DHEA Cessation & Diarrhea

[Orius]

Why would stopping DHEA lead to unremitting diarrhea?

I've been taking 25mg since I stopped prednisone in August. Each time I try to stop DHEA, urgent diarrhea results within a couple of days of cessation.

I've read a few case studies online but nothing to suggest why, other than low cortisol; but DHEA doesn't feed the cortisol pathway so I don't get it.

 

[mouse]

I have this too, DHEA helped, then eventually I figured out estrogen cream worked even better, and later on I replaced the estrogen with high doses of Vitamin D3 (50K every few days or more often). I don't have any lab tests to go by while this was going on, however I did have nocturnal erections more frequently when I added the estrogen cream at the right amount. All it took was a small dose of estriol cream. I don't think these are the root causes but I've tried lots of other things that had no effect.
There is much more DHEA than cortisol or sex hormones in a normal body and some people think DHEA can spare cortisol, which might be true for you.

 

[Orius]

I'm still having this issue, years later. I've been using 25mg DHEA and 50mg pregnenolone daily for years now as I find it really helps my various health conditions. I know that DHEA dose is controversial in this community, but please just put that aside for a moment.

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 1-2 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 (maybe the aldoesterone pathway), 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? TIA

 

[japanesedude]

These hormones lower serotonin and antagonizes endotoxin that's why your bowel symptoms are mitigated while on it.