What it is

DHEA is the same hormone your adrenal glands make. Your doctor prescribes the dose based on your blood test.

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How to take it

• Take it once every morning, at the same time each day. Your level follows a daily rhythm, and taking it at the same time keeps your blood tests comparable.
• Take the number of capsules written on your label. Your doctor changes your dose by changing the number of capsules, or how often you take them.
• Take it every day. DHEA is a long-term treatment.

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On your blood-test day

Have your blood taken first, then take your capsule. Your level rises for a few hours after each capsule, so a test soon after it would look higher than it really is.¹

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If you miss a dose

Take it as soon as you remember. If it is nearly time for your next dose, skip the missed one. Never take a double dose. One missed day lowers your level a little, but it does not fall back to where it was before treatment, because the stored form lasts about a day.²

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No withdrawal if you stop

No withdrawal symptoms have been reported, and you do not need to cut down slowly. Your body keeps making its own DHEA while you take it. After you stop, your level returns to where it was within about 2 weeks.² Any improvement you noticed may also fade back, so please talk with your doctor before you stop.

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Please stop

• Any other DHEA product, including DHEA creams and “7-keto DHEA”. Taking two products together can push your level too high. Creams are poorly absorbed through the skin, and 7-keto DHEA cannot be turned into other hormones, so neither does what your capsule does.

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Tell us if you take

None of these means you cannot take DHEA. Some medicines and DHEA affect each other, so knowing what you take helps us look after you more closely.

• Steroid tablets, even a short course from another doctor. Steroids lower your own DHEA and affect your cortisol. Stop DHEA while you take them, tell us, and wait for your doctor before you restart.
• An antidepressant. Some antidepressants taken with DHEA can trigger an unusually high mood.³ We will not start DHEA without your own specialist.
• Testosterone. Both are male-type hormones. We usually give one at a time, so that we know which one causes any side effect.
• Estrogen. DHEA can raise estrogen a little.³ We start low and check your estrogen level.
• Triazolam, a sleeping tablet. DHEA may make it stronger, so you may feel sleepier.³
• Any new medicine you start while taking DHEA, so we can check that the two work well together.

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Contact us if you notice

Most of these are early signs that your dose is a little higher than you need. They come in a fairly set order and are easy to fix by lowering the dose. The others are very rare in people who follow our plan. We tell you so that you know what to look out for, as part of good care.

• Oily hair, oily skin, or acne. Tell us before your next visit, so we can lower your dose early.
• Women: extra body hair, or thinning hair on top of the head. Stop DHEA and contact us.
• Men: swelling or tenderness of the breasts. This can mean some DHEA is turning into estrogen. Contact us.
• Dizziness, headaches, unusual tiredness, or finding it hard to cope with stress. These can be signs of low cortisol. Stop DHEA and contact us, so we can check your cortisol.
• An unusually high or excited mood, needing little sleep without feeling tired, irritability, or racing thoughts. Stop DHEA at once and contact us.⁴
• Pregnancy. Stop DHEA and contact us.

Go to a hospital the same day if you faint, feel very faint or very unwell, keep vomiting, have severe stomach pain or confusion, which can be signs of very low cortisol,¹ or if your eyes or skin turn yellow. Stop DHEA as well.

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How to store it

• Keep it in its original bottle, away from light and moisture.
• Store it below 25°C. You do not need to keep it in the fridge.
• Keep it out of the sight and reach of children.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Chontirot, MD · Medical licence no. 36583 · Last reviewed: 31 October 2026

References

1. Bornstein SR, Allolio B, Arlt W, et al. Diagnosis and Treatment of Primary Adrenal Insufficiency: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2016;101(2):364–389.

2. Legrain S, Massien C, Lahlou N, et al. Dehydroepiandrosterone replacement administration: pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies in healthy elderly subjects. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2000;85(9):3208–3217.

3. Mayo Clinic Staff. DHEA. Mayo Clinic, Drugs and Supplements; 2026.

4. Kline MD, Jaggers ED. Mania onset while using dehydroepiandrosterone. Am J Psychiatry. 1999;156(6):971.

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