It's Time to Manage Dopamine Better

Dopamine is now mainstream with over 246,000 google searches a month. We know that much has been discussed about dopamine. You see it everywhere – books (i.e., Dopamine Nation, Dopamine Detox), podcasts, and in your daily social media scroll. Everyone seems to have something to say about it, including Dr. Andrew Huberman in his most-viewed podcast with more than six million views on YouTube alone. Huberman talks about being careful to not “over-dopamine” and re-set your dopamine receptors. To maintain dopamine sensitivity, maybe you don’t listen to music during one or two of your workouts, or don’t take a caffeinated preworkout prior to exercise. Maybe you just don’t take tyrosine daily. Huberman explains these actions can help keep you “dopamine sensitive,” for lack of a better word. So, how do we activate dopamine receptors without the crash?

TeaCrine?

What isn’t discussed on these podcasts or in these books is the fact that TeaCrine? was shown to preserve dopaminergic neurons in an animal model. This is crucial in the formulator world.

Dopamine is foundational to mood, learning and motivation. This is critical to formulators in sports or human optimization where you want to maximize the mind’s role in physical performance. Or, in stress-mood formulas where you want to optimize the consumer’s day by moving from anti-stress to pro-mood.

When we talk about dopamine in the supplement world, we’re mostly talking about tyrosine or mucuna pruriens, or tyrosine plus phenylalanine. If, for example, we are discussing dopamine in the “synthetic world,” we are often talking about drugs like nicotine or Adderall. There will always be ways to activate dopamine receptors whether naturally or synthetically, but it’s important to remember that there are two guarantees with dopamine that the consumer does not want to experience: the feeling of crashing afterward, or falling below baseline.

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If we do happen to ingest nicotine, Adderall, or scroll Instagram or TikTok too long, we can over-stimulate dopamine receptors and crash. One way to get back to baseline dopamine levels is by doing more of that activity, which is how addictions occur.

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Rather than crashing or allowing us to fall below baseline, use TeaCrine? to both activate the dopamine receptors and preserve them. This 2012 study and this 2020 study discuss how TeaCrine? activates dopamine receptors and preserves dopaminergic neurons. And what’s more: there is no crash with TeaCrine?.

Recently we’ve experienced “Tyrosine inflation.” For the past 20 years, common doses in products ranged from 500mg to 1000mg. Now we’re seeing dosing at 4000mg, and even 8000mg. It’s important to note that our body’s dopaminergic system is tightly regulated. Our body is constantly seeking homeostasis, so 4000mg isn’t necessarily better than 500mg or 1000mg. And is more always better? Maybe five ibuprofen are better than two? Maybe 100,000 cfu of probiotics is better than 5,000 cfu? Maybe 50 glasses of water are better than eight?

We don’t think so.

The key isn’t always more; it can be balance. TeaCrine? provides the formulation opportunity in balance – dopamine activation without the crash.

How to manage dopamine in formulation

If you are working with something like a nootropic, TeaCrine? is a direct D2 dopamine agonist. Caffeine indirectly activates dopamine receptors. The direct and indirect activation make TeaCrine? and caffeine a great combination. In physical performance, TeaCrine? and caffeine were actually shown to be synergistic. In formulas going beyond anti-stress and toward pro-mood (i.e. beyond ashwagandha or theanine), consider adding TeaCrine? with ashwagandha, theanine and/or magnesium.

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Here are a couple of brands that have found success using TeaCrine? to optimize dopamine activation.

BPN in focus ?

This cognitive enhancer by BPN works to improve your mood while increasing energy and focus. Formulated with both Dynamine? and TeaCrine?, working in harmony with a caffeine blend, BPN’s In-Focus is “loaded with critical brain nutrients to optimize neurotransmitter functioning and overall mood” without the dopamine crash or jitters.

Performix

Performix SST gives all-day energy, focus and a?thermogenic element. Designed with TeaCrine? and caffeine for the peak performance inside or out of the gym, the Terra Intelligent Dosing? allows for timed-release delivery, as well.

Watch Matt talk about dopamine on Formulator Minute: