Hormone problems?

[InstantCoffee]

I've heard that chronic inflammatory conditions can lead to hormonal imbalances.

The cholesterol pathway that leads to testosterone / estrogen gets halted in the early phases and the resources are diverted to produce cortisol, an anti-inflammatory, immune-suppressing hormone.

As a result people with chronic inflammatory illnesses often end up with symptoms like depression.

I've heard of a guy in the UK that got prescribed TRT for a chronic inner-ear inflammatory issue.

I've been suffering from chronic depression since highschool (8 years). Do you think hormone therapy is safe for Crohn's? I know hormones are also important in immune function and could impact our digestion, either positively or negatively.

I've also talked to bodybuilder's with Crohn's who use steroids (illegally) with good results.

 

[Jennifer]

I would definitely have your testosterone levels tested first to see if you are low. They can do hormone therapy safely in the office. I haven't heard any mention of hormone therapy affecting IBD. There are risks such as blood clots with hormone therapy so it's good to have a plan for how long you'd like to have it done so you can help reduce your risk of blood clots. I would steer clear of any substances that your doctor can't monitor.

 

[InstantCoffee]

I would definitely have your testosterone levels tested first to see if you are low. They can do hormone therapy safely in the office. I haven't heard any mention of hormone therapy affecting IBD. There are risks such as blood clots with hormone therapy so it's good to have a plan for how long you'd like to have it done so you can help reduce your risk of blood clots. I would steer clear of any substances that your doctor can't monitor.

IDK what different therapies there are but my understanding was things like TRT are a life-long commitment.

If your hormones are low they can be brought back, temporarily, but they'll go back to how they were before if the reason they are low is not fixed, or if the body sees that enough is being made it often shuts down natural production.

Steroid users have to use additional drugs to turn their production back on when they cycle off, but if the reason your production is down is because the resources to create the hormone are being diverted elsewhere I don't think that kind of treatment would work.

 

[InstantCoffee]

I just found this
http://www.crohns.net/miva/education/articles/Dehydroepiandrosterone.shtml

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is low in patients with Crohn's Disease. In a study of 115 Crohn's Disease patients compared to 66 healthy controls and 64 UC patients, both Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis patients had low serum DHEA-sulfate (DHEAS) levels compared to controls. In Crohn's Disease patients, but not Ulcerative Colitis patients, low DHEAS levels were correlated with high ESR, while high cortisol was associated with high ESR and CRP.258 Another study found a shift in the ratio of cortisolHEA in Crohn's Disease patients with active disease, with higher cortisol and lower DHEA levels. 259

Because Dehydroepiandrosterone can be deficient in patients with IBD and has also been shown to inhibit pro-inflammatory cytokines, a phase 2 pilot trial was conducted to evaluate its effect in IBD patients. Twenty patients (seven with Crohn's Disease; 13 with Ulcerative Colitis), ages 18-45, were given 200 mg Dehydroepiandrosterone orally once daily for 56 days. All patients were experiencing active disease, defined as CDAI > 150, refractory to other medications. All medications remained the same for two weeks prior to and during the study. One patient with Crohn's Disease (and four with Ulcerative Colitis) dropped out because of disease exacerbation or noncompliance. In the Crohn's Disease group, six of seven responded to treatment with a decrease in CDAI of 70 points or more. In all six responders, the CDAI dropped below 150, putting them into remission. The one patient who did not respond dropped out during the first week. Number of liquid stools, bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain, and CRP all decreased. One Crohn's Diseas patient relapsed on day 56. Patients were followed for eight weeks after the end of the study and no further Crohn's Disease relapses were reported.260

- See more at: http://www.crohns.net/miva/education/articles/Dehydroepiandrosterone.shtml#sthash.Iaxjv3Za.dpuf

Which supports my theory, and I actually supplemented DHEA for a while, my symptoms were very minimal during that time, I can't remember if I stopped taking it or my symptoms relapsed first.

I might have stopped taking it because it was expensive and didn't show obvious improvement in hormone levels, but as I was already healthy and doing well maybe it had a stabilizing effect that was lost afterwards.

DHEA is the next hormone step in the pathway AFTER cortisol is a possibility, so it cannot be redirected except to test / estrogen.

 

[teeny5]

You could look into supplements that help balance your hormones.

 

[InstantCoffee]

You could look into supplements that help balance your hormones.

I am, I'm taking DHEA and it seems to help a lot.