13 replies to this topic

[focus83]

Hi,

is it safe to combine an SSRI with L-Tyrosine? I currently take 50mg Sertraline in the morning, nothing else.
How much Tyrosine would be a good dose in case this is a safe combo?

Thanks!

[matthias7]

Yes

[VespeneGas]

The combination is safe. However, tyrosine hydroxylase downregulates pretty quickly, making this supplement useless for chronic use, absent the co-consumption of some drug which elevates TH activity, e.g. amphetamine or selegiline (the latter's elevation of TH being transient IIRC). Tyrosine doesn't do anything in healthy, well-slept adults anyway, it only shines in sleep deprived and/or really high stress conditions.

Bupropion is an effective augmenting agent in the treatment of depression, if that's what you were considering the tyrosine for.

[focus83]

The combination is safe. However, tyrosine hydroxylase downregulates pretty quickly, making this supplement useless for chronic use, absent the co-consumption of some drug which elevates TH activity, e.g. amphetamine or selegiline (the latter's elevation of TH being transient IIRC). Tyrosine doesn't do anything in healthy, well-slept adults anyway, it only shines in sleep deprived and/or really high stress conditions.

Bupropion is an effective augmenting agent in the treatment of depression, if that's what you were considering the tyrosine for.

Thanks! :-)

I will only use the Tyrosine occasionally, like once or twice a week at most. Since I have a very stressful job I hope it will do something for me.

Any recommendations for a proper dosage?

[OneScrewLoose]

500mg should do good.

[jackj]

FOr my own curitosity... isn't an SSRI supposed to block the receptors the l-tyrosine is helping to promote? I mean why would you take one if you're taking the other seeing they SSRI will counter it? Or am I not understanding SSRIs?

[Pike]

FOr my own curitosity... isn't an SSRI supposed to block the receptors the l-tyrosine is helping to promote? I mean why would you take one if you're taking the other seeing they SSRI will counter it? Or am I not understanding SSRIs?

negative, sir.

SSRIs by name, block the reuptake (which is a fancy word for recycling) of the neurotransmitter Serotonin. L-Tyrosine is an amino acid that eventually metabolizes into Dopamine. Two entirely different neurotransmitters.

[Thorsten3]

FOr my own curitosity... isn't an SSRI supposed to block the receptors the l-tyrosine is helping to promote? I mean why would you take one if you're taking the other seeing they SSRI will counter it? Or am I not understanding SSRIs?

SSRI's just flood the synapse with serotonin. They don't effect DA receptors or the production of dopamine. There may be some SSRI's that do weakly effect some DA receptors but they are called 'Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors' for a reason - they work on serotonin.
I think the OP is trying to get extra DA in their brain by this supplementation but whether it would work I don't know. It would increase the number of DA neurons but through hard,consistent supplementation of tyrosine i'm not sure what the long term effects this would have on health.
I always found tyrosine to give me headaches, restless leg, increased jitters, pins and needles, anxiety and gave moments of low mood. All the things you would expect from too much DA and an unbalanced brain.
Much like in the past where I supplemented tryptophan which made me slow, lethargic, not able to think as fast and generally quite dumb! Great for sleep though if taken at the right time. So best used sporadically, like tyrosine in my opinion for specific purposes.

[VespeneGas]

SSRI's just flood the synapse with serotonin. They don't effect DA receptors or the production of dopamine. There may be some SSRI's that do weakly effect some DA receptors but they are called 'Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors' for a reason - they work on serotonin.
I think the OP is trying to get extra DA in their brain by this supplementation but whether it would work I don't know. It would increase the number of DA neurons but through hard,consistent supplementation of tyrosine i'm not sure what the long term effects this would have on health.
I always found tyrosine to give me headaches, restless leg, increased jitters, pins and needles, anxiety and gave moments of low mood. All the things you would expect from too much DA and an unbalanced brain.
Much like in the past where I supplemented tryptophan which made me slow, lethargic, not able to think as fast and generally quite dumb! Great for sleep though if taken at the right time. So best used sporadically, like tyrosine in my opinion for specific purposes.

Not to quibble, but restless leg syndrome is characterized by decreased/abberant dopamine signalling, and/or iron deficiency, not excess dopamine.

The only interventions which increases the growth of DA neurons (that I've seen) are D3 agonists e.g. pramipexole. As mentioned earlier, tyrosine hydroxylase downregulates pretty quickly to reestablish homeostasis, so tyrosine supplementation wouldn't produce a sustained increase in dopaminergic activity (absent a clinical tyrosine/phenylalanine deficiency).

[Thorsten3]

SSRI's just flood the synapse with serotonin. They don't effect DA receptors or the production of dopamine. There may be some SSRI's that do weakly effect some DA receptors but they are called 'Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors' for a reason - they work on serotonin.
I think the OP is trying to get extra DA in their brain by this supplementation but whether it would work I don't know. It would increase the number of DA neurons but through hard,consistent supplementation of tyrosine i'm not sure what the long term effects this would have on health.
I always found tyrosine to give me headaches, restless leg, increased jitters, pins and needles, anxiety and gave moments of low mood. All the things you would expect from too much DA and an unbalanced brain.
Much like in the past where I supplemented tryptophan which made me slow, lethargic, not able to think as fast and generally quite dumb! Great for sleep though if taken at the right time. So best used sporadically, like tyrosine in my opinion for specific purposes.

Not to quibble, but restless leg syndrome is characterized by decreased/abberant dopamine signalling, and/or iron deficiency, not excess dopamine.

The only interventions which increases the growth of DA neurons (that I've seen) are D3 agonists e.g. pramipexole. As mentioned earlier, tyrosine hydroxylase downregulates pretty quickly to reestablish homeostasis, so tyrosine supplementation wouldn't produce a sustained increase in dopaminergic activity (absent a clinical tyrosine/phenylalanine deficiency).

Thanks my man. I am aware of what restless leg syndrome is and what causes it generally (I have suffered in the past from it) so appreciate it is not commonly associated with increased levels of Dop. Although Tyrosine supplementation aggravated it quite badly and has done each time I have tried it for short/long periods. Why this was I really don't know!! I've seen pramipexole mentioned before but not sure i'd want to go anywhere near it after reading some of the sides....

''Other compulsive behaviors, such as excessive shopping and even cross-dressing, have been reported''

Now I'm generally quite an open guy but this is not a step in the right direction for me.
Do you take prami? How is it for you?

[VespeneGas]

SSRI's just flood the synapse with serotonin. They don't effect DA receptors or the production of dopamine. There may be some SSRI's that do weakly effect some DA receptors but they are called 'Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors' for a reason - they work on serotonin.
I think the OP is trying to get extra DA in their brain by this supplementation but whether it would work I don't know. It would increase the number of DA neurons but through hard,consistent supplementation of tyrosine i'm not sure what the long term effects this would have on health.
I always found tyrosine to give me headaches, restless leg, increased jitters, pins and needles, anxiety and gave moments of low mood. All the things you would expect from too much DA and an unbalanced brain.
Much like in the past where I supplemented tryptophan which made me slow, lethargic, not able to think as fast and generally quite dumb! Great for sleep though if taken at the right time. So best used sporadically, like tyrosine in my opinion for specific purposes.

Not to quibble, but restless leg syndrome is characterized by decreased/abberant dopamine signalling, and/or iron deficiency, not excess dopamine.

The only interventions which increases the growth of DA neurons (that I've seen) are D3 agonists e.g. pramipexole. As mentioned earlier, tyrosine hydroxylase downregulates pretty quickly to reestablish homeostasis, so tyrosine supplementation wouldn't produce a sustained increase in dopaminergic activity (absent a clinical tyrosine/phenylalanine deficiency).

Thanks my man. I am aware of what restless leg syndrome is and what causes it generally (I have suffered in the past from it) so appreciate it is not commonly associated with increased levels of Dop. Although Tyrosine supplementation aggravated it quite badly and has done each time I have tried it for short/long periods. Why this was I really don't know!! I've seen pramipexole mentioned before but not sure i'd want to go anywhere near it after reading some of the sides....

''Other compulsive behaviors, such as excessive shopping and even cross-dressing, have been reported''

Now I'm generally quite an open guy but this is not a step in the right direction for me.
Do you take prami? How is it for you?

I've wanted to try it, mainly for libido and anhedonia issues, it looks really exciting. However, I already take trazodone to go to sleep and dextroamphetamine to focus, so I think adding another psych drug (especially one with a challenging adjustment period) is probably unwise at this time.

I think the biggest issues most people have are lethargy and anxiety.

Have you ever had your iron levels checked vis a vis RLS?

[Thorsten3]

SSRI's just flood the synapse with serotonin. They don't effect DA receptors or the production of dopamine. There may be some SSRI's that do weakly effect some DA receptors but they are called 'Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors' for a reason - they work on serotonin.
I think the OP is trying to get extra DA in their brain by this supplementation but whether it would work I don't know. It would increase the number of DA neurons but through hard,consistent supplementation of tyrosine i'm not sure what the long term effects this would have on health.
I always found tyrosine to give me headaches, restless leg, increased jitters, pins and needles, anxiety and gave moments of low mood. All the things you would expect from too much DA and an unbalanced brain.
Much like in the past where I supplemented tryptophan which made me slow, lethargic, not able to think as fast and generally quite dumb! Great for sleep though if taken at the right time. So best used sporadically, like tyrosine in my opinion for specific purposes.

Not to quibble, but restless leg syndrome is characterized by decreased/abberant dopamine signalling, and/or iron deficiency, not excess dopamine.

The only interventions which increases the growth of DA neurons (that I've seen) are D3 agonists e.g. pramipexole. As mentioned earlier, tyrosine hydroxylase downregulates pretty quickly to reestablish homeostasis, so tyrosine supplementation wouldn't produce a sustained increase in dopaminergic activity (absent a clinical tyrosine/phenylalanine deficiency).

Thanks my man. I am aware of what restless leg syndrome is and what causes it generally (I have suffered in the past from it) so appreciate it is not commonly associated with increased levels of Dop. Although Tyrosine supplementation aggravated it quite badly and has done each time I have tried it for short/long periods. Why this was I really don't know!! I've seen pramipexole mentioned before but not sure i'd want to go anywhere near it after reading some of the sides....

''Other compulsive behaviors, such as excessive shopping and even cross-dressing, have been reported''

Now I'm generally quite an open guy but this is not a step in the right direction for me.
Do you take prami? How is it for you?

I've wanted to try it, mainly for libido and anhedonia issues, it looks really exciting. However, I already take trazodone to go to sleep and dextroamphetamine to focus, so I think adding another psych drug (especially one with a challenging adjustment period) is probably unwise at this time.

I think the biggest issues most people have are lethargy and anxiety.

Have you ever had your iron levels checked vis a vis RLS?

I haven't no. I think this is probably a good idea. I do drink a fair bit of tea (8cups a day) so this could be a factor for my RLS. Thanks, think I will get this checked.

[chris76]

I wonder if there might be some other option to normalize dopamine after chronic use of SSRI. If l-tyrosine isnt an option which i thought it would be.

[estranged]

I used l-tyrosine with lexapro but I couldn't feel the effects of tyrosine with lexapro. But it is great with sam-e. I suggest same + now true focus especially for people with add.