Naturally boosting dopamine

So my understanding is that dopamine is lower in ADHDer's than most . Is there anyway to boost dopamine naturally besides food?

[STEM_Dad]

Yes, the are actually many ways to get a dopamine "boost".

Healthy ways to increase besides food include exercise (as simple as going on a walk or jogging in place), caffeine (not to excessive amounts), doing things you enjoy (such as hobbies), having fun, time with friends and loved ones. Accomplishing an action towards a goal, or even checking items off your To-Do list, can stimulate dopamine release.

Sex also gives people a good boost of dopamine (but I wouldn't suggest just seeking out sex, but rather if you're in a healthy sexual relationship, appreciate that dopamine release is one of the benefits).

This video from the HowToADHD YouTube channel gives some good ideas, with just Jessica McCabe and featuring information from Eric Tivers of the ADHD reWired podcast (both of whom have ADHD, themselves):

youtu.be/-6WCkTwW6xg(Not working as expected?)

And if you want to get really in-depth, and a deeper understanding of the science, check out this info from the website for the Huberman Lab podcast, hosted by Stanford professor and researcher Dr. Andrew Huberman:

hubermanlab.com/adhd-and-ho...

[valeofraritan]

Dopamine gets the attention because it's relatively simple to understand a happy brain chemical for the lay person most of us have heard of it. Dopamine's hardly the only neurotransmitter involved, which is why drugs that work on norepinepherine (non stimulant meds) work better than stimulants for some ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › pmc › articles › PMC4699255. Here's a short and dirty on ADHDadditudemag.com/adhd-neuros... There's also the issue that the ADHD brain matures far more slowly than non-ADHD brains, so there are smaller brain structures (hippocampus, ie) and even synapses that never form or are short (synapses are the pathways neurotransmitters 'travel" on - if there's no pathway or the path doesn't get to the synapse, the neurochemical message isn't transmitted or received). Research changes relatively often, as science does, so the understanding of what ADHD is and how it works changes, too. If you can stand the really dry reading in more scientific papers, you can find tons of National Institutes of Health papers on different ADHD related issues.

[Hidden in reply to valeofraritan]

I absolutely loved all this info and the back up. Please feel free to send me anything you deem relevant and your perspectives on them. Very interesting thank you.

[valeofraritan in reply to Hidden]

Personally, I find ADDitude a far better, more accessible in terms of my comprehension and readability, than CHADD. Always did. You get to know your own learning. When I feel particularly able to pay attention, I can delve into the NIH articles. A suggestion for those beginning their ADD/ADHD journey: find a Neurologist or Neurospychiatrist rather than a GP or Psychiatrist, if you can. I was lucky. Mine got diagnosed way back in 4th grade bc I was literally bouncing off the walls in school, so the school sent me for the entire litany of testing with professionals. That's how I got the neurologist I had for decades.

[MTA-]

Try L-tyrosine. You can get it from most health supplement shops. But check with your doctor first, it might have weird interactions with meds you're already on.

Before I was diagnosed, I took it, and I didn't know myself when it kicked in. Made a huge difference. I don't take it now, because I am actually on two dopamine meds, but if I needed a boost, that's where I'd look first

[ForrestGreen]

Try a different medicine. Google them they show you which one has more norephedrine vs amphetamine. You have to refuel the tank, excercise helped me dramatically...I still need help but look up Russell Barkley..I have never heard someone explain everything so well.