VRY featured in story by Anna Hart for The Telegraph UK.

The thing is, this approach leaves me feeling like depression is all my fault. I have failed to grip the steering wheel, and my dodgem is swerving all over the place.

The traditional treatments are dogged by problems, too. In the past I’ve been prescribed Citalopram, but antidepressants – many of which work by altering levels of another neurotransmitter, serotonin – can cause severe side effects, and there are concerns about over-prescription, with the number doled out in the UK doubling over the past decade.

Perhaps it’s inevitable that many of us are looking for alternatives. In the US, “mood-balancing supplements” are big news, with brands such as Potion and VRY claiming to boost dopamine production. In the UK, Brain Feed is a new line of “brain health” supplements, including 5-HTP for “serotonin enhancement”.

Keen to see if they could really give me a lift, I ordered VRY’s Dopa Mind, containing Mucuna pruriens. This seed is naturally rich in L-dopa, which is converted to dopamine in the brain and is already widely used to treat low levels of the neurotransmitter in Parkinson’s disease patients.

Although I’m usually sceptical of pricey supplements – and Dopa Mind costs £27 for 90 tablets – the results were almost immediate. Within a few days, I felt more motivated, positive and able to cope with challenges at work.

Rynda Laurel, founder of VRY, says she started taking Mucuna pruriens while trying to wean herself off antidepressants. “[It] was like a magic bullet for me,” she says. “My mission is to show people there are more natural alternatives to pharmaceuticals.” But while my blues did lift, I noticed other changes too. I felt wilder, more reckless, and was more likely to strike up conversations with strangers.

“Dopamine is that big red button that motivates us to pursue reward.”

Clinical psychologist Dr Jessamy Hibberd says understanding how the mind works often helps her patients, but cautions against relying on supplements.

“It’s important to look at our behaviours, too, and how we can control them,” she says. “Our moods are elevated by pleasure, and this is linked to dopamine, but it’s up to us to determine what we derive pleasure from, whether that’s exercise, making time for friends, or an activity we enjoy.”

Personally, I find making sense of the chemicals in my brain reassuring, since I no longer feel like a failure when my moods fluctuate. I won’t be taking Dopa Mind, or any other mood supplement, every day. But when I feel low, I wouldn’t mind turning to it for a little extra push.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED Telegraph UK April 15, 2019.