Dopamine Deficiency / easily borred / demotivated?

[InternalFire]

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[marcus300]

Are the downs related to anything what your going through in your life at the time ie women, money, family issues etc.

My whole life has been a roller coaster ride but this is due to events in my life at the time which have effected me in some way or another, these events effect me now to this day but the highs/lows are related to events for me they don't just come from nothing. I think as you get older and the things you make go through either good or bad times effect you more I feel this is due to over thinking which I do many times.

Do you feel like this for no reason, nothing is effecting your mood at all in your life at the time?

[hammerheart]

Dopamine deficiency? Hardly you can trace a problem to a single molecule. The brain is such a sophisticated system.

Do you still experience pleasure, and desire of so? What about libido and sex drive?

Being deficient in extracellular (between synapses) dopamine in the meso-corticolimbic pathways will make you feel lifeless and anhedonic, unable to enjoy everything. Concentration would be hard to sustain, short-term memory compromised, verbality and socialization impoverished, affect flattened.

Restlessness in another feature. Ever heard of RLS? It's treated with dopamin agonists.

I took a DA-antagonist once (as a gut motility aid..) and experienced akathisia. Look it up.

I did too experience depression in my teen-young adult yrs and even had a special "episode" at 17. I was successful at overcoming depression, but that's when the most serious issues started.

[InternalFire]

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[marcus300]

I can relate to many of the things you have mentioned and I am sure we all can. Its nice to hear your not living in the past, the past can destroy the future if you have regret. The one thing we can't do is change it but we can change our future behaviour for the better

Sounds like your going through life my friend, some of us have a bigger roller coaster to ride but it sounds like you have a hold of your emotions which is good because your aware of how you have felt and feel.

Its a mind fuck if we dissect our life's, just keep moving forward in a positive way. Your here talking about things which is a major tipping point in the right direction

The past is history, the future is a mystery so live in the now


Let me ask you a question IM - where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

[InternalFire]

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[InternalFire]

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[Tlolec the toilet]

Jesus Christ Im bored nearly 24/7 and i cant ever just sit down and watch TV. it's why i don't have cable. I feel you on the highs and lows because it's really irritating not to be hitting that high note in life all the time. it feels so good to crush like a boss at life. highs and lows: it's common knowledge that it's just life. notice i said common. i assume you don't want to be common? many settle for it. many don't. many aspire to do better things like go more places, command and control, wield great responsibility, make lots of money. if it bothers you that's good. sounds like you're getting ready to hit another high. i'd say keep it up.

Christ man! you write more than I do! lol do you ever look at your posts and think to yourself. "what the hell was i thinking writing all that craziness?" lol I do! it's always because i'm really tired.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB5fnbsQ-Fo

[Euroholic]

I wonder if any of you could relate to what Im going trough and if that is what I think it is?

Some times I would go trough peaks and valleys of it, for some periods I could be all ramped with an attitude "to take over the world", to go out and do shit I needed to do, things I dreamed and planned to do and nobody can stop me till I'm finished, and other times its completely the opposite. Some peaks and valeys of this could be strong and short lived, sometimes more moderate and longer lived...
It goes as far as I can remember my whole life.
I.e. give me some task to do, if it spikes my curiosity I will go with it till its either done and if its more complicated or takes too much time and effort thats not to my liking I will find myself thinking ways out of the task and most of the time never ending list of options of "why it is useless and what better things I could be doing at the time", things that would be more of an interest to me. And at the same time even if I give in to those "better interests" I find myself looping over in the same behaviour just as before.
I have no issues concentrating most of the time on even very complex things, unless its boring and also some other times, I just couldnt get motivated to do anything important, just what i must do to get by the day.

Ive no previous history of any drug or alcohol abuse etc, in general im non drinker and dont approve use of alcohol at all due to how it makes me feel after, just not worth a trade off, but I have experience of going trough tough period of my life over a year ago that was a case close to suicidal depression and now looking back I can only guess that have I used this peaking curiosity at the time to dig in and get me out of depression that I was going trough, and I did.

Since I havent relapsed nor been feeling anywhere remotely close to what I have lived trough... so thats that.

I was thinking to share this and maybe hear back your side of a storey if youve anything to say, or even advice, comments.

I know exactly what your typing about OP. Im 27 now and the last year or so have been really bad. I use to enjoy the euphoric joys of life but now nothing gives me me joy. Whether i have a million dollars or 5 cents i feel the emptiness. I struggle to sleep. I keep having like these dreams that feel so real. And i get stressed out and angry being around people. I went to rehab Last year and the bloody doctors just want to throw a label on it you got this disease and this condition blah blah and give out drugs but nothing works. The only thing that has given me pleasure is helping my sister raise her son. My life is drawing to the end but the thought of him as the future gives me some solace. If it was not for that little bastard i would have bitten down on a .45 by now.

[InternalFire]

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[marcus300]

I feel you man, I do.

Surely, the past is the nasty ugly beast that we all rise mostly unconsciously, its at least was truth in my case, and it is wise to develop yourself as a person with values that are strong and meaningful, powerful inspiring and energizing to go forward, develop disciplines and thrive trough life using principles that dont change or deviate regardless of the environment or time, sooner than later, because the beast can become too great and too powerful and destroy/consume its host by its nature.

Im not going in to the details or Im not arguing how much different our each "roller-coaster" is but I too believe each of ours perspective of life and of our each "roller-coaster" size is different and unique to each of us, bigger and greater than each other, faster or more sophisticated too, and the only thing holding this m*fking thing tight on to the rails is our ability to control our own emotions and set our plans for the future, be in control of our lives.

I like the idea of the future which is an infinite field of unknown possibilities, and only the ones who live in his past and self-pity is destined to suffer and set himself a prisoner of his-own past to experience guilt and pain over his inability to have control of his own life. Sad but that's truth, people like that are among us, and are everywhere if you'd look harder. Its a wise thing to do to separate yourself away from individuals like this, as a rule - ones who arent willing to help themselves first - will never take anyone's advice or use it, so people like that are a waste of space and time.

Enough of the philosophy...

Where do I see myself in 5 years from now? Hard to say, I usually have my mind blown when I begin to think of where I will be, where I could be or where I wish to be, as I realize - nothing is impossible in this world its a mater of decision, dedication and desire of taking action toward your goals... so I wont lay out the full blueprint but by then I am in a real estate business, well in international trade business and few other endeavours, but for the most part Real Estate is my primary objective.
Why I like the Real Estate idea? Its something so fucking huge, my mind has too little capacity power to visualize all the material essence of things so easily as I can with anything else in life, the magnitude of worth, the meaning of the sheer mass of the structures, the land... its something that triggers my mind in an exciting ways... big things, literally intangible/immovable stuff... if they had trade business in navy battleships and intergalactic travelling, that would fascinate me too

Why would you ask?

The reason why I asked is because that question to some people who think they may be in a dark place is a good indication on how well or how much help they need to progress. First thing you could easily forward think into 5 years time and think if your life would be better or worse. The question was also open to any part of your life which you may feel would be an improvement and you didn't mention relationships, children, family issues, how you emotional feel you went straight into work which should tell you something

I really don't think your going through any worse than what life throws at us all but I can see your a deep thinker and like reading your posts on the subject. Interesting to dig deep into someone who is analysing themselves.

We are all different when it comes to emotions but one emotion is really hard to cope with and really needs a strong mind and positive thinking to overcome it or it can overwhelm you and take over, that emotion is guilt. Its a known fact its one of the hardest to overcome and ive found no matter how much I do the positive things its my unconscious mind what brings it right back to me full force. Finding a tool what helps is great that could be reading certain books or reading or watching behaviour changing videos. Some find medication the tool of choice but that's not for me or only on special occasions anyway lol. Find the tool what gives you the most light to go forward

Great topic IM

[InternalFire]

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[InternalFire]

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[marcus300]

Not sure if you can pinpoint it to one chemical to be honest or its just life's up's and down's but found this an interesting read.



If you wake up every morning and feel like “the thrill is gone,” you may have a dopamine deficiency. Dopamine is the main brain chemical responsible for making us feel motivated. Low levels of dopamine can manifest in some very disruptive ways. It can leave you feeling fatigued, apathetic, moody and unable to concentrate. Just as importantly, it plays a role in many mental disorders including depression, addiction of all kinds, Parkinson’s disease, ADHD, and schizophrenia. Understanding how dopamine affects your life is a key to taking control of this neurotransmitter — instead of letting it take control of you.

What Is Dopamine?

Dopamine is considered one of the “feel good” neurotransmitters, along with serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins. It has several distinct major functions. It’s been called the “motivation molecule” for providing the drive and focus you need to be productive. It’s also been called the “reward chemical” since it’s in charge of your brain’s pleasure-reward system (1, 2). Dopamine plays a role in numerous brain functions involving mood, sleep, learning, the ability to focus and concentrate, motor control, and working memory.

dopamine 5



What Does Dopamine Do?

Understanding dopamine’s functions is a work in progress. Over 110,000 research papers have been written about it, yet scientists are still trying to determine exactly what it does (3). Here are some of the known functions of dopamine: Dopamine is crucial to the feeling of motivation you need to work towards both long-term and short-term goals. It delivers a feeling of satisfaction when you’ve accomplished what you set out to do. Dopamine is released when your needs are about to be met (4).

Dopamine helped our ancestors survive by giving them an energy boost when presented with a great opportunity, such as locating a new source of food. You wouldn’t think we’d need to be motivated to find food, yet alarmingly, lab mice with dopamine deficiency are so unmotivated they starve to death — even when food is readily available (5). Our modern lifestyle doesn’t provide the same opportunities for dopamine boosts that our ancestors experienced, like hunting down dinner. But we still seek dopamine because of the way it makes us feel — alive and excited.

There are both healthy and unhealthy ways to get a dopamine lift. You can boost your dopamine watching or playing sports, learning something new, finishing a project, or landing a new account at work. Any form of accomplishment that gives you that “Yes, I did it!” feeling will increase dopamine. The unhealthy way to stimulate dopamine production is with addictive substances of all kinds.

Low Dopamine Symptoms

Dopamine deficiency sucks the zest out of life. It can leave you feeling apathetic, hopeless, and joyless. It makes it hard to start things and even harder to finish them. Common low dopamine symptoms include:
•Fatigue
•Lack of motivation
•Inability to experience pleasure
•Insomnia
•Hard time getting going in the morning
•Mood swings
•Forgetfulness
•Memory loss
•Inability to focus and concentrate
•Inability to connect with others
•Low libido
•Sugar cravings
•Caffeine cravings
•Inability to handle stress
•Inability to lose weight

Dopamine Deficiency Related Disorders

When dopamine levels are out of balance, they can be an important factor in many mental health and other systemic disorders. Here are some of the most common conditions that have a dopamine deficiency connection.

Low Dopamine And Depression

Depression is usually thought of as due to a lack of serotonin, another “feel good” brain chemical. But there’s a growing body of evidence that dopamine deficiency is the underlying cause of depression for many people instead. This explains why selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) — depression medications that work by increasing serotonin — work for only 40 percent of those who use them (6). Bupropion (Wellbutrin) is an antidepressant that works by addressing low dopamine for those who have not been helped by SSRIs (7). There’s a difference in the symptoms of depression experienced by those with serotonin versus dopamine deficiency. Dopamine-based depression expresses itself as lethargy and lack of enjoyment of life, while serotonin-based depression tends to be accompanied by anxiety (8).

The Dopamine Addiction Connection

People low in dopamine are more prone to addictions of all kinds (9). People with dopamine addictions often rely on caffeine, sugar, smoking, or other stimulants to boost their energy, focus, and drive. What they are really doing is self-medicating to increase their dopamine levels. Using self-destructive behaviors to overcome dopamine deficiency can lead to addictions of all kinds — video games, shopping, gambling, sex, money, power, alcohol, and drugs.

Dopamine And Parkinson’s Disease

When dopamine-generating brain cells in one specific part of the brain die, it leads to Parkinson’s, a progressive neurodegenerative disease. Parkinson’s usually starts with a slight tremor in one hand. Patients gradually lose their ability to regulate their movements and emotions (10). There is no cure but so far the most effective treatment is levodopa, a natural compound that converts into dopamine (11).

ADHD And Dopamine

The underlying cause of ADHD is still unknown. But it is widely accepted that the root cause of ADHD is probably an abnormality in dopamine function. This seems logical since dopamine is critical for maintaining focus. Most ADHD medications are based on the “dopamine deficiency” theory. Prescription medications used to treat ADHD are believed to work by increasing the release of dopamine and norepinephrine while slowing down their rate of reabsorption (12).

Schizophrenia And Dopamine

The cause of schizophrenia is unknown, but genetics and environmental factors are believed to play a role (13). One prevailing theory is that it’s caused by an overactive dopamine system (14, 15). Supporting evidence for this theory is that the best drugs to treat schizophrenia symptoms resemble dopamine and block dopamine receptors (16). However, these medications can take days to work, which indicates that the exact mechanism is not yet fully understood (17).

Dopamine Deficiency Symptoms In Fibromyalgia And Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Both fibromyalgia (FMS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are associated with low dopamine levels (18). Low dopamine symptoms experienced by FMS and CFS patients include brain fog, achy muscles, poor concentration, tremors, poor balance and coordination, and walking abnormalities.

How To Increase Dopamine Levels Naturally

If you experience signs of low dopamine, you don’t have to live with it. There are several lifestyle changes that can increase dopamine naturally.

dopamine 3



Dopamine Foods

The amino acid tyrosine is a precursor of dopamine. Tyrosine-rich foods provide the basic building blocks for dopamine production. Phenylalanine is an amino acid that converts into tyrosine.

Virtually all animal products are good sources of both tyrosine and phenylalanine. Here are some other foods known to increase dopamine (19,20,21,22):
•Legumes
•Almonds, sesame and pumpkin seeds
•Apples, avocados, bananas, watermelon
•Beets, green leafy vegetables, sea vegetables
•Chocolate
•Coffee and green tea
•Oatmeal
•Turmeric
•Wheat germ

Dopamine Supplements

Dopamine is a serious medicine used in emergency situations like heart attacks and shock. So while actual dopamine supplements are not available, there are many dopamine boosting supplements you can try. The most obvious dopamine supplement to consider is l-tyrosine. Without it, you can’t make dopamine. Even if you think you get plenty of l-tyrosine in your diet, you may not be converting it effectively.

There are several forms of tyrosine supplements available. Dopamine used by the brain must be produced in the brain, so it’s important that any dopamine enhancing supplement you take gets into the brain. That’s why we recommend acetyl-l-tyrosine, an absorbable form that can readily cross the blood-brain barrier (23). Next, look into vitamin D, magnesium, and omega-3 essential fatty acids. Deficiencies of all three are extremely common, and each can contribute to dopamine deficiency (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29). Lastly, you can look into taking a dopamine enhancing supplement. Here are some supplements proven to increase dopamine:
•Mucuna pruriens (velvet bean or cowhage) (30)
•Phosphatidylserine (31)
•Ginkgo biloba (32)
•L-theanine (33)
•S-adenosylmethionine (SAM-e) (34)
•Bacopa monnieri (35)
•Curcumin (36)

Some dopamine supplements contain phenylethylamine, the precursor of tyrosine, but we don’t recommend them. Phenylethylamine is pretty useless for increasing dopamine levels. Once it reaches your brain it has a half-life of only 30 seconds (37, 38).

Activities That Boost Dopamine Levels

Any activity that makes you feel happy and relaxed increases dopamine. Physical exercise increases dopamine and other feel-good neurotransmitters and is responsible for what’s known as “runner’s high” (39). Get a therapeutic massage. It can boost dopamine by over 30 percent (40). Meditation increases dopamine. So do mind-focusing hobbies like knitting, home repair, gardening, painting, photography, or woodworking (41, 42). Playing and listening to music you enjoy releases dopamine (43). Engage in “seeking and finding” activities. This emulates the hunt that provided our ancestors with their dopamine boosts. Take on new challenges and set small milestones. Accomplishing goals, even small ones, trains your brain to release dopamine.

[hammerheart]

back to the idea of the topic, can it be that my brain re-uptake dopamine too fast, too soon, leaving me easily bored and demotivated at times? I feel its very likely the case, and how could I potentially counteract this so I turn my downer times in to something better than that?

It could be due to multiple issues, affecting the DAT (dopamine transporter), genetic defect up/down-regulating enzymes like COMT , MAO, TH, a deficiency of cofactors (BH4, P5P), issues in the methylation cycle, and more

There is much that could be looked into, and that you could try to support DA production.

I've experimented with many supplements, tyrosine, levodopa, P5P, methyl donors, but got limited response, or at best, very short lived relief.

I also tried the MAO-B inhibitor selegine, and soon I will get hold of piribedil, a full dopamine agonist.


P5P, the active form of vit. B6, is very potent and safe to start with. Selegiline has its downsides at effective doses; it gets partly metabolized to l-methamp. I'm curious to see how I feel on a DA, if anything. Piribedil has alpha2-adrenergic antagonist properties and that means it could avoid drowsiness as a side effect. The aminos might also be worth trying but get ineffective with daily use.

[InternalFire]

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[hammerheart]

Although one thing that stand out so much in how it worked on me was nicotine gum, I would get supercharged mentally and physically from this thing alone but it dies suppress hunger and does cause some insomnia if I used it too frequently.

Ever tried a cholinergic, like piracetam and/or alpha-GPC?

Sex hormones also stimulate both synthesis release of acetylcholine.

[InternalFire]

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[hammerheart]

A day of two? That's a lot of time. At best, I feel better for a couple of hours.

Nicotine also works as a MAO-B inhibitor. Look into post #17 too.

[InternalFire]

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[InternalFire]

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[hammerheart]

Who doesn't feel amazing on modafinil... nope those works in a totally different manner. Piracetam is an actual drug while alpha-GPC is a precursor for ACh, so it's a "natural" option. It's effective since it's lipophilic and can cross the BBB readily.

Nicotine for example also acts as a ACh agonist.

[InternalFire]

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[hammerheart]

Alpha-GPC is available as a supplement on amazon, but it's pricey. Nootropics online vendors also offer it but can't be sure of quality of course.

[Mr.BB]

Eat more carbs.





Things arent always complicated, really, try it for couple of months. And dont start micro-managing everything, oh I gained 0,34lbs of water, oh my bf% went up 0,1%, etc etc.

Our brains are wired in a way sometimes its hard to do things differently but theres always space of change if we allow it.

[InternalFire]

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[InternalFire]

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[Mr.BB]

Carbs do produce spike in feel great, boosts my hunger beyond believe, and then comes sleepyness and brain fog and then symptoms of those with ADHD to great degree, and then serious crash unless I keep loading more and more on them, in turn overfeeding and gaining fat on abs and lower back, and I played big time with carbs and how it makes me feel. .. so carbs only good for carbup but no more than that.... thanks for suggestion though.

Wow you tried it for 1 whole day? Of course that if your body is sugar deprived it will have an adjustment period, its how we evolved.

Nutrition for some ppl is like religion.

Good luck with your quest.

[InternalFire]

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[hammerheart]

Carbs do produce spike in feel great, boosts my hunger beyond believe, and then comes sleepyness and brain fog and then symptoms of those with ADHD to great degree, and then serious crash unless I keep loading more and more on them, in turn overfeeding and gaining fat on abs and lower back, and I played big time with carbs and how it makes me feel. .. so carbs only good for carbup but no more than that.... thanks for suggestion though.

I had the same very symptoms once, but getting rid of gluten was enough to resolve them. Now I eat buckwheat as a carb staple. Then some fresh fruits and that's it.

[InternalFire]

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[hammerheart]

Another powerful choline supplement is Citicoline. In my country it is a IM-only prescription drug. I might give it a try...

[InternalFire]

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[hammerheart]

Ok I popped one of these today

No sensible effect on cognition, energy and motivation, however I noticed a distinct happier and relaxed feeling, which I wasn't expecting. I left home this morning with a friggin smile on my face, and that's rare. Too bad it didn't last much; expected that since piribedil has a short half life of a few hours.

I will try again with an higher dosage, this stuff is kinda weak. It might be useful for improving sleep than anything.

[marcus300]

Who doesn't feel amazing on modafinil... nope those works in a totally different manner. Piracetam is an actual drug while alpha-GPC is a precursor for ACh, so it's a "natural" option. It's effective since it's lipophilic and can cross the BBB readily.

Nicotine for example also acts as a ACh agonist.

I didn't feel anything on modifinil but I've had great feedback from others think it's amazing

[hammerheart]

I didn't feel anything on modifinil but I've had great feedback from others think it's amazing

Well there are some genotypes that won't respond to modafinil due to polymorphysm in the enzymes that catabolize neurotransmitters.

If that is your case, it means you already have more DA than you need.

[marcus300]

Well there are some genotypes that won't respond to modafinil due to polymorphysm in the enzymes that catabolize neurotransmitters.

If that is your case, it means you already have more DA than you need.

Interesting and good to know.

[almostgone]

Who doesn't feel amazing on modafinil... nope those works in a totally different manner. Piracetam is an actual drug while alpha-GPC is a precursor for ACh, so it's a "natural" option. It's effective since it's lipophilic and can cross the BBB readily.

Nicotine for example also acts as a ACh agonist.

I like modafanil/armodafanil but have to limit it to an occasional use as it has an effect on my BP, which may be related to prior cardiac events or perhaps from CNS stimulation. I'm a night shift worker, so it can be a huge help. However, it also to tends to affect my sleep so the occasional 100mg is plenty for me.

[InternalFire]

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[KimboHalfSlice]

InsaneMuscle, I don't think you have a medical problem.

Try meditation. . . This is the course that I did. . . It's 10 days of silence. . . Vipassana Meditation