Is DHEA dangerous?

30. May 2008 William Davis (17)
















The Fountain of Youth, Louis Cranach the Younger (1546)




In the Track Your Plaque program, we sometimes use the adrenal hormone, DHEA. It is a fascinating and--surprisingly--an over-the-counter hormone that can be useful and safe when used properly.

DHEA can be useful for:

--Reduction of Lp(a)--Though more effective in females, it can also be useful in males. In the women, DHEA often reduces Lp(a) 15-18%, somewhat less in males. The lower the starting DHEA, the greater the Lp(a) reduction.

--Improved libido--in both men and women. The effect is modest. It's magnified when used with other strategies. Although this is not specifically a goal in the program, it sure helps to get side-benefits like this, rather than unwanted side-effects.

--Increased energy and mood--The boost in mood is, for many, the most perceptible effect: More ambition, more stamina, greater staying power in work and exercise.

--Reduction in abdominal (visceral) fat--A modest effect, but one that, over a long period of use (>6 months) can yield improved insulin responses.


Most commonly, I will suggest DHEA supplementation when blood levels allow. Some people, however, Google "DHEA" and come back horrified that I would suggest such a dangerous supplement.

"I read that it makes women grow mustaches and makes their voices deeper!"

And it does--if you take a lot.

10-15 years ago, when the benefits of DHEA became apparent, some people wanted to believe that DHEA was the fountain of youth. People interested in the anti-aging potential for DHEA figured that, if 50 mg per day made you feel energized and vigorous, what would be the effect of 1000 mg, 2000 mg, or 3000 mg per day? A number of clinical trials were conducted using these doses and, interestingly, depression can lift, men and women increase muscle mass, there is a slight increase in bone density, even pain symptoms from rheumatoid arthritis and lupus may improve. But . . . women grow mustaches, become sexually aggressive, and develop deep voices. Men can become hyperaggressive or overly emotional.

No wonder: Any hormone taken in extraordinary, supraphysiologic doses will exert wacky effects. Imagine taking testosterone or estrogen at 50 times the usual dose.

The doses we use for the above benefits, including Lp(a) reduction, range from 25-100 mg per day; most people do fine with 50 mg. We also adjust doses to starting blood levels. In this dose range, I have never seen any of the above side-effects.

The only side-effects I see at these doses are 1) excessive assertiveness or crabbiness, and 2) insomnia if taken at bedtime.

In my experience, DHEA is a benign hormone, provided it is taken in limited doses and not abused. An occasional female younger than 55 years old will be able to tolerate only 10-20 mg per day before developing the edgy side-effects, but I've never witnessed masculinizing side-effects at these low doses, nor have I ever seen excessive increases in testosterone in men or women. (Women can raise testosterone levels slightly, but almost never enough to exert much effect beyond modestly increased libido.)



Copyright 2008 William Davis, MD
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Comments (17) -

  • JoeEO

    5/30/2008 2:31:00 PM |

    I always understood that men should get a PSA test prior to starting DHEA. Is that not the case in your experience?

    Peace

    Joe E O

  • Anonymous

    5/30/2008 3:09:00 PM |

    Well, if I'd been your patient, you would have seen gynomastia in me at 25mg/day after about a month.

    It sure did help my energy and mood, though -- wouldn't I love to be able to take it!  

    Breasts aren't a good look for me, though.

  • Jessica

    5/30/2008 11:48:00 PM |

    "No wonder: Any hormone taken in extraordinary, supraphysiologic doses will exert wacky effects. Imagine taking testosterone or estrogen at 50 times the usual dose."

    Thats why some people are hesitant to take Vitamin D in larger than "usual" doses.

    I take 10,000 IU/day of D3...hope I don't grow a mustache!

    Smile

  • Anonymous

    5/31/2008 2:25:00 AM |

    Are there any interactions between DHEA and any medicines, specifically beta-Blockers?

  • Anne

    5/31/2008 12:22:00 PM |

    I take 5mg of DHEA because testing showed slightly low levels. I can't say I have noticed any difference with this small dose.

  • Anonymous

    5/31/2008 1:36:00 PM |

    I read on the the internet the the largest study ever done on DHEA came up with 2 very interesting findings. This was a double blind study mind you. Finding number 1 supplementing with DHEA did indeed raise blood levels of DHEA in the body. Finding number 2 the ones that received the DHEA and increased their blood levels reported no more of the supposed "positives" than the placebo group. No "better mood, no more energy . . . Authors conclusion: while supplementing with DHEA can raise blood levels its of no use. For those of you out there thinking thtas ridiculus remember we've had examples of this before. Rememeber the big homcystene controversy from a few years back? The higher the homocystene levels the greater the risk of heart attack. We knew that by using Folic Acid among other things we could reduce Homocystene levels and we did. However it din't do anything to lessen the chance for a heart attack. Just manipulating blood levels of substances doesn't mean your doing any good in some cases. Dhea and Homocystene are 2 very good examples. But hey placebo effect can be very real. We just ruin everybodies fun with are silly double blind studies.

  • Anonymous

    6/1/2008 8:10:00 AM |

    Anonymous, do you have a citation for the double-blind study that showed no benefit?  "I read on the internet" is a bit broad.

  • Anonymous

    6/1/2008 3:11:00 PM |

    I'm sorry I didn't cite the citation I was making a brief comment to a message on a blog not my senior thesis. A simple check of DHEA and google takes about 30 seconds to come up with the information. Sorry next time I cite a study I will do the proper citation.

  • Anonymous

    6/1/2008 3:58:00 PM |

    The earlier anonymous posting seems to be true, if you google DHEA there doesn't seem to be alot of supporting evidence for many of the claims made about DHEA, and he's right it took about 30 seconds to see that.

  • Anonymous

    6/2/2008 4:32:00 AM |

    TYP: try Google Scholar...

  • Anonymous

    6/5/2008 9:41:00 PM |

    I recently took a four-month course of DHEA at 3x/d 25mg (75mg total per day) since it's showing some promise in women over forty who have been dubbed "poor responders" without much explanation in previous IVF cycles.  

    It's used to induce a physiological state of PCOS - trapping antral follicles in the ovaries so when ovarian stimulation begins, the number of follicles that mature increases.

    Anyway, for me it did trap antral follicles, but that did not lead to an increase in mature follicular development in the IVF cycle...I remained a "poor responder" to the injectable gonadotropins.

    The side effects were minor for the most part, but the most disturbing was the redistribution of body fat...I went from, without a change on the scale in weight, a classic pear/hourglass to an absolute apple in less than two months, then continued to accumulate abdominal fat for the remaining two months.  This is a known side-effect in women and any woman considering supplemental DHEA needs to consider the risk to benefit for waist-hip ratio and waist circumferance.  

    Other side effects were a loss of hair on my head, slight peach-fizz hair along my face on my hair line and an increase in appetite...although as I said above, I didn't gain weight on the scale, but did wind up with abdominal fat and a loss of LBM as evidenced by my declining muscle tone in my legs and arms.

    Just something to consider if one is thinking about supplementing - perhaps getting tested for levels before supplementing blindly is a better idea than going ahead and not knowing if you're even deficient?

  • Dr. William Davis

    6/5/2008 9:48:00 PM |

    Great observations! Thanks.

  • Dr. B G

    6/6/2008 2:00:00 PM |

    Dear Anonymous,

    What is your 25(OH)D level?

    The reason I ask is because vitamin D has been given to infertile men (low sperm count). And I bet it works for some women as well.  (In animal studies, both vitamin A and D are used to 'reverse' infertility).

    Did you know that silent celiac disease can cause infertility (which was news to me!)? (I had an article that discusses silent celiac disease recently).

    Regards, G

  • Anonymous

    6/7/2008 2:56:00 PM |

    What is your 25(OH)D level?

    The reason I ask is because vitamin D has been given to infertile men (low sperm count). And I bet it works for some women as well. (In animal studies, both vitamin A and D are used to 'reverse' infertility).

    My levels were within normal when we tested it in October and since it was winter, I was supplementing daily with 2000IU fish oil derived D3....so the vitamin D was covered.

    Did you know that silent celiac disease can cause infertility (which was news to me!)? (I had an article that discusses silent celiac disease recently).

    Yes!  I recently stumbled on data about celiac and asymptomatic celiac associated with infertility.  At this point, I've totally eliminated all grain based foods and we're seeing what happens.  Thus far we things are looking up - when we did a scan recently to track my ovulation, it looks like this cycle may bear two mature follicles sans any drugs...at my age maturing and releasing more than one egg happens...and we're taking it as possibly a side-effect of the removal of all grains from my diet. Thanks for the heads up though, if I hadn't already stumbled on it as a possibility - it would have been very useful information for me!

  • Anonymous

    11/5/2008 11:21:00 AM |

    I have heard about prostate enlargement by using DHEA.

  • Anonymous

    11/14/2009 3:57:40 AM |

    I recently requested my hormone levels be tested after being prescribed Prozac (don't want it!!) for pain in my back - trigger points - and my DHEA Sulfate level came back at 21.  I'm 39. My progesterone was 3.2.  Would a 20% progesterone cream with additional 15% DHEA 15% Pregnenolone three weeks per month help me???  Thank you for any information!

  • buy jeans

    11/2/2010 8:15:37 PM |

    The doses we use for the above benefits, including Lp(a) reduction, range from 25-100 mg per day; most people do fine with 50 mg. We also adjust doses to starting blood levels. In this dose range, I have never seen any of the above side-effects.

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