Experimenting with DHEA
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 at 10:08PM Lizzy If you've been at my site you know the whole story about hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue, but even after all this time my treatment is a work-in-progress. This means treating everything in life as an experiment (in fact you can browse my ongoing experiments on edison – the experimenter's journal).
Of course, using oneself as the test subject can be frustrating, and even a bit scary. Here is the latest update about my life as an experiment...
At my last doctor's visit in April, I had lab work done. Turns out in the past few years my DHEA had dropped a ridiculous amount, into an abnormal range. We aren't sure why, but since DHEA is produce by the adrenals we suspect the drop is related to my thyroid and adrenal systems and treatment. Anyway, I was feeling in good health overall but figured it was worth trying a DHEA supplement to see what would happen. My doctor said that was fine. Fortunately, or not, the only way to figure stuff out is by trying it. So there I was again, my own test dummy.
When trying something new I always hope I will have great and immediate results like I did with Hydrocortisone, Naturethroid and the Vitamin B Complex. However, with DHEA it seems that the results have been immediate, but not so good. Namely, I noticed a lot of hair loss. Imagine my horror this past month, after virtually no hair loss since getting thyroid treatment, to suddenly be shedding like crazy. And to make things worse I noticed the return of other hypothyroid symptoms like brain fog, inability to cope or get motivated.
I have to say I've been freaked out, as I am sure you might feel at times when your body just isn't doing the right thing. Luckily my mom talked me off a theoretic ledge this morning and helped me pinpoint that the DHEA may be the issue. I started reading on the Yahoo Adrenal group about it, and sure enough some people have had similar problems with DHEA, specifically with hair loss.
The lessons learned is that experiments can be frustrating, especially when they affect your physical health. But we have to keep at it, keep learning and evolving because this stuff just isn't going to fix itself. But I have to remember to forgive myself when things don't go great. The learning is what matters, as long as I can get myself back on track.
I am pretty sure DHEA didn't work for me, so I am stopping it and will report back about my findings. Of course, DHEA might work great for some people and I would love to hear if you've had a good experience.
xxoo
Lizzy
DHEA, Hydrocortisone, Labwork, Supplements, Vitamins | in Adrenal Fatigue, Hypothyroidism | Share Article | Permalink 
Reader Comments (8)
I had a horrible experience every time I tried it. I never supposed that the hair nightmare i experienced 2 summers ago could have been that!
Wow! My Dr. just kept pushing the stuff but it made me so damn depressed
and dumb, I felt 3 feet thick. It was the weirdest feeling ever!
Thanks for your post! Sue
I've been on DHEA for awhile now, but it works for me. The only problem is finding the right dosage - too much and it backfires, not enough and I'm tired and dizzy. Also, it makes my acne flare up. :( Never had any hair-loss, though, and I'm very thankful.
Hi Ari, thanks for sharing! Some people are okay on DHEA, it guess it depends on the person. It's all big experiment!
Used dhea for a short while and experienced hair loss which doesn't appear to be returning.... also acne and greasy hair, then a lot if shedding of top hair, now having itching scalp helped by using Nizoral shampoo 2x's a week......I'm also hypothyroid, and on thyroxine......what are the chances my hair will ever return to former thickness and no former signs of pattern baldness prior to dhea use? Thanks for any help and answers debb
Hi Deb,
I'm so sorry, it sounds like you've had a terrible experience with DHEA just like me. It's been a year now and my hair is starting to recover. But I have been following a really careful supplement and medicine regimen which I think is (hopefully) helping (slowly). I have heard a side effect of synthetic thyroid medicine like thyroxine can cause hair loss (I know, this is just horrible). So switching to Natural Desiccated Thyroid like Naturethroid (USA) or Erfa (ordered from Canada) could possibly help with you hair growth (and may help you feel better all around). Here is some great info on synthetic thyroid meds and why people have problems on them...
http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/t4-only-meds-dont-work/
From what I know, low iron is potential cause of hair loss, and common to hypothyroid. So my supplements for hair health this past year include:
Iron
Zinc
Omegas 3 and 6
The very last suggestion is to join the Yahoo Hair Loss Forum. The ladies there have been so very helpful and know way more about this than I do.
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/growhair/
xxoo
Lizzy
I had a similar experience with DHEA. I started supplementing with a topical DHEA cream. Then my boyfriend started noticing all this hair in the shower drain, and then he said he could see my scalp! After my lab tests showed a very high DHEA level I stopped the DHEA, but within a month I came down with subacute thyroiditis (painful, rapid heartbeat, constantly on edge). Got through that, and now I am on a compounded thyroid med (T3/T4). Doc recently decided my thyroid hormones are now idea, but my hair hasn't grown back. Still very thin. On top of that, I'm on natural HRT, and have been for years. The hair loss doesn't seem to be related to androgens, so I'm stumped, as is my doctor.
I used to have beautiful, long thick hair. It's so weird not to have much hair anymore. And I do believe the DHEA precipiated the hair loss, and possibly my thyroiditis as well.
Love your site!
Dee
My naturopath tested me for DHEA level and it was low, so I got some compounded sublingual DHEA liquid made. It gave me acne and thinning hair, but my naturopath said it's probably because my body is converting some if to DHT, which caused the hair loss and acne. She suggested I also take Spironolactone (an Rx). Be careful with Spiro b/c it can lead to GERD over several months' time. It DID do the trick with allowing usage of DHEA without the hair loss and acne, however. Then, later I read online that Saw Palmetto can do the same thing as Spiro, so I switched to Saw Palmetto (I know it's usually only historically been used by men). That's been going well and I don't have the GERD symptoms, so it's the best of both worlds and I'm still able to take the DHEA.
Hi Mustang Sally, that's really helpful thanks!!