DHEA or pregnenolone

[FatBurner2008]

Looking to take around 10mg daily of [FONT=Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]DHEA or pregnenolone.

Would appreciate feedback on going with one or the other.[/FONT]

 

[kisaj]

In!

 

[FatBurner2008]

Any recommendations on one or the other?

 

[kisaj]

You want to start with Preg and let your pathways follow a natural course. Only a portion of it converts to DHEA and this may not be enough to backfill and get you to the top of the normal range. At that point, you may want to look to supplement DHEA. DHEA is going to be more powerful as it is further down the chain, but this can also bring on sides.

Obviously, I would recommend getting labs to see where you stand before adding any hormone. Also, you don't say why you are looking to add it in. Why are you?

 

[FatBurner2008]

Early 40s here and thought both were good for overall mood and focus.

Been on 12.5 mg daily but was looking to also add DHEA.

You want to start with Preg and let your pathways follow a natural course. Only a portion of it converts to DHEA and this may not be enough to backfill and get you to the top of the normal range. At that point, you may want to look to supplement DHEA. DHEA is going to be more powerful as it is further down the chain, but this can also bring on sides.

Obviously, I would recommend getting labs to see where you stand before adding any hormone. Also, you don't say why you are looking to add it in. Why are you?

 

[kisaj]

Ok, then you are likely depleted based on age alone. 12.5 is a maintenance dose for me. If you decide to add in DHEA. Find a low 5mg dose to start because you will be surprised at what that can do when added to preg. Even this can bring on estrogen sides over time, so you may not want to do an every day protocol, but on times that you really need that extra boost.

 

[FatBurner2008]

So something like 12.5mg daily of preg and 10-20mg of DHEA every other day?

I thought DHEA was not effective taken orally?

Ok, then you are likely depleted based on age alone. 12.5 is a maintenance dose for me. If you decide to add in DHEA. Find a low 5mg dose to start because you will be surprised at what that can do when added to preg. Even this can bring on estrogen sides over time, so you may not want to do an every day protocol, but on times that you really need that extra boost.

 

[kisaj]

So something like 12.5mg daily of preg and 10-20mg of DHEA every other day?

I thought DHEA was not effective taken orally?

I'd run 10mg preg and 5mg DHEA and assess. You can go up if needed. I started with 50mg preg and 25mg DHEA for 3 weeks to back fill and dropped back. DHEA has a tendency to convert to estrogen moreso when taken orally. Taken sublingual, that drops considerably. Because DHEA sits down the chain and converts to test and estrogen, the chances of sides run higher. I have no need to run DHEA every day so I never see sides now.

 

[thebigt]

dermacrine=preg/dhea/ai all in one. dosage is easy to adjust

 

[FatBurner2008]

So you use DHEA ever other day? And at what dosage?

I'd run 10mg preg and 5mg DHEA and assess. You can go up if needed. I started with 50mg preg and 25mg DHEA for 3 weeks to back fill and dropped back. DHEA has a tendency to convert to estrogen moreso when taken orally. Taken sublingual, that drops considerably. Because DHEA sits down the chain and converts to test and estrogen, the chances of sides run higher. I have no need to run DHEA every day so I never see sides now.

 

[kisaj]

5mg and yes, every other day.

 

[FatBurner2008]

Yes, using that now but then looking to rotate with just preg and DHEA.

dermacrine=preg/dhea/ai all in one. dosage is easy to adjust

 

[thebigt]

Yes, using that now but then looking to rotate with just preg and DHEA.

i would be very interested in your thoughts/results!!!

 

[alwaysfirst]

dermacrine=preg/dhea/ai all in one. dosage is easy to adjust

If I would use this, would 1-2 pumps be enough?
I'm on TRT also and looking to add some energy

 

[FatBurner2008]

Might want to start another thread. This topic is for oral DHEA and preg. Thanks!

If I would use this, would 1-2 pumps be enough?
I'm on TRT also and looking to add some energy

 

[thebigt]

If I would use this, would 1-2 pumps be enough?
I'm on TRT also and looking to add some energy

the dosing protocol was set up based on weight, what do you weigh?

2 pumps would probably be enough to be felt by most, imo...but with higher dosing comes greater effects...i go 204 and use 2 pumps in the morning and feel more alert and energized within 20 minutes of applying, on days when i need a bigger boost or am really dragging i just boost the dose up to 4 pumps......

i can only base my answer on my personal experience, i can't tell you yours would be the same.

 

[FatBurner2008]

So for those using oral DHEA and preg orally, would appreciate hearing suggestions.

 

[uubiduu]

25mg of oral dhea per day not a good idea for a 40y old man?any input appreciated

 

[alwaysfirst]

Might want to start another thread. This topic is for oral DHEA and preg. Thanks!

This question was regarding DHEA and Preg.
Thanks!

 

[alwaysfirst]

the dosing protocol was set up based on weight, what do you weigh?

2 pumps would probably be enough to be felt by most, imo...but with higher dosing comes greater effects...i go 204 and use 2 pumps in the morning and feel more alert and energized within 20 minutes of applying, on days when i need a bigger boost or am really dragging i just boost the dose up to 4 pumps......

i can only base my answer on my personal experience, i can't tell you yours would be the same.

Thanks!

 

[tristen22001]

Would preg makes things worse for someone with high cortisol by increasing cortisol even more? Would dhea be a better option?

 

[FatBurner2008]

Sounds like unless your backfilling initially that may be too much?

Hopefully kisaj will chime in.

25mg of oral dhea per day not a good idea for a 40y old man?any input appreciated

 

[kisaj]

25mg of oral dhea per day not a good idea for a 40y old man?any input appreciated

First, I wouldn't take it orally. Go sublingual or transdermal. Second, 25mg is a lot of DHEA and you don't want to take that much for a long time, but to initially back fill, that seems to be the amount generally prescribed. I took 25mg for 3 weeks and then retested with my levels at the top of the range, then backed down to 5mg eod. Now, pregnenolone keeps my levels near the top. If there is a time I want a little extra mental/physical boost, I take a 5mg.

 

[uubiduu]

First, I wouldn't take it orally. Go sublingual or transdermal. Second, 25mg is a lot of DHEA and you don't want to take that much for a long time, but to initially back fill, that seems to be the amount generally prescribed. I took 25mg for 3 weeks and then retested with my levels at the top of the range, then backed down to 5mg eod. Now, pregnenolone keeps my levels near the top. If there is a time I want a little extra mental/physical boost, I take a 5mg.

reason for taking it orally is i can get this stuff many times cheaper than any other version.im surprised that 25mg is considered much dhea per day.i have a decent book about anti-aging and the author thinks that 25-100mg is the common dosing range for men at my age.i thought to have read that oral dhea doesnt get optimally resorbed.so im reall astonished you mention 5mg caps

 

[kisaj]

There is a difference between oral and sublingual and the price difference is very small. I know of a lot of bad information out there saying to take upwards of 100mg of DHEA and I'd recommend researching more.

There is a reason I always say to know where you are starting from because it is the only way to know if you need it and how much. If pregnenolone and 5mg of DHEA are bringing my numbers to ideal levels and has changed mood, memory, libido, and energy, there is no reason to take more than is needed.

Again, backfilling for a short period of time is one thing, but high levels of DHEA can cause sides like acne, heart rhythm issues, possible hair loss, low libido, and insomnia.

 

[tristen22001]

There is a difference between oral and sublingual and the price difference is very small. I know of a lot of bad information out there saying to take upwards of 100mg of DHEA and I'd recommend researching more.

There is a reason I always say to know where you are starting from because it is the only way to know if you need it and how much. If pregnenolone and 5mg of DHEA are bringing my numbers to ideal levels and has changed mood, memory, libido, and energy, there is no reason to take more than is needed.

Again, backfilling for a short period of time is one thing, but high levels of DHEA can cause sides like acne, heart rhythm issues, possible hair loss, low libido, and insomnia.

Do you have any thoughts on oral pregnenolone tablets that are time release micronized lipid matrix? I'm curious as to how they would compare to sublingual...especially being delayed release instead of instant.

 

[kisaj]

I don't know anything about them so I couldn't say. 10mg preg taken upon waking has me going until 8-9 at night, so I really don't see a point in time released. That is just my take, though. When I add 5 mg DHEA, I have a little trouble sleeping.

 

[tristen22001]

I don't know anything about them so I couldn't say. 10mg preg taken upon waking has me going until 8-9 at night, so I really don't see a point in time released. That is just my take, though. When I add 5 mg DHEA, I have a little trouble sleeping.

Thank you for the reply. The whole time release aspect of it just has me confused because I thought your body naturally has higher levels in the morning and it drops throughout the day. Time release seems to go against this by keeping levels fairly steady through the day. Wasn't sure if I was just missing something. Looks like I'll be sticking with my sublingual tablets (adding dhea tomorrow).

 

[kisaj]

Update us on your DHEA experience once you start.

 

[tristen22001]

Update us on your DHEA experience once you start.

Will do. Per you recommendation, I plan on starting with just 5 mg every morning and adjust as needed.

 

[tristen22001]

Update us on your DHEA experience once you start.

Just out of curiousity, I'm wondering if you know the answer to a question I posted above. I asked my doctor a couple weeks ago but he admitted to not knowing much about pregnenolone. Basically, I was wondering if adding pregnenolone would be bad for someone with a lot of stress or high cortisol since it could just increase the cortisol levels even more? In a case like that, I'm wondering if just DHEA would be better than the two together.

 

[kisaj]

You are probably referring to pregnenolone steal and yeah, if you are under constant stress and dealing with raised cortisol levels, then adding preg can add to the problem. What happens is that rather than convert to the normal pathways, it is "taken" to produce more cortisol.

This seems to be up for some debate though, because now doctors think that it can help be lowering stress as well. But, even if it were to help relieve anxiety and other stresses, you still need to figure out what is causing this to begin with.

I personally wouldn't add anything until the underlying cause was figured out.

 

[tristen22001]

You are probably referring to pregnenolone steal and yeah, if you are under constant stress and dealing with raised cortisol levels, then adding preg can add to the problem. What happens is that rather than convert to the normal pathways, it is "taken" to produce more cortisol.

This seems to be up for some debate though, because now doctors think that it can help be lowering stress as well. But, even if it were to help relieve anxiety and other stresses, you still need to figure out what is causing this to begin with.

I personally wouldn't add anything until the underlying cause was figured out.

That's what I'm afraid might be happening. It has been great in some respects (mood, focus) but bad in others (almost a jittery feeling like if I had caffeine). Maybe that stacked with rhodiola is a little too much (at least the agmatine I recently added has helped dropped my blood pressure below the 140 mark). Could be time to switch to a different, more calming adaptogen; and possibly dropping pregnenolone and dhea for now.

 

[kisaj]

How much are you taking?

 

[tristen22001]

How much are you taking?

Was originally taking 10 mg twice each day (morning and afternoon) but it started giving me a headache after the second dose. In the last week I started just taking 10 mg in the morning.

 

[Balaclava]

That 5mg dose every other day sounds pretty bang on. I played around with 5-25mg daily, every couple days etc. Anything more than 5-10mg every couple days would give me estrogenic sides. Mid 30s.

 

[kisaj]

That is very common and why I cringe when people talk about taking 25-50mg+ of DHEA.

 

[FatBurner2008]

Been doing DHEA at 5mg and Preg 10 mg per day sublingual....so far so good.

OK to do DHEA at 5mg daily?

I'd run 10mg preg and 5mg DHEA and assess. You can go up if needed. I started with 50mg preg and 25mg DHEA for 3 weeks to back fill and dropped back. DHEA has a tendency to convert to estrogen moreso when taken orally. Taken sublingual, that drops considerably. Because DHEA sits down the chain and converts to test and estrogen, the chances of sides run higher. I have no need to run DHEA every day so I never see sides now.

 

[kisaj]

Sure, just pay attention to it. You may start to notice oily skin and slight acne, then it is time to back down.

 

[FatBurner2008]

Then going to DHEA every other day?

Sure, just pay attention to it. You may start to notice oily skin and slight acne, then it is time to back down.