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Dopamine deficiency

Septonn

Septonn

Bluelighter
Joined
Apr 18, 2013
Messages
1,403
Location
Netherlands
So recently a friend with a background in neuroscience suggested that I may suffer from dopamine deficiency, due to a number of minor and major issues I am suffering from. These include mood swings, anxiety, trouble focusing and a craving for caffeine and other stimulants.

I've been able to kick the coffee habit (from ~8 cups a day to 0 most days), have started taking l-tyrosine and am slowly reinitiating my workout regimen.
So far these behaviour changes have worked out well, but I am looking for more ways/ helpful supplements to boost my dopamine levels.
Any tips?
 
I've heard acetyl-l-tyrosine is a more absorbable form of L-tyrosine that more readily crosses the blood-brain barrier. Green tea as a substitute for coffee could help as green tea contains L-theanine which is claimed to increase levels of dopamine along with other neurotransmitters serotonin and GABA.
 
I wouldn't recommend L-DOPA. It tends to have horrible side effects such as paranoia.

As for increasing dopamine levels and/or function, that's what addictive drugs of recreation specialize in! However, this is by no means an endorsement of or a recommendation for their use. Why did you quit coffee totally? It is actually thought to be healthful at 4 cups per day and also--being a (mildly) addictive drug itself--enhances dopaminergic function.
 
Thanks for the input guys!

L-DOPA seems a little risky, I think I'll leave that stuff alone.
As for me quitting coffee, that mostly had to do with the fact that I was drinking too much and as a result was kind of living from cup to cup. I decided to quit cold turkey for a few weeks, and now am back to a normal 1-2 cups a day max. Most days I take a cup of tea instead.
 
Rhodiola Rosea (Golden Root) can slow the enzyme down that breaks down dopamine and other neurotransmitters, sparing them, and can lead to higher levels. It also, if I'm remembering right, can increase your cells sensitivity to dopamine. It might be worth considering.

levelsBeyond's advice for green tea (l-theanine) is interesting as well. I've read the same, that it increases dopamine. Also it can counteract anxiety that caffeine can cause. This one may be worth supplementing in a purified form.

Glycerophosphocholine can have some effect on increasing dopamine/receptors of dopamine, too, along with other ways of benefitting mood.
 
Last edited:
I had the same issues as you. The only thing that significantly improved my symptoms was the dopamine agonist Cabergoline. I've been on it for 1.5 years now and haven't needed to increase the dose. It's been implicated in causing valvular heart disease BUT that is with the very high doses used in treatment for parkinsons. It hasn't been confirmed with lower doses such as 0.5-1mg per week. Even if it is slowly damaging my heart, so be it. It has changed my life.

ps. It's also a serotonin agonist.

[TABLE="class: wikitable"]
[TR]
[TH]Receptor[/TH]
[TH]Binding Affinity (Ki [nM])[/TH]
[TH]Action[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]5-HT1A[/TD]
[TD]20.0[/TD]
[TD]Agonist[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]5-HT1B[/TD]
[TD]479[/TD]
[TD]Unknown[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]5-HT1D[/TD]
[TD]8.71[/TD]
[TD]Unknown[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]5-HT2A[/TD]
[TD]6.17[/TD]
[TD]Agonist[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]5-HT2B[/TD]
[TD]1.17[/TD]
[TD]Agonist[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]5-HT2C[/TD]
[TD]692[/TD]
[TD]Agonist[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]α1A adrenergic[/TD]
[TD]288[/TD]
[TD]Unknown[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]α1B adrenergic[/TD]
[TD]60.3[/TD]
[TD]Unknown[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]α1D adrenergic[/TD]
[TD]166[/TD]
[TD]Unknown[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]α2A adrenergic[/TD]
[TD]12[/TD]
[TD]Unknown[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]α2B adrenergic[/TD]
[TD]72.4[/TD]
[TD]Antagonist[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]α2C adrenergic[/TD]
[TD]22.4[/TD]
[TD]Unknown[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]β1 adrenergic[/TD]
[TD]>10,000[/TD]
[TD]Unknown[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]β2 adrenergic[/TD]
[TD]>10,000[/TD]
[TD]Unknown[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]D1[/TD]
[TD]214[/TD]
[TD]Agonist[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]D2S[/TD]
[TD]0.62[/TD]
[TD]Agonist[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]D2L[/TD]
[TD]0.95[/TD]
[TD]Agonist[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]D3[/TD]
[TD]0.79[/TD]
[TD]Agonist[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]D4[/TD]
[TD]56.2[/TD]
[TD]Agonist[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]D5[/TD]
[TD]22.4[/TD]
[TD]Unknown[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
 
^Sounds interesting. I see it's only available on prescription here in NL but might talk to my GP about it.
 
^ l-tyrosine, green tea extract and regular excercise did wonders for me. I also seem to benefit from 5-htp for serotonin (~100mg) before sleeping. The jury's still out on it's true effects but even if it's placebo I like the stuff. Gives me weird dreams though (not necessarily a bad thing)
 
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