Please help with my question

[musicchick581]

Hi all
I posted this in the medication forum also.

I took Neuroreplete-balance of 5htp, ltyrosine, llysine to bring up my neurepinephrine levels. All my levels were lower than the range (norepinephrine, seratonin, epinephrine, dopamine, etc.) I took it for about a year under an MD/DO and liked it because it's all natural and there are no side effects.

My OCD is completely gone and most of the anxiety is gone. I still have panic every once in awhile but know how to ward it off. I'm also working on changing my thinking. I don't use caffeine at all and sugar is rare.

Anyway, my question is this: I just got the results back of the follow up urine test from Neuroscience and a year later, it shows that all my levels are in normal range except my dopamine is high-the range is 125-175 and I'm at 191.3. Why is this and is it necessary to get it back down? I don't want to run the risk of reducing the others as well. Also, is this why I still have dizziness and difficulty breathing and occasionally have panic attacks? I attributed the dizziness to neck and shoulder tension-it's bad-and therefore freaking out and panicing because of that.

I'm very healthy other than that and allergies. Any help would be great. Thanks.

PS I'd contact my doctor but my insurance doesn't cover him anymmore.

[Paxiled]

As I said, most practitioners of natural medicine wouldn't give you a combination remedy, they'd give you separate remedies to see how you reacted to them and adjust dosages accordingly.  For example, if it were me, I'd see if the 5htp worked by itself.  I'd then add relaxants if it didn't, such as passionflower, and I'd always add adaptogens such as ashwagandha and eleuthero to balance your adrenals.  Might use holy basil to control cortisol.   And might use taurine, which creates GABA in the body.  If you did suffer from depression too, the 5htp is for both depression and anxiety, but then I might add in the tyrosine if the others didn't work.  But I'd do it gradually to see how each one of them worked, and adjust dosages accordingly.  You can't do that if you take all three of those amino acids in one pill.  See?  As for getting tested, I don't know what I think about that since, as I said above, there's no evidence of anyone with anxiety or depression having insufficient serotonin, dopamine or norepinephrine.  We only know the more efficient use of them can improve our symptoms, though it doesn't solve the problem, which usually takes therapy or finding if you have a disease such as thyroid or blood sugar problems or weakness in an organ.  So what exactly is your doctor testing for?  But these are just ideas for your exploration, I'm neither a naturopath or a physician.  Good luck.

[musicchick581]

Thanks. I only had depression bouts WHEN I had anxiety. If I wasn't anxious, I wasn't depressed. They went hand in hand. Also, when I got novicaine at the dentist last Spring I got depressed after and anxious (probably what was in it). I try to eat gluten free and I eat A LOT of protein. I also try to avoid milk products and when I do eat them I usually take an enzyme for digestion.
I emailed the doc who said the elevated dopamine is normal and it could be much higher and still be normal. He wants me to take another urine test for neurotransmitters and go back on the supplements for  3months if my levels have dropped or are still leveling (which he says happens for 3-4 months after stopping treatment) My problem is that this urine test, supplements and doctor's visits (he's an MD and a DO) are all very expensive as my insurance doesn't cover him-he's out of network-anymore.

I also went to a chiropractor for my neck and shoulder tension and since then, my anxiety has lessened. It must have been the fear or passing out-every day I'd have the feeling from all the tension and pain in my neck and shoulders.

Anyway, thanks for your help. Do you know of any other test for neurotransmitters that is more accurate? I read that saliva tests are good too. Should I go on something other than Neuroreplete to balance everything out better?

[Paxiled]

Although deficiencies of lysine were found to correlate with stress and anxiety in one study, no reason was found for it.  Probably just missing an essential building block for other things, and too much wheat and other grain consumption without enough good quality protein can cause lysine deficiency.  Tyrosine, on the other hand, a metabolite of phenylalanine, helps the body manufacture not only norepinephrine, but also dopamine (as well as some serotonin).  Could be part of the problem here.  5htp probably had the greatest effect on your anxiety; a metabolite of tryptophan, it manufactures serotonin in the body.  So what you're taking isn't a norepinephrine supplement, it's a combination supplement for anxiety and depression.  Since you don't state you were suffering depression, which if you really had a deficit of norepinephrine you probably would, in a person who only suffers from anxiety without depression, the tyrosine would theoretically increase stimulation and therefore anxiety.  It could also theoretically raise dopamine levels.  But this is a theoretical argument, since good research on natural remedies is hard to find because it's cost prohibitive to do it, given that virtually all the research money goes to patentable products and natural remedies aren't patentable.  This possible result is one reason that experienced herbalists and naturopaths often use single remedies to make a formula, so they can adjust each one as needed, instead of using one that puts them all together.  Anyway, just a thought.  My best guess is that no physician other than one who practices complementary medicine will be able to help you with this since they don't believe in this modality of treatment and therefore don't study it.  I also question the tests you had -- first, there is no evidence there is a chemical imbalance in people who suffer from mental illness.  There is evidence of nutritional deficiencies and exposure to toxic substances such as lead and mercury, but no study has found that people with anxiety or depression have less or more dopamine, serotonin, or norepineprine than anyone else.  What we do know is that supplementation with substances such as 5htp or ssris can help by maximizing use of neurotransmitters, not that here was any shortage or excess to begin with.  Dopamine is implicated in other things that have scientific proof, such as Parkinson's Disease, but you'd know if you had that, and you'd have too little, not too much, dopamine.  Also, you hvae to get tested regularly for a couple of weeks or a month to know your natural levels, since levels vary through the day.  For example, if you got tested one day when you ate a bunch of turkey, rich in tryptophan, it might show elevated serotonin that day, but that doesn't mean it's an ongoing condition.  It would be temporary.  

I know this doesn't answer you question, but I hope it gives you avenues of search.  And I'm glad you're having success with your treatment, even though it's not perfect.  Yet.        

[RubyWitch]

Before I get into your post, it was probably a simple mistake on your part, but it's best if you only post your question once. Posting it more than that will not get it answered any faster.

I'm afraid that you will need to speak to a professional about your test results. None of here are doctors and therefore, unqualified to make a call on why your dopamine level is in the high range, what that means or how to lower it.
If you can't see your doc due to insurance problems, speak with a pharmacist. They can't change your medication or tell you to alter your dosage, but they can explain some reasons for the results you've received. This may help to relieve your mind until you can see your doc again.

The symptoms you are still feeling..........the dizziness, the difficulty breathing and panic attacks are issues I believe you need to discuss with a doctor. While we can certainly relate to these symptoms, we CANNOT tell you why YOU are experiencing them.

I realize I've not helped you at all, but as I said, none of us is qualified to give you a dx about these symptoms. Please find a way to see a doctor about them.

Peace
Greenlydia