Pregnenolone

[poodlebell]

Has anyone tried pregnenolone

 

--------------------------

 

PREGNENOLONE: THE MOTHER HORMONE

 

You will sometimes hear DHEA described as the "mother hormone". The term would be better applied to pregnenolone, which is the basic precursor, or starting raw material, for the production of ALL the human steroid hormones, including DHEA, progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, cortisol and aldosterone. But pregnenolone is not itself steroid hormone.

 

Pregnenolone has been studied extensively since the 1940's, when it was used both experimentally and medically. Pregnenolone was phased out of medical use; yet ironically pregnenolone is radically safer and more versatile than the specific steroid hormones which replaced it! Pregnenolone is safe even at 1 gram (1000mg) dosages, a claim no steroid hormone can make (20 mgms or more of prednisolone, one of the main synthetic prescribed steroids, would be dangerous long-term).

 

One of it's most important actions of pregnenolone is to counter damage caused by the natural stress hormone, released by the adrenal glands, called "cortisol" (after the adrenal cortex, where it is made). Cortisol is helpful in modest amounts, but toxic at higher levels. Amongst other things, it damages brain function and this can lead to blunting normal memory. Blocking this process may be one of the main reasons for the known memory-enhancing effect of pregnenolone. It also improved the mood and efficiency of factory workers, which may also be due to benefiting brain function, as well as enhancing mood.

 

Other actions of pregnenolone include limiting allergic reactions and reducing inflammatory processes, such as arthritis. It also improves energy levels by protecting our energy-producing mitochondria from environmental toxins.

 

Interestingly, in a study of rats subjected to spinal cord injury, administration of pregnenolone in combination with the anti-inflammatory medication indomethacin and an immune-modulating substance (bacterial lipopolysaccharide) promoted recovery of nerve function. The effect was more pronounced with combination therapy than with any one of these substances given singly or in combinations of two. We don't yet know if this works in humans the same way.

 

Pregnenolone enhances the activity of the cytochrome P450 detoxifying enzymes, which help our cells (especially the liver and brain) to detoxify xenobiotic poisons of all sorts.

 

The body's own production of pregnenolone is reduced with aging, stress, depression, hypothyroidism and toxin exposure. The work of Ray Peat Ph.D, has shown that pregnenolone may be a general "anti-stress" metabolite. However this may not always be present in our bodies at optimal levels, precisely because it may be used up in producing all the steroid hormones, not leaving enough to fulfill its stress buffer role. Hence the need for supplementation.

 

Pregnenolone is generally safe and effective at doses of 50 mgm. to 200 mgm. per day. If you are self-dosing, judge it from your mood and energy levels. On no account use pregnenolone instead of medically prescribed steroids, without telling your doctor what you are doing.

 

it all sounds too good to be true

 

poodlebell

[Altostrata]

Hello, poodlebell. Thank you for the interesting information.

 

Please supply a link to the source for that.

[poodlebell]

The Alternative-Doctor - PREGNENOLONE: THE MOTHER HORMONE

 

 

www.alternative-doctor.com/anti-ageing/pregnenolone.html

You will sometimes hear DHEA described as the 'mother hormone'. The term would be better applied to pregnenolone, which is the basic precursor

 

 

hope I have done this right, but if you type in pregnenolone the alternative doctor it will come up

 

poodlebell

[Altostrata]

I didn't try pregnenolone, I forget why.

 

I have this note from 2006: "Started taking 2.5mg DHEA (GABA-A modulator) at night; improved sleep quality, now sleep well most of the night."

 

(I am a menopausal female. As I remember, DHEA is not good for men, it transforms into estrogen.)

 

For a while, I used a tiny dab each day of progesterone cream instead, and that helped, too, but it was too hard to control the dosage. When I accidentally used too much, I'd get a paradoxical reaction.

 

Now I have an estrogen mini-patch, Menostar, .14mcg estrogen per day. This is considered safer than the usual estrogen patch dosage, and so far it hasn't caused any uterine changes. I did find it to be calming and helped my sleep.

[Rhiannon]

Pregnenolone is a neurosteroid--that is, a hormone that acts as a neurotransmitter. I used to take it a long time ago.

 

I am very, very careful with hormones these days, because they're really just another chemical that we stick into our bodies that screws around with the delicately balanced and complex interactive feedback loops that Nature designed over billions of years. Just seems like a tricky situation.

 

I'm just not convinced that we humans are really smarter than our bodies. We like to think we are, that nature is stupid and we're smart, but unfortunately nature has given me this high IQ, and it's telling me that I'm really, really not that smart. I have a keen grasp of the obvious, and I can see out my window.

 

I think all supplements should be used carefully, but in particular hormones should be used only in very small amounts and very, very carefully.

 

I do use melatonin in small amounts and very carefully.

[Altostrata]

So very true, Rhi. I agree, none of these things should be taken just because.

[poodlebell]

Hi alto

 

how long have you been on the eostrogen patch and do you think this has helped you to get better. I was on hrt when I did was in benzo w/d and am now wondering if this helped then.

 

poodlebell

[Altostrata]

I've been on it a couple of years. When I started, I did feel some relief, it was calming. Once I forgot to replace it (you need to put on a new one every week) and, independently, I noticed I felt more tense, so it's definitely still working.

 

Note I am using a mini-patch, this is about one-half the dosage of a regular estrogen patch, and has less risk of breast and uterine cancer. (I have heard of people cutting the regular patch in half to get the mini-dosage.)

 

I'm not saying this is the answer for everyone. I weighed the risks and benefits for myself. My gyn, who is very smart and fairly conservative (and who has been very supportive and sympathetic throughout this whole withdrawal ordeal), took some convincing, but she eventually agreed. She monitors my uterine health with ultrasound periodically to make sure nothing suspicious is going on.

[poodlebell]

I expect all of women over a certain age would feel better with hrt but I wonder if I could have this now as I am so sensititive to all meds, this is why I am interested in the pregnenolone but am scared to try it, will think on it very hard

 

poodlebell

[summer]

I expect all of women over a certain age would feel better with hrt but I wonder if I could have this now as I am so sensititive to all meds, this is why I am interested in the pregnenolone but am scared to try it, will think on it very hard

 

poodlebell

 

 

Poodlebell... I would carefully research the benefits and negatives of HRT before you consider it again. I'm just mentioning this b/c you said that, "women over a certain age would feel better with HRT". I remember reading around 10 years ago that HRT is a possible cause of breast cancer. One really has to weigh the risks and benefits. I could be wrong, but I don't think HRT is even being supported any longer.

 

There are other things that I think are much safer, like pregnenolone or the patch. Perhaps you can try the Preg using a tiny amount. You can always stop it if you are too sensitive. And, of course, discuss this with your gyn.

[poodlebell]

Poodlebell... I would carefully research the benefits and negatives of HRT before you consider it again. I'm just mentioning this b/c you said that, "women over a certain age would feel better with HRT". I remember reading around 10 years ago that HRT is a possible cause of breast cancer. One really has to weigh the risks and benefits. I could be wrong, but I don't think HRT is even being supported any longer.

 

There are other things that I think are much safer, like pregnenolone or the patch. Perhaps you can try the Preg using a tiny amount. You can always stop it if you are too sensitive. And, of course, discuss this with your gyn.

 

 

Hi Summer,

 

In England we dont get a gyni, we have doctors and they have to refer you to a gyni if they think its necessary and with all the cuts its not easy now. Also not sure if they would prescribe hrt but I think that they now say that the benefits of hrt outweigh the possible breast cancer, but who believes what they say now. I was thinking of the pregnenolone and I will read more on this, I hate myself now as I am so scared to try anything as I usually get a bad reaction but am getting desperate now for something to help me to feel better. I was hoping that someone had tried pregnenolone and it helped!!!

 

poodlebell

[Altostrata]

Info from Dr. Mercola:

 

Understanding Adrenal Function

Posted By Dr. Mercola | August 27 2000

 

Information Provided by BioHealth Diagnostics

 

Pregnenolone -- The Basics

 

Pregnenolone, like DHEA, is a steroidal hormone manufactured in the body. Pregnenolone is a precursor hormone synthesized from cholesterol, principally in the adrenal glands, but also in the liver, skin, brain, testicles, ovaries, and retina of the eyes.

 

Steroids are a large family of structurally similar biochemicals that have sex-determining, anti-inflammatory, and growth-regulatory roles. Indeed, pregnenolone is the grand precursor from which almost all of the other steroid hormones are made; including DHEA, progesterone, testosterone, the estrogens, and cortisol. Despite its powerful metabolites, pregnenolone is acknowledged to be without significant side effects, with minimal or no anabolic, estrogenic or androgenic activity.

 

Pregnenolone has been found to be 100 times more effective for memory enhancement than other steroids or steroid-precursors in laboratory mice. Pregnenolone appears to be the most potent memory enhancer yet reported in animals. Pregnenolone has been reported to not only make people smarter but happier and enhance ones ability to perform on the job while heightening feelings of well-being. Pregnenolone has also been reported to reduce high stress induced fatigue.

 

As is the case with the steroid-hormone precursor DHEA, pregnenolone levels decline with age. Many physicians and scientists believe that replacement of pregnenolone to youthful levels is an important step in the treatment of aging and symptoms of aging. Pregnenolone may be one of the most important hormones because it seems to have a balancing effect. It is a precursor to many other hormones and may be able to bring the levels of other hormones up or down as needed.

 

Other benefits of pregnenolone may include stress reduction and increased resistance to effects of stress, improvement of mood and energy, reduced symptoms of PMS and menopause, improved immunity, and repair of myelin sheaths.

 

Pregnenolone also operates as a powerful neurosteroid in the brain, modulating the transmission of messages from neuron to neuron and strongly influencing learning and memory processes. As with DHEA, pregnenolone levels naturally peak during youth and begin a long, slow decline with age. By the age of 75 our bodies produce 60% less pregnenolone than the levels produced in our mid-thirties. For this reason pregnenolone is one of the biomarkers of aging. Like counting the rings of a tree, by measuring the level of pregnenolone at any given point of a person's life, it is often possible to make an educated guess as to his or her age.

 

Some other hormones that decline with age are DHEA, the estrogens, testosterone, progesterone and growth hormone.These are considered biomarkers of aging as well. Since pregnenolone provides the initial raw material from which all the other steroid hormones are made, some of our other hormones will decline in a parallel fashion. While our youth-giving hormones are diminishing, loss of quality-of-life progressively settles in. We slowly begin to experience physical and mental decline; loss of energy, memory loss, visual and hearing impairment, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and sexual decline, just to name a few. Supplementing small amounts of these neuro-hormones may slow these age-related processes, improving one's quality of life by rejuvenating the body to more youthful functioning.

 

Pregnenolone -- A Little History

 

Research on pregnenolone, as well as usage of pregnenolone, dates back as far as the 1930's. Human studies were conducted in the 1940's on factory workers to test the effect of pregnenolone on anti-fatigability and autoimmune disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis. The results were successful and improvements were noted. Even though pregnenolone was proving to be not only effective, but safe as well, it was discarded when Merck's newly introduced pharmaceutical agent, cortisone, was announced to be a cure-all for rheumatoid arthritis in 1949.

 

Soon after cortisone and cortisol came into use, the synthetic steroid hormones dexamethasone, and later prednisone, were introduced. Remember that these steroids are hundreds of times more powerful than pregnenolone (or DHEA for that matter). Because they could be patented, it was more politically and economically advantageous for pharmaceutical companies to promote these drugs rather than pregnenolone. Additionally, these steroids were very fast acting compared to pregnenolone. Users and doctors preferred the quick fix. However, these steroidal compounds proved to have serious downsides, including compromising the immune system and inducing osteoporosis, among other serious complications.

 

Even though cortisone and cortisol are stress hormones that are natural to the body, they have historically been and continue to be administered in pharmacological doses rather than at physiological amounts natural to the body. The pharmacological levels at which cortisone and cortisol are generally administered give them a risk profile not unlike that of the synthetic hormones.

 

Scientists have been studying the impact of hormones on learning and memory for many years. Various studies have found that pregnenolone enhances motivation, the ability to acquire knowledge, and long-term memory. A research group of industrial psychologists conducted studies in the 1940's to test pregnenolone on students and workers for the ability to enhance job performance. They found that the students/workers had a markedly improved ability to learn and remember difficult tasks.

 

It is also amazing that pregnenolone not only enhanced job performance of the students/workers; but they additionally experienced heightened feelings of well-being. The same research group performed a study on factory workers to see if pregnenolone could improve their work productivity. Productivity increased most notably in the workers whose situations were considered the most stressful; for example, the workers who got paid per piece and whose living depended on their productivity. Improvement was noted, but less so, in workers who got paid a fixed wage regardless of their productivity levels. Not only did pregnenolone improve productivity for both groups, but the workers also reported enhanced mood.

 

As previously mentioned, despite successful results, research on pregnenolone halted in the 1950's when cortisone became available as an immediate cure-all. Because pregnenolone, unlike cortisone, couldn't be patented, pharmaceutical companies had no financial incentive to pursue the research. It is unfortunate that pharmaceutical companies are governed by a financial system and healthcare systemthat imposes the requirement that for a molecule to be profitable it must be patentable. If there were half as many studies done on pregnenolone as the patented drugs, pregnenolone's therapeutic potential would be expected to be far reaching.

 

Where is pregnenolone found?

 

Human studies show that there are much higher concentrations of pregnenolone in the nervous tissue than in the bloodstream. Animal studies indicate that pregnenolone is found in the brain in ten-fold larger concentrations than the other stress-related hormones (including DHEA).

 

Common Causes Of Adrenal Stress

 

Anger

Fear

Worry/anxiety

Depression

Guilt

Overwork/ physical or mental strain

Excessive exercise

Sleep deprivation

Light-cycle disruption

Going to sleep late)

Surgery

Trauma/injury

Chronic inflammation

Chronic infection

Chronic pain

Temperature extremes

Toxic exposure

Malabsorption

Maldigestion

Chronic illness

Chronic-severe allergies

Hypogycemia

Nutritional deficiencies

 

Associated Symptoms And Consequences Of Impaired Adrenals

 

Low body temperature

Weakness

Unexplained hair loss

Nervousness

Difficulty building muscle

Irritability

Mental depression

Difficulty gaining weight

Apprehension

Hypoglycemia

Inability to concentrate

Excessive hunger

Tendency towards inflammation

Moments of confusion

Indigestion

Poor memory

Feelings of frustration

Alternating diarrhea and constipation

Osteoporosis

auto-immune hepatitis

auto-immune diseases

Lightheadedness

Palpitations [heart fluttering]

Dizziness that occurs upon standing

Poor resistance to infections

Low blood pressure

Insomnia

Food and/or inhalant allergies

PMS

Craving for sweets

Dry and thin skin

Headaches

Scanty perspiration

Alcohol intolerance

 

Functions of DHEA

 

• Functions as an androgen (a male hormone) with anabolic activity. Anabolic refers to the building or synthesis of tissues.
• Is a precursor that is converted to testosterone (a male hormone). Is a precursor to estrogen (a female anabolic hormone)
• Reverses immune suppression caused by excess cortisol levels, thereby improving resistance against viruses, bacteria and Candida albicans, parasites, allergies, and cancer.
• Stimulates bone deposition and remodeling to prevent osteoporosis.
• Improves cardiovascular status by lowering total cholesterol and LDL levels, thereby lessening incidences of heart attack.
• Increases muscle mass. Decreases percentage of body fat.
• Involved in the thyroid gland's conversion of the less active T4 to the more active T3.
• Reverses many of the unfavorable effects of excess cortisol, creating subsequent improvement in energy/ vitality, sleep, premenstrual symptoms, and mental clarity.
• Accelerates recovery from any kind of acute stress (e.g., insufficient sleep, excessive exercise, mental strain, etc.).

What Cortisol Does

 

• Mobilizes and increases amino acids, the building blocks of protein, in the blood and liver.
• Stimulates the liver to convert amino acids to glucose, the primary fuel for energy production.
• Stimulates increased glycogen in the liver. Glycogen is the stored form of glucose.
• Mobilizes and increases fatty acids in the blood (from fat cells) to be used as fuel for energy production.
• Counteracts inflammation and allergies.
• Prevents the loss of sodium in urine and thus helps maintain blood volume and blood pressure.
• Maintains resistance to stress (e.g., infections, physical trauma, temperature extremes, emotional trauma, etc.).
• Maintains mood and emotional stability.

Excess Cortisol

 

• Diminishes cellular utilization of glucose.
• Increases blood sugar levels.
• Decreases protein synthesis.
• Increases protein breakdown that can lead to muscle wasting.
• Causes demineralization of bone that can lead to osteoporosis.
• Interferes with skin regeneration and healing.
• Causes shrinking of lymphatic tissue
• Diminishes lymphocyte numbers and functions
• Lessens SIgA (secretory antibody productions). This immune system suppression may lead to increased susceptibility to allergies, infections, and degenerative disease.

Balancing Your Meals For Blood Sugar Control

 

To maintain proper adrenal function it is imperative to control your blood sugar levels and the following guidelines will help you do that:

 

• Eat a small meal or snack every three to four hours.
• Eat within the first hour upon awakening.
• Eat a small snack near bedtime.
• Eat before becoming hungry. If hungry, you have already allowed yourself to run out of fuel [low blood sugar/ hypoglycemia], which places additional stress on the adrenal glands.

An excessive ratio of carbohydrates to protein results in excess secretion of insulin, which often leads to intervals of hypoglycemia. The body, in an attempt to normalize blood sugar, initiates a counter-regulatory process during which the adrenals are stimulated to secrete increased levels of cortisol and adrenalin. It follows that an excessive intake of carbohydrates often leads to excessive secretion of cortisol. This contributes to chronic cortisol depletion and consequently, adrenal exhaustion. Reduced DHEA is an early sign of adrenal exhaustion.

 

In order to stabilize blood sugar, you must maintain a balance between two hormones, glucagon and insulin, which are produced by the pancreas. Protein in the diet induces the production of glucagon Carbohydrates in the diet induce the production of insulin. Insulin promotes fat (energy) storage. When excess carbohydrates are eaten, the body produces large quantities of insulin and little glucagon. This high level of insulin results in more fat being formed and stored.

 

When insulin is high and glucagon is low, the adrenals are called upon to produce excess cortisol (see later on in the document what cortisol is all about) as a back-up response to help raise blood sugar in the absence of adequate glucagon. This occurs at the expense of the adrenal glands, contributing to adrenal exhaustion.

 

Balance Your Meals

 

The optimal level of insulin to glucagon is achieved by a diet that contains carbohydrates balanced with proteins in a ratio of approximately two to one, that is, approximately two grams of carbohydrate per gram of protein and gram of fat per meal or snack.

 

The Role of Fat

 

A small amount [3/4 tsp. to 1 tsp.] of fat (butter) or cold pressed vegetable or seed oil should be a part of each meal in order to help control the rate of entry of glucose (blood sugar) into the bloodstream.

 

In order to make balancing this glycemic control diet easier, you can purchase books containing nutritive value charts, as well as ones containing a glycemic index These charts will enable you to quickly locate foods you would like to eat, and help determine whether they are in appropriate balance for your meals.

 

Making the Most of Meal Balancing

 

As there is no exact dietary balance that applies to all people, it is critical to understand each person's role in the development of an ideal eating plan. In order to determine how well a blood sugar balanced diet is working, one must pay attention to one's own body.

 

For example, if you feel mentally and physically alert throughout the day, this is generally a good sign that you are eating frequently enough and in the right balance. Eating small, carefully balanced meals every 4-5 hours will preclude hunger and fatigue in most people. It is up to each person to become aware of how they respond to the meals they eat. A properly balanced meal with good digestion and absorption should sustain mental and physical energy for 4-6 hours.

 

Full article at http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2000/08/27/adrenals.aspx

[Altostrata]

I started a new topic on DHEA where I put in some notes from when I tried it.

 

Here's some more information about women, DHEA, and adrenal issues: http://www.womentowomen.com/adrenalhealth/dhea-naturalandsupplementation.aspx

 

It contains this illustration, showing how various hormonal substances convert in the body:

 

 

Pregnenolone converts to DHEA and progesterone.

[poodlebell]

Hi Alto

 

thank you for these two articles, they are really good articles and I think that I will be trying the pregnenolone,

 

poodlebell

[Altostrata]

If you're going to try it, I would try the teeniest amount imaginable to start. I was using only the smallest amounts of progesterone and DHEA, NOT together, and they each had a noticeable effect.

 

If I used too much progesterone cream, it went paradoxical. Please remember that is a possibility, so limit your risk by using a tiny dose to see how you do with it.

 

And let us know how it works for you!

[poodlebell]

Hi alto

 

I am going to get the cream so I can use the smallest amount, but have to order it on the internet as I cant find it in the nutri centre or other pharmacies.

 

Thank you for the advice, it is much appreciated. I will of course let you know how it goes but it will be a while til I get it.

 

poodlebell

[poodlebell]

Hi

 

tried the pregnenolone and wont be doing it again. It was definitely not for me. It did not make me worse straight away, which other meds do, but it was about 15 hours later that all my symptoms got so much worse.

 

Hope that time and leaving the body alone will be the answer now

 

poodlebell

[Altostrata]

Sorry you had a bad reaction.

 

What kinds of symptoms did you have?

 

Here's some more info on pregnenolone http://www.life-enhancement.com/article_template.asp?id=348

 

I guess it was an ancestor of synthetic cortisone drugs.

[poodlebell]

Hi alto

 

I have my everday symptoms and most days manage to muddle through, but the pregnenolone affected me the same as all the other meds I have tried, including vits and changing my food. I cant go to the loo, my head pain goes from the back of the head to the top of the head, forehead and into my eyes, my vision is more blurred and my head is foggy, cant concentrate at all, short tempered, stomach seems to shut off and could not eat, could cry, got the lump in the throat, muscles ache more, left leg sensation is worse, dizziness worse, teeth throbbing, tinittus far worse, and it takes me days to get back to what is what I call my normal now.

 

I am sure I have missed a few out!!

 

poodlebell

[btdt]

Back to the drawing board ... thanks for sparing me that drug reaction Poodlebell

[WinningThrough]

Btdt I would say stay away from pregnenolone. Someone on the benzo site went on it for a while and got terrible withdrawal after stopping and they hadn't taken any other drugs. I think it acts like a pre cursor to a benzo or something. I don't with to alarm anyone, rather protect.

[Tomash]

Hello, there are studies proving pregnenolone to be effective in treating psychosis - negative and positive symptoms, and also to regenerate some functions. My friend told this could be effective in recovery of the brain after long-term neuroleptics use. Has anyone experience with that?

 

https://www.google.cz/search?q=pregnenolone+schizophrenia&oq=pregnenolone+schizophrenia&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i60l3j0l2.815j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

[bhasski]

Is Pregnenolone okay for males to take ? Or will it imbalance them with more female hormones ? It will be another stressor to take out with those new symptomms

 

I am talking about just a small dosage of about 5mg.

 

Actually I have ordered it, will take 2 minimum weeks to arrive but there is very less experiences here of anyone to know of that.

 

Pls reply.

[scallywag]

bhasski, You're asking excellent questions. Unfortunately we can't answer them. Have you asked your doctor? A pharmacist?

[ChessieCat]

Whenever you try something new, it is better to start with a very small dose just in case you have a reaction, then build up to a larger dose if you don't.

 

Also, remember to make 1 change at a time otherwise you won't know what is causing/helping what.

 

It would also be a good idea to keep daily notes on paper.

[JanCarol]

Well, if DHEA is not recommended for males, and pregnenolone is a precursor to DHEA, then maybe it's not for men, either.

 

DHEA is a regulated substance here in Australia.  Not even my ortho-molecular doctor will prescribe it (even though my American Doc said, "why aren't you on it?"

 

Instead, pregnenolone was suggested.  The reason I like it instead of HRT, is that my body (which has no thyroid, no ovaries) can take the pregnenolone and make of it what it needs.  Adrenal (yes), estrogen, progesterone (yes), and might even help with thyroid production as a co-factor or nutrient.

 

I do not have female problems (hysterectomy) or menopausal symptoms (that was 10 years ago now).  My body seems to be happy with the pregnenolone. I'll leave the finer details of that to imagination.  

[rapunzel2]

On 2/13/2015 at 4:56 PM, WinningThrough said:

Btdt I would say stay away from pregnenolone. Someone on the benzo site went on it for a while and got terrible withdrawal after stopping and they hadn't taken any other drugs. I think it acts like a pre cursor to a benzo or something. I don't with to alarm anyone, rather protect.

 

I took Adrenaplex complex https://www.terrynaturallyvitamins.com/adrenaplex which includes pregnenolone from December to April. I now decided to stop it, and then stopped sleeping altogether!!!!!!!!!!!!! I went from sleeping 10+ hours to sleeping 3 hours per night. Totally worn out. Also bad restless legs, I would even say restless body syndrome. F***!!!!!!

I also found an article that explains it https://behavioralandbrainfunctions.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1744-9081-8-61. I am in withdrawal from fluoxetine. Well, it appears that fluoxetine influences neurosteroids - such as pregnenolone. That explains why my hormones have been a mess in last years of withdrawal. And that also explains why I'm in a ******* withdrawal from pregnenolone!!!!!!!!!!! It may also be from GABA, since pregnenolone appears to do a lot of stuff with those receptors, too. 

I'm scared. 

Edited April 23, 2020 by rapunzel2
forgot the link

[rapunzel2]

Does anybody have any advice regarding my previous message? Any experiences with pregnenolone withdrawal? I'm beyond scared at the moment! 

[rapunzel2]

Hello!

 

I´m in a total emergency situation! 

I quit fluoxetine after 7 year withdrawal in July 2019. I jumped from too high dose (1,4mg), and the post-acute phase came 3 months later and after that my life has been indescribable hell. Lots of physical excercise intolerance/cfs symptoms. It has slowly started getting better since february.

 

My naturopath started me on Adrenaplex complex in December https://www.terrynaturallyvitamins.com/adrenaplex. It contains pregnenolone and DHEA, in pretty low dosages. it appered to do quite good stuff - it restored my thyroid function and I definitely had better thermoregulation than previously, also it decreased fluid retention that had become a problem. At first it took out my sleep when I took it by evening, but then I started taking it in the morning and slept well. Actually slept quite long (over 10+ hours). 

 

But I started to have a lot of weird hormonal symptoms - cycle changed, ovulated early, breasts were really sore, and also when tested my prolactin was high.

 

So I decided it´s time to stop it. 

 

Before that I was sleeping 10+ hours a night. I then went 5 nights with only 3 hours sleep per night. I also had nausea and I even threw up. I gave up and took half a dose (one capsule). I then slept like 7 hours one night and felt a bit better. Stayed on the 1 capsule but next night slept quite a little. And then came today where I realized in full form that I´m now dependent on something new and this has been SO traumatizing I can´t even describe it. I have slept 1 hour today, it´s 5.30 and I don´t feel like sleeping at all. 

 

The biggest tragedy about all this is I have run out of time. I have desperately tried to become a mother. I´m 41. I have had 4 miscarriages in last 2 years. In all this time I have been quite sick with withdrawal. I was really hoping that if I can get rid of the drugs and heal, maybe I will succeed with pregnancy. I CANNOT become dependent on a drug that messes up my hormones so that I cannot get pregnant. 

 

My symptoms at the moment are insomnia, nausea (vomiting), feeling hot (thermoregulation issues). Fortunately it hasn´t thrown me into depression at the moment. 

 

Now the question I need help with:

 

Do I ride it out with half a dosage and hope that the withdrawal (especially insomnia) will resolve in a couple of weeks/a month?

 

Or do I go back to full dosage, then let my body rest a couple of nights, and then try to decrease maybe by 1/4, and then go slowly?

 

Keep in mind that this stuff is probably messing up my hormones and I would be better off without it so that my hormonal issues can resolve. Keep in mind that I desperately want to start trying for a family again. 

 

I don´t know if pregnenolone has delayed onset withdrawal or post-acute withdrawal problems? So that it can only go worse and worse the longer you are without it. Or is it so that the withdrawal comes fast (immediately after not taking), and then it slowly resolves? With my antidepressant and also seroquel I had withdrawal that came 3-7 days after dose reduction and took about 1,5 months to resolve. But jumping off fluoxetine had delayed onset, and then progressed to an awful debilitating nightmare. 

 

If pregnenolone doesn´t have post-acute withdrawal then maybe I could ride it out, if it would resolve in a couple of weeks...

 

Do you have any ideas what to do with the sleep, what would help?

 

ANY experiences with pregnenolone are very much appreciated, very hard to find information about its withdrawal although it is said (only in a couple of places) that it can cause it. Any experiences with other hormonal withdrawal or steroid withdrawal very much appreciated. 

 

EDIT: also I found an article that fluoxetine rises pregnenolone https://behavioralandbrainfunctions.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1744-9081-8-61. so withdrawal from fluoxetine can mess with it I guess. 

[ChessieCat]

My suggestion would be that you speak to the prescriber.

 

From https://mpkb.org/home/othertreatments/immune_suppressants/corticosteroids/weaningoffsteroids:

 

"Substances requiring weaning

 

Steroids are given by injection, inhaler, topically, nasally and via eye drops. Some can be obtained without a prescription. Of these, it is most important to wean and to wean carefully oral medications such as Prednisone.

 

DHEA, hormonal steroids and pregnenolone can be weaned much faster than Prednisone or cortisol. Most MP patients should be able to wean in a few weeks. A suggested schedule for weaning (as symptoms allow) is outlined below."

 

[rapunzel2]

I emailed the prescrober and she sounded surprised. I will talk to her but like usual she doesnt know s*** about protracted withdrawal.

 

thanks for this link, it brings little hope. I still dont know weather to push through with 50% dose or reinstate and start from the beginning.

[rapunzel2]

I will not manage to stay on 50%, took almost the full dose. Im so ill I cannot describe it. Nausea, tremors, brain is freezed, cannot do anything, feeling hot and cold. Im so scared for myself. Im scared for my life.

 

i realized the culprit can also be the adrenal cortex in this complex

[rapunzel2]

it may also be Licorice? It has licorice glycyrrhiza glabra in it. 

 

what should I do? I´m dying here! :´(

[rapunzel2]

I went to emergency department, all tests were ok. 

 

I´m still feeling very awful. I think I´m having akathisia. it´s hard to stay still. I think I will not sleep today either. I don´t know if I will stay alive, I don´t know if I come out of this. I´m so scared. 

[Altostrata]

Sorry, we don't know anything about treatment with pregnenolone, DHEA, or glycyrrhiza glabra and cannot advise you about them here.

 

If you read the relevant topics in the Symptoms and Self-Care forum, you will note we advise against use of these supplements. They are all hormonal disruptors.

 

Tapering is tapering, no matter what you're taking -- it's probably best to gradually reduce the dosage of endocrinological substances, too. We don't know anything about tapering schedules for them.

 

See Hochberg Z, Pacak K, Chrousos GP. Endocrine Withdrawal Syndromes. Endocrine Reviews 2003; 24: 523–538.

 

Responsibility for the adverse effects belongs to the prescriber.

[rapunzel2]

On 2/13/2015 at 4:56 PM, WinningThrough said:

Btdt I would say stay away from pregnenolone. Someone on the benzo site went on it for a while and got terrible withdrawal after stopping and they hadn't taken any other drugs. I think it acts like a pre cursor to a benzo or something. I don't with to alarm anyone, rather protect.

 Is this person alive? Can someone help me find that person?