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Stopping DHEA and Diarrhea

Chiron

Chiron

Messages
84
Location
Canada
I've been using 25mg DHEA and 50mg pregnenolone daily for years now as I find it really helps my CFS. Not completely, but partially. There are other elements in my daily protocol that keep my float. There's a weird issue though that I have never been able to figure out.

I try to take breaks from the hormones every couple of weeks or so, for just a few days. Whenever I stop, by the 48 hour mark I start getting crazy explosive diarrhea. If I take DHEA/preg, it goes away within 24 hours. So it's definitely related to those. The diarrhea is so bad that I have to take loperamide. A couple of years ago, I stopped DHEA/preg for a couple of months, and the diarrhea eventually stopped at the 1 week mark.

I've scoured the internet for an easy answer to this but can't find anything. The only thing I can think of is that somehow the hormones are causing fluid retention and once I stop them, the fluid is released through the bowels. My other theory is that maybe it's causing a sudden cortisol drop, but if so, I don't feel any other symptoms of that.

Does anyone have any theories about this?
 
Judee

Judee

Psalm 46:1-3
Messages
4,494
Location
Great Lakes
I wonder if you might be putting yourself into a type of adrenal crisis. Have you ever tried just to wean down instead? I know when I was taking licorice everyday and stopped for an upcoming endo doctor appt she warned me that I should have weaned off of it. She actually said because I stopped cold turkey that I needed to watch for an adrenal crisis and go to the ER if I thought I was having one even when I asked if I shouldn't just start the licorice again at that point.

I believe to some degree that would apply to anything affecting hormones and DHEA/Preg are steroid hormones.

https://emcrit.org/ibcc/adrenal-crisis/ This site says:
Adrenal insufficiency should be considered in any patient with known chronic steroid use plus acute illness.
Adrenal crisis can mimic abdominal sepsis or severe pancreatitis.
 
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Chiron

Chiron

Messages
84
Location
Canada
I've used corticosteroids plenty and I know what adrenal crisis feels like from lowering my dose too fast. I don't feel that way at all from stopping DHEA. Diarrhea is the only symptom. DHEA and pregnenolone are also additive, meaning they don't turn off your body's native production, they just add to it, unlike corticosteroids which shutdown the HPA axis.

I'm still considering what you're saying though. Maybe this is a lower level adrenal burden or something. It's very mysterious!
 
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