Experiences L-Dopa

With respect, if you call yourself Mr Pharmacology, I would expect you to be aware of this compound. It's used medically but it had some very bad side-effects. Read 'Awakenings'. There are tens of thousands of reports on the internet.

 

My pink rabbit has been taking a supplement called DOPA Mucuna for a while. He read about it in the book Advanced Lucid Dreaming: The Power of Supplements. He notices an ever so slightly enhanced mood, motivation, and focus, but mainly notices an increased sex drive. He describes the effects as mostly being fairly subtle.

One thing to take into consideration when reviewing my rabbit's experience is that he is on several medications that regulate mood as well as the DOPA Mucuna. He takes 100mg Lamictal, 30mg Vyvanse, 7.5mg Deplin, and 1250mg Depakote daily for his Bipolar Disorder (Type II).

From my understanding of what he's told me about what he's taking, the medications function as follows:

Lamictal: This is the brand name for Lamotrigine. It's an anticonvulsant that is also used as a mood stabilizer in Bipolar Disorder. It mainly acts as a preventative measure against bipolar depression.

Vyvanse: Very similar to extended release Adderall with a few key differences. It provides energy and focus, but not so much of the increased motivation and libido that Adderall does.

Depakote: Another mood regulator for Bipolar Disorder. It mainly helps prevent manic episodes.

Deplin: A prescription vitamin which helps prevent depression through folate supplementation.

 

Hello Mr.Pharmacology, swim actually is a Psycho-pharmacologist and may help shed some light of Levodopa.

L-Dopa, also known as Levodopa, is essentially the 5-HTP supplement of Dopamine. It directly metabolizes into dopamine in the brain just as 5-HTP directly metabolizes into serotonin. L-Dopa is great for people who have low dopamine levels, such as recovering amphetamine addicts and sufferers of dysphoria not treated by an SRI. L-Dopa should not be used as a supplement by an otherwise healthy person as L-Dopa can create excess dopamine leading to neurotoxicity.

The best result I has ever seen from L-Dopa supplementation was with a recovering amphetamine user. She had been taking Adderall for 3 years and would take 2x30mg. XR capsules a day, remarking that the second one always made her more tired. For swim, this was a sign that her dopamine levels were depleted and the receptors were most likely in down-regulation. Swim recommended she used L-Dopa in conjunction with Wellbutrin (a Dopamine/Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor) to see if her mood, energy and well-being could be improved. Within 2 weeks of beginning this regimen, her energy was increased, her mood was better and she felt far more healthy. As a side note, she also significantly reduced her use of Nicotine gum.

At any rate, L-Dopa, should not be used constantly as it is neurotoxic, but can certainly benefit some.

 

Finnish, are there obvious symptoms to look for in case of excess dopamine? I've read about some potential side effects, and am a bit concerned for my rabbit. He says he hasn't noticed any side effects from it, and does enjoy the slight benefits he gets from it, so he'd like to continue using it. However, if he believes there is danger in it, then he certainly doesn't want to keep taking it. Also, if side effects are noticed and the user discontinues use, do they generally go away completely, or is the damage permanent?

 

Absolutely. One can think of L-Dopa in a similar manner to Serotonin. If one takes too much serotonin syndrome ensues. But even with regular administration, L-Dopa causes a considerable amount of oxidative stress to the the brain in a manner closely related to amphetamine.

L-Tyrosine and bruised bananas can help raise dopamine levels safely for the healthy user.

 

There is more information regarding some (reversible) side effects of Levodopa I found reading another forum. I apologize for the length, I can't post links, and I wanted to include all the information.

A new research finding suggests medications used to treat Parkinson’s disease result in impulse control disorders in more than 20 percent of individuals taking the drugs.
Specifically, Mayo Clinic researchers found that drugs that enhance the action of the neurotransmitter dopamine result in impulse control disorders in as many as 22 percent of Parkinson’s patients.
The risk of problems was first reported by the Mayo Clinic in 2005. A follow-up study was published online in the February 2011 issue of Parkinsonism and Related Disorders.
Dopamine agonists, a class of drugs that include pramipexole (Mirapex) and ropinirole (Requip), are commonly used to treat Parkinson’s disease.
The drugs stimulate the brain’s limbic circuits, which are thought to be pathways for emotional, reward and hedonistic behaviors. The medications have been linked to such impulse control disorders as pathological gambling and hypersexuality and to compulsive behaviors such as binge eating, spending, computer use or “hobbying.”
Researchers reviewed Parkinson’s disease patients’ records over a recent two-year period, said Dr. Anhar Hassan, a neurology fellow at Mayo Clinic and lead investigator on the study.
“During this time, movement disorder physicians at Mayo Clinic were keenly aware that impulse control disorders could occur with these dopamine agonist drugs.
“If they encountered a patient who was taking this drug, they asked them or an accompanying family member whether or not they had noticed any new type of behavior. What we found was that in as many as 22 percent of patients during that two-year period had a new onset impulse control disorder,” she said.
The study found that the higher the dose, the greater the likelihood of an impulse control behavior.
“One in four patients who were on a medium therapeutic dose of the medication had an impulse control disorder,” Hassan said. “For patients who were taking a higher range of the medication, about one in three developed an impulse control disorder.”
Patients taking dopamine agonists should be aware of potential behavioral changes so they can be caught early, before they or their families are harmed, Hassan said.
Once a new behavior is identified, reducing or stopping the medication usually resolves the problem over a few days to a month, she said.


Did any of you who have used this notice impulse control issues? My pet duck has found impulse control to be problematic with the use of methamphetamine in the very same fashion described for levodopa.

 

I had some problems with SSRI sexual dysfunction and took a horny goat weed supplement for few months which also contained Macuna pruriens, 35mg 15% of which is L-Dopa, resulting in about 5.25mg of L-Dopa a day or so. Was this a neurotoxic dose? What doses would have been too much?

 

L-Dopa is nothing like amphetamine. It has more in common with coffee. The side-effects diminish any benifits one might be seeking.

 

Is mucuna/L-DOPA powder safe to snort and is there any euphoric feelings from it?
the powder (Amazon)

Mucuna Pruriens 15% L-Dopa Extract Powder. (250G) (from: Hard Rhino)

Biotics Research - Dopatropic Powder (from: Neugaugh)

 

Bigzamzam, 5mg is not even an effective dose. Forget about it.

KingJoffrey, it might be safe to snort but definitely not worthwhile and no, you won't get high from that.

 

Caffeine anhydrous give me a pretty good feeling and its legal... Is there any other stuff that's stronger and legal in US? I'm is looking at Wicked in Australia but they dont ship here... Anything in the US that compares?

 

I just started adding L-dopa to my stack. I did have mucana for awhile, probably the 15% l-dopa stuff, but i didnt feel much off it and it stayed in the bag for months. Now I have 98% L-Dopa, and its a considerable difference from L-tyrosine or N-acetyl tyrosine which i also have taken.

Its a definite body rush as well as mind rush, but almost initially after taking it i felt the dopamine headeaches Im prone to, as well as just a feeling that this substance isnt being utilized fully.

Lo and behold, I find on the internet that L-Dopa must be combined with carbidopa otherwise 1-5% enters the brain and the rest enters your body. Also there seem to be many negative side effects.

I question all the side effects listed for a number of reasons:
Firstly, they may be talking about people taking L-Dopa without carbidopa, so then the side effects may all be in the periphery nervous system and the body rather than the brain.
Secondly, the dose for parkinsons patients is listed in some places as 3000-6000? MG. I took 200 or so and felt a little jittery. I suppose taking it with the carbidopa inhibitor makes a big difference there.

I just ordered green tea extract, which contains EGCG. Looking this compound up ive found it seems to be an inhibitor in the same fashion as carbidopa but without the prescription. In fact, the best L-Dopa supplements sell this in conjunction with a few other well chosen herbs and amino acids.

Hopefully ill be able to take a small amount of L-Dopa along with an inhibitor to keep dopamine out of my body and in my brain. L-Tyrosine converts a bit to dopamine, also to nor epinephrine. Id rather have the straight dopamine.

I hear all this nay saying because of side effects, but people take this stuff as a supplement all the time. I think that it would be a little more widespread if it was so destructive.

I believe 5-HTP also suffers from this carboxyl group taking it out of the brain and into the body. Ive had to stop my 5-HTP supplementation because of unwanted digestion issues and other bodily effects. Hopefully with the addition of EGCG I can not only take L-Dopa without negative side effects, I can take my 5_HTP once more.

Im now drinking a cup of green tea with rhodiola, which technically is an MAOI and a no-no for L-Dopa but most supplements have it as an ingredient.

Anyone have any negative experiences with low dosage L-Dopa or Mucana Purensis? Need to know if I should chuck this stuff out before a problem develops.

 

Raoul, I know exactly what you mean by "dopamine headaches", I also get them! Once I think I've combined NALT, ALCAR and 20 or 40 drops of rosemary essential oil and I was pretty high, but I've also gotten a headache. I focused like a motherfucker, though.

 

so adas,
headaches aside, have you experienced benefits from l dopa? i just took my light morning dose (100-150mg) and I consider it superior to NALT personally. I recently read a thread about dosing 1-2 grams of regular l-tyrosine being superior to NALT. Something about the way the chemical is broken down.

Funny how so much comes down to that little mechanism nuh? If L-dopa were free from dopa decarboxylase then it would be 20-100X more powerful. At least in the brain, which seems to be what matters.

But without that factor in the process, it wouldnt get broken down at all...fairly makes the mind reel it does.

Im just wondering if I should continue messing with this substance or If i should stick to NALT and other less potentially neurotoxic chemicals.

Im getting the EGCG today i believe, so ill report on how it turns out. Supposedly its night and day. Why wouldnt it be? The dopamine is actually firing in the brain. Also im not interested in high doses. Im sticking to my 100mg. Seems to be potent enough.

Ive read so many diatribes that boil down to "why the hell would you take that?? Its a prescription med given to parkinsons patients or people who are basically dying. Its incredibly neurotoxic and look at these side effects i copy and pasted from wikipedia!!!!:"

Wondering if anyone is taking L-Dopa regularly and what the result has been.

 

I haven't experienced L-Dopa, but I've ocassionally benefited from NALT a lot. It seems to be working best when taken with ALCAR, for whatever reason.

 

I take mucuna on occasion. I'll toss and wash two teaspoons of mucuna powder with the contents of one or two green tea bags. I don't notice much if anything if I skip the green tea. Rhodiola adds a little extra punch to the combo. My vendor recommends taking it every other day at the very most to avoid problems.

 

I've noticed very different effects from pure Mucuna Powder vs the standardized L-Dopa.

the pure bean powder is estimated around 10-15% L-Dopa,and has other crap in it like Serotonin, DMT, Nicotine, and protease inhibitors. Has a minor psychedelic feeling and longer lasting dopamine effects that seem to work regardless of deficit. It's believed there is an unidentified decarboxylase inhibitor inside the bean, or the synergy of the other ingrediemts help it reach the brain. It's used oroginally to prevent snake bite poison, indicating sime kind of acetylcholine effect. Major downside though, is ihe protease inhibitors gave me indigestion from hell, 6 hours of mild relaxation, foloiwed by two days throwing up in the bathroom,burping up hydrogen sulfide, not worth it..

98% version is made in lab, and is actually shorter acting than the straight powder despite being 6,7x more of it...however effect is cleaner. No aweful indigestion. i find this stuff works best after a stimulant binge, when storage vesichles are severely depleted....brings you back to baseline faster than Tyrosine. Seems popular as a sleep aid which is really strange to me, but i guess if you think of it as a recovery aid, most of the central dopamine it converts to, would get quickly taken back up by DAT for storage instead of activating receptors...not much benefit when taken in none depleted state and ex;erienced parkinson-eque tremors ...nothing permament though. Just likely from to much peripheral dopamine.

I think most of the tolerance/neurotoxicity was exctracted from carbidopa preparstions... shouldn't apply to standalone L-dopa.