Hey guys so I've been a lurker around here for a while and have always been impressed with the conversation that takes place on here, especially regarding supplements and supplement science. I had a couple questions and was hoping someone could provide me with some assistance.
So after a crummy breakup last summer I decided to look into some supplements to help lift my mood. Obviously dopamine is one of the main pleasure chemicals in the brain, so I opted for a precursor, Phenylalanine. More specifically DLPA. I have tried L-tyrosine in the past but it literally worked for me 1 time. I have to say that taking this supplement (Phenylalanine) in doses of 1.5-2 grams gave me incredible motivation, energy and just an overall great sense of well being. I recall feeling an increase in "impulsivity" which I think for me was actually a good thing because I have a bad habit of waiting and constantly over thinking things. I wanted to just go and DO stuff and felt almost fearless. Different things that I was on the fence about doing (special certification exams for personal training, etc) I went ahead and just signed up for without thought. It was a miracle supplement for me, honestly. But as we know here on Longecity, most supplements can lose their punch after a while and we need to take some time off to reduce that tolerance.
After noticing a reduction in effects, I decided to take some time off of the DLPA. Unfortunately after resuming it, I couldn't get anywhere near the same effects as I did last summer. So I decided to dig a little deeper into what could be causing the tolerance. Initially I thought it was just your regular receptor desensitization taking place, but figured that would correct after cessation. Didn't work. But now I'm wondering if perhaps the co-factors required for the synthesis of these chemicals along the whole cascade from Phenylalanine to Dopamine and Epinepherine have become depleted.
I did a little research and it appears that Phenylalanine -> Tyrosine utilizes the BH4 enzyme and can be increased by Sam-e, folic acid, and vitamin C. Tyrosine -> l-Dopa utilizes the same enzyme but also requires ferrous iron. L-Dopa -> Dopamine requires b6. Dopamine -> NE requires Vitamin C and NE-> E enzyme is increased by SAM-e again.
I'm wondering if perhaps I need to replenish these co-factors as a means to regain the effects of the Phenylalanine that I got the first time.
Another possibility is perhaps the overload of dopamine at the time caused an imbalance between that and serotonin and maybe the effects of dopamine will be reduced until sufficient serotonin is available?
I also won a free supplement off of amazon and opted for Phenylethylamine. I'm thinking about combining that with an MAOB inhibitor.
I'm interested to hear everyone thoughts about ways to elicit that same effect again.
Thank you!
Edited by mcc23, 29 June 2017 - 03:47 PM.