Pregnenolone CRT

Pregnenolone is a hormone, which is normally manufactured in the body from cholesterol inside the mitochondria of many different types of cells such as brain, retina, myelin sheaths, adrenal gland, liver, skin, thymus and testes or ovaries. Pregnenolone can be converted into numerous other hormones as needed such as DHEA, progesterone, estrogens, testosterone, cortisol and aldosterone.

Pregnenolone itself has a stimulatory action on brain function but exerts many other effects through the many different hormones it converts into. Typical pregnenolone supplements, which are encapsulated powder, are absorbed like any other fat soluble substance, with the aid of bile and digestive enzymes, into the lymphatic circulation, and then to the liver before they are delivered to the blood circulation.

Possible causes of suboptimal synthesis of pregnenolone in the body may be the following:

Pregnenolone deficiency can be assessed partially from measuring circulating pregnenolone sulfate or as salivary pregnenolone, but this may not entirely reflect potential deficiencies at the intracellular level.

The local conversion of pregnenolone to estrogens inside the brain is believed to have a neuroprotective effect. [1] Significant amounts of pregnenolone have been found in the myelin sheaths of sciatic nerves, which suggest a role in nerve health. [11] Depression and social phobia patients have been found to have significantly lower levels of blood/cerebral spinal fluid of pregnenolone than normal subjects.[6, 13]

Autoimmune Disease: Patients with various types of autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and scleroderma were found in many studies to have significantly lower blood levels of pregnenolone, DHEA, androgens and cortisol, and even lower with cortisone therapy.[15] A number of studies in the 1950's have shown that supplementation with 50-600mg/day of pregnenolone (oral or intra muscular injection) for more than a month, have brought about alleviation of their symptoms.[14, 17] Unfortunately, no studies have been done since then because of the popularity of corticosteroid therapy.

Skin Health: Studies with topical pregnenolone have shown improved skin hydration. It is conceivable that oral pregnenolone would have a similar effect since the skin tissue is very active in processing steroid hormones.[16]

Menstrual Migraines: Since these are associated with low progesterone levels, pregnenolone supplementation probably helps indirectly by improving progesterone levels commonly low in women.[19]

Dosage: Due to its stimulatory effect pregnenolone should be administered mostly during the first part of the day in order to best mimic its normal circadian production rhythm and because its excitatory action may interfere with sleep. For brain function stimulation and the correction of pregnenolone deficiency: 50-100mg/day. For autoimmune disease: 200-500mg/day oral or intra-muscular injection, under close health care supervision

Supplementation with pregnenolone should be monitored by a health care practitioner for baseline and subsequent levels of pregnenolone, testosterone, DHT, estradiol, estrone, progesterone, aldosterone and cortisol at any age for males and females due to the wide range of biochemical individuality in pregnenolone metabolism.

Who Should Not Take Pregnenolone: Due to its many possible hormonal metabolites, it is not recommended during pregnancy, lactation and hormonal sensitive cancers (breast, prostate, adrenal). Not for patients with epilepsy (history of seizures) or meningioma (noncancerous brain tumour). Pregnenolone reduces the effectiveness of any drug that stimulates the GABA receptors such as benzodiazepines. It may also negate the effect of supplementation with GABA.