Got My Lab Results Back

[Elenapap11]

Hi everyone.I just got some results back from Germany.It appears that i have very low Catecholamines.Especially Dopamine is 53 when normal rate is 150-280.My serotonin is 431 when the normal rate is 148-230.Glutamate is 48 when normal rate is 8-25.Cortisol is within normal limits but what shocked me is that DHEA was 1.743(!!!!!!!!!!) when normal rate for women is 110-385.I'll see my doctor on Monday but i can't stop wondering what that means.Has anyone done similar tests?Have you ever had so high levels of DHEA.

Any idea is mostly welcome

[Tammy]

Yeah, I've had some of those tests done years back. I know there was something wrong with my DHEA, cortisol and catechlomines too. I just don't remember where it all fell. Nothing that they felt needing treatment. However, I'm still homebound and haven't found much to help me get feeling more functionable either, so who knows. Hope they can answer some of your questions regarding your results

[Elenapap11]

Thank you Tammy.I hope you'll soon feel better and be able to stand on your feet again.When i did these tests i was at a peak of Pots but it's been more than two weeks now that i feel better and i'm able to get out of the house without being afraid of collapsing.It felt as if a miracle happened and now that i got these test results i kinda got dissapointed.I'm trying not to stress out about it because it may trigger pots crises again but it's quite difficult to get my mind out of negative thoughts.

[flop]

Hi Elena,

were you on any medications when the blood tests were taken?

Was your DHEA very low 1.743 or very high 1743?? I know that DHEA often goes low in people who are strugglin to make enough cortisol - the body sacrifices DHEA in order to make enough cortisol (they are both made from the same pre-hormone). I haven't had my levels tested by a doctor but I had salivary profiles done last year and had low cortisol but very low DHEA.

Also don't be disheartened by the test resuts, you said that you are now feeling better than you were a few weeks ago and that is a positive sign. These sorts of hormones take a long time to change and often reflect stress that our bodies were under several months ago. It can take a long time for hormone levels to go back to normal even once someone feels well again.

Flop

[Elenapap11]

Goodmorning Flop.My DHEA is high 1743(morning measurement) and 1700 in the evening.my cortisol level is normal during the day but a bit low in the morning when i wake up.It's 1,37 and the normal rate is 1,5-5,0.I read somewhere on the internet that very high DHEA is associated with adrenal tumour.I also read that high serotonin is related with renal insufficiency.I know i should just wait to talk to the doctor but i feel that i need to do my own research too.Besides most of the answers have come from patients and from this forum.Doctors never told me all those important things that i learnt from all of you here.

[HopeSprings]

What type of Dr. (specialty) ordered these tests? I have had blood tests for just about everything, but no Dr. ever tested for many of these. Wonder if there are any answers in your blood work. Let us know.

[Elenapap11]

What type of Dr. (specialty) ordered these tests? I have had blood tests for just about everything, but no Dr. ever tested for many of these. Wonder if there are any answers in your blood work. Let us know.

Hi Naomi.i went to a clinic with a team of doctors who work together in order to deal with complicated cases of patient.So it was a GP and a neurologist who told me to do these tests. They took saliva and urine sample and send it to a lab in Germany.The doctor claimed that these tests can give us answers which may help tremendously in finding an effective treatment.You should ask your GP or neurologist about it.Ask them if they have checked your catecholamines and neurotransmitters.(adrenalin,noradrenalin,serotonin etc)

I also wonder why no doctor ever told me to do this test.Anyway when i see my doctor i'll let you know what he thinks.

[MomtoGiuliana]

I know I've read that DHEA levels are extremely variable in anybody. I don't know that enough is known to know how to measure "low DHEA"? At least nothing in published literature? I have seen this topic discussed before here, and it seems like something that naturopaths and other alternative medical practitioners latch on to.

[firewatcher]

Physiology

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulphated form DHEAS are the most abundent steroid products of the adrenal glands. The adrenal is the sole source of these steroids in women but in men there is also a small contribution from the testes. Formation of DHEA is stimulated by ACTH producing a significant diurnal variation in serum concentrations. DHEA is rapidly converted to DHEAS by an enzyme present in the adrenals, liver and small intestine. DHEAS is present at concentrations greater than 200 times that of DHEA and has a longer half-life which largely removes the diurnal variation. Neither form has significant androgenic activity but they are precursors to about 50% of androgens in men, 75% of active oestrogens in pre-menopausal women and 100% in post-menopausal women.

It is generally more clinically useful to measure DHEAS rather than DHEA due to the higher serum concentrations and reduced daily variation. There are few indications for the measurement of DHEA.

DHEA is a 19 carbon steroid with a molecular weight of 288 and a half-life in plasma of about 1 - 3 hours. The molecular weight of DHEAS is 371 and the half life is about 10 - 20 hours. DHEA is formed from pregnenolone by the enzyme 17,20 desmolase and metabolsied to androstenedione or testosterone by 3 beta- or 17 beta-hydrosteroid dehydrogenase respectively. Hydrosteroid sulphatase converts DHEA to DHEAS and sulphohydrolase reverses this reaction.

Pathology

Raised levels of DHEAS are found in the plasma of patients with adrenal tumours or with congenital adrenal hyperplasia. DHEAS may also be slightly elevated in patients with polycystic ovaries, supporting an adrenal component to the virilisation seen in this condition. HCG-production tumours in men may lead to increased testicular DHEA production.

DHEAS is usually undetectable with adrenal insufficiency or panhypopituitarism. Concentrations are slightly decreased in pregnancy and with oral contraceptive use and markedly decreased following glucocorticoid administration. There is a gradual decline from early adulthood with values in the 7th decade about 20-30% of young adult values. Low circulating concentrations are seen with severe illness and in patients with AIDS.

Measurement

Serum is the preferred sample and no patient preparation is required. If referred to SydPath from external laboratories the sample should be sent frozen.

SydPath Reference Intervals

DHEAS

Female: Premenopausal 2.2-9.1 umol/L

Postmenopausal 0.3-1.7 umol/L

Term Pregnancy 0.3-3.2 umol/L

Male: 5.3-9 umol/L

Child: 0.3-1.6 umol/L

Newborn: 4.5-9.9 umol/L

DHEA

Female: Premenopausal <25 nmol/L

Postmenopausal <12 nmol/L

Pre-pubertal <12 nmol/L

Male: 1.5-14 nmol/L

Your lab's reference intervals may be different. Truly an endocrinologist, preferably a reproductive endo should do these tests. Depending on your symptoms, it could mean anything.

[Elenapap11]

Thank you for the information Firewatcher.I really appreciate your interest.My doctor hasn't called me yet so i suppose if it was too serious he would have already ask me to come from his office.(at least that's what i hope).