DHEA and Hair Loss

Doc Rassman:
Hope everything’s been going well with you on your end…had a quick question, there’s an over the counter supplement, believe some sort of hormone based supplement, called DHEA that’s supposed to help recuperation after exercise…says essentially that the body manufactures it naturally and starts tapering off in the 20s. Do you know anything about it and if so would I have any concerns about taking it regularly as one of the potential effects I understand would possibly be hair loss although what I’m reading says that side effect would be extremely rare. Does the supplement work and is it worth taking, even at reduced amounts…ps, I’m 35 years now so i was thinking if i were to start taking it I would simply just take half dose. thanks for your time…

DHEA is one of the medications that may accelerate hair loss, so I would not go that route. There are safety issues related to this very potent medication, which many people use as an anti-aging medication. I have generally been less enthusiastic about things that I do not understand the long term impact of. Some of the literature I’ve read addresses the world of the unknown, and DHEA certainly fits into that world.