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Author Topic: Dopamine & addiction : The evidence of L-tyrosine for withdrawal  (Read 4174 times)

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source: https://brain-feed.com/blogs/the-science/dopamine-addiction-the-evidence-of-l-tyrosine-for-withdrawal

note: I am currently trialing some Acetyle L-tyrosine that I bought earlier.

Dopamine & addiction : The evidence of L-tyrosine for withdrawal

At a primary level, humans are benefit-led, and actions are motivated by the rewards obtained. The brain has a reward system that facilitates actions, motivation, and reward/pleasure. The brain chemical that takes centre stage in the reward and pleasure system is dopamine. This intricate reward system uses dopamine as a form of communication.

How is dopamine produced?

Dopamine is produced from an amino acid called L-tyrosine. Amino acids are building blocks of protein. L-tyrosine is taken from the diet through protein rich foods or supplements. It enters the brain and gets converted to L-dopa which is converted to dopamine. Availability of L-tyrosine is essential for dopamine production.

How does dopamine work?

Feel-good experiences such as eating your favourite food, having sex, and achieving academic or career milestones, activate dopamine release. Its effects reach the motivation and memory centre of the brain which reinforces repetition of the action to experience the rewarding feeling. It tells your body that this event is worth experiencing over and over storing this rewarding feeling as a memory. The reward system is fine-tuned such that dopamine is released when a reward is expected to further motivate you to take actions to achieve it.

Addictions and the brain: what changes?

Addiction is a psychological condition where the individual goes through phases of excessive consumption of an addictive substance like drugs, alcohol, or nicotine, which includes phases of use, abstinence, and relapse.

Addiction is treatable and many treatments are available for a successful recovery.

During addiction, the dopamine system is sent into overdrive. Nora D. Volkow, the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), USA, presents a model of four circuits involved in addiction: reward, motivation, memory, and control. During addiction, the enhanced value of drugs increases in the reward, motivation and memory circuits and it overshadows the control circuit. This reinforces uncontrolled drive to seek pleasure derived from drugs. There is a strong bond between dopamine and drug addiction. Addiction stems from enhanced habit formation due to drugs increasing dopamine levels 3-5 times more than normal pleasurable activities, which strengthens the drive to seek them often.

As drug intake increases, a constant release of high amounts of dopamine forms a new threshold. Increased dopamine levels are needed to feel the same intensity of pleasure. As the brain adapts to this increase, the impact of dopamine dampens, fuelling further intake, thus forming the cycle of addiction. Due to dopamine’s role in motivation, drug-seeking becomes the main motivational drive for addicts.



Dopamine and addiction: the influence of drugs

Every drug impacts the dopamine system differently. Higher the dopamine release, greater is the euphoria (“high”) experienced. Faster the drug enters the brain, larger is the dopamine release and more intense is the reinforcing effect.

Drugs alter the dopamine system in 2 basic ways: increased release and decreased removal.

Drugs affect the dopamine system in the following ways:
  • Alcohol takes under 6 minutes to reach your brain where it increases dopamine release. It also indirectly increases dopamine by inhibiting the relaxing brain chemical (GABA) that regulates dopamine brain cells. This allows unrestricted increase of dopamine. Opiates like morphine and heroin also follow a similar path.
  • Nicotine can enter the brain within 10-20 seconds of smoking . It increases the production of the enzyme (compound that speeds up a chemical reaction) that converts tyrosine to dopamine. It also increases release of dopamine from brain cells.
  • Cocaine produces effects within 5 seconds and they last between 15-90 mins . It decreases the removal of dopamine, which prolongs dopamine’s effect. It blocks the transporters that carry dopamine away. Amphetamines also work this way.
  • Marijuana (weed) enters the blood immediately, reaches peak levels within 6-10 mins and enters the brain. There, it increases production of dopamine and its release.
Addiction recovery: what is L-tyrosine’s role?

The good news is that addiction is reversible. The brain is a resilient organ and is capable of fixing the damage and dopamine imbalance caused by drugs. It can take just 14 days for brain areas to start repair work upon alcohol abstinence, while it may take 14 months for the dopamine system to return to near normal upon drug abstinence.

Complete abstinence is often the goal of many addiction-recovery programs. Removal of alcohol, nicotine and drugs lowers dopamine below normal levels, leading to the negative side-effects experienced during withdrawal , which increase the chances of relapse.

One way to naturally  increase dopamine levels is increasing L-tyrosine intake. It is important to note that L-tyrosine’s dopamine production conforms to the brain’s regulated dopamine system and is non-addictive. This is opposite to drugs’ forceful increase of dopamine production and its prolonged activation.

A study of recovering drug addicts who were administered a nutrient supplement containing tyrosine found that 6 days-supplementation decreased drug-withdrawal symptoms. An animal study of drug addiction also found that provision of a multi-nutrient supplement with high doses of tyrosine for 8 weeks decreased withdrawal symptoms and promoted higher abstinence rates.

A study among men smoking 10-25 cigarettes a day who were provided a tyrosine-free drink during an abstinence phase found that depleted tyrosine levels lead to higher cigarette cravings. Similar results were found among abstinent alcoholics, where removal of tyrosine increased desire for alcohol intake. Contrasting results were found in a small study where smokers provided tyrosine-free drink during short term abstinence had lower motivation to obtain cigarettes due to reduced dopamine levels.

L-tyrosine: natural dopamine booster

Research on tyrosine supplementation for addiction recovery is limited but promising. L-tyrosine naturally and safely increases dopamine levels so rewarding and pleasurable experiences can be enjoyed. A review of 35 studies found that tyrosine supplementation improved cognitive functions in stressed individuals with low dopamine levels.

Tyrosine intake can be increased as a part of a balanced high protein diet and can be safely supplemented to meet needs.
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