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DHEA for SLE (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus)Dehydroepiandrosterone, better known as DHEA, is a steroid hormone made by the adrenal glands. For reasons scientists don’t yet understand, low levels of DHEA are associated with especially severe symptoms of lupus. Taking supplemental DHEA may relieve severe symptoms of lupus, although the lighter the symptoms, the less DHEA helps. Clinical research finds that there is about a 50-50 chance that women with lupus who take 100 to 200 milligrams of DHEA per day for 9 months can reduce their dosage of steroid medications for the relief of pain. DHEA causes nothing like the side effects of steroids. The adverse effects of DHEA are usually limited to skin rashes—which are hard to distinguish from the effects of lupus—but you should tell your doctor you're taking DHEA. This is so he or she can make sure the combination of supplements and medications isn’t too much. There’s also evidence that fish oil might be helpful in controlling
the symptoms of lupus. In a study of 17 women with lupus, 14 got
better by taking 20 grams (20 capsules) of a fish oil every day
for 34 weeks. It’s possible that a lower dose will also work,
but you probably can’t eat enough fish to do as much good
as taking even 5 capsules of fish oil a day. |
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