The Role of Dopamine in Your Brain

Stiff, achy muscles. Cognitive impairment. Loss of balance and coordination. Sound familiar? If so, you may have low levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine. A lot of us with fibromyalgia (FMS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME/CFS) do.

In your brain, dopamine plays a big role in two important areas - motor skills and focus. It's also low in people with Parkinson's Disease (primarily in the motor skills area) and ADD/ADHD (primarily in the mental focus area). This is the thing to blame for the mental fog that leads to burners left on, keys locked in your house, and not being able to remember the chapter you just read. It's also what's responsible for rigid muscles, shaking or tremors, and falling down.

To raise levels of dopamine, doctors prescribe amphetamine medications such as Ritalin (methylphenadate) or Adderall (dextroamphetamine). Natural means of increasing dopamine levels include:

• Theanine: This animo acid is unique to black and green tea leaves. You can also take it in supplement form.
• Essential fatty acids: These come from fish or from supplements, including fish oil or Omega-3 fatty acid.
• Exercise: While exercise can pose special problems for us, done correctly it can help alleviate symptoms.

Dopamine levels change very slowly, so whatever method you chose, give it plenty of time before you decide on the merits (unless, of course, you're having negative side effects.) Doctors don't generally test you for low dopamine levels and instead diagnose it based on symptoms.

Have you tried anything to raise your dopamine levels? Share your experience so we can all learn from it! Post here or in About.com's Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome forum.

Suggested Reading:

• Exercising When You Have Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Will Ritalin Become a Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Treatment?
• Keeping a Symptom Journal - How to Do It & Why You Should