Optimum Pregnenolone Level?

[Julie G]

Hmm...Jean. Any ideas why supplementation worked back then, but NOT now? What's different?

[Phlogiston]

Can anyone who has successfully boosted their pregnenolone level share what brand of supplement they used?

As I noted, I've been taking the 100 mg LEF pregnenolone caps daily for months and still have an almost nonexistent blood level.

[Jean]

Julie, I didn't mean to indicate pregnenolone supplementation did not help now. I'll find out when I get the results of my blood tests next week. It hasn't been tested since last year, and I had not been supplementing before then. Sorry for the mix up.

[Gilgamesh]

Any men among us taking pregnenolone? I've been taking a small amount of DHEA for years (12.5 mg -- half in morning; most of the rest 4-6 hours later; tiny bit at dinner), and have assumed that will "do the job". But the discussion(s) here, and some initial research, makes me think pregnenolone might be a better choice.

This seems like a reasonable summary, no? --

http://www.livestrong.com/article/44208 ... tosterone/

GB

[GenePoole0304]

I just did a blood draw that includes preg it was a $300 add-on ouchiee oohh...$$$

well as with all hormones it is the relationship with all the other ones that matters most and not a relative value but generally anything in 3rd upper quartile is usually better but then again some hormones such as estradriol should be in at the low ends so one has to be able to interpret the whole picture and as someone said hormone tend to vary quite a bit at times.

So taking DHEA if one sees a low level may also have negative affects on the other hormones so I would not just take even a low dose unless I read more about it and discussed it and used it under the guidance of an informed doc if one is lucky enough to find those rare birds, maybe and endocrinologist if one could be a referral would be even better.

The question of low cholestrol usually refers to low ldl which usually only occurs when ones uses too high a statin dose and ldl goes down to say 40 where one could have neurological problems and yes hormone formation issues too.

[Jean]

Phlogiston, to answer your earlier question:

Can anyone who has successfully boosted their pregnenolone level share what brand of supplement they used?

My levels increased with sublingual Source Naturals Pregnenolone. I cut a 25 mg pill in half, and took it sporadically for 2 months- meaning I didn't take it every day, but probably about 4-5 times per week. My level went from 6 to 32. I'm going to take that amount 12.5 mg every day, and may increase it depending on my tolerance. (Oral Pregnenolone went down the pathway to progesterone for me when I tried to take it. Too much progesterone caused acne and night sweats for me. But that's just my experience. Yours could be different.)

I've read that smaller vs smaller amounts may be the best strategy. However, I have taken larger amounts in the past (7 years ago) and my level went from 15 to 67. I don't know what brand it was, but it was also sublingual. For me, sublingual works better. I don't know if the brand matters.

Hope this helps:)

[circular]

My pregnenolone update:

7/1/15

Pregnenolone, MS = 15 ng/dL with ref range <151

When I picked up copies of all my lab work from this draw, the prenenolone wasn't there. I requested it be done so did another draw.

7/9/15

17-Hydroxypregnenolone, MS/17 OH Pregnenolone, Serum, MS = 41 ng/dL with ref range 53-357

I go to pick up a copy and they give me the FIRST one, but I don't know it until tonight by logging in to my lab's online portal where the 41 value leaps out. Huh? So I proceeded based on a lab value of 15 for Pregnenolone MS, considered normal but looked awfully low/not optimal to me.

Taking 10 mg Pure Encapsulations pregnenolone since then …

1/12/16

17-Hydroxypregnenolone, MS/17 OH Pregnenolone, Serum, MS = 232 ng/dL with ref range 53-357

So what is the difference between these types of pregnenolone tests? Which does Dr. Bredesen test?

I like the improvement I see, although for all I know the 41 value was lower than my average and the 232 is above my average and 10 mg really isn't doing much. My guess though is I'm successfully tweaking what could be an important biomarker with a small, hopefully safe, does of pregnenolone. Going by the accidental 1 week apart tests in July, of two different pregnenolone measurements and both on the low end, perhaps it really was low.

My other hormones are in range, using BHRT.

[circular]

The first excerpt hits home since I am homogeneous for Gad1-high glutamine/low gaba.

Jean can you say more about that? I looked up my GAD1 in Promethease and there are a number of SNPs. I am homozygous on four, but according to the frequencies noted so are most people. I'm heterozygous on the others. I also just came up with a review out just this month apparently citing a previous article discussing GAD1 in these types of disorders. It points out the highly complex genetic/environmental nature of them and the need for more data, so I'm not inclined to worry much about GAD1. Just mentioning this in case it puts your mind at ease about it.

'The Genetics of Stress-Related Disorders: PTSD, Depression, and Anxiety Disorders.'

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26321314

This is the one cited by Promethease and in the above article, though I've only read the abstracts:

'Association between glutamic acid decarboxylase genes and anxiety disorders, major depression, and neuroticism.'

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1671 ... t=Abstract

[circular]

Phlogiston, I found reference ranges for pregnenolone on my blood test reports from last year:
Premenopausal Females (18-51 years) 7-188 ng/dl
Postmenopausal Females (59-81 years 12-111 ng/dl

FYI Julies 94 ng/dL is good. It would be a nice place to land.

Looking at your reference ranges I'm thinking they're based on Pregnenolone, MS, rather than 17-…, the one my LabCorps report gives a 'range' of <151 for 'adult'.

So Julie may need to verify that her 94 value refers to Pregnenolone, MS.

[Kathleen1]

My high cholesterol probably drives my high pregnenolone level (151ng/dl--ref range 15-132 in the lab i went to) and probably drives my high DHEA as well (8.2 ng/dl --ref range 0.6-4.7). I did not understand that I should have gotten the DHEAs test--presumably more stable level across the day) so this fasting am DHEA was probably a peak for me. If I drive down my cholesterol (changing diet once again, a little less dairy and heavier plant based) and those pregnenolone & DHEA levels drop should I supplement? If I supplement now, would it drive down my cholesterol so I could keep the 1/2 and 1/2 in my coffee (hah I expect that won't work). Anyway, I am assuming I do not have some sort of adrenal gland tumor making the high levels, assume it is the cholesterol and wished I could look at the high levels and say that my brain was being protected by them, to heck with the risk to the arteries.