From the Guidelines
DHEA typically takes about 15-24 hours to clear from your bloodstream after stopping the supplement, but its metabolites can remain in your system for up to 1-2 weeks. The exact clearance time depends on several factors including your age, liver function, kidney health, dosage taken, and duration of use. Higher doses and longer-term use may take longer to fully clear from your system. DHEA is processed primarily by your liver and converted into other hormones like testosterone and estrogen, which have their own elimination timelines.
Factors Influencing Clearance Time
- Age: Older individuals may have a slower clearance rate due to decreased liver function and other age-related changes 1.
- Liver function: Impaired liver function can significantly affect the clearance of DHEA, as the liver is responsible for metabolizing this hormone.
- Kidney health: Kidney function also plays a role in the elimination of DHEA metabolites, with impaired kidney function potentially leading to a longer clearance time.
- Dosage and duration of use: Higher doses and longer-term use of DHEA supplements can lead to a longer clearance time, as the body may take longer to eliminate the excess hormone and its metabolites.
Considerations for Discontinuation
If you're stopping DHEA for drug testing purposes, be aware that some tests specifically look for DHEA or its metabolites, and these may be detectable in urine for up to 1-2 weeks. If you're discontinuing DHEA for health reasons or to assess its effects, allow at least 2 weeks for your body to return to baseline hormone levels before making any evaluations about your condition or considering other treatments, as suggested by the management of hormone replacement therapy in patients with adrenal insufficiency 1.
From the Research
DHEA Elimination Time
- The time it takes for DHEA to get out of the system after stopping supplementation is not directly stated in the provided studies.
- However, one study 2 mentions that blood DHEA has an apparent terminal half-life of more than 20 hours, which is similar to that of its sulfate, DHEAS.
- This suggests that DHEA may take around 20 hours or more to be eliminated from the system, but the exact time frame is not specified.
Factors Affecting DHEA Elimination
- The study 2 also notes that the metabolic conversion of DHEAS to DHEA is significantly greater in women than in men, which may affect the elimination time of DHEA.
- Additionally, the study 3 mentions that DHEA has a rapid metabolism, which may influence its elimination time.
Lack of Direct Evidence
- None of the provided studies directly address the question of how long it takes for DHEA to get out of the system after stopping supplementation.
- Therefore, it is not possible to provide a definitive answer to this question based on the available evidence.