How is dopamine used

You should not be treated with dopamine if you have pheochromocytoma tumor of the adrenal gland. In an emergency situation it may not be possible to tell your caregivers if you are pregnant or breast-feeding. Make sure any doctor caring for your pregnancy or your baby knows you have received this medicine. Dopamine is injected into a vein through an IV. A healthcare provider will give you this injection. Tell your caregivers if you feel any burning, pain, or swelling around the IV needle when dopamine injection is injected.

Your breathing, blood pressure, oxygen levels, kidney function, and other vital signs will be watched closely while you are receiving dopamine injection. Since dopamine injection is given by a healthcare professional in a medical setting, you are not likely to miss a dose.

Since this medicine is given by a healthcare professional in a medical setting, an overdose is unlikely to occur. Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction : hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. Other drugs may interact with dopamine, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products.

Tell your doctor about all your current medicines and any medicine you start or stop using. Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive.

Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Dopamine plays many important roles in your body, and low levels may negatively affect your mood, motivation and memory.

Here are 12 dopamine…. Many people see dopamine as one of the main driving factors in addiction. But it's not that simple.

We'll bust some common myths about dopamine and…. Dopamine and serotonin are two neurotransmitters that affect similar aspects of your health in slightly different ways, including your mental health…. Studies suggest that ADHD could be linked to the dysfunction of dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter that helps control movements and emotions.

Showering during a thunderstorm is not safe. Learn more about staying safe in your home during a thunderstorm and activities you should avoid. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. How Does Dopamine Affect the Body? Medically reviewed by Timothy J. Legg, Ph. What is dopamine? How does dopamine make you feel? Can you tell if you have a dopamine deficiency? What happens when you have too much dopamine?

How do drugs affect dopamine levels? How do hormones affect dopamine levels? Key takeaways. Read this next. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, too little dopamine — or problems in the way the brain uses dopamine — may play a role in disorders such as schizophrenia or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD. In other parts of the body, dopamine acts as type of hormone called a catecholamine.

Catecholamines are made in the adrenal glands — small hormone production factories that sit on top of the kidneys. These hormones get released into the bloodstream when the body is physically or mentally stressed. They cause biochemical changes that activate the so-called fight-or-flight response. Dopamine has many functions outside the brain. It acts as a vasodilator , helping to widen blood vessels.

It helps to increase urine output in the kidneys, and in the pancreas it reduces the production of insulin, a hormone involved in blood sugar regulation. In the immune system, dopamine dampens inflammation, normally helping to prevent the sort of runaway immune response seen in autoimmune diseases. Dopamine receptors are proteins found in the brain and nerves throughout the body.

The receptor and neurotransmitter work like a lock and key. The dopamine attaches to the dopamine receptor, delivering its chemical message by causing changes in the receiving nerve cell.

Dopamine receptors play an important role in many neurological processes, including movement coordination and fine motor control, pleasure, cognition, memory, and learning. Abnormally functioning dopamine receptors may play a role in several neurological and psychiatric illnesses. Therefore, dopamine receptors are a natural target for many drug therapies. Some street drugs, including heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine , also act on dopamine receptors in the brain.

Dopamine creates feelings of pleasure. To regain these pleasurable effects, a user must increase the amount of drug taken. There are a few classes of medication that work on the dopamine pathways of the brain to treat disease. They include:. Levodopa, a precursor chemical to dopamine, helps to boost dopamine levels in the brain.

Once levodopa reaches the brain, it transforms into dopamine. Dopamine Agonists Dopamine agonists are a class of drugs that bind to and activate dopamine receptors in the brain. They mimic the action of naturally-occurring dopamine in the brain, causing the neurons to react as they would to dopamine. RLS is a sleep disorder that causes an unpleasant tingling or twitching sensation in the legs when lying or sitting down, mostly at night, resulting in an irresistible urge to move them, and in insomnia.

Dopamine agonists also are sometimes used to treat depression and fibromyalgia.