Comments on: What Is Acetylcholine & What Does it Do?

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 03:36:09 +0000

Hi joe ,
What are your thoughts of photomodulation for synaptic regeneration?
My mum is showing intermittent memory issues ( given up by medical fraternity because of her age ) she had been a very high functioning elderly person ; want to keep it that way : I am wondering if it could help her .
Vielight neuro alpha is the product I am looking at

By: Fatih

Fatih — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 22:35:18 +0000

In reply to Gabi Fe. I think you have visual snow.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 03:21:10 +0000

In reply to Jon. Hi Jon, I have CFS and started taking acetylcholine yesterday. My HR has Improved, my resting heart rate has significantly dropped. I believe this is because virus has affected my vagus nerve which is a acetylcholine pathway. I’m also taking lysine to help clear the acetylcholine pathway. It’s working. My resting HR was 70 +, now I’m back down to my normal 48 within 2 weeks of taking it. I’ve also had 4 months of LLLT (low level laser therapy) for neuro inflammation. Good luck with your recovery. Sending you a miracle

By: Lou Thomas

Lou Thomas — Mon, 09 Jul 2018 22:47:31 +0000

Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors do raise acetylcholine levels, but at a heavy cost of bad side-effects. This is because acetylcholinesterase is the substance the clears acetylcholine from a synaptic juncture after a neuron has fired. With acetycholinesterase inhibited, the acetylcholine clears more slowly after a firing, and the neuron cannot re-fire until that clearing has occurred. Since neuron fires happen with a certain rhythm (and in fact repeated firings are often used to transmit the intensity of a stimulus), some neurons may not be ready to fire when called upon, leading to a variety of ill effects.

The most extreme example is Sarin nerve gas, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor that is irreversible. All neurons get stuck with that stuff, unable to fire again, with deadly results. The AchE inhibitors used in medicine (e.g., donepezil) are of course reversible and have a less severe effect, and so the side-effects are less horrible, but still not good.

Alpha GPC (aka choline alphoscerate) is a much safer supplement that effectively raises acetylcholine levels without the side-effects of an AChE inhibitor.

By: Jon

Jon — Sun, 17 Jun 2018 10:46:07 +0000

Do you know if acetylcholine would help with C.F.S & an Under active bladder?

By: DL

DL — Sun, 27 May 2018 10:31:53 +0000

Its not necessarily rare to have normally higher levels of acetylcholine. According to Dr Eric Braverman (The Edge Effect), 17% of people have normally high levels of this neurotransmitter. Those of us with this trait can easily get above the threshold where negative symptoms develop (tightness in neck, overstimulation, sleep problems, and yes memory problems) from dietary sources such as eggs (a source of choline) and potatoes (an acetelycholine esterase inhibitor – this is a substance that inhibits the enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine, with net effect of increased levels of it). So, there are those of us who need to watch out for things that increase it. Since the levels will decrease naturally when avoiding ‘boosters’, when I get too much ACh, I just strictly avoid dietary sources of choline and dietary inhibitors of AChE and I find that the situation corrects itself in a day or so.

By: Lola Oliva Verde

Lola Oliva Verde — Tue, 08 May 2018 10:39:11 +0000

How does one know if one needs it, or if one has too much of it? These things are not so simple as they sound. I just read that anticholinergics can help cause Alzheimer’s later in life. There are Many drugs that have this activity. They are rated, the worst are Class 3..I am at least one that inhibits acetylcholine, but then I see that I’m on a couple of supplements that raise it! And the damage to the brain from a med can show up Many Years later. Scary stuff. One needs to a chemist nowadays in trying to figure all of this out for oneself. I am 71, so have to extra careful with this stuff, realize now, since seeing that taking things to increase my acetylcholine, goes against what a med might be doing. But for sure, I have read research now, that anticholinergic drugs can have a pretty bad effect on the brain (and as I wrote, there have the drugs listed by class, Class 3 depletes acetylcholine the most, and are the most damaging (and not for Everyone of course, but a percentage of folks, enough so that they are very aware of it now. Thank you.

By: Nicole

Nicole — Sun, 06 May 2018 21:46:49 +0000

Is this a safe supplement for a 9 year old (80 lbs) to take? If not, are there other similar supplements that would be safe for him?

By: Shea

Shea — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 18:46:47 +0000

You’re welcome, Chelsea!

By: Melana

Melana — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 15:48:59 +0000

One class of drugs that reduces acetylcholene that isn’t mentioned here is anticholinogerics , used for asthma, copd, and other breathing issues. It opens up the bronchial tubes, but the side effects can be developing a tremor, among many others.

By: Gabi Fe

Gabi Fe — Mon, 18 Dec 2017 11:15:55 +0000

P.s.Doctor told me smoke as much as cigarettes you can
I don’t smoke usually. I don’t understand his advice, if Nicotine reduces acetylcholine and I have already to low of it

By: Gabi Fe

Gabi Fe — Mon, 18 Dec 2017 11:12:17 +0000

You are right..maybe I need to increse it..I am not sure anymore. I suffer from Complex regional pain syndrome. Prescribed Cymbalta, developed withdrawal, wanted to switch to Fluoxetin, developed the opossite state of withdrawal,called Serotinin syndrome. Had to stopped both abruptly. Since then my brain produces symptoms of ‘high’ serotonin( eyes), exchanging with low serotonin/adrenalin ( withdrawal: nausea,vomiting, myoclonus,litterly dying). 24 hours of pure hell. 18 months. 9 months ago I tried LDN, first I have started getting better( from withdrawal symptoms), then after couple of weeks I jumped again into the opossite state of something ‘serotonin’?!, with the hit in my eyes/ head. Feels like I have toxic level of something in my eyes: burning, eyes jerking,unable to focus picture, extreme photophobia,swollen eyes,flashing in front of eyes, blinking, extreme migraine/ neuralgia type of pain in eyes,around eyes, attacks of trigeminal neuralgia,neck pain..I thought maybe this is excess of acetylcholine…Everything I tried it worse, so svere worsening from LDN, tried Clonazepam also was worse, tried Taurine and NAC,magnesium,reservatrol..worse,worse,worse..In urine I have very high levels of Serotonin,GABA,Glutamate,low level of Adrenalin. So confused. Few days ago I took 1/4 Taurine and I am so much worse now

By: Dan

Dan — Sun, 17 Dec 2017 14:16:53 +0000

why would you want to lower it ? unless you have a depression induced from acetlycholine i.e. a very rare possibility and in that case Serotonin or Dopamine both could work. but still a rarest thing to have too much of this imp neurotransmitter.

By: Gabi Fe

Gabi Fe — Sat, 16 Dec 2017 19:55:27 +0000

I am confused about Alpha lipoic acid? I read everywhere that it increase acetylcholin..I have just bought it but to scared to try after reading of increasing act…can someone explain…I have excess of acetylcholine and serotonin in eyes caused by medications one year ago and can’t recover…please help

By: Tony

Tony — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 15:25:28 +0000

I think another way to lower high levels of acetylcholine activity is by increasing serotonin levels.

By: Lou

Lou — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 09:22:07 +0000

Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors do indeed raise acetylcholine levels. But they have side-effects that may harm mental functioning in other ways. My own personal theory is that they slow the clearance of acetylcholine from synaptic junctures. Acetylcholine is emitted from one side of a synapse to cause a firing, but for firing to occur a second time, the acetylcholine must be cleared away. This clearance is performed by acetylcholinesterase. So if you inhibit acetylcholinesterase, clearance occurs more slowly, and therefore the synapse may not be ready to fire the next time it is needed, if a second firing is required of it soon after the first firing. That’s why I believe that Alpha GPC is generally a better way to increase acetylcholine levels than is the use of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.

By: Lou

Lou — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 09:16:32 +0000

Alpha GPC is more effective than CDP choline, but both work well to increase acetylcholine in the brain. Regular choline is ineffective, as it does not cross the blood-brain barrier very well, especially for older persons.

By: anna burns

anna burns — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 14:20:34 +0000

hi Joe, I was wondering which might be better…choline from lecithin or choline supplements? If choline supplements, would it be CDP or Alpha GPC? thanks

By: sabine

sabine — Sat, 24 Dec 2016 00:30:04 +0000

acetylcholinesterase inhibitors are helpful

Antioxidant and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory potential of
Arnica montana cultivated in Bulgaria

http://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/biology/issues/biy-12-36-6/biy-36-6-15-1204-70.pdf

gel work well too