Slow COMT vs Fast COMPT

[integral]

The core idea (say this first)

• COMT is an enzyme. Its job is to break down dopamine, norepinephrine, and adrenaline in the brain
• "Fast" vs "slow" just means how quickly it clears them out
• Fast COMT = breaks them down fast → less dopamine hanging around → low baseline
• Slow COMT = breaks them down slowly → dopamine lingers → high baseline
• That one difference explains everything below

Fast COMT — clears dopamine quickly → runs LOW

• Tank drains fast, so the brain is often under-stimulated → boredom, low drive, ADHD-type patterns
• Craves things that raise dopamine to top up the deficit
• Stimulants feel great and fix a real gap → nicotine, caffeine, amphetamine, cocaine → this is why addiction sticks
• Handles intense/high-arousal states better — more room before it overloads
• Steady under stress, restless when calm ("warrior")

Slow COMT — clears dopamine slowly → runs HIGH

• Dopamine already piled up, so the brain is often over-stimulated → racing mind, anxiety, overwhelm, poor sleep
• Any surge lingers for a long time (taking copper supplement high-for-days)
• Stimulants overshoot → nicotine/caffeine push an already-high system into jitter and anxiety, not relief → so stimulant addiction is less the pattern
• Self-medicates the opposite way — reaches for down-regulators: alcohol, opioids
• Sharp when calm, tips into overwhelm under load ("worrier")

Stimulants — raise dopamine/adrenaline

• Fast COMT: suits it. Nicotine, caffeine, amphetamine, cocaine top up a low tank → feel corrective → but that's exactly why addiction forms
• Slow COMT: poor fit. Already-high system overshoots → jitter, anxiety, insomnia → little reward, so these tend to be avoided rather than abused

-> Fast COMT (loads the dopamine/catecholamine axis — fast clearance handles it)

1. 5-MeO-DMT
2. Cannabis
3. MDMA
4. Amphetamine
5. Cocaine
6. Nicotine
7. Caffeine
8. Mescaline
9. 2C-B
10. DMT / ayahuasca

-> Slow COMT (doesn't touch the dopamine axis — serotonergic/glutamate, so it's tolerated)

1. LSD
2. Psilocybin
3. Ketamine
4. Alcohol
5. Opioids
6. Benzodiazepines

 

- work i did with AI and years of experience

 

Edited 2 hours ago by integral

[integral]

Slow compt + Glutamate sensitivity = panic attack and anxiety on 5-Meo-DMT

 if you know you have either of these things it's safe to say to avoid these drugs

Edited 2 hours ago by integral