Home › Compound Library › DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone)

DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone)

Hormoneoral · inferred

Most abundant circulating steroid hormone, peaking at age 25 and declining ~80% by age 75. Precursor to both androgens and estrogens. DHEA-S (sulfated storage form) has a much longer half-life (~20h). Used for adrenal insufficiency and age-related decline.

Projected serum levels — 25 mg, once daily

DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone)
DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) modeled serum levels, 25 mg once daily over 15 days Population-based pharmacokinetic estimate. Steady state reached after approximately 1 days. 0 0.50 1 1.5 2 Day 0 Day 4 Day 8 Day 11 Day 15 Time on a regular schedule ≈ steady state · day 1
DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) modeled serum levels with a loading dose of 31.1 mg, then 25 mg once daily The first dose is larger so levels approach steady state faster. 0 0.50 1 1.5 2 Day 0 Day 4 Day 8 Day 11 Day 15 Time on a regular schedule

Maintenance schedule: 25 mg once daily (oral).

Loading schedule: 31.1 mg on day 1, then 25 mg once daily — reaching therapeutic levels sooner.

Modeled steady state after ~1 days: peak ≈ 1.3 mg, trough ≈ 0.31 mg body load. Population-based estimate over 15 days for a 25 mg dose at a 70 kg reference body mass — the interactive app scales curves to your doses, timing, and body mass.

Key facts

Category
Hormone
Route modeled
Oral
Model confidence
inferred
Half-life
12 h
Common dose
25 mg
Suggested maximum
100 mg/day
Reference dose range
12.5–100 mg (single dose)
Suggested cadence
once daily
Validated against
50 mg oral — Cmax 0.005 mg/L at 2 h

Documented interactions

  • caution
    Anastrozole (Arimidex) + DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) Potentiation

    DHEA converts to both testosterone and estrogen. On an AI, the estrogen conversion is blocked but androgen conversion continues.

  • moderate
    Carbamazepine (Tegretol) + DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) CYP induction

    Carbamazepine (Tegretol) inducer of CYP3A4 predicted to change DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) AUC by ~0.67x

  • moderate
    Combined OC (Levonorgestrel / Ethinyl Estradiol) + DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) Stacked effects

    Combined OC (Levonorgestrel / Ethinyl Estradiol) and DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) both push the androgen receptor and estrogen receptor alpha in the same direction.

  • moderate
    Combined OC (Norgestimate / Ethinyl Estradiol) + DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) Stacked effects

    Combined OC (Norgestimate / Ethinyl Estradiol) and DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) both push the androgen receptor and estrogen receptor alpha in the same direction.

  • moderate
    Efavirenz (Sustiva) + DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) CYP induction

    Efavirenz (Sustiva) inducer of CYP3A4 predicted to change DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) AUC by ~0.53x

  • moderate
    Norgestimate + DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) Stacked effects

    DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) and Norgestimate both push the androgen receptor and estrogen receptor alpha in the same direction.

Serum checks 80 modeled interaction pairings for dhea (dehydroepiandrosterone) across your whole stack — absorption conflicts, enzyme inhibition, and nutrient depletion included.

Research behind this entry

  1. Dehydroepiandrosterone Replacement in Women with Adrenal Insufficiency Arlt W et al. · New England Journal of Medicine, 1999 DOI

    Landmark RCT showing DHEA 50 mg/day improved well-being, sexuality, and reduced depression/anxiety in women with adrenal insufficiency.

  2. Effect of DHEA on Abdominal Fat and Insulin Action in Elderly Women and Men Villareal DT, Holloszy JO · JAMA, 2004 DOI

    RCT showing 50 mg/day DHEA for 6 months reduced visceral and subcutaneous fat and improved insulin sensitivity in elderly adults.

  3. Circulating Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate Levels and Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Ribeiro Dos Santos M et al. · Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2019 DOI

    Meta-analysis showing low DHEA-S levels are independently associated with increased all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.

3 published studies referenced in the app, each with a plain-language summary.