DHEA Dosages: Your GoodRx Guide
Key takeaways:
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a hormone naturally produced by your body. It’s available as a prescription medication called Intrarosa (prasterone) and as an over-the-counter dietary supplement.
Intrarosa is FDA approved to help with painful sex caused by menopause. The recommended dosage is one insert (6.5 mg) vaginally every day at bedtime.
There isn’t a recommended dose for DHEA supplements, because they haven’t been proven safe or effective for any use. But most clinical studies use a DHEA dosage of 25 mg to 50 mg daily. Higher doses and long-term use are associated with more risks and side effects.
DHEA can turn into estrogen or testosterone in the body. So you shouldn’t take DHEA supplements if you have a history of hormone-related conditions or cancers. Most sports organizations have also banned it, so competitive athletes shouldn’t take it. To ensure your safety, speak with a healthcare professional before taking a DHEA supplement.
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Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a hormone naturally produced in the body. It’s not clear how it works in the body. But we do know that it’s turned into other hormones, including estrogen and testosterone.
DHEA levels peak in your 20s and then steadily decline as you get older. By the time you’re in your 80s, DHEA levels drop by 80% to 90%.
This drop in DHEA levels as you age has made many people wonder if taking DHEA supplements may have antiaging effects, among other uses. But what DHEA dosage is best? And is it safe to take?
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What is DHEA used for?
Prasterone is the only FDA-approved form of DHEA. It’s the active ingredient in Intrarosa, a vaginal insert that treats painful sex caused by vaginal symptoms of menopause.
DHEA supplements have several proposed uses. Many of these come from the idea that taking DHEA may help increase estrogen and testosterone levels in the body. Studies suggest DHEA may help improve:
Other suggested uses of DHEA with less clinical evidence behind them include improving:
Age-related health conditions
Rheumatoid arthritis
Keep in mind that many of these uses haven’t been confirmed by human studies. In most cases, DHEA is only beneficial if your natural DHEA levels are low — which requires a blood test from a healthcare professional.
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What’s the typical DHEA dosage for adults?
The typical DHEA dosage for adults depends on whether you’re using the prescription version or an over-the-counter supplement. It may also depend on what you’re taking it for. You shouldn’t take a DHEA supplement without talking to a healthcare professional first.
Intrarosa
The recommended Intrarosa dosage for painful sex associated with menopause is one insert (6.5 mg) vaginally at bedtime. You should use the included applicator to place the insert.
DHEA supplements
DHEA dosages of 25 mg to 50 mg per day are estimated to mimic the DHEA levels in healthy young adults. Clinical studies typically use DHEA dosages of 50 mg per day for most health conditions.
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To improve fertility, studies typically use higher DHEA dosages of 75 mg to 90 mg daily. These studies looked at DHEA supplements as part of in vitro fertilization (IVF). They seem to work best for women of an older age who have a limited number of eggs or aren’t responding well to ovarian stimulation.
You shouldn’t take DHEA on your own for fertility purposes. And you should discuss DHEA with your fertility team before taking it.
For some autoimmune conditions, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, studies often use DHEA doses of 100 mg to 200 mg. But there’s less evidence that DHEA actually helps these conditions.
What’s the typical DHEA dosage for children?
You shouldn’t give DHEA supplements to children unless their pediatrician recommends it. DHEA is a hormone produced by the body during certain stages of life. Giving DHEA to children may cause high DHEA levels, which can lead to early puberty, abnormal periods, or other development issues.
Is it safe to take DHEA supplements?
We don’t know much about the safety of DHEA supplements — especially if you take them when your DHEA levels aren’t low. The risks of DHEA seem to be higher with high doses (over 50 mg daily) and long-term use. The best way to ensure your safety is to talk to a healthcare professional and have your DHEA levels checked before you take it.
Since it may increase hormone levels, DHEA is considered an anabolic steroid. So college and professional sports organizations worldwide include it on their banned substances lists. You should avoid DHEA if you are a competitive athlete for this reason.
DHEA’s effect on hormones may also increase the risk of cancers that require hormones to grow. This includes breast, uterine, and prostate cancer. If you have a history or high risk of hormone-related cancers, you should avoid taking DHEA supplements.
DHEA may also worsen other health conditions that are sensitive to hormones, such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
Talk with your prescriber to make sure DHEA is safe and appropriate for your specific situation.
The bottom line
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a hormone produced by your body that peaks in your 20s and declines as you age.
DHEA supplements have multiple proposed uses. But there’s little evidence they actually work for many of these conditions. Some studies suggest that DHEA may improve fertility, menopause symptoms, and depression. But the FDA has only approved DHEA for painful sex due to menopause. It comes as a vaginal insert called Intrarosa (prasterone).
The recommended dose of Intrarosa is one insert (6.5 mg) vaginally every day at bedtime. There isn’t a recommended dose for over-the-counter DHEA supplements, but most clinical studies use 25 mg to 50 mg once daily. Higher doses are sometimes used for certain health conditions.
DHEA may lead to increased estrogen and testosterone levels. So you shouldn’t take it if you have a history or high risk of hormone-related cancer. Competitive athletes should also avoid DHEA, as it’s considered a banned substance.
We don’t know much about the safety of taking DHEA supplements long term. It’s best to discuss taking DHEA with a healthcare professional first.
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References
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