L-Tyrosine and DLPA Supplements

[saidinstouch]

I was wondering if anyone here has experience with either of these two supplements. DLPA is a mix of D and L phenylalanine that is a step above L-tyrosine in neurotransmitter production. It also is believed to help slow the destruction of endorphins (our natural painkilling molecules). L-tyrosine is used to provide energy as well as pain relief in some people.

Lately I have been suffering from low low energy levels and have been thinking these might help me out. I also since my surgery in April have realized that the vicodin made me feel more "normal" in the sense that my energy levels were elevated and my ability to interact with people socially was improved. In trying to find out why that was (and to be sure I was/wasn't addicted) I found out about these two supplements. At first it was on a website dedicated to people with an endorphin deficiency (which isn't a recognized disease, but is a believable problem) and then on websites talking about both stopping vicodin and dealing with pain and energy levels as an alternative to narcotics.

Since I have stopped my usual activity levels in high school where I was on the track team and because of the various bouts of pain I have had in the last year, I am wondering if my endorphin levels are low. It would explain why up until maybe a couple years ago vicodin never made me feel anything at all, but now it is a noticeable euphoria 30 minutes after followed by just feeling more like I did back in high school.

So my question is: has anyone used either of these supplements (alone or together...my reading suggests taking half as much if you take together. I would take together since not all DLPA becomes L-tyrosine and it has benefits not seen in L-tyrosine and the L-tyrosine is a more direct route to energy and pain relief) for managing pain and/or energy levels? If so, did you find these supplements to be effective and how much were you taking?

Any information to supplement the research I have put in would be welcome. Also, what other supplements have people tried for pain/energy management to combat the pain and fatigue that crohns so often gives us?

I have an order with both supplements arriving in a day or two and will post my experiences with both supplements if I remember to here for others. Right now my pain levels aren't too bad even as I am mostly off the vicodin. However, my energy levels are in the toilet so I will at least be able to comment on that and the pain that lately has accompanied a bowel movement.

 

[saidinstouch]

Day two of the supplements and I must say this morning was a lot easier to wakeup and get going immediately (yesterday I took the l-Tyrosine around noon and it gave me decent energy for the rest of the day). It isn't like a rush of energy or anything like that, but my brain feels clearer (no tired haze) and walking around just feels a lot easier for me. I actually started working right when I arrived rather than wasting an hour on the computer to start today.

I'm hoping this is a good sign of things to come in dealing with my energy issues. I won't know much about how they work for pain, unless I develop my old pain again in the next week or so. If I do and it goes away, it is possible the supplements helped since they can take up to 2-4 weeks to work from what I read. I am planning on starting to workout again which will help the supplements more since exercise aids in endorphin production and release and these supplements aid in endorphin and enkephalin production and protection (at least that is the belief). Ideally between the surgery and these more natural means of treating pain, I will be able to stay off the narcotics since I am dangerously close to getting addicted to vicodin (as in I can stop the medication when my doctors won't give me more, but I definitely enjoy them).

As a side note, today is day 2 of being off the vicodin after almost 2 months and normally when you are detoxing (even after taper) from vicodin, days 1-4 are filled with fatigue and I can tell you that is not the case right now.

I'll update again in a few days once I see if this is a placebo type effect where I believe it works so much that it does for a day or two and then after that it is gone. Or if this is a bone-a-fide response that lasts and keeps my energy levels up and my pain levels down.

If anyone is interested in which supplement brands I am taking, just PM if you are interested in looking into them. Make sure to consult a medical professional about these two supplements since they can affect blood pressure and pregnant mothers.

 

[gyoung27]

Low endorphin production in Crohn's Disease

Here's something you might find interesting. A study published in "Brain, Behavior, and Immunity" from 1994 found that beta-endorphin levels in people with Crohn's Disease are roughly half of everyone else, and could cause the systemic inflammation in the disease.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7865897[/url]

DPA will destroy the enzyme which breaks down your endorphins - allowing them to stay in your body longer, thus increasing your overall levels. You might also want to try low-dose naltrexone (LDN) which serves to boost your natural production of endorphins by up to 300%. More endorphins means less pain, inflammation, anxiety, and depression.

 

[gyoung27]

Low endorphin production in Crohn's Disease

Here's something you might find interesting. A study published in "Brain, Behavior, and Immunity" from 1994 found that beta-endorphin levels in people with Crohn's Disease are roughly half of everyone else, and could cause the systemic inflammation in the disease.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7865897

DPA will destroy the enzyme which breaks down your endorphins - allowing them to stay in your body longer, thus increasing your overall levels. You might also want to try low-dose naltrexone (LDN) which serves to boost your natural production of endorphins by up to 300%. More endorphins means less pain, inflammation, anxiety, and depression.