Posted by neuroman on September 28, 2005, at 19:54:34
In reply to Re: Tyrosine vs. Phenylalanine experiences? » neuroman, posted by barbaracat on September 28, 2005, at 13:36:37
Hi Barbara,
> I wonder if supplementing with at least some Se precursor at some point in the future isn't a bad idea since D and Se levels are inversely proportional and things might get lopsided.
I think things are already very lopsided. :-) I'm pretty sure most of my physical/mental problems are DA/NE related. (Fatigue, pain, anhedonia, lack of motivation, etc.) Besides the positive response to DLPA/tyrosine, I've also had a QEEG "brain mapping" done which showed a severe dopamine deficiency. Couple this to the fact that my father and uncle both have parkinsonism and I think it's pretty much a no brainer. (I may be a no brainer soon if I don't get back on track.) If at some point I can replenish, so to speak, my dopamine stores, than I think adding in some 5htp might be a good idea.
> But if you have a negative reaction to Se have you ever looked into methylation? I believe an adverse Se reaction points to over-methylation, at least as far as the Pfeiffer/Walsh material states. Their approach doesn't always make sense to me but there's some interesting ideas there.
That's a good point. Are you referring to Dr. Carl Pfeiffer? I have a couple of his books but frankly I'm still trying to figure out all the methylation and phosphorylation stuff. I think there's a way to detect problems with the serotonin pathway by checking urinary levels of xanthurenic acid (a form of tryptophan).
> Have you ever tried DPA or LPA? I like the idea of hitting the PEA pathway but the problem I've encountered with DLPA is that I feel edgy on it. I've read conflicting reports as to which one is less activating - I believe it's DPA - but I want to keep the pain reducing properties and still hit the PEA. Oh shoot, maybe I should just take the DLPA and a benzo. GABA has never has done much for me and I haven't noticed much from using glycine as the precursor either. If there's any neurochemical that I'm deficient in, it would be GABA and I haven't found a way to naturally supplement it. Valerian is supposed to but it doesn't seem to work for me.
I would stick with the DLPA. I think the only D form aminos that the FDA allows to be sold are D-phenylalanine and D-methionine. I think there might be some toxicity issue with just taking the D form of an amino. I seem to recall reading about this but I'm not sure. I'll have to look it up. Raising GABA naturally is a tough one. I know there are a lot of natural formulations out there but how effective they are is questionable. They haven't really helped me that much. Believe it or not, meditation is supposed to raise GABA levels. That's why I just ordered a meditation CD on Amazon. :-)
> I also have chronic pain from fibromyalgia and am interested in getting the right mix also.
Same here...
> Interestingly, I just started Adderall and noticed it improves the pain and stiffness pretty remarkably.
Bingo! I had the same thing happen with bupropion. Soon after I took the first dose I had a wonderful feeling of relief in my body. My kind of surprise. But after the second or third day it started knocking me out so after a few weeks I stopped taking it. But I've been taking lamictal because anticonvulsants are supposed to be helpful with neuropathic pain and it's been making me feel terrible. I've read some abstacts that it may supress dopamine. I felt so bad last week that I popped a bupSR 100. I felt a little relief from it but not much else. However, the next day I ended up having one of my best days in a long time. I think I may be a slow metabolizer and may need to take it every other day. I'm going to put this theory to the test this week.
> I'd appreciate any thoughts you have using natural neuropeptide precursors. - Barbara
Don't know enough about them yet, but whatever I learn I'll pass on to you.
Paul
poster:neuroman
thread:559511
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20050924/msgs/560791.html