Taken these before?

[smiley_ca1]

My Dr put me on PMS - DEXAMETHASONE. My DHEAS levels were high, so I'm on this for 10 days to help Clomids effectiveness.

Anyone else been on this? Any feedback?

Thanks.

[smiley_ca1]

The problem is basically the inability of the adrenal gland to make the hormones your body requires - principally cortisol- in proper amounts. Cortisol is not only necessary for every day life, it is one of the body's main hormones in times of stress - both physical and emotional. Many people will notice that acne worsens in times of emotional stress. Women will notice that their facial hair growth is worse in times of stress. Menstrual irregularities may be worsened in times of stress and the over production of cortisol by the adrenal gland is one of the mechanisms for this.

In times of stress, the adrenal produces increased amounts of cortisol. If the adrenal has to work overtime to produce the necessary amount of cortisol, it produces even greater amounts of androgen.

It is impossible to fix the underlying adrenal abnormality although gene therapy is already a theoretical possibility. It may prove to be an actual therapeutic tool within the not too distant future.

In the meantime, since the adrenal cannot be fixed and since the problem is to make sure that the body has a proper amount of cortisol, the solution is simply to give your body what it needs in terms of cortisol. By giving you cortisol or a hormone derived from cortisol, your body's daily needs are supplied and the overproduction of adrenal androgen is eliminated.

Although it is possible to use cortisol or cortisone for this therapy, synthetic derivatives have proven to be much more useful in clinical practice. The two most common drugs that are currently employed are either Prednisone or Dexamethasone (Decadron).

Generally speaking, it is far easier to treat the adrenal gland and correct its abnormalities than the ovary. Treatment of the adrenal gland consists of suppressing its hormone production using either prednisone or dexamethasone. Within a matter of weeks, it is possible to completely suppress adrenal androgen production and this can be easily monitored with appropriate blood tests.

In some women, suppression of the adrenal androgen production "unblocks" the ovary and allows resumption of normal menstrual cycles and even conception.

In other women, for reasons that are not well understood, the ovarian abnormality may persist even after the adrenal problem has been corrected. The ovary continues to be a source of increased androgen production. If the woman is not interested in conceiving, ovarian androgen production can be suppressed with the use of oral contraceptives. In these women, the combined use of birth control pills and prednisone or dexamethasone will result in a near complete suppression of all androgen production in the body.

If the woman is interested in conceiving and prednisone or dexamethasone has not corrected the problem completely, additional drugs such as Clomiphene or Pergonal to correct the ovulatory abnormality may be necessary.