Should DHEA be cycled?

[kjake55]

I take 25mg daily. I recently (2 weeks ago) bumped up to 50mg until the end of the month. I've been taking it for a little over a year. Should I stop for a while after the end of the month? For how long? TIA for the advise

 

[rumbletumble]

I take 50mgs of DHEA, 40 minutes before workout with protein shake with 20 grams of Leucine, then 50mgs of DHEA half way through my workout; and no I don't cycle. I use it 4 to 5 times a week when I hit the gym. rt...

 

[graniteman]

Personally I don't take any supps every day continously, ie: years, except vit c. It's just my personal opinion but I do it to keep from any types of 'build up'' or overuse of said supplement and let my body clear itself.

 

[sassy69]

Personally I don't take any supps every day continously, ie: years, except vit c. It's just my personal opinion but I do it to keep from any types of 'build up'' or overuse of said supplement and let my body clear itself.

I found a couple extracts on PubMed about DHEA studies but I think the summary on LiveStrong summarizes well:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/326567-the-best-sources-of-dhea/

For this discussion I agree w/ G-man - most studies don't go beyond 3-6 months, so we don't know. However general rule of thumb on any supplement would be to cycle it. I think in all things possible, "Supplement" your body and allow it a cycled phase to work w/ what you've been supplementing or potentially improve accommodation of the supplement's impact w/o the supplement itself constantly being there. The basis for this, IMO is the fact that the body is built on an intricate collection of push/pull systems - everything is regulated by the body to produce as well as to flush out both the main components and the by-products of anything in the system. For example, a high protein, restricted-variety competition diet - sure, a targeted diet will promote a dramatic change in bodyfat / muscle development - but at the cost of excluding a more balanced diet that includes fruit & vegetables that help the body break down certain foods, anti-oxidents to help shuttle out the waste from processing a high-protein diet.

It's a very broad generalization, but based on the general way the body works to be as self-sustaining as possible. That said, its probably also an interesting experiment to try for yourself and see what you notice or don't notice.

 

[ProteinFarts]

The human body adapts to every single thing put in or done to it. In this case it will just figure out a way to negate the increase in hormones from the additional dhea. So yes I'd say 4 weeks on 1 week off. But that is purely a guess. But as a rule of thumb it's best to cycle everything from caffine to creatine.

 

[dr jim]

Interesting question OP because certain TT precursors do seem to INCREASE TT levels in FEMALES yet NOT in MALES.

In fact several OTC supplement manufactures whom sell TT precursors USE the results noted in FEMALES to justify sales of their products to MALES. (Well that's what is implied IMO)

However whether on/off months are more efficacious is unknown BUT the best means of determining if any pre-supp is effective is to assay the "conversion" (DHEA ---- Testosterone) end product in this case TT.

Consequently the only way to KNOW if modifying your DHEA dose (or on/off months) would be more or less effective is to obtain TT levels at different doses, or by comparing monthly on/off values.

Regs
Jim

 

[LadySparten]

Any suggestions on the best company or product to order DHEA online or? I am looking to implement this supplement very soon.