Endocrinology-Diabetes | Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Questions Endocrinology-Diabetes

Dopamine issue?

I used to be an avid coffee and cannabis user. This past year I wanted to have a completely “clean” system since the comedown off of any dopamine creating substance was always negative for me and I don’t want to be physically reliant on anything. I’ve done this before many times and never had a long-lasting issue when stopping these substances. It usually has been beneficial in most ways. This time, after months without coffee or cannabis, quitting has even still at this point never been such mental torture. Depression came raging back into my life steadily (not just during the coffee or cannabis comedowns). Sleeping issues too. I’ve been eating consciously, exercising, and meditating like clockwork due to this declining mental health. The ONLY thing that I have tried to alleviate depression nearly 100% is a cup of coffee recently. It flipped me from feeling mentally ill to feeling positive and healthy, like a medication is suppose to. It wasn’t a high per-say, but more like it brought me to where I was suppose to be. Where most healthy people may be. I struggled since childhood with emotional regulation but this depression I thought was gone for good until recently. Does this indicate dopamine deficiency? I cannot live this way and will be forced soon to lean on cannabis or coffee again for my mental health’s sakes, though NEEDING anything is not what I want. Extensive blood tests have indicated nothing. I’m grasping for info anywhere now. Any advice whatsoever is a blessing, thank you.

Male | 26 years old
Complaint duration: 3 months
Medications:
Conditions: Major depression, generalized anxiety

3 Answers

One thing to consider is getting a sleep study to rule out sleep disorder such a sleep apnea. When there’s impairment in your circadian rhythm, you’re naturally dopamine active.
WELL LIKE ANY SUBSTANCE, WHEN QUITTING ABRUPTLY WITHDRAWALS ARE BOUND TO HAPPEN, ALTHOUGH CANNABIS IS NOT ADDICTING WITHDRAWALS SX CAN HAPPEN. CAFFEINE DOES CAUSE ADDITION, BOTH PHYSICAL AND BEHAVIORAL. IN MEANS OF EMOTIONAL REGULATING SUBSTANCES IN RETROSPECT CANNABIS OR CAFFEINE IS BETTER THAN PILLS. IF ITS A DOPAMINE IRREGULARITY? COULD BE BUT NEEDS PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATION FOR A BETTER DIAGNOSIS
Have a question aboutEndocrinology-Diabetes?Ask a doctor now
I never or rarely recommend quitting multiple addictive substances at once. You should continue drinking a cup or two of coffee every day it makes you feel better, there's nothing wrong with that. It's easier to wean off cannabis than caffeine!

William Z. Cohen, M.D., FAAFP