Welcome to the last month of 2024!
Over the last few weeks, I’ve covered progesterone and estrogen, today I will outline some key points on DHEA Supplementation.
An outline of today's email:
- DHEA FYI
- DHEA “Nevers”
- Prescribing Tips
1: DHEA FYI
- Some potential causes of low serum DHEA include aging, stress, smoking nicotine, and statin use
- Low levels of DHEA may correlate with presence of depressive symptoms
- High levels may be seen in those with PCOS and PTSD (and tumors in rare cases)
2: DHEA “Nevers”
- Never prescribe DHEA without measuring serum and salivary levels first (since some studies show discrepancies between these two, where one can be high and one can be low)
- Never prescribe DHEA to someone with a history of breast cancer (no way to determine which pathway it will go down, and not enough research)
3: DHEA Prescribing Tips
- In anyone with a history of acne, use 7-keto form of DHEA to avoid acne breakout (however, if acne is experienced with a regular DHEA, it generally resolves within 4-6 weeks)
- Set expectations with patients on potential side effects of too much DHEA supplementation: Fatigue, anger/mood changes, insomnia if taken too close to bed, acne, sugar cravings, facial hair
- Use liquid, dissolving tablets, or compounded sustained release forms of DHEA for optimal response to treatment (3-10% absorption from capsules/tablets)
Thank you for reading!
What's your favorite part of December? I look forward to extra time with family and lots of warm drinks (currently trying out Mesquite "coffee" (has a chocolate and cinnamon flavor to it, and no caffeine!).
Best in health,
Meg
P.S. And if you want to forward this on to someone who could benefit from the information, thank you! Here's a link for anyone new who wants to sign up (link also includes access to a PDF resource for tips for staying organized).
P.P.S. Miss out on a week? Find links to any past newsletters here.
If you're looking for more helpful content on functional medicine for clinicians, check out blog articles on my website! I also have a few helpful low-cost resources you can find on the website as well. Thank you for your time and support - I truly hope I am serving you well :)
I do my best to share information you find helpful, but if it's not to your standards, please let me know what I can do better by replying directly to this email (it's my personal email). No worries, too, if you need to unsubscribe via the link below.
