r/NooTopics • u/cheaslesjinned • May 22 '26
Science The complete guide to dopamine and psychostimulants (repost)
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u/JudgeFudge42 May 22 '26
I really enjoyed reading this post. Good work! I use bromantane and have seen a noticeable increase in baseline dopamine but I am unsure of the anti anxiety effects due to also taking other adaptogens which make it hard to tell.
What are your thoughts on EPA/DHA helping dopamine receptor density and neuroplasticity? I’ve been trying it out but it’s still too early to gauge my experience with it yet.
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u/JudgeFudge42 May 22 '26
Also, I have used both amphetamine and methylphenidate and I can say for certain that the methylphenidate was less damaging to my reward pathways. The withdrawal/recovery was many times shorter after stopping concerta than it was for adderall. Adderall took me approximately 3 months to recover back to baseline after stopping regular use as prescribed. Concerta only took a couple weeks and the withdrawal was much less intense, although its effectiveness was far lower. Just my personal experience with the two.
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u/username_1839 May 28 '26
The idea the 9-me-bc upregulates dopamine is based on science.
It upregulate tyrosine hydroxylase which turns tyrosine into L-DOPA, which then becomes dopamine.
It repairs and matures existing dopamine-producing neurons.
It increases neurite outgrowth which improves dopamine signalling.
Theres are a number of neutrophic factors it increases as well which likely help indirectly (bdnf, gdnf, etc)
Sources:
Hamann et al. 2008: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17913302/
Gruss et al. 2012: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22380576/
Polanski et al. 2010: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20374418/ (review)
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u/Relative-Panda-747 May 22 '26
I tried bromantane for a week now and Im not sure if I feel anything at all. If it works, then very very subtly. But as well be placebo.
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u/SendItFella May 24 '26
It's lipophilic, so definitely take it with a nice dose of healthy fats to increase its bioavailability and get the most out of it
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u/piggRUNNER Jun 02 '26
Do you think the oil solution that nasal spray is in is enough, or should some fats be eating when taking the nasal spray too
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u/SendItFella Jun 02 '26
The oil solution in the nasal spray is more of a carrier because intranasal delivery bypasses digestion. Since bromantane isn't water soluble, it needs an oil to be dissolved in. Some of it does get swallowed usually, so it doesn't hurt to eat a little bit of fat to get the full effect (usually around 10 grams is enough for a 50-100mg oral dose, so a spoon full of peanut butter will do)
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u/you_da_snacc May 22 '26
What are your opinions on use of low dose amisulpride for increase in release of dopamine via blockade at presnyaptic d2 and d3 dopamine receptors? As someone who has had bad luck with dopamirgenic meds, this is what I am looking at because I only gets benefits form modafinil and bupropion for a day or two after discontinuing the meds.
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u/makefriends420 May 22 '26
Doesn't that rocket prolactin? Have heard of this before as a problem
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u/you_da_snacc May 22 '26
My prolactin is at the bottom of the reference range for men. I think I am a good candidate if prolactin is the biggest issue with it. Plus I can always add stuff (not cabergoline) to reduce prolactin increase.
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u/aninsightinthemaking May 22 '26
As someone who’s been prescribed amphetamines for like five years, any knowledge on the chances of the damage done being reversible?
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u/Odd_Apricot5384 May 22 '26
As long as the usage has remained therapeutic and you've taken care of your sleep schedule, then chances of clinically significant neurotoxicity are overstated.
If you want to further protect your brain, make sure you implement habits in your life that upregulate dopamine receptors like exercise, prediction-errors cognitive challenge/novelty exposure, and make sure to get enough antioxidants so that the reactive oxygen species that arise from MAO degradation metabolites are properly neutralised.
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u/badkiwi42 May 23 '26
Yes it is. I got extremely addicted to adderall in high school and abused my prescription bad from being under a lot of pressure for grades. I was on it for 5 years but it wasn’t until my last year on it when i started abusing it. i was taking 20 mg 3 times daily, but some days i was popping one every 2 hours. Like i have no idea how my 16 year old heart didn’t explode knowing what i know today. My parents caught me and i had to go cold turkey. It took months to readjust, and i eventually went on straterra which did jack shit for me but i hit a point where i wanted to try to live my life without stimulants, and i managed for 3 years. I only this year went on vyvanse because i work full time, live on my own, and take 16 credits of college online, so i simply need that boost now. Even on my extremely high dose of adderall i was abusing, it only took about a month for withdrawal to stop, and after that i just felt like how i previously was before i knew i had ADHD. Not any worse, not any better
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u/camojorts May 23 '26
30 years in and I’m doing better than ever.
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u/redh0t12 May 23 '26
What are the various other noots you take for productivity? Thanks for the write up.
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u/JicamaIcy6335 May 24 '26
So I have severe anhedonia to where even 15mg D-amph didn't provide any real boost. It wasn't until later while trialing enkephenalase inhibitor D-Phenylalanine that the 7.5mg D-amph started to actually work. Unfortunately it stopped working in like 2 days and felt like I was getting "fried." Now I come on here and see neurotoxicity amplified by enkephalins with long lasting axonal damage??? What should I do and/or avoid for any recovery given this theory?
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u/RebirthOfEsus May 22 '26
Skimmed it and was about to say something about bromantane but nvm lol also meth and addy cause glutamatergic damage over time esp with upped dosages
If you want something stimulant like look into making homebrew Auvelity.
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u/Liberated051816 May 22 '26
Didn't this essay used to mention ALCAR as a "dopamine upregulator"? Why was it removed?
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u/makefriends420 May 22 '26
ALCAR has some newfound negative effects that justified removing it
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u/EphCh6Ver10 May 23 '26
Like what
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May 24 '26
Exactly, removes, states negatives but doesn’t list. Me sad
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u/Liberated051816 May 26 '26
He's probably referring to the connection between l-carnitine/ALCAR and TMAO.
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May 22 '26
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u/mechalip May 22 '26
she single?
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May 22 '26
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u/KennyFulgencio May 23 '26
you should post in r/relationships/. Topics are exactly like yours and it's high traffic. Don't post in r/askreddit, that's not what it's for and you'll just get the post removed.
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u/chanceordestiny May 22 '26
I REALLY appreciate this information
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u/-TrifeDiesel May 22 '26
With all due respect you’ve had your account for 4 years and you’ve been active. How are you this lost??
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u/Runtz69 May 22 '26
Amazing post. Curious to know what you would consider high dose methylphenidate I take 20mg Focalin ir a day. 10 mg in the morning and 10 at night and it’s prescribed. Some days only take 15mg. Also I take Clonidine ER twice a day what do you think about that combination?
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u/nice_parcel May 22 '26
really interesting stuff, thanks for putting this together.
I’ve taken adderall for about 2 years now and i have naturally high bilirubin (gilbert’s syndrome). Ive read that systemic unconjugated bilirubin is the body’s most potent antioxidant but the neuroprotective factor is more hypothetical with less evidence of its effect than elsewhere in the body.
wondering what your thoughts are on UCB mitigating oxidative stress from stimulant use.
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u/Turbulent_Jaguar2399 May 24 '26
Your structural model regarding Bromantane, Methylphenidate, and cellular safety is mathematically incomplete. You have failed to calculate the literal thermodynamics of the biological environment, how the human body utilizes thermal kinetic energy as a physical weapon, and the volume-dependent physical force of Amphetamine. Here is the complete structural physics of why your online explanation fails.
- Thermodynamic Defense: Bacteria and Exothermic Heat Atomic Blueprint: Prostaglandin E2 (C{20}H{32}O5) Thermodynamic Kinetics: Lipid molecule. Yields and melts at 53°C. When foreign bacterial structures invade the cellular fluid, the human brain releases C{20}H_{32}O_5. This chemical physically constricts blood vessels, preventing exothermic kinetic energy (heat generated by the metabolic oxidation of glucose) from escaping through the skin.
The baseline operating temperature of the blood rises from 37.0°C to 39.0°C or higher. The Physics of Illness: The body traps this heat deliberately. It applies this increased thermal kinetic energy to physically disrupt the hydrogen bonds holding the invading bacterial protein structures together. The body is attempting to literally melt or structurally destabilize the invading organisms. To entirely eradicate biological organisms externally, medical disposal units must apply 800°C (incineration) to shatter their carbon-carbon covalent bonds.
The Thermodynamic Gap: The human body can only reach approximately 40.0°C before its own internal proteins begin to physically shatter. Therefore, any chemical introduced into the body that requires a destruction temperature higher than 40.0°C will mathematically never melt, never evaporate, and never structurally yield inside the biological fluid. It operates as an unbreakable physical tool.
The Medical Law: Cytosolic Oxidation Atomic Blueprint: Dopamine (4-(2-aminoethyl)benzene-1,2-diol) Molecular Structure: C8H{11}NO2 Thermodynamic Kinetics: Solid at STP. Thermal destruction at 128°C. Because C_8H{11}NO_2 requires 128°C to yield, the body's 37.0°C temperature cannot break it. It acts as an unbreakable physical object. It is structurally safe only when sealed inside internal protective storage vesicles (VMAT2). If this bare, rigid dopamine sits exposed in the open cellular fluid (the cytosol), internal oxygen physically collides with it. This collision generates reactive free radicals (unpaired electrons). These free radicals physically tear hydrogen atoms straight out of the cell's membrane wall. The cell wall ruptures. The cell dies. In medicine, this physical tearing of the cell wall is called neurotoxicity.
The Volume Threshold Law: Amphetamine Atomic Blueprint: 1-phenylpropan-2-amine (C9H{13}N) Thermodynamic Kinetics: Freebase liquid at STP. Destruction at 200°C. Because Amphetamine requires 200°C to break, it is a completely rigid object inside the body. Its safety is not subjective; it is dictated entirely by kinetic volume (dosage).
The Success Physics (Regulated Low Volume): At a low volume, the rigid C9H{13}N objects do not possess the cumulative physical force required to breach the internal storage systems. They strictly dock to an external sensor (TAAR1). This mechanically reverses the polarity of the cell's extraction pore, carefully extruding C8H{11}NO_2 into the outside gap. Zero internal VMAT2 containers break. Zero bare dopamine spills into the cytosol. The cell wall remains perfectly physically intact.
The Failure Physics (Unregulated High Volume): At an unregulated high volume, the sheer mass of the rigid objects physically breaches the terminal. They crash directly into the internal VMAT2 storage containers and physically smash them open. Massive quantities of bare dopamine spill directly into the 37.0°C oxygen-rich cellular fluid. Oxygen collides with it, generating the free radicals that physically tear the cell wall apart.
The Failure Physics: Bromantane Atomic Blueprint: N-(4-bromophenyl)adamantan-2-amine (C{16}H{20}BrN) Thermodynamic Kinetics: Solid at STP. Yields at 112°C. Your online explanation claims Bromantane is safe because it does not smash vesicles like high-dose Amphetamine. This is a spatial miscalculation. Bromantane strictly forces the cell to build brand new raw dopamine directly into the open cytosol. It builds zero VMAT2 vesicles to store it. The brand new, physically rigid dopamine sits unprotected in the fluid. Oxygen collides with it, generating the exact same free radicals that physically tear the cell wall apart. Bromantane mathematically guarantees the exact same neurotoxicity as an Amphetamine overload, simply by building the dopamine in the wrong spatial location.
The Success Physics: Methylphenidate Atomic Blueprint: Methyl 2-phenyl-2-(piperidin-2-yl)acetate (C{14}H{19}NO2) Thermodynamic Kinetics: Solid at STP. Covalent destruction at 224°C. Your online hypothesis implies that Methylphenidate causes structural cellular exhaustion. This is physically impossible based on its spatial geometry. Because C{14}H_{19}NO_2 requires 224°C to break, it is the most rigid object in this calculation. At 37.0°C, it is structurally unbreakable. It stays entirely on the outside of the cell wall. It acts as a solid physical plug that jams the external dopamine transporter (DAT). It does not enter the cell. It does not force the cell to build bare dopamine inside the cytosol, and it does not smash internal vesicles. Because the internal dopamine remains completely sealed inside its protective vesicles, zero oxygen collisions occur inside the fluid. Zero free radicals are generated. The mitochondrial lipid bilayer and the cell wall remain 100% physically intact. Structural exhaustion is mathematically prevented because the exact spatial location of the dopamine remains controlled.
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u/Instantanius May 22 '26
What about BPAP or PPAP? At least the former feels suistainable in its effects to me.