me.

Firstly, the changes took months to observe and in the beginning I wasn't even sure it was the DHEA. However, after starting and stopping a few times, it became very clear. Increased exercise capacity, improved deep breathing (I felt like i had asthma), my heart stopped skipping beats, improved well being, muscle/joint pain decrease, dramatic improvement in immunity (I was getting every cold/flu anyone had and it lasted for weeks ... when I do get a cold now, it goes away quickly), improved blood sugar regulation and improved concentration/memory.

DHEA is a serious drug and you need to treat it with respect. There have been a few reports of irregular heart beat associated with taking DHEA and I have experienced changes in my heart so there must be something to those reports. In my experience, eating loads of sugar and taking DHEA are not compatible.

Note that for women, low and high DHEA levels are associated with early mortality. In men, only low DHEA levels have that association. That's why its doublely important for women to get blood tests to establish proper levels.
Otherwise, no more than 5-10mg/day is wise.