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Need some guidance with neurotransmitters

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summer94

Messages
4
Ju did my 15 year olds profile on sterlings app, see results below.

I'm trying to deal mainly with the neuro part. These are symptoms we've dealt with his whole life, assuming he'd grow out of them. Well, he's not. Lack of impulse control, very easily agitated, socially "weird", but people like him, adhd, but not horrible. He just doesn't "get it". Slow on the uptake if you know what I mean. He's a "one upper", acts very full of himself, but I know he's insecure about how he "is" socially. Also can never accept blame, everything is always someone/something else's fault, ugh. Can be very annoying.

So I think I'm seeing some serotonin and GABA issues?? Am I correct? Where should I start with supplements? I'm thinking theanine, gaba and NAC? Thoughts?
 

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zzz

zzz

Senior Member
Messages
675
Location
Oregon
Of the three main mood neurotransmitters, serotonin seems most associated with confidence, and is therefore very useful for low self esteem issues. Never accepting blame is part of how insecurity manifests.

I'm not sure if GABA enters into this directly. If it does, drugs that are GABA agonists tend to work a lot better than just GABA supplements.

So I'm thinking an SSRI (sertraline (Zoloft) is good for most people as it has few side effects) and L-theanine as needed. Check with your doctor, of course. I'd see how these go before adding anything else.
 
X

xrunner

Senior Member
Messages
843
Location
Surrey
summer94 said:
So I think I'm seeing some serotonin and GABA issues?? Am I correct? Where should I start with supplements? I'm thinking theanine, gaba and NAC? Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Hi @summer94
It would be helpful for you to have some functional tests so you could see what factors may actually be causing the symptoms.
For e.g. some neurotrasmitters are dependent on methylation, so if you had a methylation pathways panel you could actually see if there was an actual problem there and then deal with it.
Another aspect for e.g. is metals such as mercury and lead which affect people both cognitively and emotionally.
Andy Cutler in his book Amalgam Illness talks about which tests may be helpful in this respect and how to prudently deal with detoxing.

Then infections, I just saw a presentation by Dr KdM where he talks about emotional symptoms due to Bartonella. Incidentally he mentioned that both Borrelia (Lyme disease) and Bartonella cause lower serotonin levels in the brain.

I personally wouldn't do anything until I had a clearer picture of what may be causing the symptoms that you described and would certainly refer to the help from an experienced doctor.
 
stridor

stridor

Senior Member
Messages
873
Location
Powassan, Ontario
Neuroscience does a urine analysis that checks for the metabolites of neurotransmitters and this will help to sort things out. "The Mood Cure" by Julia Ross is a very good introductory primer for natural approaches to altering mood. There are a lot of things to try before considering an SSRI.
 
zzz

zzz

Senior Member
Messages
675
Location
Oregon
heapsreal said:
I thought dopamine was the neurotransmitter that gave or improved confidence??
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There's certainly a lot of overlap between the mood neurotransmitters, and also, they have multiple functions. But to the extent it's involved with mood, dopamine tends to be involved with feelings of bliss, pleasure, and euphoria. For example, dopamine is centrally involved in the brain's reward system. When we do something that results in a positive result, dopamine is released so that we feel good about that result, reinforcing the behavior that caused it. Dopamine is also released at the time of orgasm.

From AddictScience.com:
Addictive drugs produce a high by overstimulating the brain’s reward system [and therefore causing it to release excessive amounts of dopamine].

The primary neurotransmitter in the Reward System is dopamine. If enough dopamine is released into the brain’s reward circuits, euphoria results.

Dopamine-based exhilaration is a common experience, at least partially responsible just about anytime one experiences pleasure. A hug, a kiss, a word of praise or a winning poker hand”1 can trigger a dopamine spike and pleasure.

1. Addiction is a Brain Disease, and It Matters, Science Magazine, October 3, 1997.
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