Supplementing tyrosine was an experiment in increasing my thyroid function. Most of the supplementation i tried before then, specific to T4 synthesis and the T4-T3 conversion pathways, had been very helpful -- each producing perceptible results. Tyrosine supplementation increased energy, all right, but not in a positive fashion; i felt uncomfortably "wired" and the minor "essential tremor" i experience when overstimulated became almost chronic. From my study, i figured that one of a couple of things might be going on -- either pushing myself into periodic hypERthyroidism, or (more likely) increasing my levels of adrenalin.
I discontinued the tyrosine i was taking (500mg to 1000 per day, either all at once or split dose), and started using mucuna (mucuna pruriens, marketed with the label Dopa Mucuna). The tremor faded away to almost nothing, and my mood (equanimity) improved. Desiring more energy on some days, i've been experimenting with tyrosine again. One 500mg capsule taken every other day seems to give me a little boost without too much agitation -- but again, if something gets me riled up back comes the tremor. :-(
(How i wish they were caplets, so i could cut the suckers in half, and take one of THOSE every other day! It will be a messy job halving those damned capsules.)
WARNING: entering the realm of conjecture! :-) Reading up on dopamine has given me some interesting insights on my life. It would take a novel-length post to explain it all, so i'll give you the short version -- i strongly suspect myself of being short on the stuff all my days! And looking at what happens to me when i supplement tyrosine, i think i see what could be happening.
For some reason, tyrosine seems to take a shortcut to adrenalin in my body -- it doesn't seem to hang around the levodopa step. This may happen because of my "weak thyroid" and be self-perpetuating, i don't know. Because my thyroid doesn't use enough tyrosine to make a robust supply of hormone, then more tyrosine is available to go the other route and my body compensates for the low energy with adrenalin? GOK.
...back to my reading....
Yes, I have the same problem with tyrosine, most of seems to get dumped into noradrenaline/adrenaline. You might try DL-phenylalanine instead of tyrosine. It's also a catecholaminergic precursor but it also acts on the opioid system and I find it doesn't produce agitation/tremor like tyrosine, at least not for me.
ReplyDeleteI'm staying off the l-dopa for now due to some issues that happened to me last month when I was on it. I'll try it again in the spring when my nervous system isn't as weak/fragile/assaulted by the winter. ;)
i might try the DLPA, just to see what happens! you find it energizing?
Delete:-) then i'll DEFINITELY try it!
DeleteHi Tess
ReplyDeleteHave you looked into iodine.
http://thyroid.about.com/cs/vitaminsupplement/a/iodine.htm
Kind regards Eddie
indeed yes. i had an outstanding OD about 15 years ago who started me on that. since then i added B12, selenium (which balances the iodine), magnesium, zinc, iron, copper ... now that i think of it, i should have invested in stock from hardware stores! ;-) at this point, i'm tweaking some of the more obscure and less-likely suspects.
Deletethanks, Eddie, nice to hear from you!
I listened to Dr. K's free webinar this week, and his plan for dopamine is the epi-paleo diet, grounding and CT. I did all three yesterday, and it was really wonderful being at the beach and in the water. Most people were bundled up, and only their dogs tried to get in the water with me. On the way home, I did really feel much better. Better mood, and very motivated to tidy up the house when I got home. Konked out by 8:30 at night, and slept well! So, I am declaring success.
ReplyDeletegood for you! i'm not up on EPIpaleo, but a quick overview suggests i eat pretty close to it. and i THINK i've been a devotee of grounding without calling it that for a long time. :-) going barefoot as much as i can, gardening without gloves, etc -- does that qualify? i still can't face cold water, though! most of the time i sleep very well, and when i've been outdoors around water i can barely keep my eyes open after dark!
DeleteGardening always counts in every category! But srsly, going barefoot is great. Getting into a lake is better. Going to the beach is best. (now....off to find moccasin patterns on the winterwebz...oh, I was going to do that anyway, good thing I procrastinated before buying a ten year supply of vibram..can you see my dopamine was down??)
Deletei'm a newbie on these catecholamines, but i wouldn't have guessed YOU had a dopamine shortage. :-) i used to LIVE in moccasins (when they were "in style," better ones were easier to find) -- wearing double-socks with them in the winter. when i became a reenactor, i became a bit of a moccasin-snob. here's a pattern for some that were classic in OUR part of the country: http://www.nativetech.org/clothing/moccasin/mocinstr.html (learned about them from a lady who replicates her ancestors' ways at Fort Osage).
Deletebut i LOVE my vibrams! they're kinda like doing yoga for my feet. i've seen so many old people with gnarled-up toes; i suspect the FFs will help keep the muscles and ligaments functioning.
i used the beach when we lived in TX, and the lakes in OK, but St. Louis isn't very watersport-friendly -- the most i do is look at and drive over Old Man River.... :-)
Tyrosine is deadly! I tried lower doses like 500mg but I didnt seem to notice anything. But the higher doses like 2000mg sends my nervous system into a frenzy.
ReplyDeleteI wish it didnt cause such brutal insomnia because I think with 2000mg tyrosine I would actually lose alot of weight on it. I can handle feeling wired all day but I must get my sleep at night.
being on shift work, i should think that guarding your sleep pattern is probably of primary importance to you! have YOU tried DLPA? it seems to do the trick for Sidereal and Wooo, and i picked up a package of it today -- i'll let everybody know how it works for me within the week, i expect.
Delete