Posted by 3 Beer Effect on April 30, 2002, at 22:55:52
In reply to does dexedrine/adderall poop-out? » Katalina, posted by katekite on April 30, 2002, at 14:08:43
Tolerance is a problem with any stimulant, even caffeine. I have not heard of poop-out being a problem with dex, ritalin, or adderall- the only stimulant that seems to poop out is Provigil (modafinil).
If your stimulant seems to lose effectiveness or stops working, then take what is called a "stimulant holiday." If you stop taking the stimulant for about 7 days & then start retaking it, you will be back to square one & it will have full effectiveness again.
You could take the amino acid supplement & dopamine precursor L-tyrosine 500 to 1500 mgs a day, which would help stave off any dopamine depletion from the stimulants, especially with Dexedrine or Adderall. Vitamin B6, C, & Folic Acid are necessary in order to metabolize l-tyrosine properly & l-tyrosine must be taken on an empty stomach. You could eat a bit of something with it as long as there is no protein in that food or drink- if there protein in it that protein & the l-tyrosine will compete for absorption.
I found Twinlab makes excellent 'l-tyrosine' & other amino acid products, while I have had mixed effects with other manufacturers, including the often recommended Country Life. They make 'l-tyrosine' & 'l-tyrosine plus'. The 'l-tyrosine plus' already has enough vitamin B6 & C in it so the only other thing you have to take with it is a small amount of folic acid such as 400 mcg (which is the 100% RDA). But I personally think the l-tyrosine plus has too much vitamin C & B6 in it for multiple dosages & so you shouldn't take more than one pill of it/day which provides 250 mg of l-tyrosine. I take one of these TWINLAB 'l-tyrosine plus' pills in the morning & two regular TWINLAB 'l-tyrosine' 500 mg pills along with a folic acid 400 microgram pill, so I end up with 1250 mgs, which seems to work pretty well. A sugary sports drink with no protein in it, like Gatorade, is good to take with amino acids, I believe the sugar helps absorption. You shouldn't ever take more than 1500 mgs per day, because most the rest of it will be excreted in urine- & protein metabolizes to urea/uric acid & so too much protein can cause kidney problems or even kidney stones (ouch!).
L-tyrosine has a slight stimulant & weight loss effect, & so you probably shouldn't take it before bed. Since you have to take it on an empty stomach, I usually wake up early in the morning, take it (have it sitting by your bedside so you can immediately go back to sleep), & then I go back to sleep for an hour.
I would avoid supplemental L-phenylalanine with stimulants. Although L-phenylalanine has a stimulant effect to it, is a precursor to l-tyrosine, & crosses the blood brain barrier more easily while l-tyrosine is dependent on carrier uptake (which can often be saturated) the one major problem with it when taken as a supplement is that is depletes dopamine & norepinephrine. I don't think they know why it does this, but the results of experiments with it have had similar outcomes- it seems to act more as a mild antidepressant rather than a stimulant when compare to l-tyrosine. I wouldn't worry about how much l-phenylalanine is in the food you eat, it is an essential amino acid, & you get plenty from a normal diet. I doubt normal food sources of l-phenylalanine have much of an anti-dopamine effect.
poster:3 Beer Effect
thread:104180
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020425/msgs/104588.html