Posted by revaaron on July 3, 2007, at 11:09:53
In reply to Re: dextroamphetamine causing depression? » revaaron, posted by KayeBaby on July 2, 2007, at 18:36:19
Kaye- again, thanks! It's just about 11 AM, and today we're back to how it all started out, and how I hoped it would stay. After seeing the rather dramatic effects of first the 5-HTP supplement and now the L-tyrosine and I can't help but if dextroamphetamine is directly responsible for depleting stores of at least dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. I also can't help but wonder how much this knowledge would help other people, how many doctors know it, etc.
Anyway, I took both the magnesium and the L-tyrosine, so I can't pin-point one of them as being responsible, but I'd put my money on the L-tyrosine. In addition to the dextroamphetamine working like I wanted to in terms of working memory, focus and attentiveness I've seen the elimination of another annoying thing that has popped up, which I thought was just a side effect of stims- sleep problems.
Before the dex, as long as I had no overriding sleep defecit I was awake and felt rested after 7-9 hours of sleep. When I started on the dex, that continued, but around the time the more desirable effects of the dex were starting to diminish, I began to have trouble getting out of bed. I would awake much fuzzier and still tired than I did before I started the dex. I've not had any problems getting to sleep, staying asleep or getting enough sleep since starting the dex- it's not kept me up, I don't take it in the evening, etc. Caffeine intake has gone down rather than up. But I'd wake up, feel tired (even when I wasn't sleepy anymore), and it improved a little when I got 12 hours of sleep one night, but I still wasn't as sharp as I was before dex. Taking my AM dose helped but the effect wasn't as pronounced as it was in the past at making me feel awake.
...but this morning, I woke up after 8 hours rather like I used to- my eyes snap open, I stretch, and I'm awake. I could force myself back to sleep, but you can feel it when you've had enough. And today, unlike every other day for the last couple weeks, I awoke awake and rested rather than fatigued. An amazing feeling.
In the last couple weeks, I've also had an increased craving for drugs, started consuming caffeine again, been eating crappier food, and even missed a couple days at the gym.
So, I'm thinking the dex killed my dopamine/norepinephrine reserves, which would certainly affect everything I listed.
L-tyrosine is an amino acid; the body needs it (or phenylalanine?) to make dopamine and norepinephrine... My positive reaction to L-tyrosine could have to do my brain/body chemistry but it seems just as likely that I'm not eating enough L-tyrosine-containing foods. What gets me is that this is considered "alternative," and ignored by many doctors and overly pushed by (often flaky) "natural health"-types. Hopefully one day they'll synthesize the two in a scientific way- get rid of the closed minds, but also the flakes I say. Anyway, I'm ranting rather than working, so I'm out for now!
I owe you a beer/coffee, Kaye!
revaaron
poster:revaaron
thread:766590
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070630/msgs/767374.html