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DHEA input?


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OK, so I'm now 4 months out from my last benzo and 3 months out from my last Wellbutrin........so why am I feeling so tired. My hormone doc is still trying to fine tune my hormonal system and has me on DHEA 10mg once a day but I'm thinking it is not doing what it should be doing. My estrogen is good yet I'm still having hot flashes and night sweats every couple of weeks and they have been getting graduallly worse with the increased DHEA. I had terrible hot flashes and night sweats in w/d. Does DHEA stimulate or work in the same areas as benzos??

 

Also, has anyone been gaining weight after getting off benzos? I feel like I'm fighting a loosing battle here (no pun obviously intended :laugh:).

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I get horrible benso fatigue. My therapist is an ex benzo head, and she say she had it after getting off. It did clear up but I don't remember how long it took. I do know it eventually is supposed to get better though. I take 160 mg DHEA every day, but it really doesn't seem to do anything.
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I get horrible benso fatigue. My therapist is an ex benzo head, and she say she had it after getting off. It did clear up but I don't remember how long it took. I do know it eventually is supposed to get better though. I take 160 mg DHEA every day, but it really doesn't seem to do anything.

 

Oooh, that's like way too much Tony! I've heard you should not take more than 25mg on a regular basis. And did you actually have your levels tested? You should only take it if you are low.

I was very low, below normal, and I was only prescribed 5mg transdermal.

 

 

 

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Chickie, I

was put on estrogen/dhea cream, prescribed, not otc. The DHEA was 5mg. I was so revved up all day, not in a good way. felt like crap. I don't know if it was the estrogen or the dhea. But I'm now on about a third of that and feel fine. My doc wants to try and work the dose up a little eventually.

10mg is kind of a lot. 5mg is supposed to be a normal dose, I think. And with the progesterone added, I am feeling good finally.

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Chick, what about your progesterone? I still had hot flashes on the estrogen/dhea, they even increased. But when I added the progesterone, the are almost gone now. I didn't even have one last night, all night.
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Good Morning Everyone,

 

I joined this group over the week-end and am just getting used to how to use this blogging stuff:)  I am so glad that you all here.  I am now 28 days into being Klonopin free after 13 years of addiction and dependency.  The last 3 nights I actually slept!  Still pretty exhausted though and shaky.  I, too, am probably in menopause, but don't really know since I had a partial hysterectomy 12 years ago.  Haven't really thought of estrogen therapy, but kind of scared about it with all the recent publicity.  Would love to hear others input on this.

 

 

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Hi Carol! I am perimenopause and am now on bio identicals. These are hormones that are given in specific amounts according to your deficiency. The program I am on did saliva tests on me. These are much more accurate than blood tests. They are plant based and identical to the hormones your body produces.

The hrt that is in the new is not even close to this. That is synthetic hormone made from pregnant horse urine, which is a one size fits all pharmaceutical.

Most doctors don't know much about it and may poo-poo it, because the big pharma doesn't want your to know about it.(that's where doctors get all their medication info)  Because it is plant based, it cannot be patented therefore it is UNprofitable for them.

But it(the biohrt) has been around for 25 years with no adverse reports. It has not been shown to cause breast cancer like the synthetic hrt, and in fact seems to prevent hormonal cancers. Even in men.

Here is a link to the program I am doing. And I am not profiting off of it! :laugh:

I have just become a huge believer. If you are interested in learning more, just do a search on amazon.com for bio identical hormones. Suzanne Somers has written several, well-researched books on the subject.

 

http://www.biohrt.com/

 

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Chick, what about your progesterone? I still had hot flashes on the estrogen/dhea, they even increased. But when I added the progesterone, the are almost gone now. I didn't even have one last night, all night.

Good morning eljay,

I'm jealous :laugh:!! Not even one hot flash.....

 

Yeah, my doc is keeping track of everything....to the smallest detail, thankfully. My progesterone is OK, we think. Got an outrageous result on the test last week so he thinks it was a lab error. He's looking for me to be around 3 but the result was 21.5!! I should be feeling either REALLY good or REALLY sleepy :2funny: And, nothing had changed my dosage is the same as 3 months ago when it was last checked. I'm thinking it should have read 2.15, that would have made more sense.

 

I'm cutting back on my DHEA. When it was first prescribed for me a year ago it was in liquid form and I definitely couldn't take it. It immediately caused heart palpitations. So, I'm thinking since this dosage is oral (good quality pharmaceutically) it is just affecting me a little differently. I am getting occasional heart "flutters" so that is telling me something. Doc says that some people just can't take DHEA.

 

I've been having vivid dreams and other weird feelings at night along with the flashes and sweats so I'm tapering off this med for a while.

 

I do have another question, though. How does alcohol affect the GABA receptors? I know I had 1 glass of wine shortly after getting off the benzos and had a nightmare that night so I didn't go there again until I'd given another couple of months. Recently I've had wine with dinner a couple of nights and a margarita a couple of times in the past few weeks and that is also when all this night stuff began happening with more intensity. Too reminiscent of w/d!! So I'm not even sniffing a wine cork now. Do you suppose there is any connection. I've always been very sensitive to alcohol anyway.......a literal sip would on occasion put me under the table...no joke!

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I do have another question, though. How does alcohol affect the GABA receptors?

 

Alcohol definitely affects the same receptors as benzo. When I was in my taper, I craved alcohol like crazy. I could barely go more than a day without driving over to the casino nearby for a quick drink. I know, I"m bad.

But now off, I don't crave it in the least.

I was also super sensitive to it. Couldn't drink more than one without feeling really ill.

Many people remain sensitive to it long after the benzos. I think Colin mentioned somewhere the other day, that he can't really drink anymore since benzos.

 

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Thanks eljay. That's what I'd suspected. I never felt/craved the need for any booze during w/d. I think I remember having read somewhere that it could make getting off much harder so I avoided it all. I just felt free to partake once off the benzos. Since I've always been sensitive to alcohol and basically avoided it I will just interpret that as my need not to partake.....if that is what it takes. Because I've been waking up in the mornings feeling as if I've been tortured at some low level.........and that is not me normally.

 

So if I avoid the wine, margaritas and DHEA maybe that will do it?? :2funny:

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basically, when you drink during wd, you are just replacing the missing benzo, and this disrupts the taper. For some reason, it didn't bother me too much, but i think I am in the minority. And who knows, that may have been what threw me into that post benzo insomnia hell. I didn't drink at all after my jump. Maybe it was alcohol wd!  :laugh:
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Well, I've backed off the DHEA (10 mg every other day) and I'm doing much better. But I also haven't had any wine or other alcohol either (I guess I'll be the designated driver to our next door neighbor's dinner party this weekend :laugh:). So it could be either, or both, but at this point I don't care. I slept REALLY well last night.........first time in at least a month and that was without any sleep aids.....not even melatonin :yippee: Oh, please Lord, let this be a trend.

 

I really hate this trail and error stuff. >:(

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Good morning eljay,

I'm jealous :laugh:!! Not even one hot flash.....

 

 

No need to be jealous anymore, lol!

 

Was hot flashing all night long, and slept about 4 hours.  >:(

 

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Maybe only one of us is allowed to sleep without hot flashes per night :laugh:

 

Oops, that was supposed to be "trial" and error :-[

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Maybe only one of us is allowed to sleep without hot flashes per night :laugh:

 

 

 

Well, I am happy you had your turn last night!  :laugh:

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I guess I'll be the designated driver to our next door neighbor's dinner party this weekend :laugh:

 

I guess you and your neighbour must have pretty big drive ways! :2funny:

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Hi,

 

32 days into C/T from 4 mgs. of Klonopin!  Wanted to check in with my BenzoBuddies. 

 

I am continually so thankful that I found this site.  You are all awesome.

 

I actually don't even go to my GP doc unitl May, but I will ask them then, about menopause and hormonal therapies.

Theresa2, you are right in observing that my panic attacks started the same time that I began having problems with my female organs.  I hadn't ever thought of that!  Just thought the two were separate problems.  I started Klonopin in August of 1995, and had my partial hysterectomy in June of 1996.  Six months prior to the surgery, I began having my  menstrual cycle every 2 weeks, with heavy flow.  I had three little children, a husband who wasn't well, a new part-time job, and was totally exhausted.  After six months of this, my doc had ultra-sounds done, etc., and found I had numerous uterine cysts, some as big as golf balls.  Mmmmmmmm  Maybe the two were connected?  Didn't have much time to think about myself back then.  Just took the Klonopin, as the doc prescribed so I could continue being a good wife, mother and employee.  Got the hysterectomy for the same reason.

 

Anyway,  W/D is still a struggle.  Slept two nights, after taking an Advil PM.  My sister is a RN, and she told me to try it.  Didn't know it was all Benadryl.  Didn't take it Sunday or Monday night and didn't sleep at all, again.  Took one last night and slept, but don't want to be dependent on it.  Oh, dear.  Any suggestions??

 

 

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After six months of this, my doc had ultra-sounds done, etc., and found I had numerous uterine cysts, some as big as golf balls.

Carol,

OH, my goodness.........you took one big jump! It's going to take time to heal. You are doing well to be coherent. I'm not sure I would have survived a jump like that. When I was having my worst sleep issues during w/d I began taking melatonin but it took at least 5 mg. a night and sometimes 10 mg. to do the job.

I too was told I had cysts but wasn't reminded of that fact until after my hysterectomy. Then after research following the hysterectomy I discovered that excess estrogen in the system can cause fybriod cysts............I had been on the worst kind of HRT for a number of years. But there are many ways we can accumulate excess estrogen in our systems.

 

Anyway, the excess estrogen usually also comes with a deficiency in progesterone which can cause anxiety, etc. I suggest you find a good doc who will do a complete hormone test to see where you may need balancing.

 

Bod bless you and hang in there.

chick

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