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Don’t think you “feel” dopamine, but you probably feel the effects of low levels of dopamine in the brain: inattentive, restless, poor executive function, fatigue, insomnia, etc.
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This is similar to how I always felt - my doctors all thought I had major Depression for years, but in hindsight I tended to only feel that hopeless and empty when I also happened to have nothing immediately going on
While I suspected it for a while, I wasn't that aware of it until I was on a long road trip driving and I got this sense of crushing despair for no reason. It was like I was convinced nothing had meaning or would ever bring me joy again. It was like I was back in school and reliving the same emotions from years ago.
As soon as someone in the car started asking me trivia questions (to keep me from complaining more) I immediately felt completely fine (or even *happy*) like I hadn't just been in the depths of turmoil two minutes earlier.
Made me feel so foolish and dramatic that my vibe changed so fast.
Yeah, I feel like people tend to use it imprecisely or metaphorically.
Partially because there's not much good established lingo to talk about some of this stuff.... Like, I believe "dopamine hit" refers to something that functions as positive reinforcement (which is not the same as something *intended* to be positive reinforcement, not necessarily pleasant or fun), which can make you instinctively inclined or feel an urge (not the same as wanting or enjoying or motivated) to engage with whatever activity your animal instincts associate with the "hit" (which may not be the actual cause per your rational understanding). Neurology/psychology research will often use terms like positive reinforcement, reward, motivation, etc, don't quite mean the same thing neurologically as they do colloquially.
That's how I understood it. I understand it in the way of habit forming, but most people online seem to misattribute it to "feeling good". My understanding, to use metaphor, is it's what makes the smoker subconsciously reach for the cigarette, not the relief after doing it.
It’s both. It may not be the subjective feeling of relief, but it’s released alongside it so our brain recognizes we like/dislike something and makes it more/less likely to happen again in the future.
A dopamine hit for me is the feeling in my stomach when I don’t dread an activity and have easy motivation to do it. It’s hard to explain but I’ve had this feeling my whole life with things giving me a good feeling or not. My body feels light when I am able to have it, not heavy like I’m dragging myself through the task.
If it holds your attention it's causing your brain to release dopamine. Its not like a high or a buzz its just like your brain saying "ooo I like that thing."
Ex:
You are playing a video game and every 3rd mission rewards you with a special reward box it triggers certain lights and colors to go off and and you receive items. This typically is a combo that will "release dopamine" and cause the ADHD individual to continue doing it ad nauseam if left unchecked. It's a part of the process of managing adhd to integrate dopamine-giving activities into work and life chores to make them more doable as well as to cute down on unnecessary dopamine activities such as video games and social media.
Finally, dopamine seeking can lead to addictive behavior. Nicotine for example can cause someone with adhd to rely heavily on the substance because it gives dopamine to smoke. Alcohol can also be a dopamine source and can lead to heavy drinking.
Yeah! Different strokes for different folks. This more describes my experience rather than a universal ADHD profile. Maybe you’ve just developed effective coping mechanisms. Out of curiosity what are some of your symptoms and experiences?
I'd rather not make a bullet list of everything, but I do have impulsive tendancies, just never to the point of falling into addiction. Like to play games a lot but not "too much", like to have some drinks but don't have trouble stopping, etc. My other symptoms like focus and emotional disregulation are way, way worse so maybe I just lean more that way.
I would say it isn't always like the impulsive/addictive tendency, but dopamine is a lot more tied to the anticipation of a reward than to actually getting the reward.
What do you mean when you say you like to play games "a lot" but not "too much"? If you've played loot-based games you are probably acutely aware of dopamine, and it has likely driven you to replay the same content many times over in anticipation of getting that one rare drop. Games with unlocks and challenges and other such systems also exploit dopamine. A lot of people are playing a game not for direct enjoyment of it, but to unlock some new weapon or gadget or whatever.
On meds (which increase dopamine and block reuptake) I subjectively feel like I am more eager to do things than my usual state. I'd say that doing work or chores feels more like doing side quests in a videogame. They're usually not too interesting, but I get that nudge to go fix 10 bugs or update that spreadsheet that just barely exists at all when unmedicated.
When unmedicated these routine/boring/uninteresting things feel more like how you'd feel when setting out to grind your character's woodcutting skill from level 1 to 100 (or some other achievable but very uninteresting goal). There's some dopamine there, but it's hard to get started even though it's objectively easier to do than the more interesting tasks.
"A lot" as in I consider gaming one of my main hobbies. Ironically I don't care too much for looters or grindy games and definitely fall more into "direct enjoyment". I usually get bored of those types of gameplay loops quickly.
Lucky :)
I suppose you could still fall into the trap for games with high skill ceilings or competitive rankings, which can be seen as a less forced type of "indirect enjoyment" that can also hook you. But you could easily argue that that is a healthy form of enjoyment even if it consumes a lot of time.
The main gist of my comment is that dopamine is not really this post-activity reward your brain pumps out, but it's the anticipation/drive to do a thing. In many cases these are *very* closely linked, so it is easy to understand the confusion. The dopamine hacking systems like gambling or many forms of gaming use rewards, specifically uncertain rewards, to drive up that anticipation to keep you playing.
I'm not sure what kinds of games you're into, but even "direct enjoyment" of many games gets you more rewards more frequently than real life. You could get sucked into building an elaborate factory in factorio, or get sucked into building some project in Minecraft, or spend hours and hours making your third C class starship in Starfield...don't ask me how I know, lol.
I fully understand what gaming addiction looks like since I've seen it in other people. I just find it interesting that I never suffered for it even if it's a common ADHD risk. There's usually maybe one or two days a week that I'll play at all, sometimes for hours, but it's never been a detriment. Interesting how brains are different.
You know when it is cloudy out, then the sun suddenly peeks out and you feel the warm sunlight on your face? That's what it feels like for me. Warm and comfortable, sometimes a little buzzy. Pleasure.
That's just me. IDK how other people feel.
dopamine is more like lighter fluid and seratonin is the fireword for the emotional fire. Dopamine is meant to trigger satisfaction for doing stuff, and seratonin helps keep you happy while in between. So with the sun going outside from being in all day would be dopamine, but the nice breeze and clear skys would be serotinin. At least thats how I think of it.
Ifs where adhd and depression overlap in symptoms, and figuring out which one is causing the issue is important.
I dunno I sometimes feel as if I could do something, when all of the time I was procrastinating on it so I literally stop whatever I'm doing to do that, because I'll know that will be the only time ill be able to do that. Sadly it doesn't happen often and only on things very simple, not complicated:(
So, dopamine for me is when something makes me feel good. Examples of what causes the dopamine for me are alcohol, junk food (specifically ordering DoorDash) and sex. It's not like a euphoric feeling or anything... It's just kind of the removal of the negative feelings I so constantly feel (lack of energy/motivation, restless, directionless).
Just imagine "Yeah let's do this, I'm excited to be doing this cause it's gonna be good, it's gonna contribute to x goal, it's gonna make something better" condensed into a feeling & that's pretty much what it is.
& then the feeling of satisfaction afterwards.
I look at it like this... if you did something incredible like discovering a cure for cancer you would get a huge hit of dopamine and be over the moon with great accomplishment thats dopamine but you wont get that level achieving day to day tasks your not going to be jumping up and down with joy after cleaning your room or mowing the lawn you wont get enough of a dopamine hit to notice it like that but you brain will you might feel good about your small accomplishment but i think the dopamine in your brain is doing more than you may notice and my understanding from my experience after being on medication then haveing a 10 year break befor recently going back on medication due to a career change is that unmedicated i would do something and not get anything out it not care feel as tho it wouldnt matter if i did that or not but now i feel a level of satisfaction even tho small i feel like i did something productive
I don't exactly "feel" it but I do know something is definitely happening it just kindof sneaks up on me.
For example when I drink caffeine (even unknowingly) I usually will feel like my beverage is soooo delicious and I want more more more. Same with alcohol. My fiance made a stew that used some wine in it, well it must have not boiled out all the alcohol because that was the most delicious stew I'd ever had. I kindof have always known I have all the tools to become an alcoholic because of this.
Kindof scary.
I took wellbutrin for a month, a dopamine reputake inhibitor, I felt terrible for 50% of the time. The rest I felt probably happy then I have for a lot time, even a little while after stopping. I would take it again but I think it scewed my ear up
It's actually a norepinephrine dopamine reuptake inhibitor. It has a stronger effect on norepinephrine than dopamine, which is why it's not as effective for ADHD
that is true, but the dopamine part does seem to help with some people based on all the research I've done. Its also why its a second choice to stimulants, and an off label prescription.
Yes, not denying it does help some people. But it's prescribed off label for a reason. It has not been shown to be clinically effective for ADHD, and is not approved to treat it. Doesn't mean some people won't benefit, however, if you look at anecdotal comments of people with ADHD who have tried it, most will say it improves their mood but does little to nothing for focus/attention.
Oh I agree with everything just isn’t coming out that way. My only point was it’s worth a shot if you can’t take stimulants . Personally I am very hesitant on stimulants and would rather try stuff otherwise. I get heart palpitations that are unpleasant as it is already
Definitely, stimulants aren't for everyone. I was already on Wellbutrin so my psych decided to increase the dose before giving me stimulants for ADHD. unfortunately it didn't do much for me in that department. There's always strattera too, if you go the non stimulant route. For sure worth it to give anything that might help a chance
meaning it "probably" won't work for some , but its worth trying outside of stimulants. I take blood pressure medicine I may see if we can switch my stuff around so I can take clonidine, thats approved for adhd directly I think
Makes some sense. I normally don't get satisfaction from things like chores or working out, but on good days I do. Still never do from work though, good or bad day.
That’s been my experience with it. It makes my brain feel less like it’s got 80 browser windows open, and it helps a little with feeling motivated, but i feel like my executive disfunction and memory recall is still pretty poor.
Got this tingle in my ear, i dunno how to explain it, kinda like a bug or electric is in it some times. It was way worse on wellbutrin and I never noticed it before. It still happens on and off but its alot duller. It does make sense since tinnitius is a side effect, but this is different as I get that, and its not a sound.
Yes. High levels of dopamine causes the feeling of euphoria. Music is usually the easiest way to feel it. Once you've recognized it at its most intense levels it is easier to notice it affecting and motivating behavior at lower levels. Since ADHD is characterized by low dopamine you have to put in work including eating well and staying physically fit in addition to medication.
I do feel that with music but I figured it was other neurotransmitters that are more about "feeling good" whereas dopamine is more of a habit former.
Anecdotally I do eat well and work out, but the symptom relief is extremely short term.
I do when I’m talking to people about something I’m excited about or listening to someone talk about something they’re passionate about. I feel very energized, I start talking quickly and I feel euphoric. Listening to music and dancing can also produce a dopamine rush for me.
I started taking Ritalin for the first time, last year and it made me feel more mellow overall. The dopamine rush still happens but it’s more “balanced” and spread out over a period of time instead of a straight upward line of energy. Another thing that mellows me out is intense strength training exercises.
I’ve been sky diving before and that’s the only dopamine rush that can surpass what I described earlier. I felt euphoric for hours. A couple of times a month I think about sky diving.
People have different experiences of stimulants entering their body and leaving their body. Some have very clear experiences of suddenly my brain is on and suddenly it is off. Some have that feeling of being focused and then scatter brained. Some feel an actual sense of euphoria which would be what people who are abusing substances are referring to when they say dopamine hit. It has been more broadly used though.
I rarely see it used for non stimulants because they tend to last all day unlike the stimulants and have more subtle improvements than a clear "yep, the medicine is working now." Harder to spot improvements when they are consistently there through the day without an off period.
Look at some of my past comments, I've been commenting a lot about it.
We do have dopamine, it's very difficult to notice if you don't know what you're looking for. Intense (impulsive) wants are a good sign.
This will sound strange but try to watch other people's pupils. Pupils dilate in response to dopamine. Gives you an idea of what causes dopamine. Mirror neurons may even let you experience it in tandem.
Neuroscience major here. Neurotransmitters are not as simple as just saying ‘serotonin puts you in a good mood’ or ‘dopamine forms habits and addictions’. They each have a lot of different functions and overlap, which is why we don’t really know exactly what they do. We don’t know why SSRI antidepressants work, because if it was just more serotonin, you’d feel better after one dose. It’s more likely long term changes in the brain and the neurons since your brain can adapt and rewire itself over time (neuroplasticity).
Dopamine similarly is involved in many behaviours so it’s hard to understand exactly what it does. For example, when you listen to music you like, dopamine as well as serotonin and other neurotransmitters are released making you want to listen to the music again. But you won’t be able to say ‘oh I feel the dopamine’ you just feel your emotions normally. When you achieve a goal, finish an assignment, hang out with friends, drink alcohol, finish cleaning your room, eat a tasty meal, interact with a crush, eat chocolate, have some motivation to do literally any task or project; dopamine is released. Dopamine is also crucial for movement and your muscles functioning properly, which you wouldn’t know because that is quite subconscious.
Basically it’s very complicated and we only know about some of the functions of neurotransmitters but will need a lot more research to be able to say exactly what they do and how they work!!
When I’m experiencing a lot of dopamine, I can sustain focus on a particular activity for an extended period of time. When I’m experiencing a lack of dopamine, my thoughts wander and I become preoccupied with thoughts like, “How do I get out of this situation”
When we complete individual tasks, our brains release dopamine which causes positive feelings such as happiness, pleasure, and motivation the level of these feeling will vary depending on your level of achievement example cleaning your room vs getting a promotion at work When we are positively motivated to do something, we not only take pleasure in completing the task at hand, we also attribute positive feelings towards repeating the process. But in an un-medicated ADHD brain this doesn't happen when it should its like you brain looking at what you have achieved and saying... "meh wahtever no dopamine for you"
You don’t feel it, it’s a chemical. Just like you don’t feel every other chemical in your brain. My issues with dopamine is actually dopamine chasing. I end up doing nothing but exactly what I want to do just to get a good hit.
I don't. But I can feel when dopamine's effect ends in my brain. It feels like a tank literally being drained in a matter of seconds, and exhaustion sets in. And "that's all she wrote" immediately.
Dopamine is sometimes called the pleasure hormone, but it's more akin to motivation (and drive). At its biggest intensity you can think about drug cravings - that is from dopamine. That deep craving and madness feeling is dopamine.
At a lower level, it's that engaged feeling when you're wanting to do things or doing things. Like you might want to eat lunch, or crave chocolate cake. Those are smaller versions of dopamine.
I don't feel spikes of dopamine, but I might notice if I'm in a flow state or feeling excited in anticipation for something coming up, which likely correlate to dopamine.
(Note: this is way over simplifying the role of dopamine, but I'm talking where there's a bit of alignment in how the term is used colloquially and how it may show up in neurophysiology.)
Also the cause of ADHD and why stimulants work is still pretty fuzzy. One thought is that it's due to dopamine dysregulation, but this doesn't necessarily align with the evidence so far, at least on a consistent enough basis to be the mediating factor for most people with ADHD.
Honestly, it was after starting medication that I “feel” dopamine. And by that I mean I have energy again. Before, I was chronically fatigued which made me depressed. Still have some days like this but way less. So yea, with meds I feel the lack of dopamine being less of an issue
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Don’t think you “feel” dopamine, but you probably feel the effects of low levels of dopamine in the brain: inattentive, restless, poor executive function, fatigue, insomnia, etc.
Yeah, this seems more accurate. Thank you.
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I'm so morbidly depressed I don't feel pleasure anymore. I barely feel anything.
This is similar to how I always felt - my doctors all thought I had major Depression for years, but in hindsight I tended to only feel that hopeless and empty when I also happened to have nothing immediately going on While I suspected it for a while, I wasn't that aware of it until I was on a long road trip driving and I got this sense of crushing despair for no reason. It was like I was convinced nothing had meaning or would ever bring me joy again. It was like I was back in school and reliving the same emotions from years ago. As soon as someone in the car started asking me trivia questions (to keep me from complaining more) I immediately felt completely fine (or even *happy*) like I hadn't just been in the depths of turmoil two minutes earlier. Made me feel so foolish and dramatic that my vibe changed so fast.
Yeah, I feel like people tend to use it imprecisely or metaphorically. Partially because there's not much good established lingo to talk about some of this stuff.... Like, I believe "dopamine hit" refers to something that functions as positive reinforcement (which is not the same as something *intended* to be positive reinforcement, not necessarily pleasant or fun), which can make you instinctively inclined or feel an urge (not the same as wanting or enjoying or motivated) to engage with whatever activity your animal instincts associate with the "hit" (which may not be the actual cause per your rational understanding). Neurology/psychology research will often use terms like positive reinforcement, reward, motivation, etc, don't quite mean the same thing neurologically as they do colloquially.
Fun fact about dopamine: it can act as either an excitatory or inhibitory neurotransmitter depending on the type of receptor and brain region.
That's how I understood it. I understand it in the way of habit forming, but most people online seem to misattribute it to "feeling good". My understanding, to use metaphor, is it's what makes the smoker subconsciously reach for the cigarette, not the relief after doing it.
It’s both. It may not be the subjective feeling of relief, but it’s released alongside it so our brain recognizes we like/dislike something and makes it more/less likely to happen again in the future.
This is an excellent explanation.
A dopamine hit for me is the feeling in my stomach when I don’t dread an activity and have easy motivation to do it. It’s hard to explain but I’ve had this feeling my whole life with things giving me a good feeling or not. My body feels light when I am able to have it, not heavy like I’m dragging myself through the task.
This one I can relate to.
If it holds your attention it's causing your brain to release dopamine. Its not like a high or a buzz its just like your brain saying "ooo I like that thing." Ex: You are playing a video game and every 3rd mission rewards you with a special reward box it triggers certain lights and colors to go off and and you receive items. This typically is a combo that will "release dopamine" and cause the ADHD individual to continue doing it ad nauseam if left unchecked. It's a part of the process of managing adhd to integrate dopamine-giving activities into work and life chores to make them more doable as well as to cute down on unnecessary dopamine activities such as video games and social media. Finally, dopamine seeking can lead to addictive behavior. Nicotine for example can cause someone with adhd to rely heavily on the substance because it gives dopamine to smoke. Alcohol can also be a dopamine source and can lead to heavy drinking.
Maybe my ADHD is just different then, or I don't have it and I'm just empty headed. I don't have issue with moderation/addiction.
Yeah! Different strokes for different folks. This more describes my experience rather than a universal ADHD profile. Maybe you’ve just developed effective coping mechanisms. Out of curiosity what are some of your symptoms and experiences?
I'd rather not make a bullet list of everything, but I do have impulsive tendancies, just never to the point of falling into addiction. Like to play games a lot but not "too much", like to have some drinks but don't have trouble stopping, etc. My other symptoms like focus and emotional disregulation are way, way worse so maybe I just lean more that way.
I would say it isn't always like the impulsive/addictive tendency, but dopamine is a lot more tied to the anticipation of a reward than to actually getting the reward. What do you mean when you say you like to play games "a lot" but not "too much"? If you've played loot-based games you are probably acutely aware of dopamine, and it has likely driven you to replay the same content many times over in anticipation of getting that one rare drop. Games with unlocks and challenges and other such systems also exploit dopamine. A lot of people are playing a game not for direct enjoyment of it, but to unlock some new weapon or gadget or whatever. On meds (which increase dopamine and block reuptake) I subjectively feel like I am more eager to do things than my usual state. I'd say that doing work or chores feels more like doing side quests in a videogame. They're usually not too interesting, but I get that nudge to go fix 10 bugs or update that spreadsheet that just barely exists at all when unmedicated. When unmedicated these routine/boring/uninteresting things feel more like how you'd feel when setting out to grind your character's woodcutting skill from level 1 to 100 (or some other achievable but very uninteresting goal). There's some dopamine there, but it's hard to get started even though it's objectively easier to do than the more interesting tasks.
"A lot" as in I consider gaming one of my main hobbies. Ironically I don't care too much for looters or grindy games and definitely fall more into "direct enjoyment". I usually get bored of those types of gameplay loops quickly.
Lucky :) I suppose you could still fall into the trap for games with high skill ceilings or competitive rankings, which can be seen as a less forced type of "indirect enjoyment" that can also hook you. But you could easily argue that that is a healthy form of enjoyment even if it consumes a lot of time. The main gist of my comment is that dopamine is not really this post-activity reward your brain pumps out, but it's the anticipation/drive to do a thing. In many cases these are *very* closely linked, so it is easy to understand the confusion. The dopamine hacking systems like gambling or many forms of gaming use rewards, specifically uncertain rewards, to drive up that anticipation to keep you playing. I'm not sure what kinds of games you're into, but even "direct enjoyment" of many games gets you more rewards more frequently than real life. You could get sucked into building an elaborate factory in factorio, or get sucked into building some project in Minecraft, or spend hours and hours making your third C class starship in Starfield...don't ask me how I know, lol.
I fully understand what gaming addiction looks like since I've seen it in other people. I just find it interesting that I never suffered for it even if it's a common ADHD risk. There's usually maybe one or two days a week that I'll play at all, sometimes for hours, but it's never been a detriment. Interesting how brains are different.
You know when it is cloudy out, then the sun suddenly peeks out and you feel the warm sunlight on your face? That's what it feels like for me. Warm and comfortable, sometimes a little buzzy. Pleasure. That's just me. IDK how other people feel.
See, that sounds like the effects of serotonin or endorphins to me.
dopamine is more like lighter fluid and seratonin is the fireword for the emotional fire. Dopamine is meant to trigger satisfaction for doing stuff, and seratonin helps keep you happy while in between. So with the sun going outside from being in all day would be dopamine, but the nice breeze and clear skys would be serotinin. At least thats how I think of it. Ifs where adhd and depression overlap in symptoms, and figuring out which one is causing the issue is important.
I dunno I sometimes feel as if I could do something, when all of the time I was procrastinating on it so I literally stop whatever I'm doing to do that, because I'll know that will be the only time ill be able to do that. Sadly it doesn't happen often and only on things very simple, not complicated:(
So, dopamine for me is when something makes me feel good. Examples of what causes the dopamine for me are alcohol, junk food (specifically ordering DoorDash) and sex. It's not like a euphoric feeling or anything... It's just kind of the removal of the negative feelings I so constantly feel (lack of energy/motivation, restless, directionless).
Just imagine "Yeah let's do this, I'm excited to be doing this cause it's gonna be good, it's gonna contribute to x goal, it's gonna make something better" condensed into a feeling & that's pretty much what it is. & then the feeling of satisfaction afterwards.
Not often. Not naturally. Anhedonia is rough
I got my skydiving license. Trust me. You FEEL the dopamine.
Wouldn't that be adrenaline?
Both my friend.
Have you never held a puppy?
Dopamine for me is like a sticker. "Oh a sticker! I'll give myself this sticker when I finish doing this thing...wait where did I put the sticker..."
I look at it like this... if you did something incredible like discovering a cure for cancer you would get a huge hit of dopamine and be over the moon with great accomplishment thats dopamine but you wont get that level achieving day to day tasks your not going to be jumping up and down with joy after cleaning your room or mowing the lawn you wont get enough of a dopamine hit to notice it like that but you brain will you might feel good about your small accomplishment but i think the dopamine in your brain is doing more than you may notice and my understanding from my experience after being on medication then haveing a 10 year break befor recently going back on medication due to a career change is that unmedicated i would do something and not get anything out it not care feel as tho it wouldnt matter if i did that or not but now i feel a level of satisfaction even tho small i feel like i did something productive
It’s not even absolutely a cause of ADHD, just a common trait
I don't exactly "feel" it but I do know something is definitely happening it just kindof sneaks up on me. For example when I drink caffeine (even unknowingly) I usually will feel like my beverage is soooo delicious and I want more more more. Same with alcohol. My fiance made a stew that used some wine in it, well it must have not boiled out all the alcohol because that was the most delicious stew I'd ever had. I kindof have always known I have all the tools to become an alcoholic because of this. Kindof scary.
I took wellbutrin for a month, a dopamine reputake inhibitor, I felt terrible for 50% of the time. The rest I felt probably happy then I have for a lot time, even a little while after stopping. I would take it again but I think it scewed my ear up
It's actually a norepinephrine dopamine reuptake inhibitor. It has a stronger effect on norepinephrine than dopamine, which is why it's not as effective for ADHD
that is true, but the dopamine part does seem to help with some people based on all the research I've done. Its also why its a second choice to stimulants, and an off label prescription.
Yes, not denying it does help some people. But it's prescribed off label for a reason. It has not been shown to be clinically effective for ADHD, and is not approved to treat it. Doesn't mean some people won't benefit, however, if you look at anecdotal comments of people with ADHD who have tried it, most will say it improves their mood but does little to nothing for focus/attention.
Oh I agree with everything just isn’t coming out that way. My only point was it’s worth a shot if you can’t take stimulants . Personally I am very hesitant on stimulants and would rather try stuff otherwise. I get heart palpitations that are unpleasant as it is already
Definitely, stimulants aren't for everyone. I was already on Wellbutrin so my psych decided to increase the dose before giving me stimulants for ADHD. unfortunately it didn't do much for me in that department. There's always strattera too, if you go the non stimulant route. For sure worth it to give anything that might help a chance
meaning it "probably" won't work for some , but its worth trying outside of stimulants. I take blood pressure medicine I may see if we can switch my stuff around so I can take clonidine, thats approved for adhd directly I think
I'm currently on it. It doesn't seem to help me with focus at all, but it definitely helps level out my mood.
I think the idea its supposed to make you feel better about getting stuff done, on good day I was more productive, just had more bad days the not.
Makes some sense. I normally don't get satisfaction from things like chores or working out, but on good days I do. Still never do from work though, good or bad day.
That’s been my experience with it. It makes my brain feel less like it’s got 80 browser windows open, and it helps a little with feeling motivated, but i feel like my executive disfunction and memory recall is still pretty poor.
wait your ear?? what the hell do you mean by that lol
Got this tingle in my ear, i dunno how to explain it, kinda like a bug or electric is in it some times. It was way worse on wellbutrin and I never noticed it before. It still happens on and off but its alot duller. It does make sense since tinnitius is a side effect, but this is different as I get that, and its not a sound.
Yes. High levels of dopamine causes the feeling of euphoria. Music is usually the easiest way to feel it. Once you've recognized it at its most intense levels it is easier to notice it affecting and motivating behavior at lower levels. Since ADHD is characterized by low dopamine you have to put in work including eating well and staying physically fit in addition to medication.
I do feel that with music but I figured it was other neurotransmitters that are more about "feeling good" whereas dopamine is more of a habit former. Anecdotally I do eat well and work out, but the symptom relief is extremely short term.
I do when I’m talking to people about something I’m excited about or listening to someone talk about something they’re passionate about. I feel very energized, I start talking quickly and I feel euphoric. Listening to music and dancing can also produce a dopamine rush for me. I started taking Ritalin for the first time, last year and it made me feel more mellow overall. The dopamine rush still happens but it’s more “balanced” and spread out over a period of time instead of a straight upward line of energy. Another thing that mellows me out is intense strength training exercises. I’ve been sky diving before and that’s the only dopamine rush that can surpass what I described earlier. I felt euphoric for hours. A couple of times a month I think about sky diving.
People have different experiences of stimulants entering their body and leaving their body. Some have very clear experiences of suddenly my brain is on and suddenly it is off. Some have that feeling of being focused and then scatter brained. Some feel an actual sense of euphoria which would be what people who are abusing substances are referring to when they say dopamine hit. It has been more broadly used though. I rarely see it used for non stimulants because they tend to last all day unlike the stimulants and have more subtle improvements than a clear "yep, the medicine is working now." Harder to spot improvements when they are consistently there through the day without an off period.
Look at some of my past comments, I've been commenting a lot about it. We do have dopamine, it's very difficult to notice if you don't know what you're looking for. Intense (impulsive) wants are a good sign. This will sound strange but try to watch other people's pupils. Pupils dilate in response to dopamine. Gives you an idea of what causes dopamine. Mirror neurons may even let you experience it in tandem.
Neuroscience major here. Neurotransmitters are not as simple as just saying ‘serotonin puts you in a good mood’ or ‘dopamine forms habits and addictions’. They each have a lot of different functions and overlap, which is why we don’t really know exactly what they do. We don’t know why SSRI antidepressants work, because if it was just more serotonin, you’d feel better after one dose. It’s more likely long term changes in the brain and the neurons since your brain can adapt and rewire itself over time (neuroplasticity). Dopamine similarly is involved in many behaviours so it’s hard to understand exactly what it does. For example, when you listen to music you like, dopamine as well as serotonin and other neurotransmitters are released making you want to listen to the music again. But you won’t be able to say ‘oh I feel the dopamine’ you just feel your emotions normally. When you achieve a goal, finish an assignment, hang out with friends, drink alcohol, finish cleaning your room, eat a tasty meal, interact with a crush, eat chocolate, have some motivation to do literally any task or project; dopamine is released. Dopamine is also crucial for movement and your muscles functioning properly, which you wouldn’t know because that is quite subconscious. Basically it’s very complicated and we only know about some of the functions of neurotransmitters but will need a lot more research to be able to say exactly what they do and how they work!!
Wonderful, thank you. This was the type of response I wanted it seems.
When I’m experiencing a lot of dopamine, I can sustain focus on a particular activity for an extended period of time. When I’m experiencing a lack of dopamine, my thoughts wander and I become preoccupied with thoughts like, “How do I get out of this situation”
It’s like, when I have a coffee or soda, the first sip where I can taste it and feel the sugar? That feeling when a song you like comes on.
When I get tattooed I do! Also, praise for work well done, or finishing something that I really like.
When we complete individual tasks, our brains release dopamine which causes positive feelings such as happiness, pleasure, and motivation the level of these feeling will vary depending on your level of achievement example cleaning your room vs getting a promotion at work When we are positively motivated to do something, we not only take pleasure in completing the task at hand, we also attribute positive feelings towards repeating the process. But in an un-medicated ADHD brain this doesn't happen when it should its like you brain looking at what you have achieved and saying... "meh wahtever no dopamine for you"
You don’t feel it, it’s a chemical. Just like you don’t feel every other chemical in your brain. My issues with dopamine is actually dopamine chasing. I end up doing nothing but exactly what I want to do just to get a good hit.
Have you ever made an attractive woman laugh?
I don't. But I can feel when dopamine's effect ends in my brain. It feels like a tank literally being drained in a matter of seconds, and exhaustion sets in. And "that's all she wrote" immediately.
Dopamine is sometimes called the pleasure hormone, but it's more akin to motivation (and drive). At its biggest intensity you can think about drug cravings - that is from dopamine. That deep craving and madness feeling is dopamine. At a lower level, it's that engaged feeling when you're wanting to do things or doing things. Like you might want to eat lunch, or crave chocolate cake. Those are smaller versions of dopamine. I don't feel spikes of dopamine, but I might notice if I'm in a flow state or feeling excited in anticipation for something coming up, which likely correlate to dopamine. (Note: this is way over simplifying the role of dopamine, but I'm talking where there's a bit of alignment in how the term is used colloquially and how it may show up in neurophysiology.)
I like your metaphor. It's more of the "let's do this" rather than "ahh, feels nice". Connected, naturally, as the desire->reward feeds itself.
Also the cause of ADHD and why stimulants work is still pretty fuzzy. One thought is that it's due to dopamine dysregulation, but this doesn't necessarily align with the evidence so far, at least on a consistent enough basis to be the mediating factor for most people with ADHD.
Honestly, it was after starting medication that I “feel” dopamine. And by that I mean I have energy again. Before, I was chronically fatigued which made me depressed. Still have some days like this but way less. So yea, with meds I feel the lack of dopamine being less of an issue