dl-phenylalanine, anyone?

its an amino acid supplement. I -was- going to get SunTheanine (its L-theanine, from a well-respected company...they fund studies, do quality control, etc.), but this stuff was on super-sale, and...

ugh. now, I have hundreds of 500mgs/capsules to work with. LOL. at least I got free shipping.

the 'alternative' people say...helpful in pain problems, add/adhd, some forms of depression. not to be used in cases of ongoing TD, because somehow the tics get worse (weird). Thankfully, I don't have TD or any EPS, so...off to the races.

take on an empty(ish) stomach, at least 1/2 hour before eating food. cap dosage at less than 5,000mgs/daily. these are the only solid suggestions I've found, aside from some 70s-80s psych research that found low doses worked about as well as Tofranil. Well...

I've tried some, it seems mildly stimulating, no probs...and maybe it did as well as Tofranil because it doesn't wreak havoc on the body, as TCA drugs often do? I dunno.

so...anyone have tips, suggestions, experiences, etc.?

Hey There!

Always great to have you posting!

I have heard of dl-phenalanine. I was seeing an orthomolecular M.D. in the late 80's. He had suggested use for the very same reasons you have listed.
It gave me headaches, for some reason.

I had just written a very small post on L-Theanine in the BP check-in thread. I had mentioned you as someone who mentions this amino acid in some of your posts.
I am in a hurry, or I would leave a link to that post here for you. It does not say anything you do not already know.
Yes, I have read the same about SunTheanine.

It's great to have you posting!
Take care!

Let us know how it goes for you. Good luck!!

ok...so...

im doing stuff, now, that requires a good bit more concentration, so i looked up the add/adhd dosage. oh, and the -very- limited info i could find included a pain management booster schedule (I'm thinking the idea is opioids+dl-phenylalanine=more complete relief, something like that), so...I took that into consideration, too, and...

yes! yes, yes, yes. no jitters (this, despite my relatively heavy caffeine intake...its that damned arabica, I'm telling you...), no tics or weirdness, no bad psych stuff...in fact, the 1st couple times, i took a -deep- and glorious mid-day nap...

me likey, clearly. i mean, its kinda tricksy, since I'm loaded up on vitamins that require food (b-complex, natural form E, minerals) intake to also throw in something that does best on an empty stomach, but...well worth it.

i had some extra taurine lying around. since I've gone from grams/daily of B3 in the form of niacinamide to just the couple hundred/mgs in the b-100s, I decided to throw it into the mix, too (taurine also acts on GABA, somehow, plus it has some antioxidant super powers...), and...yes. yes, yes, yes.

i take 20mgs Prozac, daily....that mellows out the rough edges a whole lot, but this stuff seems to softly, gently brighten mood and help a bit with concentration. the dl-phenylalanine by itself would probably -not- be sufficient for lifting my mood, but with the ongoing Rx...

i think I'm a fan, actually. :-)

Hi!

I am always very interested in your posts.

Both you and I have done a lot of searching for helpful vitamins/supplements and alternative meds, too.

I feel I must tell you that your posts, so far, on this thread are likely very difficult for people to decipher.
I can decipher some of what you share, only because I already know about the use of the supplements you mention.

I am grateful for you and for your input, always.
I am grateful you have mentioned : dl-phenalanine, l-taurine (precursor to GABA) and l-theanine,(specifically, SunTheanine).
I am sure you'd like to maximize the understanding/use of all you share.

I hope you will keep posting. You offer a lot of potentially helpful information to all.
You also jog my memory and put me back on track sometimes!

Much Love to You, my friend!

hi. ok, so dl-phenylalanine (DLPA) is a mix of amino acids. I don't know tons about it, just...it kinda helps concentration, my mood is even...but even on a slightly -brighter- note...and its super cheap (did I mention the sale? and free shipping?). like any other amino acid...try to take on an empty stomach, give it 30mins-1 hour before you consume food, etc.

taurine is another amino acid. small studies indicate that it may help psychosis, when used with an antipsychotic. the dosage used in those studies was...4 grams/daily, maybe? to put that into perspective, I think there's 1 gram or so in a Red Bull (I could easily be wrong). it does lots of things, and is apparently quite safe...has some antioxidant properties, seems to help me calm down a bit, and a dermatologist told me it probably helps hair loss, somehow (true story...does something to keep those follicles healthy).

niacinamide (B3) is a form of niacin that does not lower cholesterol (bummer) and also does not cause a ridiculous, hi-intensity flush (good thing). shrinks in the 50-70s made use of it to help anxiety, agitation, stress, depression...all the way up to The Schizophrenias (under their diagnostic criteria, most "severely Bipolar" people would have a form of Schizophrenia). niacinamide has some antioxidant effects...ideally, any form of B3 in high doses should be taken with hi-dose vitamin C, according to 'alternative health' people...this is supposed to reduce the risk of liver problems.

so, i ditched the B3, ramped up my vitamin C intake, and then added in DLPA, because...well, I need a bit of help in staying on task. I tried mixing in taurine because a) I have 3 bottles or so, just lying around and b) the data for its use in more severe psych issues is becoming more and more promising, so...probably a good idea.

and there you go. :-)

Whir..... That's the sound of these posts flying over my head.

sorry :-(

not trying to sound like an 'expert' -- I am far, far from all that-- its just...I got into 'alternative' mental health when 'standard treatment' bit me in the ***. true story. so now...i take supplements and i take the Rx, no TD, no EPS, more mileage out of the Rx, and...

life is much, much better. :-)

Don't be sorry! Your knowledge is impressive and it shows how much work you've done to find solutions that can work for you. I think that is truly fantastic. Your posts show me how much I could learn with more time and research. That's a good thing I am also interested in alternatives and I think you have a lot to offer the community in that regard.