22 replies to this topic

[EmbraceUnity]

I have been taking LEF's Cognitex formula for the past 6 weeks. The version of Cognitex that I take has 50mg of pregnenolone. I am not sure about what effects it is having, since I am taking a bunch of other stuff too. I haven't noticed any negative effects. Overall my stack has helped me a good deal. I had read that pregnenolone was a prohormone, and had read mostly good things about it.

I did some more research on these forums and found some skepticism about it. Should I be taking this at the age of 19? I haven't noticed feeling any different since being on it as some people on these forums have noticed. I also haven't had an increase in acne as some had mentioned. I have actually had a decrease in acne lately, though I cannot explain why my acne has decreased.

I am guessing one of the suggestions will be to have bloodwork done, but it costs a lot of money so I don't think I will be getting one soon.

[abelard lindsay]

After my back surgery Pregnenolone dramatically improved my recovery time. In fact the physical therapist I was working with was very surprised how drastically I improved just a week after I started taking it. Whenever my back starts to hurt I take it and it basically fixes it. I don't really notice any nootropic effects from it though. I think the studies of it showing performance improvements are in aged rats.

Central administration of a cytochrome P450-7B product 7 alpha-hydroxypregnenolone improves spatial memory retention in cognitively impaired aged rats.

    * Yau JL,
    * Noble J,
    * Graham M,
    * Seckl JR.

Endocrinology Unit, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, United Kingdom. joyce.yau@ed.ac.uk

Pregnenolone (PREG) and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) have been reported to improve memory in aged rodents. In brain, these neurosteroids are transformed predominantly into 7alpha-hydroxylated metabolites by the cytochrome P450-7B1 (CYP7B). The biological role of steroid B-ring hydroxylation is unclear. It has been proposed to generate bioactive derivatives that enhance cognition, immune, and other physiological processes. In support, 7alpha-hydroxylated DHEA increases the immune response in mice with greater potency than the parent steroid. Whether the memory-enhancing effects of PREG in rats is mediated via its 7alpha-hydroxylated metabolite 7alpha-hydroxyPREG is not known. We investigated this by treating memory-impaired aged rats (identified by their spatial memory performances in the Morris water maze task compared with young controls) with 7alpha-hydroxyPREG or PREG administered intracerebroventricularly using osmotic minipumps and then tested the rats during week 2 of steroid treatment in the eight-arm radial-arm version of the water maze (RAWM) that allows repeated assessment of learning. CYP7B bioactivity in hippocampal tissue (percentage conversion of [14C]DHEA to [14C]7alpha-hydroxyDHEA) was decreased selectively in memory-impaired aged rats compared with both young and memory-intact aged rats. 7alpha-hydroxyPREG (100 ng/h) but not PREG (100 ng/h) administration to memory-impaired aged rats for 11 d enhanced spatial memory retention (after a 30 min delay between an exposure trial 1 and test trial 2) in the RAWM. These data provide evidence for a biologically active enzyme product 7alpha-hydroxyPREG and suggests that reduced CYP7B function in the hippocampus of memory-impaired aged rats may, in part, be overcome by administration of 7alpha-hydroxyPREG.

[missminni]

I've been taking pregnenolone for 8 years - 100 mg capsule. I occasionally take a break, but not as often as I recently was told to. 8 weeks on 2 weeks off. I haven't followed that regimen, although now I will.
I started taking it to deal with menopause at 54. It was miraculous at 180 mg a day taken first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. I virtually had no menopause symptoms at all. It has done the same for all my friends that I suggested it to. I continue to take it because there is a history of alzheimers (my mom) and I heard it is effective in its prevention. So far I have never had a negative side effect. I read all sorts of warnings about never taking more than 5 mg and I have to wonder if they say this to protect themselves from lawsuits or if it is founded in scientific data.
I am in excellent health, which I attribute to my avoidance of doctors and health insurance and 25 years of aloe vera gel from the fresh leaf - not bottled - in a morning smoothee. Of course diet and exercise have always been a part of my life, although I have been minimal on aerobics. Mostly yoga type exercise and weight training.
I believe in low caloric intake and try to stay under 1500 calories a day, although I do binge now and then.
I can see this forum has not had much activity but if anybody should pop by who
knows, I am trying to find a good source of sub-lingual pregnenolone. Any suggestions?

[zoolander]

Source Naturals sells a sub-lingual version I think. The instructions on the package advise to hold under tongue until dissolved

[missminni]

I've been taking pregnenolone for 8 years - 100 mg capsule. I occasionally take a break, but not as often as I recently was told to. 8 weeks on 2 weeks off. I haven't followed that regimen, although now I will.
I started taking it to deal with menopause at 54. It was miraculous at 180 mg a day taken first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. I virtually had no menopause symptoms at all. It has done the same for all my friends that I suggested it to. I continue to take it because there is a history of alzheimers (my mom) and I heard it is effective in its prevention. So far I have never had a negative side effect. I read all sorts of warnings about never taking more than 5 mg and I have to wonder if they say this to protect themselves from lawsuits or if it is founded in scientific data.
I am in excellent health, which I attribute to my avoidance of doctors and health insurance and 25 years of aloe vera gel from the fresh leaf - not bottled - in a morning smoothee. Of course diet and exercise have always been a part of my life, although I have been minimal on aerobics. Mostly yoga type exercise and weight training.
I believe in low caloric intake and try to stay under 1500 calories a day, although I do binge now and then.
I can see this forum has not had much activity but if anybody should pop by who
knows, I am trying to find a good source of sub-lingual pregnenolone. Any suggestions?[/font]</span>

Since writing that post on Nov. 9th, I stopped taking pregnenolone entirely when I began high doses of Resveratrol about a month ago.
The reason I sopped the Preg, which I loved, was because I noticed a loss of hair, from my body and
head. I noticed an ever increasing amount of hair in my hairbrush over the past year. I'd read this could be a side effect
to high doses of Pregnenolone over a long period of time. Since that described my use...100 mg for about 8 years on and off...
I decided to stop. I hoped the Res would pick up the slack and my hair would grow back.
Anecdotal observation:
No more excessive hair in my hairbrush.
Now i am considering resuming the preg but have a few questions about it.
Maybe somebody here knows the answers
I am considering taking it in a much lower dose.
I am also considering doing it cutaneously with DMSO.
I was wondering
1. If I should re-introduce it at all, in light of the high dose resveratrol I am doing. (1-2 g a day)
2. If taking it cutaneously vs. orally would have the same impact on hair loss.
3. How much would I use cutaneously to achieve what a 50 mg oral dose would deliver to my bloodstream.
TIA

[dogbarf]

Since writing that post on Nov. 9th, I stopped taking pregnenolone entirely when I began high doses of Resveratrol about a month ago.
The reason I sopped the Preg, which I loved, was because I noticed a loss of hair, from my body and
head. I noticed an ever increasing amount of hair in my hairbrush over the past year. I'd read this could be a side effect
to high doses of Pregnenolone over a long period of time. Since that described my use...100 mg for about 8 years on and off...
I decided to stop. I hoped the Res would pick up the slack and my hair would grow back.
Anecdotal observation:
No more excessive hair in my hairbrush.
Now i am considering resuming the preg but have a few questions about it.
Maybe somebody here knows the answers
I am considering taking it in a much lower dose.
I am also considering doing it cutaneously with DMSO.
I was wondering
1. If I should re-introduce it at all, in light of the high dose resveratrol I am doing. (1-2 g a day)
2. If taking it cutaneously vs. orally would have the same impact on hair loss.
3. How much would I use cutaneously to achieve what a 50 mg oral dose would deliver to my bloodstream.
TIA

Sorry I'm not really answering your questions, but I wanted to comment on the hair loss. Pregnenolone is a precursor to many hormones, including cortisol and dhea -- and thus estrogen, testosterone, dht, etc. The hair loss is likely an androgenic effect, though could be from cortisol as well. I would suggest that if you continue such a high dose (180 is a lot) that you consider getting your hormones checked. You've also mentioned that you are post-menopausal; it isn't uncommon to experience hair loss or thinning after menopause. Although (from what you've mentioned) it seems you may be latrophobic, a little bloodwork could shed some light on the source. There are a number of pharmaceutical options for female hair loss (more than for men) if the problem continues.

[missminni]

Sorry I'm not really answering your questions, but I wanted to comment on the hair loss. Pregnenolone is a precursor to many hormones, including cortisol and dhea -- and thus estrogen, testosterone, dht, etc. The hair loss is likely an androgenic effect, though could be from cortisol as well. I would suggest that if you continue such a high dose (180 is a lot) that you consider getting your hormones checked. You've also mentioned that you are post-menopausal; it isn't uncommon to experience hair loss or thinning after menopause. Although (from what you've mentioned) it seems you may be latrophobic, a little bloodwork could shed some light on the source. There are a number of pharmaceutical options for female hair loss (more than for men) if the problem continues.

Thanks for your concern, but the hair loss is not a problem. It stopped when I stopped taking the preg. I only took 180mg for a very brief period
and that was 8 years ago. After that my dose was between 50 to 100 mg, and the 100 mg was primarily in the last year. That's when I started to notice the excessive amount of hair in the brush. It's not like a hair loss that you notice as in visible scalp. It's just something I noticed in my hair brush. But as I said, that's not the case now. My hair is fine and I have no intention of taking such a hi dose again.
What is latrophobic? I cannot find it in the dictionary and have no idea what it means.
ETA~OH, I see it means fear of doctors. I have no fear of doctors. No fear at all. If I needed
to see a doctor I would. Some of my best friends are doctors. Actually only one is, and she shares my sentiments.
I have an aversion to American Medicine and the way it is taught and practiced. It is pharmaceutically
driven and AFAIC hurts as often, if not more often, than helps. My aversion has nothing to do with fear
and everything to do with a different approach to healing. American doctors are tools of
the pharmaceutical industry. That's who funds their studies and consequently directs their practice. Sorry if this offends anyone, but
I would just as soon see a witch doctor for a cure. I don't think there's that much difference. In fact, I would bet that
the success rate is just about the same.
I think people should take responsibility for their own health, and thats what I do.

Edited by missminni, 14 December 2007 - 01:37 PM.

[edward]

I have recently dropped pregnenolone from my supplement routine. I was only taking 30 mg per day but since I already take DHEA 50 mg and 7-keto-DHEA 100 mg and am a male I have reasoned that taking the preg is overkill. On the chain of steroid compounds everything is derived from Cholesterol which is converted to Pregnenolone and then to Progesterone etc.

Personally as a male I dont want to raise my progesterone levels.





edit: Any thoughts? Other than the reported neurohormone effects of preg. which it seems would be short lived as preg would then be converted, it seems that the benefits are not what LEF hype makes them out to be. Personally when I have tested higher doses of Preg. by itself just to gain its effects, the effects were to produce anxiety and negative cognitive effects. Anyone have those experiences.

Edited by edward, 15 December 2007 - 12:57 AM.

[missminni]

I have recently dropped pregnenolone from my supplement routine. I was only taking 30 mg per day but since I already take DHEA 50 mg and 7-keto-DHEA 100 mg and am a male I have reasoned that taking the preg is overkill. On the chain of steroid compounds everything is derived from Cholesterol which is converted to Pregnenolone and then to Progesterone etc.

Personally as a male I dont want to raise my progesterone levels.





edit: Any thoughts? Other than the reported neurohormone effects of preg. which it seems would be short lived as preg would then be converted, it seems that the benefits are not what LEF hype makes them out to be. Personally when I have tested higher doses of Preg. by itself just to gain its effects, the effects were to produce anxiety and negative cognitive effects. Anyone have those experiences.

my only thought would be to maybe drop the dhea instead since the way I understand it, pregnenolone is a pre-cursor hormone and would influence the production of dhea as illustrated in your chart.

[edward]

yes but as you can see pregnenolone converts to progesterone (which for men is not something we want) furthermore it can then be converted to the mineralocorticoids (ie aldosterone which causes water and sodium retention... not a good thing) or the glucocorticoids (ie cortisol/cortisone which causes increased stress response and the accumulation of body fat in the abdomen... definitely not good) then finally if there is any left maybe possibly some of it will make it to becoming DHEA and testosterone... Seems pretty logical to skip the first few horrible steps and go right for the good stuff (for guys that is)

[missminni]

yes but as you can see pregnenolone converts to progesterone (which for men is not something we want) furthermore it can then be converted to the mineralocorticoids (ie aldosterone which causes water and sodium retention... not a good thing) or the glucocorticoids (ie cortisol/cortisone which causes increased stress response and the accumulation of body fat in the abdomen... definitely not good) then finally if there is any left maybe possibly some of it will make it to becoming DHEA and testosterone... Seems pretty logical to skip the first few horrible steps and go right for the good stuff (for guys that is)

Oh I see. Would it have the same effect on women in regard to:
glucocorticoids (ie cortisol/cortisone which causes increased stress response and the accumulation of body fat in the abdomen
?
ETA~I recall reading that if you took more pregnenolone than your body needed, your body would excrete the excess and it would not remain
in your tissues, whereas that wasn't the case with DHEA. If you took too much, it was harmful.
If that is the case with preg, and being that it is a pre-cursor hormone, why would it over-produce progesterone if it is only used to the extent that it is needed. did that make any sense? sorry I can't express myself more scientifcally.

Edited by missminni, 16 December 2007 - 02:56 AM.

[krillin]

my only thought would be to maybe drop the dhea instead since the way I understand it, pregnenolone is a pre-cursor hormone and would influence the production of dhea as illustrated in your chart.

Better to get tested before doing anything. My pregnenolone came back normal while my DHEA was in the gutter.

Edited by krillin, 16 December 2007 - 02:25 AM.

[1thoughtMaze1]

Bump

[unregistered_user]

Bump

Not entirely sure you understand the idea behind bumping a thread.


This thread is 6 years old and the latest post didn't require any further input. Do you have something you'd like to contribute here or are you just pushing this thread to top of the pile for shits and giggles?

[YoungSchizo]

6 years later there is more known about pregenenolone, so the Bump is on it's place. I am schizophrenic and take 300mg Preg, started with 50mg. After 7 years of taking Zyprexa (antipsychotic) it has destroyed my body's ability to gain muscle, strength and endurance, even though I don't take antipsychotics anymore for 1.5 years (before antipsychotics my body was able to gain muscles fast!). Ever since starting Preg I started noticing my muscle's got firm again, strength and endurance increase also and I slowly see changes in my muscle mass, it seems like it's finally increasing again after 3 years hard work-outs with no results (I'm 29 years old).

(Mentally) The actual cause I started with Preg was in the hopes to counter the cognitive disabilities I have because of schizophrenia, didn't do much for it though, however, my mood is much better on Preg!

Side-effects: none


My 2 cents on Preg

[1thoughtMaze1]

6 years later there is more known about pregenenolone, so the Bump is on it's place. I am schizophrenic and take 300mg Preg, started with 50mg. After 7 years of taking Zyprexa (antipsychotic) it has destroyed my body's ability to gain muscle, strength and endurance, even though I don't take antipsychotics anymore for 1.5 years (before antipsychotics my body was able to gain muscles fast!). Ever since starting Preg I started noticing my muscle's got firm again, strength and endurance increase also and I slowly see changes in my muscle mass, it seems like it's finally increasing again after 3 years hard work-outs with no results (I'm 29 years old).

(Mentally) The actual cause I started with Preg was in the hopes to counter the cognitive disabilities I have because of schizophrenia, didn't do much for it though, however, my mood is much better on Preg!

Side-effects: none


My 2 cents on Preg

thanks Young, any noticeable effects on memory? This is why I am mostly interested in this substance.

Bump

Not entirely sure you understand the idea behind bumping a thread.


This thread is 6 years old and the latest post didn't require any further input. Do you have something you'd like to contribute here or are you just pushing this thread to top of the pile for shits and giggles?

heyy Semi-inappropriate-profile-name, what's new bra? still mowing those lawnes?

[unregistered_user]

Mowing lawns? Think you have me confused with somebody else.

[YoungSchizo]

@1thoughtMaze1

Let me rephrase my sentence on Preg & cognition. I already had cognitive disabilities ever since having schizophrenia and since a half year I'm permanently on benzodiazepines, which gave a little more cognitive decline at the beginning, that's whats led me to try Preg (benzodiazepines are known for having cognitive decline as a side-effect). Anyway, I can't tell if Preg would improve my cognition without benzo's, you should try and find out.

Here are some study results showing Preg improves cognition:
http://www.agingbett...cognitive-aging

(scroll down, click on the links below, there are more study's on Preg, DHEA and cognition.)

[1thoughtMaze1]

@1thoughtMaze1

Let me rephrase my sentence on Preg & cognition. I already had cognitive disabilities ever since having schizophrenia and since a half year I'm permanently on benzodiazepines, which gave a little more cognitive decline at the beginning, that's whats led me to try Preg (benzodiazepines are known for having cognitive decline as a side-effect). Anyway, I can't tell if Preg would improve my cognition without benzo's, you should try and find out.

Here are some study results showing Preg improves cognition:
http://www.agingbett...cognitive-aging

(scroll down, click on the links below, there are more study's on Preg, DHEA and cognition.)

OK thanks Young, yeah will do. I ordered a bottle. Should be here soon. I'll report back. If the results are positive. Else probably wont hear from me on this topic haha.

Mowing lawns? Think you have me confused with somebody else.

No, no I didn't

[FocusPocus]

Hi, 29 year old guy here thinking of starting Preg at low doses of 5-10mg four days a week- for anti anxiety and cognitive effects mainly.

Was just concerned about the hair loss side effect? Would this be noticeable at such low doses?

i have male pattern baldness in my genes, and i dont want to make that happen early.

Any thoughts?

Edited by FocusPocus, 11 January 2014 - 03:13 PM.

[YoungSchizo]

Hi, 29 year old guy here thinking of starting Preg at low doses of 5-10mg four days a week- for anti anxiety and cognitive effects mainly.

Was just concerned about the hair loss side effect? Would this be noticeable at such low doses?

i have male pattern baldness in my genes, and i dont want to make that happen early.

Any thoughts?

Tricky.. I have lots of hair but I developed Alopecia Barbae while on 300mg Pregnenolone (not the worst type, just a little spot in my beard), I don't know if it is related to long-term Preg or stress I was in for more than a half year. I quit taking Preg for a month, started 50mg since a week again, don't think Alopecia is related to Preg though, gonna see and find out...

5-10mg is such a low dose, don't think it will sky-rocket your testosterone and cause hair-loss, even on a high dosage it won't. If 5-10mg might help anxiety/cognition, no idea.

[FocusPocus]

Hi, 29 year old guy here thinking of starting Preg at low doses of 5-10mg four days a week- for anti anxiety and cognitive effects mainly.

Was just concerned about the hair loss side effect? Would this be noticeable at such low doses?

i have male pattern baldness in my genes, and i dont want to make that happen early.

Any thoughts?

Tricky.. I have lots of hair but I developed Alopecia Barbae while on 300mg Pregnenolone (not the worst type, just a little spot in my beard), I don't know if it is related to long-term Preg or stress I was in for more than a half year. I quit taking Preg for a month, started 50mg since a week again, don't think Alopecia is related to Preg though, gonna see and find out...

5-10mg is such a low dose, don't think it will sky-rocket your testosterone and cause hair-loss, even on a high dosage it won't. If 5-10mg might help anxiety/cognition, no idea.

thanks for the reply.

im taking mrm micronized preg. Not sure if the low doses are actually helping, but lots of reviews mentioned people using 50 mg developing palpitations etc due to the high bioavailability of the micronized preparation.

Do you know what doses are usually recommended for anxiety for a guy my age (29)?

[YoungSchizo]

Hmm interesting, didn't know micronized Preg existed.

I'm also 29 and have a anxiety disorder (don't know if it is considered as a disorder on it's own, though, my symptoms are like GAD but mine is related to having schizophrenia). I'm taking Rivotril for anxiety/antipsychotic, when I started Preg I already was on Rivotril, so I can't tell if it does something for anxiety and/or cognition if I wasn't on Rivo.
Some of the dosages used for improving cognition you can find in the link I provided in my previous post, maybe someone else can chime in on Preg and anxiety.

Aside from what I already told about Preg & sports in my previous posts in this topic (don't know if I have to count stamina and endurance as a mental improvement or a physical improvement, maybe little of both), Preg definitely improves my mood, that's the only mental improvement I noticed because I also suffer from depressions.

Edited by YoungS, 11 January 2014 - 04:33 PM.