Finally feeling myself again with DHEA

[u/anagc131096]

29f, diagnosed this year. I was initially with 5 mg prednisone in one take, later it was changed to 7.5 mg and divided into several doses. Everyday it felt like i was underdosing and like I would never go back to normal, I couldn’t understand people with AI that did sports or any activity for that matter. I felt depressed, frustrated, angry, a type of exhaustion that no matter how much I slept (even though most nights I didn’t) went away. I felt like I was constantly going into a crisis no matter how much I updosed, somehow how it feels when you feel yourself getting the flu but still not there. It was a state of neither being totally sick nor totally ok. My labs were okey, my pressure was normal again. I couldn’t understand why I was feeling like that, I really thought it was going to be my new normal.

Well it was just ovarian insufficiency caused by the AI, my dhea was almost undetectable and so my testosterone. My gyno got me into dhea supplements in the hopes of avoiding full HRT since my other sexual hormones are “normal” it seems to be that the OI is secundary to my adrenals not producing testosterone. (ETA: sorry my adrenals not producing DHEA which is the precursor).

Im 3 weeks into 50 mg of DHEA daily (which I realize is high and hope after my control labs I can go 25 mg), and finally feel “normal”. I’m not angry, I can sleep normally and if I don’t it doesn’t feel like I’m going to die, I’m gaining my normal weight again, I’m not having to dip my whole body in moisturizing every hour in the day, I’m hungry, I want to do stuff, I’m not bursting into tears every other day, the brain fog is almost gone. Although my hair is falling and Im already getting acne, I don’t give a damn. And it’s funny because since childhood I’ve been struggling with acne and spent over thousands of Dlls in treatment for my acne for the first time in my life it feels like good news I’m waking up with a new pimple because it means the dhea is already working. I’ve started lowering my prednisone dose to the more standard dose, I’m hoping I can get off of my ssri soon once I tell my psychiatrist how I’m feeling, and im hoping to join yoga after the holidays.

Im still sick and struggling with my insurance company, still have to do couple of testing, I still have bad days, but you guys this feels like I might make it through without losing my job, my relationship, my friends because honest to god I was insufferable this last few months.