Hi there, new to forum, and a snus tip

[raptor]

Just curious - if you artificially alter the dopamine production in your brain this way, can it be reversed? There are certain drugs such as methamphetamine that can permanently alter your brain chemistry. l-tyrosine is an amino acid so I am wondering if this might be different in regards to permanent harm.

I'm not an expert at brain chemistry, but pathways that are turned off for whatever reason (i.e. lots of intermediate L-tyrosine floating around) are difficult to turn back on (cells need to reactivate specific transcription factors to rebuild those missing enzymes). Some are permanent but I don't think it would be in this case.

[jagmanss]

You can easily make a strong argument that most all drugs are safe in moderation. The problem is that with many drugs there is a very fine line in between moderation and abuse. I cannot help but wonder if you can become addicted to these dopamine fixes and get to the point where you feel like crap unless you are doing this. So now you would have dopamine and nicotine to worry about. If someone really wants to get a dopamine fix then perhaps they should take up running.



Interesting. I googled l-tyrosine and you can actually buy l-tyrosine caps with vitamin b in them.

Like i said before...I do know for a fact that smoking ciggs raises your dopamine level in your brain or should say high jacks it over the long term this is another reason it is hard for long term smokers to quit smoking

[raptor]

Are we talking improved mental acuity here and/or speeded-up heart palpitations?

I'm trying to visualize the 'buzz' you talk about; not all buzzes are equal.

Is the absorption of nicotine, itself, enhanced by the use of this tyrosine/B6 combo?

What he's doing is upping the available pool of dopamine by taking tyrosine and B6 (which is a coenzyme for the last enzymatic step in L-dopamine production, Dopa decarboxylase). It results in a complementary effect where nicotine upregulates dopamine production while there's a lot of tyrosine available. Nicotine absorption isn't affected, only an amplification of the net euphoric effect from increased dopamine production.

The beef I have with this is that this could in turn influence dopaminergic neurons to downregulate the L-tyrosine pathway, leading to a dependence on tyrosine supplements, else you'll suffer from low dopamine levels. This is probably reversible but not without great effort and pain.

[raptor]

Also this thread sounds like a damn advertisement.

[GoVegan]

Also this thread sounds like a damn advertisement.

That's what I thought at first. It is an interesting thread though and at least he isn't advocating slamming heroin while using 2 sterks.

[jagmanss]

My question is does snus affect dopamine levels or release dopamine?

[raptor]

Nicotine indirectly causes increased release of dopamine, which stimulates further dopamine production as dopamine is degraded after release.

[jagmanss]

Nicotine indirectly causes increased release of dopamine, which stimulates further dopamine production as dopamine is degraded after release.

Thanks raptor, That's the info i was looking for, But would you say that smoking cigarettes causes an even more increased release of dopamine due to it's fast delivery

[raptor]

No problem, I haven't studied neurotransmission in a while.

For cigarette smoking, the nicotine enters the bloodstream at the lungs which is immediately pumped into the brain. You don't get a lot of nicotine overall, but it's a quick concentration spike which leads to fast dopamine release. Unlike snus, which provides a steady absorption of nicotine, cigarette nicotine is metabolized and filtered into urine, so the euphoria doesn't last very long without chain smoking.

[snusgetter]

No problem, I haven't studied neurotransmission in a while.

For cigarette smoking, the nicotine enters the bloodstream at the lungs which is immediately pumped into the brain. You don't get a lot of nicotine overall, but it's a quick concentration spike which leads to fast dopamine release. Unlike snus, which provides a steady absorption of nicotine, cigarette nicotine is metabolized and filtered into urine, so the euphoria doesn't last very long without chain smoking.

I've got a brother who chain-smokes (and chain-coughs) and he won't quit the sticks.
I've offered him snus and Stonewalls to no avail.

But now I know why he chain-smokes, even if he doesn't.
His moods are not so cranky while chain-smoking; otherwise he's King Grumpy!!
I'd tell him about the tyrosine/B6 combo but I'm afraid he wouldn't take the
suggestion to use it with snus and would only end up fortifying his stick-hits.

[CoderGuy]

I've got a brother who chain-smokes (and chain-coughs) and he won't quit the sticks.
I've offered him snus and Stonewalls to no avail.

But now I know why he chain-smokes, even if he doesn't.
His moods are not so cranky while chain-smoking; otherwise he's King Grumpy!!
I'd tell him about the tyrosine/B6 combo but I'm afraid he wouldn't take the
suggestion to use it with snus and would only end up fortifying his stick-hits.

Wow, so when did you hook up with my dad? You just described him exactly LOL (except he also throws in the "I have dentures so I can't use portions" excuse as well)

[c.nash]

Wow, so when did you hook up with my dad? You just described him exactly LOL (except he also throws in the "I have dentures so I can't use portions" excuse as well)

My dad is the same way without the dentures. I've given him snus, he's tried it and didn't hate it but continued to smoke. Gave him 100 stonewalls and he's taken one.

[snusgetter]

Wow, so when did you hook up with my dad? You just described him exactly LOL (except he also throws in the "I have dentures so I can't use portions" excuse as well)

HA! My bro hasn't worn his in years!! Says they don't feel right and
refuses to even check out the newer models.

My old man was the same way but he managed to scrape down his
favorite peanuts with his fingernails; bro, somehow has nibbled his
nails down to nothing () and I don't see him often enough to see
what he actually nibbles on snack-wise.

He sure do love his mashed potatoes and popsicles, though!

[jagmanss]

No problem, I haven't studied neurotransmission in a while.

For cigarette smoking, the nicotine enters the bloodstream at the lungs which is immediately pumped into the brain. You don't get a lot of nicotine overall, but it's a quick concentration spike which leads to fast dopamine release. Unlike snus, which provides a steady absorption of nicotine, cigarette nicotine is metabolized and filtered into urine, so the euphoria doesn't last very long without chain smoking.

I've got a brother who chain-smokes (and chain-coughs) and he won't quit the sticks.
I've offered him snus and Stonewalls to no avail.

But now I know why he chain-smokes, even if he doesn't.
His moods are not so cranky while chain-smoking; otherwise he's King Grumpy!!
I'd tell him about the tyrosine/B6 combo but I'm afraid he wouldn't take the
suggestion to use it with snus and would only end up fortifying his stick-hits.

Well at least i now know why I chain smoked... Hell !!! I was 2 pack a day chain smoker and if I had drinks on the weekend it would be 3 pack a day weekend. I was grumpy as hell if i went somewhere and couldn't smoke. I always hated those non-smokers waving their hand when I was outside in A designated area... Never really knew until I tried to quit... Smoking blinds people to the real truth about it.. I myself hated someone trying to tell me a new way to quit or you need to quit.. The more you try to make a smoker quit the more they want to smoke.. It's the way it works, It plays with your mind conscious and especially the sub-conscious... the euphoria is what it want's..... The Only problem is smokers don't know this ....

I once was blind, But now I see

And even though you see, You still want... Because the sub-conscious mind says you do..

[endity]

Welcome :0 What made me make the leap from smoking to snus was building up my will power. I did as much negative research on side affects of smoking, chemicals added ect. The final thing that told me that I had to quit was a article about them adding a radon type thing to the soil? It's been so long since I looked this up so its a little fuzzy, but the thought of injesting radiation pumped md up to where I would rather die from not smoking and feeling like shit than do that.