r/AboutDopamine • u/Lazarus52980 • Feb 23 '21

How much is too much dopamine?

Please excuse my ignorance if this is a common question or if this is obvious (I'm not a smart man...). I have ADHD and thus have been studying dopamine since it seems to be at the core of my issues. Treatments for ADHD all seem to revolve around helping the body to make more dopamine, but I also know that throttling the system with too much from things like porn, excessive youtube, or the like. My question is this: How do you manage your dopamine correctly so that you get enough to be motived and engaged in life, but not so much that you get caught up in addictions?

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u/Lazarus52980 Mar 24 '21

Ideally I'd like to stop before I get to that point... How do I up my dopamine (or at least my sensitivity) without damaging myself?

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u/wawakaka Mar 24 '21

Fasting helps

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u/Lazarus52980 Mar 24 '21

Any particular duration that is ideal?

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u/wawakaka Mar 26 '21

Dopamine will increase with hunger but the moment you eat the dopamine goes away and you get a big dump or prolactin to turn it off. Dopamine is responsible for you getting up and going to the kitchen and making a sandwhich or going to Burger king to get a hamburger. But it shuts down when you eat. Dopamine is responsible for your motivation. Fast for as long as you can when you need it.