Anyone try DHEA (OTC supplement)?

[drew_wymore]

Branching off the sexlife thread. I was talking with my sister about the low testosterone levels that my doctor just informed me of. He wants to wait for the CD to be under control and test again and see if they're back to normal. So my sister who's a nurse mentioned using OTC DHEA which is natural supplement that increases the production of testosterone. I was reading up on it @ the Mayo Clinic website and it says that there is some evidence that short term use in Crohns patients may have beneficial effects. I was wondering if anyone has tried it and what their experiences were with it.

Mayo Link

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dhea/NS_patient-dhea

 

[Kev]

Hi Drew. Never heard of it. Haven't had my testosterone levels checked for years. Mine was elevated, but that was explained at the time because I had a vascetomy

As for the article from the Mayo clinic, well first off I respect the source. The second thing is that I find it extremely interesting, definitely worth pursuing with your dr.

I'd also be interested to hear what the subsequent tests of your testosterone levels reveal. It would be really intriguing if your levels rebound once your IBD is under control, or in remission. any chance you know what they were prior to your developing symptoms? It may be that us males on here should ask to get our levels checked. Especially for those of us who know, for whatever reason, what our pre-illness levels were. May not result in any world shattering news, but then again, it doesn't hurt to ask/know, and the results may surprise us!

 

[drew_wymore]

Yea I'm wondering if there is a link in some way between CD and the testosterone levels. I don't know what mine were prior to the onset of illness although I've noticed more "issues" since the onset so I'm guessing they did indeed drop. I'll keep things updated once I get into remission and see if they go back to normal or not. I am going to bring up the DHEA with my GI and GP and see what they think about it.

 

[Kev]

Well, in preparing to get my GI to finally agree to trial me on pred, I printed off the info from the american journal of gastro-enerology, but not from the LDN website.

Figured the first would be more respected. Think maybe a printoff from the Mayo clinic would convince one or both of your doctors not to dismiss this out of hand.

Doctors are funny. Some respect patients who do their homework. Others feel like patients are to be seen, but not heard. Like we're only along for the ride. You probably have a good handle on which of them is more approachable. The worst case scenario is you discover that one or both is dismissive of what you want/feel, etc..