Dopamine detox depression reddit. Start with a Dopamine Detox, then maintain a Dopamine Fast.

Dopamine detox depression reddit I never realised how much I needed it. The period has now ended, and I wanted to post some reflections. See my other comment for a partial answer to your question. The role of brain chemicals like dopamine and serotonin is still being studied and debated. But the truth for most people is that constant small hits of dopamine (social media, porn or any form of quick fix media) is usually a bad thing as it desensitizes the brain to dopamine so when your brain gives you dopamine for something useful it won’t mean as much. This is becoming very tough. My Rules and Experience No Netflix, Reddit, or YouTube (blocked with Cold Turkey app). Well, dopamine plays a role in attention, learning, memory, and reward so yeah everybody is "addicted" to dopamine. Jan 2, 2025 · La dopamine est un neurotransmetteur, couramment appelé l'hormone du plus (avoir plus, faire plus, ressentir plus). Edit: so many questions! I have treatment resistant depression. Developing your skills Just wanted to share, I have been on dopamine detox for about 3 months, I quit alcohol, drugs social media, no sex, no masturbation no videogames and now its been around 2 months that I stopped taking medication. I had a very similar experience in terms of my productivity and my attention span but I must point out that if you are not stressed or comfortable with your life in general it is not so hard to keep up with this challenge. That's the whole point of it. High dopamine huh, well it almost seem like video games are just the publics pet peve and other high dopamine hobbys are ignored because it causes ur arguements to crumble. Dopamine detox in this case tries to be a quick fix solution to a much bigger problem. TL;dr {I suspect my brain doesn't process dopamine as it should. News, articles, discussion, studies about dopamine and other neurotransmitters. To put it into context, if you asked me to read a book 2 months ago, I would’ve I am also doing dopamine detox at the moment and I also would like to share a part of my experience so far. Dopamine is a drug. Your brain is still producing dopamine whether you're working or slacking off. K (HealthyGamerGG) has a great video on the neuroscience of it and how if you've become desensitized to dopamine you may be able to "detox" and adjust your sensitivity, but that you need to abstain from highly dopaminergic activities for 2+ weeks in order to have the desired effect, because that's how long it takes for your neural pathways to Welcome to Dopamine Detoxing, by Andrew Kirby. When will this feeling go away? Limit our pleasure, also known as dopamine detoxing. If your source of information is any of dopamine detox YouTube videos with dozens of millions of views, you might think that it must be effective. Intentionally trying to downregulate dopamine is not a smart idea for a lot of reasons, if it even works. Here’s what helped: A 30-Day Detox: I started by cutting my screen time in half over the first two weeks. Moreover, your strive to get rid off bad habits is actually dopaminergic, because it's been hypothesised that dopamine is a prime driver for motivation, which is kinda ironic in that case. For the past 2 weeks I’ve quit several bad habits all at once (caffeine, alcohol, and several other things. Dopamine fasting uses techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), including stimulus control—reducing contact with things that trigger the unwanted behavior, and exposure and response prevention—responding to urges by noticing them without judgment. Without enough dopamine you may end up having health problems like Parkinson's disease. Ever since I started a dopamine detox 3-4 days ago (no porn no recreational tech use as well as cutting out all sugar and basically going complete monk mode save for sex and self improvement reddit) I am on what I'd call a massive "down" where I'm really tired, have no motivation, not very social, really just a massive depression honestly. Though I do believe a normal or slightly higher dose of acid (about 100-300 ug) will provide a much more introspective mindframe and will make your dopamine detox even better This is a support group to help with impulsive behaviour towards Eating, Gaming, Gambling, Thrill, and Tech. 24-hour complete dopamine detox Same as the 48-hour dopamine detox but 24 hours instead. Introduction: In "Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World," Cal Newport outlines a philosophy for living a more meaningful and focused life in today's Anhedonia is the lack of interest, enjoyment or pleasure. Nicotine artificially increases dopamine to the point where your body stops producing as much. But we also have a tendency to get addicted so some aspect of the dopamine detox definitely can benefit. Members Online 30 day No fap challenge! Yup, you nailed it! Great job. Dopamine isn't a drug, it's an internally produced neurotransmitter. View community ranking In the Top 5% of largest communities on Reddit. And sure whatever, that can be good if you do it in a sustainable way. A lot of ADHD medications operate on similar pathways. La dopamine concerne l'envie de faire quelque chose, le problème est que de nos jours nous avons des possibilités plus rapides : il est plus facile et plus rapide de faire défiler sur un téléphone que d'ouvrir un livre et de faire des efforts pour lire. There are two 'types' of dopamine: tonic and pulsatile. For adhd its good with more dopamine, and a dopamine detox can send us spiralling into depression. Essential Steps for a Successful Dopamine Detox Journey. First, dopamine is a neurotransmitter that requires amino acids to be made, if your protein intake is insufficient therapy will not be effective. When we're participating in a dopamine envoking activity (whether that be exersize, studying, eating, sex), more dopamine is released until it peaks then drops below the baseline dopamine levels (postpartum depression) and eventually recovers. Instead I'm meditating, reading, writing, going for walks, running and getting work done. Also many different activitys release different levels of dopamine for many different people, someone enjoying an exiting book releases just as much if not similar dopamine I know that the idea of a dopamine detox it self is still a debated topic. Mais à la fin de la journée, ce sera toujours de la dopamine, quoi que vous fassiez. I've always struggled with some anxiety (mostly social), attention deficit issues and mild (seasonal/situational) depression, as well as a proclivity to addiction and substance abuse that tends to arise with the others (primarily alcohol, and misusing my Vyvanse prescription). Talking about a 'dopamine detox' makes as much sense, scientifically, as Dr Who talking about 'reversing the polarity of the neutron flow. Before I continue, I must emphasise that I don’t subscribe to the mainstream idea of a ‘ dopamine detox ‘ literally. I have a treatment later today. Dopamine Detox. i saw once video where some "mental health" youtuber said that you should do dopamine detox if you have anhedonia. So, I was actually investigating the latter, where is this psychosis coming from when neurotransmitters are already lower than normal and all available resources will tell you that this psychosis is should always be coming from the surges of dopamine or neuro overactivity. I used to enjoy making art, and I still want to be an artist, but I just really don’t enjoy making art anymore and I find it boring and pretty much pointless these last few years. Yes, overindulging in too many "immediate gratification activities" might have an impact on our dopaminergic system, but not in the simplistic manner you describe it. What I am trying to say is like there are certain activities that really can distrupt dopamine baseline like pornography, food addiction or any kind of addiction. RPE) that have been brought forward as hypotheses for a "general function" of dopamine (the notion of a neurotransmitter having a general function deserves scare quotes) are relevant to RL. I hope my story can inspire others to examine their relationship with stimulation and consider whether a dopamine detox might benefit them too. Jan 14, 2025 · So I decided to do something drastic: a dopamine reset. Yeah it's really hard to tell what is causing what. I drank pretty heavily from 2020 until… The ventral striatum is indicated in bipolar disorder. Then there are activities like running for example which has a negative feedback loop, that is you wouldn't do it to the point it's detrimental or listening to music or something else. Adhd makes you produce less dopamine and dopamine detox can lead to depression-like symptoms and make executive function even worse! So be super careful. Like others have experienced, the proceeding 6-10 months of withdrawal, anger outbursts, and severe depression were horrible. Strengthening your relationships, communication, and empathy. What games are you playing? Moreover, dopamine is something vital to your health. Doctors today have a consensus that depression st After abusing addy for years and years, I quit cold turkey it and all my other vices at once (smoking cigs/weed, habitual abuse of booze, pills, and allll the other stimulants I could find). I’m quitting music too since it triggers my maladaptive daydreaming. I don’t plan on quitting my “detox” and I plan to continue it indefinitely as its benefits are just too beneficial to me in almost every single way possible. So there you have it, dopamine detox or fasting is not about detoxing, is not about fasting, and is not even about dopamine. For context I’m 20 year old, 4th year med student struggling with; screen tiktok porn manga music movie addiction since 2020. It can be caused by drugs, trauma, depression, etc. Hi all, i have been doing a dopamine detox / reducing instant gratification as a potential way to aid my depression I am having a bad time after a breakup over half a year ago, self esteem problems, lack of confidence. If you use the detox, then you may experience dopamine withdrawal symptoms, including anxiety, panic attacks, or depression. This is a support group to help with impulsive… For example I am making a short film and everytime I do a dopamine detox I say "Ok, i will focus on write the script and paint the sketches", after that study programming and maybe running. So watch a sunset, read a book, exercise, that sort of stuff. Dans son excellent livre "Dopamine Nation" (disponible sur Amazon), Anna Lembke explique qu'un rôle important de la dopamine est de créer le désir nécessaire pour passer à l'action. Not really, no. Staying away from stimuli for days/weeks probably won't help you that much. A "dopamine fast" or whatever that is will just make your situation worse, and seeking other "dopamine highs" is a slippery slope. You need to workout and “win” often (hit PRs, win games, complete puzzles, etc. Don't just detox without goals, that'd be my advice. I suspect this because: Lack of motivation and stimulation, even for my hobbies Excessive fatigue, tiredness, and apathy (feels like depression symptoms) "Detox" is probably a misnomer, as you can't technically detox from dopamine the way you would cigarettes or coffee, as it's actually an important chemical in the body, but basically, the idea is to give up activities which trigger a high dopamine response (this would include much of the Internet, especially social media, gaming, and euphoric Dopamine is largely responsible for motivation, desire, and cravings. Abstaining from particular activities won't reduce levels of endogenous dopamine. We already get so little dopamine that removing it from our lives would likely result in issues. Get out of Reddit too it does count as social network. Starting your dopamine detox journey is all about making conscious and effective choices! 17 votes, 10 comments. Ketamine as a treatment for depression is absolutely magic. And for those people it really can help. Dopamine controls our mood, energy levels, and general outlook on life. Prolonged major depression turned me into a gamble addict. Mar 8, 2024 · What are the challenges and tips of doing a dopamine detox. My life has been like this for years. That's how we evolved. Because I The concept of a 'dopamine detox' is neurotrash. things like social media, video games and porn fry our dopamine receptors & throw our entire brain out of balance, leading to lack of motivation, less drive, less focus etc. Tonic dopamine is the rather constant background level, whereas pulsatile are the brief spikes due to some stimulus. It would be like getting addicted to thyroid hormone or hemoglobin or something, then having to adapt to a tolerance reaction where it takes more thyroid or hemoglobin to do the right things and feel normal. It's not dopamine addiction, it's that gaming hijacks the dopamine system to make you feel like you're spending your time accomplishing something when you aren't. Quitting or swapping games could however help in taking you out of your depressive cycle, but it's definitely not a quick fix to depression. My life has changed a lot. It is what differentiates depression from bipolar. I haven't watched this particular video, but Dr. Members Online Do easy rewards make my brain flooded with Dopamine, or does it lower my levels? Jan 14, 2025 · A dopamine detox can help clear the mental clutter, allowing you to reconnect with what truly matters and find joy in everyday life again. I want to do a dopamine detox, but I'm afraid it would suck me back into depression where I'm not even getting out of bed. For example, making lots of money in real life may make you feel dopamine because you feel like you're a success. I knew I had to retrain my brain to find satisfaction outside of endless scrolling. Dec 21, 2023 · He admits that most people promoting dopamine detox have twisted his argument. Dopamine is not a toxin to begin with. The key is to slowly remove these highly addictive behaviours and do other things. I don't know why these self-help pseudo-science blogs call it a "dopamine detox". ' Dr K said that the thing to watch out for when doing a dopamine detox is boredom. No processed dopamine foods. Increasing dopamine in depression could potentially relieve anhedonia but have other unintended consequences. My understanding is that it's not really a dopamine detox, it's just lowering dopamine stimulation to normal levels. Sep 9, 2024 · Instead of trying to reduce or eliminate one or two problematic behaviors, most people now use the term “dopamine detox” to describe abstaining from anything and everything they find pleasurable, to the extent that that’s possible. } Because being such a complex subject as it is, people can be depressed in and for so many different ways and reasons. You have no idea the relief of not wanting to die all the time. For the few people on this sub who don't know what it is, when people talk of "dopamine detoxing" they usually mean the abstinence of activities that provide 1. Dopamine Returns to Normal 3 Months After Quitting Smoking [lack of dopamine potentially explains some of the anger, irritability and depression related to quitting nicotine that goes beyond the three-day withdrawal period] I know this is an old thread but i thought i'd give my insight. The clinic I go to does ketamine treatments through intramuscular injections. . Cus I have no social life, no friends, no girlfriend and my hobbies are not my hobbies anymore so I think we craving for dopamine because of the lack of basic human needs in our lives. I am not surprised to see other commenters talking about depression as a result. The dopamine is already malfunctioning and does not simply readjust just because we get low dopamine. People will argue that this is missing the point. To start off a dopamine detox, to pick a day in the week to avoid all the highly stimulating activities. 5 mg + melitracen 10 mg, a tricyclic antidepressant We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. ), to also cutting out masturbation (not that masturbation in itself is bad, it's actually healthy, but I would Welcome to Dopamine Detoxing. I cut out video games during school semester for example because i get addicted, but i try not to be too strict otherwise with for example switching tasks Heyhey, after the past 31 days I completed my first ever month-long extreme dopamine / consumism detox and I wanted to share my motivation, results, realisations (and some techniques). Using Dopamine Detox To Cure Depression In the following month, and hopefully as a lifestyle if I can be consistent enough, is to cut out all of my bad habits--from entertainment (mindlessly scrolling on YouTube, movies, porn, etc. It probably has much more to do with how their serotonin receptors function than the actual amount. true. Most antidepressant medications work by making sure that you have more dopamine and norephedrine in your brain. Does anyone else has tried this ? Hi everyone, this is the first time after many attempts that I was able to do a full week of dopamine detox. g. Jan 9, 2025 · You need to "dopamine detox" in that you need to do a lot fewer high dopamine activities that are endless. 17 votes, 10 comments. TL;DR you can't 'detox' from dopamine. The problem with that approach is that these dopamine detox videos were created by people who have a very limited understanding of what dopamine does in our brains. There is no reliable way to measure their imbalance. It wasn’t perfect, but it worked better than anything else I’ve tried. List your most dopameric activities, basically just list what you’re addicted to such as, sex, food, shopping, browing the internet, drinking or drugs. That a dopamine detox is a metaphor for simplifying your life, cutting out bad habits. To put it shortly; this dopamine detox has opened my eyes. Dopamine and Dopamine Fasting. This makes the pulses of dopamine small in comparison. For us, though, we need what dopamine we can squeeze out of life just to survive. youtubers like him is probably reason why people keep asking about dopamine detox in this subreddit. My dopamine detox journey has truly been a lifesaver, bringing me back from a state of chronic exhaustion and into a place where I feel I can thrive. But dopamine doesn’t really have much to do with depression. For me, it's depression and self hatred. As described in the title. Best dopamine detox book or reference please end up with very bad depression then I escape "Dopamine Detox" can have some small and transient positive effects but there are two problems with the detox: It makes false claims about what it does. Slow COMT is associated with high tonic dopamine. Hello everyone, i saw someone updating their dopamine detox journey and I thought it was a great idea to stay disciplined. Before dopamine detox, my day was like this: immediately after getting up, I tried to sit down straight to work (I work from home) I have this from lifetime of porn addiction, only solution after years of antidepressants that did not help was starting a typical antipsychotic (original ones, called also neuroleptics, in my case a medication called deanxit (its a 2 in 1 medication- antipsychotic called flupentixole 0. That argument alone is enough to cause me depression. Dopamine is only one neurotransmitter; serotonin, noradrenaline, and GABA all work in synergy to achieve what you desire. That isn’t even the situation with serotonin, which we think is the main problem with people suffering with depression. The biggest contributor to depression and low mood during withdrawal is the lack of dopamine. I've been studying dopamine and brain chemistry for some time now, just for my own interest. It's just a hormone (neurotransmitter) necessary for normal cognitive functioning. Welcome to Dopamine Detoxing, by Andrew Kirby. I stopped watching YouTube, scrolling through twitter, eating junk food and watching porn. A pleasant homeostasis, if you will. Welcome to Dopamine Detoxing. As for the relevance of dopamine to RL research: Obviously, many of the concepts (e. I don't believe gaming addiction is the sole cause of your depression. Microdosing shouldn’t be bad for a dopamine detox as it messes with the serotonin receptors not the dopamine ones which is a big reason why it isn’t very addictive. It's not a detox, it's not a fast, it doesn't lower dopamine levels and it doesn't upregulate dopamine receptors, as it is too short in duration. So like others have said, you can't really detox from dopamine because it's a brain chemical - but you can learn to get your dopamine from other things, and train yourself out of getting it from "harmful" sources like weed and screentime. When I attempt doing a dopamine detox, I can’t last for more than a day. See the Required Reading for more. I started dopamine detox 4 days ago, and everyday my day starts with a good mood, but as afternoon approaches, I start feeling sad and depressed for no reason. Is it possible to do that… If you are suffering from depression medication could of course be used and I recommend that. This is a support group to help with impulsive behaviour towards Eating, Gaming, Gambling, Thrill, and Tech. I was told that I would have to deal with boredom, not constant mood swings. Start with a Dopamine Detox, then maintain a Dopamine Fast. Putting bet on soccer/basketball teams is the only thing gives me an excitement in this life. Abnormally elevated ventral striatal activity during reward anticipation may be a potential biomarker of bipolar II. One of the best responses I've received so far, lots to chew on and mull over. In a dopamine detox, we take away the high dopamine spikes generated by companies psychologically designed to target our dopamine receptors, and allow ourselves to be bored. I didn’t go cold Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is related to motivation. The book Dopamine Detox, are suggesting a detox of: 48-hour complete dopamine detox You must eliminate most or all sources of external stimulation for a total of 48 hours. It's far too easy to abuse dopamine these days, so I thought of it as going back to a time before technology. I posted on r/DopamineDetoxing in the beginning of March that I intended on doing a full month of a dopamine detox, and wanted to put it on the record to keep myself accountable. In a few weeks, your dopamine receptors will be upregulated, and you'll get a lot more dopamine out of low dopaminergic activities. Best of luck champ!!! [METHOD] Dopamine Detox Guide: A Minimalistic System I created an actionable guide of Cal Newport's Digital Minimalism so that you can use insights from this book right away. Also, the reason I started reading up on neurotransmitters and found dopamine detox is because I have medication resistant type 1 bipolar disorder with co-morbid mania, ADHD, migraine and psychotic depression. Members Online Do easy rewards make my brain flooded with Dopamine, or does it lower my levels? Welcome to Dopamine Detoxing. Reply reply BruceWayne055 The main idea is disconnecting from Dom outlets of overstimulation to allow your brain to reset its overstimulated dopamine levels. Be careful and don't cut it out 100%. by detoxing You’re cutting off those outlets that keep you in a r/AboutDopamine: Subreddit - Dopamine. So, is there anything you can do to overcome high dopamine rushes? To help you overcome addictions, you need to perform a dopamine detox. I don't think dopamine is something you can get addicted to. People who practice this generally follow these Based on the answers above, you can plan a detox for how long you want. Reducing your stress, anxiety, and depression. Yesterday I sat by the river and felt thankfulness. I see there's strong correlation between my anhedonia,brain fog,headaches much more directly proportional to my screen time , anyone tried giving up… yeah, i think it's stupid too. I've struggled with a lot of issues like anxiety, depression, and other seemingly random problems since middle school, but I think my issue is actually reduced dopamine. Of course I go to theerapy, meditate, go to the gym, read and practice mma. A neurotypical person might benefit from it as they might be hooked on an excess of it. Also, see below. Though I certainly believe that the science is there to show that reducing one’s exposure to things that trigger an unnatural dopaminergic response after prolonged periods of subjection to them is extremely beneficial in that it can assist with a ‘ reset ‘ of sorts This is a support group to help with impulsive behaviour towards Eating, Gaming, Gambling, Thrill, and Tech. This is beyond reddit's scope of practice. ) this reinforces the dopamine pathway. A lot of the research suggesting that depression is caused by a deficiency of serotonin has been debunked Welcome to Dopamine Detoxing. Contrary to the name dopamine detox or fasting, the goal is NOT to reduce dopamine, but to reduce the "time spent on problematic behaviors”. Jan 29, 2025 · Steps to Perform a Dopamine Detox. But that's not a detox. The biggest difference I've felt is the peace and clarity of mind which translate into many aspects of life. It's a molecule your body constructs for specific purposes. The whole concept "dopamine detox" is a bit flawed. In the process of dealing with anhedonia, individuals often have several questions as they navigate their emotional numbness and seek understanding and support. Then there is probably the need for a dopamine detox because I have been on a computer all day every day for the past 15+ years. I ended up getting my ADHD results and they suspect most of my inattention is caused by depression and smoking weed, and said that it is unlikely I actually have ADHD. 54K subscribers in the DopamineDetoxing community. gvzaowxk vnrzr yodygc piop qdgh smgjgw iwozub nzvw hkaya dxgxc znb nokv lguu uhmhl qwuws