PERSPECTIVE

  The serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitter molecules found in the urine are not serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitter molecules filtered from the renal arterial blood at the glomerulous and excreted into the urine. They are serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitter molecules synthesized by the kidneys then excreted into the urine. There is no correlation between urinary monoamine neurotransmitter levels (serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine), peripheral serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitter levels or central nervous system serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitter levels.  Urinary serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitter testing it not able to diagnose disease such as depression and ADHD associated with low serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitter levels, nor does it have the ability to determine the dosing of 5-HTP aka 5HTP or 5HTP, tyrosine aka L-tyrosine, or L-dopa aka dopa  in a starting dose, although attempts at such have been made to use urinary serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitter testing to diagnose serotonin and dopamine related neurotransmitter disease such as depression, ADHD, etc. and or determine the starting dose of 5-HTP aka 5HTP or 5HTP, tyrosine aka L-tyrosine, and L-dopa aka dopa in addressing serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitter levels no success has been documented. When 5-HTP aka 5HTP or 5HTP is administered there is no correlation between the urinary serotonin neurotransmitter levels and 5-HTP aka 5HTP or 5HTP dosing. With all of this in mind, our research has found a correlation between urinary serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitter levels and the resolution of disease symptoms such as depression, ADHD, etc. As well as a correlation between 5-HTP aka 5HTP or 5HTP, tyrosine aka L-tyrosine, and L-dopa aka dopa dosing and urinary neurotransmitter levels but this only occurs when two tests are obtain on varied 5-HTP aka 5HTP or 5HTP and L-dopa aka dopa dosing and the results of the two tests are compared to reveal the phase of the urinary neurotransmitter. This correlation is discussed below.

    The following provides a quick overview on how to start patients on the neurotransmitter precursors 5-HTP aka 5HTP or 5HTP, tyrosine aka L-tyrosine, and L-dopa aka dopa using the clinical therapeutic approaches developed by NeuroResearch. Our research, which began in 1995 with data basing and refining serotonin and dopamine treatment in clinic without our patients. This approach is currently being used by over 900 clinics in the United States and Canada. In patients with serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitter dysfunction disease such as depression and ADHD involving the master neurotransmitter levels of serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine, the starting point of treatment is the same for each disease, use 5-HTP aka 5HTP or 5HTP, tyrosine aka L-tyrosine and L-dopa aka dopa.

   If the goal of treatment is to optimize relief of disease symptoms, neurotransmitter lab testing of urinary serotonin and dopamine prior to starting 5-HTP aka 5HTP or 5HTP, tyrosine aka L-tyrosine, and L-dopa aka dopa is of no value. You need to treat the patient, not the lab and baseline urinary serotonin and dopamine testing prior to treatment has no correlation with urinary serotonin and dopamine testing once the patient is taking amino acids, none. Continue adjusting the 5-HTP aka 5HTP or 5HTP, tyrosine aka L-tyrosine, and L-dopa aka dopa until the patient experiences relief of symptoms or the urinary serotonin and dopamine are both in the phase 3 therapeutic range. Lab changes are not as important as getting disease symptoms under control, treat the patient not the lab. Once the patient's symptoms are under control, no further testing is required. Once again, there is no correlation between urinary serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitter levels prior to starting 5-HTP aka 5HTP or 5HTP, tyrosine aka L-tyrosine, and L-dopa aka dopa and urinary serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitter levels when patients are  taking serotonin and dopamine amino acid precursors 5-HTP aka 5HTP or 5HTP, tyrosine aka L-tyrosine, and L-dopa aka dopa.

  Urinary serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitter samples need to be collected 4 to 5 hours before bedtime just prior to the PM dose of 5-HTP aka 5HTP or 5HTP, tyrosine aka L-tyrosine, and L-dopa aka dopa. For most patients, this will be at 4 or 5 PM. In patients diagnosed with one or more neurotransmitter dysfunction diseases who are not taking the amino acids 5-HTP aka 5HTP or 5HTP, tyrosine aka L-tyrosine. or L-dopa aka dopa, 87% of samples collected 4 to 5 hours before bedtime and 61% of samples collected in the morning have urinary serotonin levels above the reference range of the lab. In some patients, collecting urinary serotonin and dopamine samples in the morning can lead to missing the neurotransmitter phase response. While urinary serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitter testing may be ordered at any point after the patient has been taking the amino acids 5-HTP aka 5HTP or 5HTP, tyrosine aka L-tyrosine, and L-dopa aka dopa for more than one week, in most patients the optimal time to order testing is after the patient has been taking the "level 3" amino acid dosing for one week with no relief of symptoms