DMAE

[Kimmers]

Just wanted to share this story for anyone who ever wondered about trying DMAE:

My 20 yo cousin, male, always struggled in school. He was for years involved with Area Education Agency 4 which is a program involved with the school systems in the area that we live that teach "special" classes. They deal with learning disabilities, occupational/speech therapy, etc. etc. For all of the years that he was involved with these classes, he was never dx'ed with anything...ADD, LD, nothing. They just assumed he had *something* wrong but didn't test for anything specific. He has always been shy, laid back, didn't really seem to care about anything in the world. He barely graduated high school and began job-hopping. He started hanging out with bad influences-possibly drinking and smokingitbut no one knows for sure. He lived on his own for awhile but eventually he had to move back home because of his irresponsibility. His main problem with keeping a job was that he wanted to stay up all night and then sleep all day. Around the same time my son was dx'ed with ADHD and ODD, his mother had gotten so fed up with him that she was ready to kick him out of the house. At a family gathering we were talking and I was explaining what I had learned about ADHD to her. She became interested in learning more about it and I gave her one of those adult ADD checklists from the internet. She took the test for him and learned that he had the classic symptoms of Attention-Deficit, (no hyperactivity). I started looking up info. for her and I had given her some articles, a few of them that included the benefits of using DMAE for ADD.

Apparently she had decided to try it because I talked to her this past weekend and she reported that she has been giving him DMAE (GNC brand-250 mg.) for several months now and he is a completely different person. He has held a job now for almost 6 months, he has a steady girlfriend, and is reconsidering moving back on his own. She says the difference in him is like night and day. He also used to have anger problems and now he is a pleasant guy to be around. She says that you can tell right away if he hasn't taken it for the day because he will be real aggitated and irritable. If asked he will then admit that he had forgotten to take it that day.

I am NOT and expert on supplements and I can't say that this would be for everyone. I have given it to my son as well and did not see any real positive results with it so maybe it is something that really helps for innattention-type ADD but not for hyperactivity-type. I am not for sure. I just wanted to share their positive story for anyone who is struggling with their teenager in hopes that maybe this would help.

I would be interested if Cat or someone could help me out with why this would work for them and not us ...or just a general opinion on using DMAE.

Kimmers

[ohmama]

Here's something straight off the bottle of DMAE:

DMAE is a natural amino alcohol (not an amino acid) that is found in minute quantites in the brain. It is generally regarded as a precursor to choline, which is needed for the brain to produce acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter involved in nerve signal transmission and healthy brain function. Taken as a maintenance supplement, it works synergistically with other smart nutrients like Ginkgo Biloba, GABA, Phosphatidyl Serine and L Tyrosine, or can be taken alone.
WARNING: Not to be used by those with epilepsy, bipolar depression or Parkinson's disease. Not for use by pregnant or lactating women.

The warning would apply to anyone having temporal lobe problems not necessarily diagnosed as either bipolar or epilepsy also. Same goes for the Tyrosine. I can't use these products for my boys because of that.

It's great when you find the right treatment.

[catatonic]

DMAE used to be one of the favored medical treatments for ADHD...back in the days before Ritalin became the front-line treatment. For a subgroup of those who have ADHD, it produces significant improvement. This improvement seems mainly to effect those who have inattentive type ADHD (without the H) although there are those with the H it also helps. If DMAE is successful, often adding Carnitine as well will enhance benefits even further, since it also stimulates the brain to produce more acetylcholine, just as DMAE does.

A larger subgroup of those with ADHD benefit from enhancing dopamine production in the brain. This is what tyrosine does. This subgroup seems to be a much larger one than the choline-deficient group. Unlike DMAE, tyrosine appears to have no potential adverse effects (except upset stomach at high doses). Tyrosine is abundant in meat, perhaps another reason a high-protein diet helps with ADHD symptoms.

I know that we tried DMAE and didn't notice any real results. However, with tyrosine, my son's attentiveness has begun to show some real improvement.

Here is a good article that explains it better than I can:
www.nutraceuticalsworld.com/Sept011.htm

[Kimmers]

Well I guess that would be why the DMAE didn't work for my son since one of his major issues is a big huge H!! But I am glad that it has helped my cousin because he was spiraling downward very fast. And maybe it helps mainly with adults and teens since alot of times ADHD kids outgrow the hyperness but remain very inattentive. How has the tyrosine helped Cat? What kinds of things have you noticed?

Kimmers

[catatonic]

Kimmers, the tyrosine seems to increase his ability to focus...as in he concentrates longer and when he looks at you he's really looking at you, not as if 3/4 of his brain is off in outer space somewhere. I'd have to say that it just appears to have an overall leveling effect on him. Unfortunately, the research I've been reading on tyrosine seems to indicate that these benefits can be short-term. Apparently its effectiveness may wear off after a while. I'm hoping they're wrong on that one! Now that we've gone through most of the bottle of tyrosine I bought, I plan to refill with a higher-quality type from our local compounding pharmacy, which carries pharmaceutical grade products. VERY pricey, definitely not the way to go when you're just experimenting to see if something might work. Worth it, though, once you find what works.

[ohmama]

Cat,
The Pain and Stress Clinic sells pharmaceutical grade Tyrosine 500mg, 100 caps for $15.

[Kimmers]

That sounds like something I want to put on my list of "Things to try later..." The way you desribed the innattention sounds exactly like my son. I am still in the restabilizing process...but things just don't seem to be getting back to where they were. I hope in a few weeks when we start Feingold that maybe that will be the missing link. For future reference, what type of pill is the Tyrosine... tablet or gelcap, and what dose would you recommend? (5 yo, 45-50 lbs.)

Thanks,
Kimmers

[catatonic]

OhMama, thank you for the information. That's an excellent price, and I know that with your attention to quality, I can rely on your recommendations. I bought our first bottle of tyrosine at the health food store and paid $22 for 100 capsules of 300mg, and they're not pharmaceutical grade!

Kimmers, from what I've read, it's recommended that you start with a relatively low level of tyrosine (250mg - 300mg) given once a day. Once you're sure there are no negative reactions to this amino acid, and once your child's body is accustomed to this dose, then increase to 500mg - 600mg daily, preferably given in two doses. If needed, you can add yet a third dose, up to a maximum of 900mg per day. My boy is larger than yours, so he can safely take 2 or 3 500mg doses per day. At the moment, since he hasn't been on tyrosine that long, we are at 2 doses of 300mg per day. I think I'll try the tyrosine OhMama recommended, in which case I'll try him at 500mg once a day and see how that goes. (We can always bump up to 2 capsules later.)

[Kimmers]

Thanks,

I will stick this in my back pocket for future reference!

Kimmers