Dopamine breakdown is blocked by MAO-B inhibitors (like selegiline) and COMT inhibitors, while its reuptake is blocked by Dopamine Reuptake Inhibitors (DRIs) (like methylphenidate, bupropion) and NDRIs (Norepinephrine-Dopamine Reuptake Inhibitors), all increasing available dopamine by preventing enzymes or transporters from clearing it from synapses.
Antiemetic drugs that are dopamine antagonists
Monoamine oxidases (MAOs) are oxidoreductases that deaminate catecholamines. In dopaminergic axons, released dopamine (DA) is taken up from the extracellular space, where it is recycled into vesicles or degraded by MAO.
Some of the most common include: Bupropion (Wellbutrin) Dexmethylphenidate (Focalin) Methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta)
Dopamine receptor damage: Drugs like marijuana, heroin, and opioid painkillers can damage the brain's dopamine receptors. Using such a drug will change your mood temporarily by affecting your natural dopamine production.
Some of the most commonly used are metoclopramide (Reglan), prochlorperazine (Compazine), droperidol (Inapsine), and promethazine (Phenergan). The major adverse neuropsychiatric effects seen with these medications are acute dystonias, akathisia, parkinsonian symptoms, and neuroleptic malignant syndrome.
Crystal meth releases more dopamine in the brain compared to any other drug. Dopamine is a brain neurotransmitter that serves a number of functions, including the feeling of pleasure. When crystal meth leads to a powerful surge of dopamine in the brain, people feel motivated to seek it out again and again.
Dopamine antagonists are drugs that bind to and block dopamine receptors (on the receiving nerve cell) in your brain. This means they block or stop dopamine from being received by the next nerve cell. Many antipsychotic drugs are dopamine antagonists.
Dopamine levels are most depleted by chronic stress, poor sleep, lack of protein/nutrients, obesity, and excessive sugar/saturated fats, which desensitize receptors and impair production; substance misuse (like cocaine) and certain health conditions (like Parkinson's) also directly damage dopamine systems, reducing its availability. Unhealthy lifestyle habits, especially those involving processed foods and lack of sleep, significantly deplete this crucial neurotransmitter.
Vitamin D has been identified as a key factor in dopaminergic neurogenesis and differentiation. Consequently, developmental vitamin D (DVD) deficiency has been linked to disorders of abnormal dopamine signalling with a neurodevelopmental basis such as schizophrenia.
Low dopamine symptoms often involve a lack of motivation, pleasure (anhedonia), and energy, leading to fatigue, mood changes like depression/anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and a reduced sex drive, alongside physical issues such as sleep problems, muscle stiffness, tremors, and slow movement (like in Parkinson's).
Dopamine is broken down into inactive metabolites by a set of enzymes—monoamine oxidase (MAO), catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT), and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), acting in sequence. Both isoforms of monoamine oxidase, MAO-A and MAO-B, effectively metabolize dopamine.
Several studies have shown that serotonin inhibits dopaminergic activity. Recent research, shows that activation of serotonergic cells can activate dopaminergic neurons, via glutamatergic co-transmission and 5-HT3 receptors.
Dopamine is released in your brain when you achieve something or do something fun. The good feeling that dopamine gives you after pleasant experiences, including eating nice food, having sex, winning a game and earning money, can also happen after drinking alcohol and using illicit drugs.
Causes and Symptoms of Low Dopamine
For example, an injury to the part of the brain that makes dopamine can cause a deficiency. You may also experience the symptoms of low dopamine if your body doesn't respond appropriately to it, such as when there are specific problems with nerve cells.
Enzymatic and non-enzymatic oxidation of dopamine generates reactive oxygen species, which induces apoptotic cell death in dopamine neurons. Parkinson's disease (PD) is also caused by selective cell death of dopamine neurons in this brain region.
Cocaine and MA have both been shown to disrupt the dopamine neurotransmitter system—cocaine indirectly and MA both directly and indirectly (Ashok et al., 2017). Both cocaine and MA can inhibit the reuptake and release of dopamine by the presynaptic neuron, resulting in excess dopamine in the synaptic gap.
Brain hack : The 2 minute rule - Do something for 2 minutes before deciding if you want to continue doing it. Your motivation to do a hard task depends on the dopamine level in your brain. Now the trick is to kick start movement, and then let the brain's natural motivation cycle kick in.
Therefore, using supplements to boost dopamine could prove beneficial for your mental health.
In the brain, cocaine elevates dopamine levels, resulting in a euphoric feeling that is distinctive from the high and pleasurable feelings produced by other drugs.
Addictive drugs that increase dopamine include:
Perphenazine is a relatively high potency phenothiazine that blocks dopamine 2 (D2) receptors predominantly but also may possess antagonist actions at histamine 1 (H1) and cholinergic M1 and alpha 1 adrenergic receptors in the vomiting center leading to reduced nausea and vomiting.
Adopting a diet rich in magnesium and tyrosine, the building block of dopamine. Foods that boost dopamine include chicken, almonds, apples, green tea, avocados, and more. Engaging in dopamine-increasing activities like exercise, meditation, and spending time in nature.
Serotonin and dopamine sometimes work together, but these brain chemicals can also have opposite effects. For example, dopamine can enhance that reward-driven behavior, like impulsively going for another slice of pie, whereas serotonin helps inhibit those more impulsive behaviors that seek the dopamine-mediated reward.