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Dr. Grey AI

Condition

Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a long-term neurological condition in which the brain struggles to control sleep and wake, causing heavy daytime sleepiness and sudden sleep attacks. Vitamin D and iron get the most attention, since low vitamin D is common in narcolepsy and iron influences dopamine, yet the evidence for both is limited. One very small study of 10 people found attention improved with L-tyrosine, so firm conclusions are not possible yet.

Supplements studied
1
Graded outcomes
1
Trials
1
People studied
10

Evidence by supplement

  • Strong
  • Moderate
  • Limited
  • Very limited

1 supplement

L-Tyrosine: outcomes studied for Narcolepsy
GradeOutcomeEffectSizeStudiesPeopleStudies list
Attention

Small Improvement

Improves (the measure goes up)Small effect10 people
Narcolepsy SymptomsImproves (the measure goes down)1 study10 people

Studies that measured narcolepsy symptoms

Sleep LatencyImproves (the measure goes down)10 people

Key findings

  • AttentionL-TyrosineImproves (the measure goes up)

The Narcolepsy Supportive Care protocol

2 primary supplements · 5 supporting supplements

  • Vitamin D2,000–4,000 IU daily (test and optimize levels)
  • IronOnly if ferritin <50–75; dose per deficiency level

See the full protocol

Shop the evidence-backed picks

Support alongside medical care. These supplements are not a treatment for Narcolepsy. If you are being treated for it, talk to your clinician before adding one: supplements can interact with medicines.

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Studies cited

25 studies from PubMed

  1. Effects of L-tyrosine and carbohydrate ingestion on endurance exercise performanceJ Appl Physiol, 1985 · PMID 12381742
  2. L-tyrosine ameliorates some effects of lower body negative pressure stressPhysiol Behav · PMID 7716196
  3. Oral l-tyrosine supplementation augments the vasoconstriction response to whole-body cooling in older adultsExp Physiol · PMID 28477375
  4. Oral L-Tyrosine Supplementation Improves Core Temperature Maintenance in Older AdultsMed Sci Sports Exerc · PMID 31609301
  5. Dietary tyrosine benefits cognitive and psychomotor performance during body coolingPhysiol Behav · PMID 17078981
  6. Effect of tyrosine on cognitive function and blood pressure under stressBrain Res Bull · PMID 8293316
  7. Dose-Dependent Effects of Oral Tyrosine Administration on Plasma Tyrosine Levels and Cognition in AgingNutrients · PMID 29168741
  8. Tyrosine reverses a cold-induced working memory deficit in humansPharmacol Biochem Behav · PMID 8029265
  9. Tyrosine improves cognitive performance and reduces blood pressure in cadets after one week of a combat training courseBrain Res Bull · PMID 10230711
  10. The effects of tyrosine on cognitive performance during extended wakefulnessAviat Space Environ Med · PMID 7794222
  11. Effect of tyrosine ingestion on cognitive and physical performance utilising an intermittent soccer performance test (iSPT) in a warm environmentEur J Appl Physiol · PMID 25326727
  12. No Influence of Low-, Medium-, or High-Dose Tyrosine on Exercise in a Warm EnvironmentMed Sci Sports Exerc · PMID 31834099
  13. Failure of oral tyrosine supplementation to improve exercise performance in the heatMed Sci Sports Exerc · PMID 24389518
  14. Oral tyrosine supplementation improves exercise capacity in the heatEur J Appl Physiol · PMID 21437603
  15. Ingestion of tyrosine: effects on endurance, muscle strength, and anaerobic performanceInt J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab · PMID 16089275
  16. Effects of tyrosine and tryptophan ingestion on plasma catecholamine and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid concentrationsJ Clin Endocrinol Metab · PMID 6885965
  17. The influence of oral tyrosine and tryptophan feeding on plasma catecholamines in manAm J Clin Nutr · PMID 6351587
  18. Treatment with tyrosine, a neurotransmitter precursor, reduces environmental stress in humansBrain Res Bull · PMID 2736402
  19. The catecholamine neurotransmitter precursor tyrosine increases anger during exposure to severe psychological stressPsychopharmacology · PMID 25220844
  20. Effects of Tyrosine on Parkinson's Disease: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled TrialMov Disord Clin Pract · PMID 30363894
  21. L-tyrosine pharmacotherapy of schizophrenia: preliminary dataClin Neuropharmacol · PMID 8149360
  22. Eating to stop: tyrosine supplementation enhances inhibitory control but not response executionNeuropsychologia · PMID 24433977
  23. Treatment of narcolepsy with L-tyrosine: double-blind placebo-controlled trialLancet · PMID 2572797
  24. Chronic dietary tyrosine supplements do not affect mild essential hypertensionHypertension · PMID 3891616
  25. Tyrosine for depression: a double-blind trialJ Affect Disord · PMID 2142699