Doctor Questions Doctor

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 medication is supposed to. It wasn’t a high per-say, but more like it brought me to where I was supposed 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 sake, 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

1 Answer

DoctorDoctor
Lets review, your mood became too low to just brush off 'the blues' and a single cup of coffee caused you to feel Much Much better? The regulation of mood is affected by A) how much sunlight we get
B) our hormonal regulation C) our overall health D) any infection, chronic condition flare up or underlying health issue
E) the health of our Mood Stabilizing function of our brain .
Since you have had issues before & were back in a depressed place, I would consider it likely that you could benefit from your health care providers review or a mental health care providers review of your mood history & needs now.
Virtual assistance is more available than ever.