That’s a very interesting question, Jennifer. I was checking into something similar awhile back, because this has been a problem in my family, and I’ve struggled with depression during different times in my life, too. I’ve had trouble with my cortisol levels and am overweight, too, which definitely doesn’t help.

It’s a well known fact that being overweight increases your cortisol production, and I’ve also read studies that suggest that an unusually high percentage of people with depression were overweight, suggesting that too much cortisol (or not enough??) can play a role in depression. I’ve been very interested in reading about DHEA levels lately, too. Quotes that I found on a website recently say that:

"Besides DHEA, your adrenals also make the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. Adrenal exhaustion from coping with chronic stress — from (among other things) poor nutrition, yo-yo dieting, emotional turmoil, and job-related stress (AND CAH?!) — means your adrenals are bone-tired from pumping out cortisol and they simply can’t manufacture enough DHEA to support a healthy hormonal balance. The end result? You feel tapped out, overwhelmed and, often, depressed.

It’s likely that DHEA and adrenal function are related to neurotransmitter-release rates. But more research is needed to isolate the individual effects of DHEA from the hormones it gets metabolized into before we can know for sure what part it plays in all of this.

One thing we do know is that adequate levels of DHEA are needed to ensure your body can produce the hormones it needs when it needs them. In that balanced state your mood is stable and you feel clear-headed, joyful and vigorous. DHEA is the best “feel-good” hormone we know. And it works quickly and effectively when taken with the right combination of support.

When DHEA levels are low, your body does not have enough working material for proper endocrine function. This throws off your hormone production and you feel a general sense of malaise, along with other symptoms of hormonal imbalance — how severe depends on how many other demands are being made on your body at the same time." (end of quote)

Does anyone know the relationship between CAH and DHEA production? Can those with CAH produce enough of it, or can they even produce it at all?? Are these related at all?!?

Bottom line Jennifer: how are your levels?? Have you had bloodwork done lately, and are you in good control?? I wouldn’t doubt for a minute that CAH might have something to do with it. And by all means, check out your thyroid and DHEA levels too!! Hope that you can find out what the trouble is (not that you haven’t had a stressful couple of weeks, either, darlin’!) and "fix it" quickly. Not I good feeling .... I know.....

God’s blessings,

Wendy-Lee