Final test results are in. Here are the catecholamines (dopamine) and serotonin test results.
The easy to understand part – my serotonin levels are one click from being considered High. I call that high.
Higher serotonin is like a “brake” on orgasms – it slows them down. That is a possible issue that affects my mild anorgasmia.
Interestingly, most all of the articles on the net talk about how to BOOST serotonin rather than decrease.
A low-carb, high-protein diet, as a result, may help your body reduce its amount of serotonin naturally.
Interesting, but that certainly doesn’t work for me.
I have searched to find any references on whether danazol affects serotonin; or if testosterone affects serotonin. The only mentions are testosterone.
testosterone levels may actually directly affect serotonin levels in the brain.
Ok - so everything so far is about serotonin. The catecholamine results are another story.
It is difficult for me to understand these results are they are marked “neutral”, yet the range of MY tests are confusing.
Look at dopamine. My results were “<80” … the range is “<20”. I agree that “20 is less than 80” … but the overall results are confusing. I expected to find substantially lower numbers for dopamine.
BTW, if you are like me and don’t keep up with this stuff, EPINEPHRINE used to be called “adrenalin” on tests.
Also, the more I read, the more I see that I should take the urine test (a 24-hour catch of urine) rather than the blood test.
However, one site defines the “significance” of this test:
The significance of Catecholamines Blood Test is explained:
- Increased levels of catecholamines may indicate:
- Excessive stress
- Pheochromocytoma
- Ganglioblastoma
- Ganglioneuroma
- Hypothyroidism
- Long-term manic-depressive disorders
- Myocardial infarction (MI)
- Neuroblastoma
L* Shock- Decreased levels of catecholamines may indicate:
- Autonomic nervous system disorder
- Orthostatic hypotension
- Parkinson’s disease
The adrenal glands make large amounts of catecholamines as a reaction to stress. [so if adrenals aren’t working right, there will be decreased levels]
None of that applies to me.