Amino Acid Combo

jyb

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I'm interested in feedback from various amino acid experiments, especially those promoting good mood and mental focus at work for example when used as a supplement at breakfast or lunchtime. I find gelatin to be effective for mood and satiety but I'm less experienced with other protein supplements.

Did anyone try the following as combo? For each dose,
- BCAA (5g)
- Phenylalanine or Tyrosine (1-2g)
- Taurine 1-2g (though some users seem to do 2-3g)
- Theanine 0.4g
- Lysine 2-3g
- gelatin (a few grams, no limits)

The amounts above are typical doses found on this forum (multiply by 2 or 3 to get the total daily dose).
 

Gl;itch.e

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BCAA good. I use this MRM brand with my workouts and it helps a bunch for muscle growth/retention and lowering fatigue

Tyrosine made me freaking furious and irritable as hell. I only took about 1 - 1.5g of it in an attempt to help with workouts. Made it impossible to train because I was so irritable and strength seemed to take a dive when on it. Would not use!

Taurine! My one true love! No bad words can be spoken. NOW foods brand in my Signature link is what I use. Quality brand, have used in large quantities (9-12grams) with no issue.

Theanine is nice. I felt profoundly relaxed the first time I used it. Not much each time after. Would be good if you plan on using a lot of Caffeine otherwise I don't think it's a good idea earlier in the day. Save it for after dinner IMO.

Lysine. Didn't notice anything from this. Took maybe 5g a day for quite a while.

Gelatin (often get 10-20g of protein a day from Gelatin) do feel it has a mildly relaxing effect.


All of these can be taken alone or together depending on what you want and when you want it. Personally I think Cortisol lowering stuff is better left for later in the day/closer to bed.
 

sladerunner69

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BCAA good. I use this MRM brand with my workouts and it helps a bunch for muscle growth/retention and lowering fatigue

Tyrosine made me freaking furious and irritable as hell. I only took about 1 - 1.5g of it in an attempt to help with workouts. Made it impossible to train because I was so irritable and strength seemed to take a dive when on it. Would not use!

Taurine! My one true love! No bad words can be spoken. NOW foods brand in my Signature link is what I use. Quality brand, have used in large quantities (9-12grams) with no issue.

Theanine is nice. I felt profoundly relaxed the first time I used it. Not much each time after. Would be good if you plan on using a lot of Caffeine otherwise I don't think it's a good idea earlier in the day. Save it for after dinner IMO.

Lysine. Didn't notice anything from this. Took maybe 5g a day for quite a while.

Gelatin (often get 10-20g of protein a day from Gelatin) do feel it has a mildly relaxing effect.


All of these can be taken alone or together depending on what you want and when you want it. Personally I think Cortisol lowering stuff is better left for later in the day/closer to bed.

Seems like you are having contrary reactions to different amino acids compared to me. BCAA made me feel empty and depressed as heck. Taurine I ahd to stop because it made me tired and I couldn't think straight or focus. Lysine and thenaine have been great for anxiety. Gelatin is good yes,not to strong, that is the one we agree on.
 

Gl;itch.e

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Seems like you are having contrary reactions to different amino acids compared to me. BCAA made me feel empty and depressed as heck. Taurine I ahd to stop because it made me tired and I couldn't think straight or focus. Lysine and thenaine have been great for anxiety. Gelatin is good yes,not to strong, that is the one we agree on.
How much protein from food do you average? Obviously isolated aminos can through ratios off. Do you also usually supplement aminos on their own or with other protein containing food?
 

sladerunner69

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How much protein from food do you average? Obviously isolated aminos can through ratios off. Do you also usually supplement aminos on their own or with other protein containing food?

What do you mean exactly? Are you asking if I take aminos witha meal that contains significant protein? I drink milk and eat some meat and take gelatin in the morning and at night and thus am averageing maybe 100 grams daily.
 

Gl;itch.e

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What do you mean exactly? Are you asking if I take aminos witha meal that contains significant protein? I drink milk and eat some meat and take gelatin in the morning and at night and thus am averageing maybe 100 grams daily.
Yeah. If taken on their own I imagine you would run into more trouble than taken with or close to a proper meal.

Do you know if you have any serotonin related issues? I'm wondering because BCAAs should definitely be pro-dopaminergic and lift your mood not worsen it.
 
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jyb

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All of these can be taken alone or together depending on what you want and when you want it. Personally I think Cortisol lowering stuff is better left for later in the day/closer to bed.

Thanks.

Tyrosine made me freaking furious and irritable as hell. I only took about 1 - 1.5g of it in an attempt to help with workouts. Made it impossible to train because I was so irritable and strength seemed to take a dive when on it. Would not use!

I only mention Phenylalanine or Tyrosine to counteract the dopamine lowering effect of BCAA (as recommended on this forum). I think relying on food sources is too risky (doesn't enter the bloodstream at the same time).

BCAA made me feel empty and depressed as heck.

See my comment above. I've taken BCAA alone or with a bit of food before and as expected it killed my dopamine.
 
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sladerunner69

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Yeah. If taken on their own I imagine you would run into more trouble than taken with or close to a proper meal.

Do you know if you have any serotonin related issues? I'm wondering because BCAAs should definitely be pro-dopaminergic and lift your mood not worsen it.

Ive also read that bcaa will lower both serotonin & dopamine in the brain. The result is an empty listless mild depression
 

Gl;itch.e

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Ive also read that bcaa will lower both serotonin & dopamine in the brain. The result is an empty listless mild depression
It's supposed to lower serotonin not dopamine from what I have read. And experientially that makes sense to me. Serotonin is the fatigue inducer that when working out makes you tired and want to quit, which is why I think BCAAs support intense training so well for me.
 

Gl;itch.e

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Thanks.
See my comment above. I've taken BCAA alone or with a bit of food before and as expected it killed my dopamine.
Maybe Haidut would have a better idea of why this may occur in certain individuals. But it seems to be a rare thing you are experiencing. Most people I know who have used BCAAs (pretty much everyone at every gym Ive been too) finds it helps them train harder, longer and with better mental intensity.
 
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jyb

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Maybe Haidut would have a better idea of why this may occur in certain individuals. But it seems to be a rare thing you are experiencing. Most people I know who have used BCAAs (pretty much everyone at every gym Ive been too) finds it helps them train harder, longer and with better mental intensity.

No that's normal - BCAA alone is expected to deplete dopamine. That's why I listed pheny and tyrosine in the list above. And if you're a body builder and take protein shakes, it's probably covered.
 

Gl;itch.e

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No that's normal - BCAA alone is expected to deplete dopamine. That's why I listed pheny and tyrosine in the list above. And if you're a body builder and take protein shakes, it's probably covered.
Which is why I keep asking these people who are having "issues" with BCAA if they are taking it alone or not. If your base protein intake is sufficient you should be fine with a little extra BCAA.
 

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bcaa tyrosine combo if you are hypo...
If you are not hypo you can use bcaa taurine combo...
For me bcaa doesn't work with phenylalanine because I think both seem to deplete quite a lot your glycogen levels... Lysine I use with proline and glycine and it gives nice skin tone... Lysine seems to work good with phenylalanine and tyrosine
 

sladerunner69

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It's supposed to lower serotonin not dopamine from what I have read. And experientially that makes sense to me. Serotonin is the fatigue inducer that when working out makes you tired and want to quit, which is why I think BCAAs support intense training so well for me.

There are a lot of personal accounts on here about bcaa's causing people to feel depressed and giving them low dopamine symptoms though. I suppose it is different for everyone, but that is why it is commonly recommended to use tyrosine along with bcaas to compensate for the lowerred dopamine.
 

Gl;itch.e

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There are a lot of personal accounts on here about bcaa's causing people to feel depressed and giving them low dopamine symptoms though. I suppose it is different for everyone, but that is why it is commonly recommended to use tyrosine along with bcaas to compensate for the lowerred dopamine.
I guess I have had more experience with healthy individuals without any real depression to start with. If someone was already depressed I imagine that they would be more sensitive to shifts in dopamine and serotonin (not discounting the other hormones).

If you're generally not a depressed individual then BCAAs shouldn't pose a problem in smaller amounts. If in doubt adding Taurine which helps with dopamine should balance any potential negative side. Like Reosirens says, if you are prone to hypoglycaemia then BCAAs may not be best for you and would make sure you use them with a meal or drink containing a decent amount of sugar/glucose to offset their insulinogenic effects.
 

OJ15

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All of these can be taken alone or together depending on what you want and when you want it. Personally I think Cortisol lowering stuff is better left for later in the day/closer to bed.

What would be a good pre-bed routine to fall asleep faster, and get more restful sleep thoughout the night?

Taurine and glycine mixed in a little OJ, with a bit of cheese perhaps?

Cheers
 

Gl;itch.e

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What would be a good pre-bed routine to fall asleep faster, and get more restful sleep thoughout the night?

Taurine and glycine mixed in a little OJ, with a bit of cheese perhaps?

Cheers
Depends on what issues you are dealing with. Some that I find help are as follows

niacinamide
aspirin
glycine
magnesium

And a decent amount of food with sugar before bed. Lately I have been making Hot Chocolate with Cinnamon, Gelatin and Casein protein as my pre bed meal. A hot drink on it's own is probably quiet helpful for inducing sleep.
 

jitsmonkey

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this company is out of inventory right now but their amino product is by far and away the cleanest and most effective one I've used.
way back Haidut talked about a protein replacement utilizing select aminos and eliminating the least desirable ones
that's what this product is based upon. I'm not a shill or an investor or anything. I've just used the product and appreciate the effort
that must go into producing such a niche type product.
AMINO PRO™
 

OJ15

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Depends on what issues you are dealing with. Some that I find help are as follows

niacinamide
aspirin
glycine
magnesium

And a decent amount of food with sugar before bed. Lately I have been making Hot Chocolate with Cinnamon, Gelatin and Casein protein as my pre bed meal. A hot drink on it's own is probably quiet helpful for inducing sleep.

I usually have a lot of thoughts running through my head and I don't always feel tired when I'm "ready" to go to sleep. Therefore it takes me a while to unwind and fall asleep. Some sedative substances might prove useful in this case? Is taurine not inhibitory?

I try not to drink to much liquid leading up to bedtime as it leads to nocturnal urination for me - that's why cheese and a piece of fruit (mostly liquid I know, but not compared to a large glass of OJ) has been my go to combo lately.

It should also be mentioned that I'm a night person so weekends tend to ruin the regularity of my "sleep schedule"- this a problem in its own right that I'm working to correct.

-Cheers
 

Gl;itch.e

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I usually have a lot of thoughts running through my head and I don't always feel tired when I'm "ready" to go to sleep. Therefore it takes me a while to unwind and fall asleep. Some sedative substances might prove useful in this case? Is taurine not inhibitory?

I try not to drink to much liquid leading up to bedtime as it leads to nocturnal urination for me - that's why cheese and a piece of fruit (mostly liquid I know, but not compared to a large glass of OJ) has been my go to combo lately.

It should also be mentioned that I'm a night person so weekends tend to ruin the regularity of my "sleep schedule"- this a problem in its own right that I'm working to correct.

-Cheers
Maybe try stuff that will relax you before bed. Thiamine B1. Carbs. Bag Breathing and meditation.
 

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