MDMA effects on Aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase

[pofacedhoe]

HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

check out "fast and bulbous" theory of alphamethyldopamine mdma comedown

its in the search engine

 

[organicshroom]

^ To quote him

I don't know how much variation there is in any given population for the metabolic breakdown of MDMA/MDA, but one of the metabolic routes results in the production of alphamethyldopamine. Now this compound is reuptaken just like dopamine and effectively is a false neurotransmitter. The trouble comes from the fact that alphamethyldopamine has only a fraction of dopamine's activity, so results in underactivity of the dopaminergic system. That combined with it's resistance to breakdown by MAO due to the alpha methyl group means thast it's a significant factor.

Now if someone's genetics means that they convert more of a dose of MDMA to alphamethyldopamine than most of the population then I'd imagine they're more likely to suffer from effects like depression etc (alphamethyldopamine is the active compound formed from alphamethylDOPA, which is used clinically to treat high blood pressure under the name Aldomet - it has a notoriously high incedence of side effects that read just like those of a comedown from MDMA)

Right - update apparently the active metabolite is alpha methylnoradrenaline, but as the metabolic pathway would be

Alphamethyl DOPA ----> alphamethyldopamine ---->alphamethylnoradrenaline

via the same enzymes that are responsible for dopamine & noradrenaline biosynthesis (DOPA decarboxylase & dopamine hydroxylase).

As an intermediate metabolite for the active end drug, you can't really call alphamethyldopamine a very minor metabolite of alphamethylDOPA as it's conversion to the intermediate metabolite is essential for the final drug action.

This also means that any alphamethyldopamine produced from the metabolism of MDA/MDMA is going to largely end up as alphamethylnoradrenaline. Looking at the SPC sheet for aldomet, theres a striking resemblance of the side effects to those of a pills comedown.

If anybody can find how long it takes to clear the false neurotransmitter from being used at the synapses in place of noradrenaline, that might account for the length of time that the 'Tuiesday blues' last for.

Thanks Fastandbulbous, very interesting too. The metabolism of this alphamethyldopamine could also be deceased by reduced AADC activity?