Progesterone For Brain Repair in ME/CFS?

[Cort]

Hormones to repair brain injuries. This caught my eye because I think it's progesterone that may have helped Marly Silverman so much. Interestingly one study found that progesterone metabolites were significantly increased in women with ME/CFS. (?)(Does this mean that progesterone levels were higher or that they were lower (because they were being broken down faster?)_.

http://www.endometriosiszone.org/print.asp?page=news_0401_progesterone

Progesterone as a neuroprotective factor in traumatic and ischemic brain injury.

The search for a "magic bullet" drug targeting a single receptor for the treatment of stroke or traumatic brain injury (TBI) has failed thus far for a variety of reasons. The pathophysiology of ischemic brain injury and TBI involves a number of mechanisms leading to neuronal injury, including excitotoxicity, free radical damage, inflammation, necrosis, and apoptosis.

All of the above in italics may be found in ME/CFS.

Brain injury also triggers auto-protective mechanisms, including the up-regulation of anti-inflammatory cytokines and endogenous antioxidants. In these conditions an agent with pleiotropic consequences is more likely to provide effective neuroprotection and repair than one operating primarily on a single, or a small number of, injury mechanisms.

There is growing evidence, including recently published clinical trials, that progesterone and perhaps its metabolite allopregnanolone exert neuroprotective effects on the injured central nervous system (CNS). Laboratories around the world have shown that progesterone and allopregnanolone act through numerous metabolic and physiological pathways that can affect the injury response in many different tissues and organ systems. Furthermore, progesterone is a natural hormone, synthesized in both males and females, that can act as a pro-drug for other metabolites with their own distinct mode of action in CNS repair.

Could the high progesterone metabolites in ME/CFS be due to these repair processes being initiated. Could they signal damage has occurred?

These properties make progesterone a unique and compelling natural agent to consider for testing in clinical trial for CNS injuries including TBI and stroke.

 

[Michael Dessin]

Progesterone

Interesting..my doc puts nearly all his ME/CFS patients on this, I even did for a few months...rubbed it on my stomach daily.

Mike

 

[Jody]

Okay, am wondering something.

Back when I was trying to figure out what I had, I came across estrogen dominance. Now this is more of a menopausal thing right? But ... maybe there's some crossover?

My symptoms fit estrogen dominance, not enough progesterone to balance out the estrogen in my system. Symptoms I read were things like brain fog, parasthesia (numbness, etc.), weight gain, sleep disturbance I think, can't remember the rest, but it sounded like what I had going on.

I had my hormone levels tested and they came out normal. Of course, they used to change through the month back then, so I figure the tests told us nothing. But there was nothing to pursue any further then ...

My brain is no longer swift, so if there's anything significant in what I've written here, somebody'll have to tell me ...

One more thing. One treatment for estrogen dominance is to rub in some progesterone cream every day. Mike's post on that is what reminded me of all this.

 

[Michael Dessin]

Estrogen

I have estrogen dominance, I'm a boy, is that supposed to happen??

Looking for my dress right now..lol

 

[Jody]

Poor Mike,

Your problems run so much deeper than you knew.

About that dress, you could ask Frickly about a pretty number she just got for a wedding ... it has sleeves though ...

 

[Michael Dessin]

Jody

Absolutely not, I only go sleeveless, my shoulders have beautiful curves.. lol

 

[Jody]

Mike,

That's true, I can see that in your picture.

Well then, Frickly's dress will not do.

You are on your own, my friend ...

 

[nina_online]

Estrogen dominance == low progesterone

Cort, Thanks for starting this thread. I am very interested in this topic. I am working on my Personal Story so I haven't posted one yet, but I'll mention in this thread that I had a severe CFS-crisis post-partum. It was called post-partum depression, but had such a sensory and neurological component that I see it as related to CFS.

A friend (non-CFS, but with adrenal fatigue and other imbalances) swears by progesterone (and cortisol). She went to the Hotze clinic in Houston and was diagnosed with estrogen dominance.

In reading up on it, my understanding it that progesterone is a precursor of cortisol. What I think may be happening is that since many of us have overstressed stress-response systems, too much of the progesterone is converted to cortisol. That leads to low progesterone, and the resulting estrogen-dominance.

When I read that, it made more sense to me, because I couldn't really wrap my mind around why so many people would have high estrogen (not that that is a nonsensical thought, given the hormone mimickers / endocrine disrupters in our environment). So my (limited, novice) understanding is that it's not that estrogen is necessarily high, but just that progesterone is lower that it should be to balance the estrogen. That would explain why a guy can have estrogen dominance.

What I didn't know until this thread is that progesterone has such an important protective role for the brain/CNS, including myelination. I just did a search on Yasko's CH3 forum and in Jan 2009 she posted a long list of study summaries all about that. (I can copy here if wanted, but it's long.)

 

[Michael Dessin]

Nina

Can you just copy a few links?

 

[Jody]

For the record, Mike Dessin does not have estrogen dominance.

We were ... goofing around.

I on the other hand may well have had estrogen dominance. In which case, thank God for menopause.

 

[martam]

i was in bed 24/7 until appart from many other things rarted on progesterone I also have a massive uterine fibroid and horrible menstrual pain wich is now gone so yes!

my theory as i have a severr adrenal fatige is that after having sky rocket cortisol for so long it ends up crashing and then is megalow so you end up using all progesterone left ..is really awfull and until is not reversed is a never ending loop of pain trying to make cortisol etc.. i.m so glad i did fibroid is still there but no more heavy bleed and no more pain ! still suffer the head effects dizzy and exhausted but is getting better .

MSM wih vit c has helped me so so much! has anyone try it? still a long way to go but adding progesterone has done wanders for me ! (excuse my english i.m not native) also i find a weird conection with candida since candida is like xenoestrogens able to mimic estrogen so..