anyone used pregnenolone to combat adrenal fatigue and low cortisol levels?
im thinking about trying that at a low dose.... i heard it converts to cortisol, dhea, and others
any risks involved?

started 20mg sublingual
feeling better already and i found this:


REPAIR OF ENZYMES: Pregnenolone apparently has the ability to repair enzyme activity. For example, in a Russian research study, adding pregnenolone to a mitochondrial suspension increased the enzyme activity. Which enzyme The enzyme which converts cholesterol into pregnenolone (one in the P-450 system). Other enzymes in the P-450 system vital to certain detoxification processes are also stabilized by pregnenolone.

Peat says, "…steroids, including cholesterol, have an anti-toxic effect. The cytochrome P-450 family of enzymes is an important factor in our resistance to toxins. Moderate amounts of cortisol promote this system, but larger amounts degrade it. Pregnenolone doesn’t affect the rate of synthesis of these enzymes, but it stabilizes them against the normal proteolytic enzymes, increasing their activity. I believe this stabilizing action is a general feature of these steroids…"

MEMORY REPAIR: In a short article in The Sacramento Bee (Tuesday, March 3, 1992) I read that Pregnenolone may help restore impaired memory, according to neurobiologist Eugene Roberts of the City of Hope Medical Center in Los Angeles, and his colleague, biologist James F. Morely, of the St. Louis VA Medical Center. These researchers tested pregnenolone and other steroids on mice. They found that pregnenolone is several hundred times more potent than any other memory enhancer that has been tested before is. Their report, in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (March 1992), says that pregnenolone was used in the late 1940’s to treat rheumatoid arthritis, and quite successfully, but fell into disuse when cortisone was discovered. But, Roberts adds, pregnenolone was never found to have adverse side effects whereas the toxic effects of cortisone are many and severe.

PROTECTION FROM CORTISONE TOXICITY: The classic effects of toxic levels of cortisol include daytime euphoria, insomnia plus hot flashes at night, osteoporosis, brain aging, atrophy of the skin plus other signs of premature aging and adrenal atrophy (shrinking). Two injections of cortisone can destroy the beta cells of diabetes in people as well.

Peat reports that pregnenolone can be used to withdraw from cortisone therapy over a one month period without developing "Addison’s" disease symptoms (from adrenal atrophy), because of its normalizing effects on the adrenal gland. In female patients, progesterone therapy may also be indicated

The book I read claims it causes mild increases in Cortisol and DHEA. I should re-read that section.

http://www.cuttingedgemuscle.com/Forum/sho...?threadid=14388

pregnenolone it go to 17-OH pregnenolone, later to 17-0H progesterone, then 11 deoxycortisol and finally cortisol.
but it can convert to progesterone too.
progesterone arrest DHT (low libido).

it can be used .25-.5 mg dexamethasone and later taper it.


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yeah that sounds right. although its mood enhancing, it also had made a big difference in fatigue symptoms that i was experiencing

yeah does 25mg day for a week sound okay? i keep reading about the progesterone and low libido problems

0.25 mg




i will.


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sublingual is a waste, it is lipid soluble---just go ahead and swallow it. unless it is cyclodextrin complexed.

I started with pregnenolone to supplement my HRT (test+HCG) regimen and noticed that it's seems to cause more short-tempers, I have a lot less patience, I snap at people, etc. Dropping off the pregnenolone and that goes away. This was at 25mg a day. Anyone else notice anything similar?

From "Mind Boosters:" High doses can lead to androgenic side effects similar to those of DHEA, including acne and accelerated hair loss. Irritability, aggressiveness, insomnia, anxiety, headaches and menstrual irregularities are also frequently reported in doses greater than 10 mg.

Jason

This combo accelerated hairloss for me...but I felt awesome (mood was cool, calm, collected, etc...). FTR, I used Reset AD; not sure if that makes a difference.

well, starting from cholesterol, the pregnenolone pathway is preferred in humans for the generation of androgens. but whether adding it systemically would increase steroidogenesis in the adrenals and testes...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/DHEA1.svg

just a few days into it and that is already happening. although fatigue is better, im gonna drop this soon

gyno in a bottle for me....i lactated within days on preg sublingual @ 20mg/day. i have super-low cholesterol (123) and i suspected this was limiting my endogenous steroid pool (although i am normal by most standards, i have self-medicated T cycles for years to augment what i believe is low natural T)...apparently my body prefers the pregnenolone->progesterone conversion, because i bloated and had leaky nipples in no time.