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Upregulating dopamine?

Dysphoric

Dysphoric

Bluelighter
Joined
Feb 3, 2010
Messages
392
What methods are there to up-regulate dopamine? I know L-Tyrosine is one, but any others? And how long would it take to notice up-regulation by tyrosine? I couldn't really find much on the web.
 
rocknroll714 said:
You're using the wrong terminology. Supplementing L-tyrosine would actually downregulate dopamine receptors via tolerance as it would increase their activation. Overall the net effect would be enhanced dopaminergic activity though of course.

Anyway, there are numerous different kinds of drugs that can increase dopamine levels in the brain. They include dopamine reuptake inhibitors/releasing agents like methylphenidate, cocaine, and amphetamine, dopamine agonists like pramipexole and ropinirole, enzyme inhibitors like MAOIs (phenelzine, tranylcypromine, selegiline, etc) and COMT inhibitors (entacapone, tolcapone), and of course dopamine precursors like L-tyrosine as well as L-phenylalanine and levodopa.
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I guess I am using the wrong terminology, but what I'm asking is, how to have more dopamine for future use. Like lets say i have 10,000 units (Or whatever) How can I get it up to say 30,000? I'm asking cause I take Desoxyn(Methamphetamine) now and it not only works as a DA agonist, it also works like a reuptake-inhibiter, thus resulting in downregulation. Which I think makes you more Desensitized(Right terminology)? I just want to know how to get more dopamine ready for use....
 
rocknroll714 said:
Actually methamphetamine's not a [direct] dopamine agonist or really a reuptake inhibitor (except technically a weak one) -- it's a releasing agent -- but I'll spare you anymore technicalities than that. Okay, one more and that's it -- downregulation and desensitization are synonymous. And yes anything that increases activity at dopamine receptors (including L-tyrosine and methamphetamine) will downregulate/desensitize them to some extent as well.

Anyway, dopamine precursors would work very well for your intention as they'd provide much more dopamine for methamphetamine to release. You'll want to be careful with them though.. a combination of amphetamine and high dose L-phenylalanine sent me into full-blown psychosis once.
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I already know not to take the two together. I've been taking about 1gm of Tyrosine a day, and I don't notice a difference. Is there any ways of measuring precisely how much dopamine 500mg's of Tyrosine actually creates? I've been taking DextroAmphetamine prior to Desoxyn for about a year. Lets say I want to achieve sensitizing myself again, just how much Tyrosine would I need? I just want to get my dopamine levels to normal so I can possibly have an experience similar to what I had in the first 6 or so months. BTW, I only take my meds twice a week so, I have a lot of off time to possibly replenish dopamine...
 
rocknroll714 said:
L-Tyrosine isn't going to 'sensitize' your dopamine receptors, it's just going to produce even more tolerance in the long run. In any case, if you want stronger effects, I'd suggest either increasing your doses of either L-tyrosine or methamphetamine (or both) or taking a break from them and letting your receptors go back to normal. 1-2 weeks should be plenty of time.
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I was always under the impression that L-Tyrosine helped dopamine replenish not make it worse. I'm so fucking confused... Sources please...
 
rocknroll714 said:
It'll only really 'replenish' your dopamine if you were deficient to begin with. If you take it with excess dopamine activity already going on (as you are with methamphetamine) it'll just result in more tolerance as your body tries even harder to maintain normal levels of dopamine. You'll notice some significantly enhanced dopaminergic effects at first sure but it'll only be a matter of time before tolerance starts to rear its ugly head again and the effects are diminished.

Like I said already I suggest you take a break. Or you could also try augmenting with an anti-tolerance drug like memantine. I've been hearing some really good anecdotes of it blocking stimulant tolerance lately.

As for sources.. this is relatively basic pharmacology knowledge, hence I'm not going to bother.
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Yeah, and how would one go about getting Memantine? It's not prescribed for tolerance reduction:p. I already know about that one to, but like I said HTF would I go about getting my hands on it?
 
Memantine is beaucoup expensive. The older diamondoid is much cheaper (can't remember its name now; sounds like amanita)
 
Dopamine upregulation:

NMDA antagonists
Forskolin
Tofisopam
Inositol

Raising dopamine:

LDOPA
Mucuna pruriens
 
Dysphoric said:
I guess I am using the wrong terminology, but what I'm asking is, how to have more dopamine for future use. Like lets say i have 10,000 units (Or whatever) How can I get it up to say 30,000? I'm asking cause I take Desoxyn(Methamphetamine) now and it not only works as a DA agonist, it also works like a reuptake-inhibiter, thus resulting in downregulation. Which I think makes you more Desensitized(Right terminology)? I just want to know how to get more dopamine ready for use....
Click to expand...

It just doesn't work like that.

a. The idea that more [insert favourite transmitter here] = happiness/whatever is simply incorrect.
b. You do not have a DA "bank". When they teach you that dopamine is made and "stored" in cells, they are giving you the wrong impression that you can somehow deplete and replenish some kind of DA "safe".
c. As excessive DA is just as bad as deficient DA, your body will in and of itself work out the balance one way or another, eg. lowering tyrosine uptake and conversion, or downregulating receptors and transporters...etc., before finally collapsing if you keep pushing it.

The cream of it all is this: Methamphetamine is a poison with some positive short-term effects. This is not opinion, it is fact. There is simply no sustainable way to keep taking Meth, doctor-prescribed or not, without suffering at the end. .

Since I assume you will ignore what I say above, all I can tell you is make sure you at least take a good vitamin supplement with extra supplementation of Magnesium and Zinc.
 
I think the OP wants to make his dopamine receptors more sensitive. I understand what you mean...

-lenses
 
Jamshyd said:


The cream of it all is this: Methamphetamine is a poison with some positive short-term effects. This is not opinion, it is fact. There is simply no sustainable way to keep taking Meth, doctor-prescribed or not, without suffering at the end. .

Since I assume you will ignore what I say above, all I can tell you is make sure you at least take a good vitamin supplement with extra supplementation of Magnesium and Zinc.
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basically meth will leave you burnt out, if you do it twice a week as per your dextroamphetamine you will feel far more burnt out on your days off than you currently do. its plays with serotonin levels and once you start doing stims that mess with serotonin the comedowns are far more severe and harder to handle (i did a lot of mephedrone and mdma and they made my emotions more unstable for long periods of time afterwards).

i am assuming that your current amphetamine use is within the guidelines of what is prescribed:)

if you have been using amphetamine and expecting strong euphoric effects after six months even using it only two days out of seven then that is not going to last long term and meth wont bring that initial euphoria back (for any significant length of time)
 
I have read a few pubmed articles talking about 5HT receptor upregulation from use of SSRI'S... would the same happen with DRI's?

I also know some sort of DAT receptor upregulation (I guess it could also be called a rebound reaction) from sudden discontinuation of antipsychotics...

Just throwing that out there.

-lenses
 
Memantine, LOL it's more expensive than top quality cocaine.

Maybe an inverse agonists? Or antagonist depending on the dopamine receptor.
Some receptors downregulate even with antagonists.
 
i have also been thinking along the same lines as the OP
i have been concerned with overall dopamine levels and stimulant tolerance

is there a way to basically, revert your dopamine levels to before one used stimulants?
therefore re-sensitising them
or abolishing tolerance? (which seems to be a bitch in the case of stimulants)
much like naltrexone does for opiate tolerance...

correct me if im wrong, my knowledge is more on the basic side
:)

p.s. is a tolerance lowering drug basically memantine?
if so, i would be quite interested in purchasing some, or at least finding out more on it...
 
"I few trips on DXM maybe."

please extend on that?
are you trying to say DXM would lower stimulant tolerance?
 
NMDA antagonists upregulate dopamine receptors in the striatum, however memantine is known to only prevent tolerance from going up and not actually reversing tolerance, so i assume you need to be tripping for active upregulation.
 
haha i find that pretty ironic
having to get tripping on one drug to decrease tolerance in another

like MikeHawk said - is this due to is NMDA agonism?
i wonder if one would have to be actively tripping to experience this reversible tolerance
or merely a large therapeutic dose?
 
IIRC haloperidol has some potent dopamine upregulating properties due to it's very potent antidopaminergic properties.
 
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