Low DHEA, normal cortisol and progesterone. Suppression?

[CFS_RPH]

Hello,
I was wondering if anyone has had experiences where their DHEA and DHEA-S both came back low? Cortisol levels and progesterone levels are all within normal limits. Could it be because taking fludrocortisone chronically causes DHEA to be low? Or does this mean we should supplement more DHEA?

Thank you so much for the help!

 

[crussher]

Hello, my DHEA-S were low - low enough to be appropriate for someone three decades my senior. My consultant prescribed 50 mg DHEA which I took for three months but I noticed no change at all so I discontinued.

Neil Nathan in his book 'Healing is Possible' says he has had amazing clinical results with ME/CFS patients taking DHEA, usually just for a year and then tapering. Didn't happen for me.

A study back in 1999 - small adrenal glands in CFS by Scott, Dinan - suggested that low DHEA might be caused by shrunken adrenal glands in ME/CFS

 

[CFS_RPH]

thank you for the response. That is interesting that it helps some people and not others. The smaller adrenal glands is a good study. I feel like a lot of people with ME/CFS chronically have high cortisol so I wonder if the body will have a negative feedback loop so it makes less DHEA. Or if taking fludrocortisone chronically may also suppress this.