Cured again!
 

If I get any healthier.... :-)

Anybody have any experience here? From wikipedia via Powerset search-

Nutrients have been used in clinical studies and are widely used by people with Parkinson's disease in order to partially treat Parkinson's disease or slow down its deterioration. The L-dopa precursor L-tyrosine was shown to relieve an average of 70% of symptoms.[4] Ferrous iron, the essential cofactor for L-dopa biosynthesis was shown to relieve between 10% and 60% of symptoms in 110 out of 110 patients.[5] [6]

I tried it for about 6 months after DX with no detectable improvement.

we talkin' tyrosine?
 

Assuming that we are, let me ask some questions-
How severe were your symptons at the time? Were they bad enough that you would have been able to detect subtle improvement above the "noise"?
How much were you taking?
Were you taking it alone or mixed with other aminos?
-Rick

Tyrosine
 

has been on my radar for some time since reading an earlier report of its benefit to Parkinson's. A gastro hiccup which knocked my system out of the ballpark a month ago today, and reduced everything to the back burner includiing the Tyrosine trial is now over. Tyrosine produces L Dopa the same as our reliable Sinemet. According to the research Tyrosine and Sinemet cannot be taken together as Tyrosine reduces Sinemet's effectivness.

The figures in Rick's report look absolutley stunning. The question for me is....if tyrosine produces the same substance as Sinemet, why not replace the toxic chemical Synemet which has many problematic side effects with none toxic amino acid protein based tyrosine. and what of Fiona's passion, which demands Mucuna too have a fair shake. As usual, science has more questions than answers. Meanwhile my first shipment of Tyrosine arrives Friday, the dilema is where to fit it in during my endless pill popping day. One thing is for sure the freezing that played a big part in my battle against the odds has now completly gone. I am now back too sprinting for the loo door instead of the two day trek it took me in my off times during my knightmare month of April..

Rick,

I started taking L-Tyrosine every night in between the 12 hour time period (1800 hr to 0600 hr) when I don't take dopamine. When l started ramping off RR Sinemet I eliminated my entire 2100 hr dose which included CR Sinemet as well. If I didn't sleep through the night I started trying out L-Tyrosine here and there as an experiment to see if it made any difference. I couldn't really tell on such an inconsistent basis so I started taking one 500 mg L-Tyrosine with a big mug of Gatoraid with added Glutamine powder and Creatine. I wondered if I should be taking it with amino acids myself. I have just upped my L-Tyrosine to two (1000 mgs). It is too early to tell and I wish I had researched these types of questions before I decided to wing it. One only has so much time and energy. One thing I do know for sure is that I am way better as a result of reducing my dopamine, the leg cramps, pain and dystonia have been substantially reduced. I want to try if possible to see if I can start producing my own dopamine, the drugs were/are killing me. This is not much help, I know, just wanted to let you know I'm experimenting.

Here are a couple of links

http://www.nutritional-supplements-g...-tyrosine.html

http://wellness.xtend-life.com/produ...aspx?id=900124
http://books.google.ca/books?id=mUCx...5HfwUmPU&hl=en

After reading info on those two links I'd say taking 1000 mgs of L-Tyrosine is way over the line, WAY! Thankfully when I replied to your post I goggled L-Tyrosine which I should have done in the first place.

Bonnie

a cap of whey
 

has 0.6 gm of tyrosine and 0.4 gm of cystyne (a precurser of glutathione) among other vital protines. I take it and wonder who else is on this natural track? I take mucuna and other "rat" researched supplements as well and no "offcially" approved PD drugs. So far so good in my early yeras of PD .. 2 years since diagnosed :)

cured again
 

This is a much better link with some questions and answers more pertinent to the topic

http://www.raysahelian.com/tyrosine.html

I ordered Mind Power Rx. The herbs, nutrients and vitamins in this product pretty well covers what I want to try, although the amount of each additive is quite low. It has Mucuna pruriens in it as well. Worth a try.

Yes, tyrosine-1000mg 2x per day
CoQ10 - 1200mg/day
C - 2000mg/day
E - 800mg/day
B complex
ginko - 240mg/day
flax seed oil - 1tbls/day

No PD rx meds.

Symptoms where mild; added rasagiline after about six months and dropped tyrosine.

Hello reverett,
Do you think that excessive physical exercise produces excessive free radicals, requiring the need for more anti-oxidants? What do you think of taking creatine? How do you determin the difference between a symptom of PD and a side effect of Azilect, Mirapex? Is excessive sweating & constipation & sore-stiff neck a side effect or a symptom? You are interesting to listen too. Thanks.
Gene

meds
 

Have you tried Xango? an all natural juice made from the mangosteen fruit?
I take azilect, mirapex, coq10 & xango.

Heads up
 

Obviously I'm no biochemist - but I do know that mucuna has some of the same properties as the South American extreme-curative-hallucinogenic brew ayahuasca, which is why ayahuasca and its components are also impactful on Parkinson's (hence my visits to South America...) In the case of ayahuasca, one is supposed to avoid foods with a high tyrosine content - such as cheese, beer, fava beans, as well as any SSRIs or MAO inhibitors.
Mucuna also has some amount of DMT (dimethyltryptamine) in it, which I think is part of its power for PD. So in that case I would be very wary of combining mucuna with tyrosine, as well as things like Selegiline or Azilect.

I personally believe L-Tyrosine, Curcumin and Citicoline give powerful support if ramping off Sinemet/L-dopa. And Mucuna as well. It has been an amazing week; I saw my x-rays and my neck/spine alignment was out 27 and one half %. I getting things straightened out so to speak. I saw a well respected Natural Path who has his PhD and studies the brain. He said "there is no way in hell that I have Parkinson's disease" Being on Sinemet and getting off it after 11 years is another matter. He went over my supplements and figures I have it covered. He also does acupuncture but wants to wait until the chiro says it's OK.

Bonnie

I read
 

the report on Tyrosine in your post 7. It has now got me thinking before I add to my nutrition program. Some of the negatives associated with taking Tyrosine such as possible gastroinitaritis needs further checking.

Tyrosine, Citicoline, and Curcumin {curcumin I already take} is an intersting combination. How did you arrive at that combination? and are you going to do it? Our programs of sinemet taking is similar. I am in year nine medicated.

I too would love to get off the sinemet gravy train. Someone is going to hit the jackpot with a healthy nutritional program that will blow us all away. Good luck with your test and measuring. Keep us informed.

Tyrosine
 

Do we all realise that tyrosine is simply a precurser for levodopa?
It is an intermediate in the synthesis of dopamine naturally.The full natural synthesis chain is:
protein ----->phenyl alanine----->tyrosine---->levodopa---->dopamine
So taking tyrosine simply produces levodopa, but makes your body do an extra synthesis step over taking sinemet (levodopa + carbidopa).
Presumably, we could go one stage further back, and take phenyl alanine, but that would make your body do 2 synthesis steps, over just taking levodopa.
Since tyrosine is just a source of levodopa, is it so surprising that it relieves symptoms in the same way as levodopa? I tried tyrosine some years ago, but found it worked, but was less effective than levodopa. This did not surprise me since I was asking my body to do extra work to convert it to levodopa.
Ron

which is healthier?
 

The question to be answered : if tyrosin is a precurser of dopamine, does it have the downsides of L-dopa? and why some of us think it is 'healthier' than L-dopa?

a bit more
 

There is purportedly some ongoing but unpublished French research that is very promising. One advantage of the precursor approach would be to allow one's body to regulate the dopamine levels instead of flooding it with Sinemet.

Ron, any idea what doseages you tried?

Now THIS is something I could very much get behind, if there was a way somehow to encourage the body to correct the biochemical faultline that seems to embody PD on its own....and to try and strengthen whatever modest abilities it might have in this direction.

First of all I love your quote "GO HARD SCIENCE" My sentiments exactly. We have had to do our own research when we saw what the pd drugs were doing to us. How did I come up with that combo? I research the INTERNET and print out what interests me and put it in binders so I can study it, compare data etc.

When the Mirapex took me down I lost complete trust in the pharmaceutical approach and the added fact that my neurologist who is a well known researcher bailed on me after 10 years along with his support team was appalling. I was in Phase 3 of a Clinical Drug Trial at the time. The money and time (3 years) they had invested in me was more important than my health. I was told that I could take 8 Mirapex daily instead of 9. Because I chose to get off Mirapex myself I was labeled difficult, unstable with emotional problems. By the way that kind of information is on my electronic medical file that follows me wherever I go. I had a hell of a time getting a GP when I moved or even a neurologist who would empower me as a patient. It took a lot of work and money to put together the health team I have now.

Everyone who has been diagnosed with pd needs this kind of support. The days of being told you have pd, handed some pamphlets along with some prescription and told we will see you in a year should be over. I am incensed when I think of it. They (my former health team and neuro) sure changed their minds when they finally saw me; I had lost 23 pounds in three weeks and was a shadow of my former self. Too late, I have cut all ties.

I would encourage anyone who has been diagnosed with pd to be very diligent in how to handle it emotionally and their treatment options.

Bonnie

how to make dopamine
 

We have all been on this merry go round before in relation to the pros and cons of l-tyrosine and the other necessary precursors of dopamine.

bump bump bump