ڈی ایچ ای اے · dehydroepiandrosterone
Mixed evidence
A hormone, not a vitamin. Some trial support, and it should not be taken casually.
This is information, not medical advice. This page is information, not medical advice. Nothing here is a prescription, a diagnosis or a recommendation to take anything, and none of it replaces a doctor who knows your history. Supplements are not harmless because they are natural: they interact with prescription medicines, some are unsafe in pregnancy, and a few can cause real damage. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before starting anything here, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, under 18, have a liver, kidney or heart condition, or take any regular medication. Never stop a prescribed antidepressant to try a supplement instead.
A hormone made by the adrenal glands that the body converts into oestrogen and testosterone. Sold as a supplement in some countries and regulated as a drug in others.
Some trials found improvement in midlife depression and in depression associated with low adrenal function. Effects are inconsistent and the population studied matters a great deal. This is the one item on this page that is unambiguously a hormone, and the risk profile follows from that rather than from the supplement aisle it is sold in.
Depression trials used 30 to 450 mg daily, a very wide range, under supervision.
Recorded because a person who has decided to try something will find a number somewhere, and a forum's number is worse than a trial's. It is not a recommendation, and the right amount for you depends on things only a doctor who knows your history can weigh.
Acne, hair loss, facial hair and voice changes in women; hormonal effects in men. Avoid entirely with hormone-sensitive cancers - breast, ovarian, prostate. May trigger mania in bipolar disorder. Banned in most competitive sport. Not for under-40s without a specific medical reason, and not without a doctor.
Available online rather than in pharmacies. Treat it as a prescription decision even where it is sold without one.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist about everything else you take, prescription and herbal both. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, under 18, or have a liver, kidney, heart or thyroid condition, ask first. And if what brought you here is that you have been feeling low or frightened for weeks, that deserves more than a supplement — ask us anything, anonymously, or talk to us on WhatsApp.