Taking Supplements to Cure Addiction

Author: rob

Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 12:15 pm

I am no medical doctor or something like that.

English is not my native language and so it’s extra hard for me to write about medical or scientific topics. There are a lot of medical expressions which are not often used in usual conversations. I cannot express what I want to say because the words are missing… I hope you will understand what I want to say.

Does the ingestion of L-Dopa (alone) really change something in the brain? My thoughts are:
People with parkinson disease get L-Dopa. It crosses the BBB. That is why those people get it. But I think L-Dopa already gets metabolized to dopamine before it reaches the brain.
And that is why those people do not get just L-Dopa alone. I think they also will get a decarboxylase-inhibitor. (decarboxylase-inhibitor? I don’t know the english word and have to guess. Hope you understand.)
So I think, all the Mucuna pruriens extract supplements sold on the internet are completely worthless. The L-Dopa in it will be converted to dopamine before it reaches the brain and that will not cross the BBB anymore. Is that right?
And would it be possible to drink a lot of tea in oder to prevent L-Dopa from getting metabolized to early?

This sounds true but nevertheless there are maybe some aminoacids or other supplements that could change something and maybe help with withdrawal.
What about phenylalanine? L-phenylalanine is part of synthesis of "adrenalin" (probably you call it epinephrine in English), "noradrenalin" (probably: norepinephrine), serotonine, … and other hormons. But what about D-phenylalanine or the racemate? Maybe that could help to alleviate pain in withdrawal? It is said to be an enkephalinase inhibitor. I have never tried it. I searched online but I couldn’t find any experiences by people who took it.
But I found some studies. Here are 3 examples but there are even more studies on that topic:
Ehrenpreis S.: Pharmacology of enkephalinase inhibitors: animal and human studies. Acupunct Electrother Res. 1985;10(3):203-8.
Halpern LM, Dong WK.: D-phenylalanine: a putative enkephalinase inhibitor studied in a primate acute pain model. Pain. 1986 Feb;24(2):223-37.
Ehrenpreis S.: D-phenylalanine and other enkephalinase inhibitors as pharmacological agents: implications for some important therapeutic application. Acupunct Electrother Res. 1982;7(2-3):157-72.
Unfortunately I have no access to the complete study texts. I just can read the abstracts and so it is impossible for me to say something to the quality of those studies.

The advertisements for all those aminoacids sold on the internet promise that the products are precursors for dopamine, serotonine, etc and that you would feel better with more of these. This may be the true if someone is ill. (But better go to a doctor if you have parkinson-disease, schizophrenia, … than eating those supplements.)
But if my understanding of withdrawal is true, then the problem is not the lack of dopamine/serotonine/… I looks like the problem is too much norepinephrine (in locus coeruleus, not in serum). And then neurotransmitter-precursor-supplements seem to be the wrong way. Something that decreases norepinephrine probably would help. Isn’t that the way clonidine/lofexidine alleviate withdrawal symptoms?
I don’t know any supplement/plant/herb which could do this… Would be interesting… Is there a norepinephrine decreasing plant? Lofexidine is not available in Germany. It seems that you can get it only in the UK. And my doctor doesn’t want to give me clonidine (Should only be used in hospital and not for withdrawal at home without controlling bloodpressure, she said).
Although this would surely be an interesting discussion – back to topic.
I searched online and found something else.
Another amino acid that seems to have effect on withdrawal symptoms is Kynurenin (again I don’t know the english word. Hope kynurenin is right). It’s an amino acid and precursor for kynurenic acid, a non-selective excitatory amino acid antagonist. NMDA receptor antagonist. Seems to help with opioid withdrawal. But seems to be not able to cross BBB after oral ingestion…
Rasmussen K, Krystal JH, Aghajanian GK.: Excitatory amino acids and morphine withdrawal: differential effects of central and peripheral kynurenic acid administration. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 1991;105(4):508-12.
But I don’t know if it is available in form of a usuable supplement.

And then I found another amino acid which maybe could help:
Sener AI, Ceylan ME, Koyuncuoglu H.: Comparison of the suppressive effects of L-aspartic acid and chlorpromazine + diazepam treatments on opiate abstinence syndrome signs in men. Arzneimittelforschung. 1986 Nov;36(11):1684-6.

In Germany I have never heard of those detox therapies where they give you masses of vitamins and aminoacids. An internet search shows me that this sometimes is done in the US.
And I found many postings on internet forums where people advise others to take vitamines, minerals and amino acids for the control of cravings and withdrawal.
Unfortunately I haven’t found any experience reports where people tried to take all that amino acid supplements. Nobody writes about his inpatient treatment with amino acids.
I think it won’t help but why aren’t there any experience reports when people are so often adviced to take amino acids on internet forums?
When it is said to work, why does nobody try it? When someone writes in an internet forum that smoking dogshit makes you high, then next day there surely will be a lot of postings from idiots who tried it. Why is nothing to find about all those aminoacid and vitamine-therapies?

EDIT (addendum):
I found a study about supplementation with the amino acid tryptophan. Actually it seems that the intake of dietry supplements can do more than I thought. Unfortenately again I only have access to the short abstract and cannot read the full text.
Seltzer S, Marcus R, Stoch R.: Perspectives in the control of chronic pain by nutritional manipulation. Pain. 1981 Oct;11(2):141-8.