high dopamine

[searching_for_help]

So I'm just now becoming aware of high dopamine playing a part in PANDAS. My dd has shown high dopamine on 2 separate tests. (She has PANDAS, OCD, anorexia, extreme anxiety and intrusive thoughts)

 

The Great Plains Lab showed high HVA/VMA ratio, and explained that:

 

"the most common reason for an elevation of the HVA/VMA ratio is the decreased conversion of dopamine to norepinephrine and epinephrine. (She's high in dopamine and low in norepinephrine.)The enzyme responsible for this conversion, dopamine betahydoxylase, is copper and vitamin C dependent, so an elevated ratio could be due to deficiencies of these cofactors. (She is deficient in copper and Vitamin C, and showed high in zinc on a hair test- yeah, weird for an anorexic to be high in zinc!.) Another common factor is inhibition of this enzyme by Clostidia byproducts. A high HPHPA, 4-Cresol, or other elevations of metabolites would be consistent with the latter explanation." (She's high in HPHPA - marker for clostridia overgrowth.)

 

Under the HPHPA, the lab said that high levels are associated with behavioral, GI and/or neuropsychiatric effects, and that Clostridia overgrowth can be controlled by probiotics supplemention - specifically Culturelle and Saccharomyces boulardii.

 

So, we are already supplementing for the copper/vit. C, and she has been taking Culturelle, Sach. Boul, and other probiotics for a while. Not seeing any improvement. We are also treating with Nystatin and Doxycycline for mycoP and yeast.

 

So my question is, the anxiety is so awful and we're all so tired. I think we need a bandaid for the high dopamine until we can get everything else working correctly. I'd prefer herbal, but am willing to try anything. Has anyone had any luck trying to bring down dopamine? And if so, what has helped?

 

Has anyone had experience with Wellbutrin? Also saw that Magnolia Bark might be of help. Her anxiety has been extreme for many years, and the intrusive thoughts never let up. Any ideas would be appreciated.

[3bmom]

Have you done diet? My DS had the anorexia component too. When not in a flare I never noticed Dairy being an issue except for occasional exscema. When we went dairy free we saw a huge improvement. When we continued with diet and did Paleo diet it was night and day.

 

Last week I had lunch with a friends daughter who struggled with anxiety, ADD, mood swings and C-diff for years. She had gone Paleo and felt great and is now off all meds.

 

I know I sound like a broken record but the GMO food and Round up pesticide that is used with it destroys the gut bacteria thereby rendering the immune system dysfunctional. It does this by chelating (holding) important minerals till they die. Our intestinal flora has a Shikimate Pathway that is disrupted creating havoc on the immune system and inflammation.

 

Many believe this is the first Domino that then takes a path based on your genetics. A pig study in Austrailia showed GMO fed animals no longer have intestines that are usable for sausage casings because they dissolve in your hands. This makes sense based on allergies and food sensitivities that are now leaking thru our gut into the bloodstream and activating an immune response.

 

I have heard others do well on the GAPS diet too. Diet is not as hard as you might think and each little step helps remove a layer. Slow and steady works too.

[Rachel]

According to a recent test, my ds has high dopamine, glycine, glutamate, histamine, norephinephrine, and Kynurenic Acid. This test was from Pharmasan labs. I just got the results the other day. My son's dopamine levels at one time were very high but are only 7 points out of range on this test. His Serotonine is finally in the middle of the range. At one time his serotonion was not measureable. My son has vocal tics also. Last year his vocal tics got really bad. He was on clonsapam and it just stopped working. We saw a new neurologist and she looked at all his neurotransmitter testing. She put my son on Intuniv. His tics are well controlled and this medication also helps regulate serotinon and dopamine levels in the brain. I will be having a phone conference to go over all the new testing that I have just gotten back. I will share any new information for trying to lower these other levels. I really think the Intuniv has helped with his serotinon and dopamine levels. I hardly ever hear his vocal tic unless he gets sick. Hope this information helps.

[searching_for_help]

3bmom - I'm sure a diet change would be helpful, but she is extremely rigid about what she eats - every calorie is counted (and I do mean EVERY calorie). Literally, she'll argue over a Zylitol packet with 2 calories... At this point she IS eating, (although I wish she'd eat enough to gain), but whenever I try and make changes to her meal plan, the anxiety around it all is so extreme (completely irrational) that I'm afraid she'll quit eating again. She's so tired from all of this - she has stopped eating from all the stress before, and we just can't go through that again. I'm convinced if we could somehow help her anxiety, she'd be able to make the changes she needs to on her own. She knows it's completely irrational, but the fear and anxiety she feels are horrible.

 

I agree with you that the gut is a big issue - I think it's why there is such a big increase in autoimmune disorders. Just wish she was able to make those changes. We need a "bandaid" - something to lower the dopamine and lessen the anxiety - and then she can hopefully make the diet changes she needs for complete healing.