I have been trying to get my DHEAS under control for almost a year now with no luck. I am having a second CT scan of my adrenals again this week because the Dr. has no idea what is going on or why. Metformin initially brought it down but not close to normal and within four months it was right up where it was before I started Met, although I am still taking it. I was then started on Spiro also and was checked again and my DHEAS had jumped up another 30 points although my testosterone was lower. We talked about starting dex but because I am not TTC he felt the side effects would not be worth it. Since I have been on Spiro though the cramping and cysts on my ovaries have been pretty severe. My Dr. thinks I should start on a BCP but I am scared to do that because I never know what side effects I will get. I have pretty severe anxiety also and I can't have that getting any worse. Some BCP's like YAZ say that you shouldn't take if you have adrenal problems. What BCP would you suggest if you were me? I haven't been on BC since I had Mirena removed two years ago and that was a nightmare for me, so I wonder if it is better to just deal with the pain of the cysts. I dont' want to just take the Dr.'s opinion because at this point I just feel like an experiment. Any insight will be greatly appreciated!
It might be time to try a natural approach. I can understand your hesitation about starting bcps. All of these medications can feel overwhelming at times.
Looks like the Spiro is getting your testosterone down however with bad side effects. I've been taking saw palmetto, the natural form of Spiro, for about 4 months now. My acne has greatly improved since then, and I haven't had a cyst in several months. I'm not sure if the lack of cysts are directly related to the saw palmetto, but it sure is nice not having that annoying pain all the time. I also find I stand up a lot better without cysts.
Good luck and take some time to consider your options before starting back on the pill.
Did you end up starting BC to lower the DHEAS? If so, which one did you try and was it successful? If not, what other course of treatment, natural or otherwise did you start?
So does bcps help to lower dheas? I know a lot of the articles are targeted to lowering testosterone from ovaries, but I've never read much on bcps lowereing dheas.
wygirl or anybody else- has anything thus far helped to lower dheas?
So does bcps help to lower dheas? I know a lot of the articles are targeted to lowering testosterone from ovaries, but I've never read much on bcps lowereing dheas.
wygirl or anybody else- has anything thus far helped to lower dheas?
You might want to ask your doctor that, or run a search in PubMed.
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Since last time I checked in here I have tried a couple different things. I decided to try the Yaz BC and a week after I started the pills I was a total wreck! If you have high DHEAS I wouldn't recommend it. In a week I was broke out in acne all over my body, and I was having really serious anxiety problems by the 7th night. I have been on 1000 of Met and 50 of Spiro and just do the best I can with that. The Met makes me sick a lot of the time, and I quit taking it for about 3 weeks but my symptoms of acne, weight, and anxiety were all coming back so I have started taking it again.
So I have resigned myself to the fact that in order for me to manage all of this I have to take my meds, eat a low calorie diet and exercise. I usually run 3-4 miles 5 days a week. After several months of meds, diet and exercise my DHEAS have come down. When I took both the Met and the Spiro alone I still had symptoms, so I think it is the combination that has helped along with diet and exercise. My Endo feels that this is the best we can do because after a couple CT scans and ultrasounds there are no tumors showing up. I am now testing my blood sugar also because I am not diabetic but taking Met and he wants me to be sure my blood sugar is not getting too low. Some of the sickness that I was describing worried him that my sugar was dropping too much. I hope this helps somebody else! I have felt like an experiment and I'm sure many of you do also. Good Luck!
Sounds like a rough road you've traveled. Are you using Met because you are insulin resistant? So it sounds as if your change in diet and exercise lowered your dheas, not necessarily the medications? I am somewhat confused as in your earlier post you indicated that the met did bring down your dheas but then it later jumped up again? Same with the spiro?
Running 3-4 miles five days a week--you are probably ready for a marathon!
I know all of this is completely confusing! I'm not insulin resistant. I was dieting and exercising a lot before I was even diagnosed and I wasn't getting anywhere. When I initially started the Met I was so sick I quit exercising, and my DHEA did come down a bit and some symptoms got better for a few weeks and then started to come back, so I doubled my dose to 1000. After several months and my numbers were not going back down the Dr decided to put me on Spiro also. I was tolerating the Met a little better so I started exercising again. At this point when I was taking Met and Spiro plus dieting and exercising, my DHEAS and my symptoms started to get under control. I had been trying to lose weight for 5 years, and I lost about 25 pounds in 3 months so I was totally amazed and happy. I maintained my weight loss for another 6 months, but was having difficulty with the Met again, so I decided to quit taking it. In the three weeks that I was off the Met I gained 7 pounds and other symptoms that were under control started to give me problems again. So I came to the realization that I need both the meds and diet and exercise to control my adrenals. I still would like to find an alternative to the Met. If I didn't have to take it believe me I wouldn't. Has anyone taken anything else comparable to Met that doesn't have the horrible side effects?
Dr. thinks I need BCP? 
all of this is completely confusing! I'm not insulin resistant. I was dieting and exercising a lot before I was even diagnosed and I wasn't getting anywhere. When I initially started the Met I was so sick I quit exercising, and my DHEA did come down a bit and some symptoms got better for a few weeks and then started to come back, so I doubled my dose to 1000. After several months and my numbers were not going back down the Dr decided to put me on Spiro also. I was tolerating the Met a little better so I started exercising again. At this point when I was taking Met and Spiro plus dieting and exercising, my DHEAS and my symptoms started to get under control. I had been trying to lose weight for 5 years, and I lost about 25 pounds in 3 months so I was totally amazed and happy. I maintained my weight loss for another 6 months, but was having difficulty with the Met again, so I decided to quit taking it. In the three weeks that I was off the Met I gained 7 pounds and other symptoms that were under control started to give me problems again. So I came to the realization that I need both the meds and diet and exercise to control my adrenals. I still would like to find an alternative to the Met. If I didn't have to take it believe me I wouldn't. Has anyone taken anything else comparable to Met that doesn't have the horrible side effects?
