I’m so glad to be able to share these papers with someone!
I have no formal higher-level education in biology btw. Just high-school level or so?
And I had no idea this was a thing – I just found one of these papers purely by accident.
I don’t even remember what I was digging for on Google Scholar. I think it was something related to psoriasis. (It runs in the family.)
I think I might have been trying to look for any hints on whether I was really seeing my psoriasis skin condition improve after starting to take ADHD medication. – And yes, I do believe that is the case, and that it’s related to serotonin.
I feel a little like this might be construed as oversharing – it’s a story about science and I don’t know how to tell it in another way :)
So I got a diagnosis of ADHD at age 39½. A carefully done and clinically sound diagnosis. Many things in my life now make a lot more sense than they did. Whatever ADHD actually is. I turn out to be somewhat of a poster child?, for “internal” ADHD. I respond very well to a small dose of lisdexamfetamine. (Vyvanse in the US. Elvanse over here.) When I started taking it, old friends would say things like”uh… What happened to you? You’re so… composed? serene?” “–Ah, yes. It is all the amphetamine I am taking.”
And I give them one to try? because it’s so mild? And this friend is a lot like me so it can’t be that crazy? And they spend 24 hours with a clenched jaw and can’t sleep for a whole night. Biochemistry is wild.
And after a few weeks I thought my skin condition was improving. It didn’t make any sense. Didn’t even occur to me that it could be the ADHD medication. But then I tried reading about the compound on wikipedia, what it does, what receptors it acts on. And then start looking for papers with kind of random keywords on Google Scholar? Because I didn’t know what I could be looking for or the words for it? And that’s how I found out about cis-urocanic acid. I think mostly because “cis-urocanic acid” seemed like an odd and funny name for a thing. And as I learned later, word-for-word, cis-urocanic acid does have a really odd and funny meaning. It means “this-side dog-pee acid”. “Uro-canic” because that’s where they found it for the first time. And “trans urocanic acid” means “the-other-side dog pee acid”.
And I’m at the computer just going “wh… what? Huh? Lol?”
And yes, as far as I understand it, the lisdexamfetamine does help my psoriasis, and because of some part of its influence on the serotonin balance in my body. Amphetamines are serotonin-releasing agents. I am fascinated by the papers on that part of it but it’s also clear that I can’t speak with any confidence. As I understand it, the ever-so-slight serotonin “venting” caused by amphetamine might do a few things that cause this effect: Slightly downregulates pro-inflammatory serotonin receptors, slightly activates anti-inflammatory serotonin receptors, and sliiiightly reduces the amount of serotonin in the average blood platelet’s payload. (“Wh… what? Huh??”)
And yeah, on the way there I finally learned why my skin is clearer and less inflamed in the summertime. And why the UV phototherapy for psoriasis works. And the medically prescribed trips to the suntanning clinic in the Canary Islands for the patients with really bad psoriasis? Yep, that’s a thing, and it works, and I don’t think they ever really knew why, and urocanic acid is probably a big part of the reason it does, and even if those papers are out, I bet that the dermatologists don’t know about them because there’s just so much science out there.
And we have no idea how easily accessible it is. My dermatologist probably doesn’t know about Google Scholar? And certainly not sci-hub. Or the amazing discussion between scientists one can find on Twitter.
I'm glad you're getting to the bottom of your health issues. Sounds like you're on the right track.
I'm fascinated by it because of my history:
I've had acne my whole life. Starting at 11, I'm 39 now. Still have it. I've tried every medication known to man. Nothing works. Dermatologists can't explain it, they just give me the same canned answer "You produce too much sebum". "Ok, how can we control that?". "We're trying".
I take two showers a day to try to ward off the sebum oil from clogging my pores. I wash my face, hands, and all multiple times a day and wipe with clinical strength salicylic acid (6% instead of 3% you can get over the counter).
Still, nothing works. Except one thing which could have adverse affects on me later. The Sun.
When I get a tan, all my acne clears up for a brief while. Maybe that's the cis-urocanic acid doing it's thing. Maybe it's the sun burning that sebum and sealing the pore. I'm not sure. I'm pretty sure I'll get skin cancer if I continue this line of "treatment" but I'm out of options. It's ridiculous.
It's on my face, my arms, my back, my ass, my legs, my chest and has been since middle-school. I'm ready to just graft the whole body.
So thanks again as I have some other avenues to discuss with my doctors as well as some research to show them.
I was on Claravis for 8 months with no improvement. Still looking for a remedy, even if just temporary.
I will say that initially Accutane worked. For the first few months it cleared up the acne on my face but after a few more months it came back with a vengeance.
I have no formal higher-level education in biology btw. Just high-school level or so?
And I had no idea this was a thing – I just found one of these papers purely by accident.
I don’t even remember what I was digging for on Google Scholar. I think it was something related to psoriasis. (It runs in the family.)
I think I might have been trying to look for any hints on whether I was really seeing my psoriasis skin condition improve after starting to take ADHD medication. – And yes, I do believe that is the case, and that it’s related to serotonin.
I feel a little like this might be construed as oversharing – it’s a story about science and I don’t know how to tell it in another way :)
So I got a diagnosis of ADHD at age 39½. A carefully done and clinically sound diagnosis. Many things in my life now make a lot more sense than they did. Whatever ADHD actually is. I turn out to be somewhat of a poster child?, for “internal” ADHD. I respond very well to a small dose of lisdexamfetamine. (Vyvanse in the US. Elvanse over here.) When I started taking it, old friends would say things like”uh… What happened to you? You’re so… composed? serene?” “–Ah, yes. It is all the amphetamine I am taking.”
And I give them one to try? because it’s so mild? And this friend is a lot like me so it can’t be that crazy? And they spend 24 hours with a clenched jaw and can’t sleep for a whole night. Biochemistry is wild.
And after a few weeks I thought my skin condition was improving. It didn’t make any sense. Didn’t even occur to me that it could be the ADHD medication. But then I tried reading about the compound on wikipedia, what it does, what receptors it acts on. And then start looking for papers with kind of random keywords on Google Scholar? Because I didn’t know what I could be looking for or the words for it? And that’s how I found out about cis-urocanic acid. I think mostly because “cis-urocanic acid” seemed like an odd and funny name for a thing. And as I learned later, word-for-word, cis-urocanic acid does have a really odd and funny meaning. It means “this-side dog-pee acid”. “Uro-canic” because that’s where they found it for the first time. And “trans urocanic acid” means “the-other-side dog pee acid”.
And I’m at the computer just going “wh… what? Huh? Lol?”
And yes, as far as I understand it, the lisdexamfetamine does help my psoriasis, and because of some part of its influence on the serotonin balance in my body. Amphetamines are serotonin-releasing agents. I am fascinated by the papers on that part of it but it’s also clear that I can’t speak with any confidence. As I understand it, the ever-so-slight serotonin “venting” caused by amphetamine might do a few things that cause this effect: Slightly downregulates pro-inflammatory serotonin receptors, slightly activates anti-inflammatory serotonin receptors, and sliiiightly reduces the amount of serotonin in the average blood platelet’s payload. (“Wh… what? Huh??”)
And yeah, on the way there I finally learned why my skin is clearer and less inflamed in the summertime. And why the UV phototherapy for psoriasis works. And the medically prescribed trips to the suntanning clinic in the Canary Islands for the patients with really bad psoriasis? Yep, that’s a thing, and it works, and I don’t think they ever really knew why, and urocanic acid is probably a big part of the reason it does, and even if those papers are out, I bet that the dermatologists don’t know about them because there’s just so much science out there.
And we have no idea how easily accessible it is. My dermatologist probably doesn’t know about Google Scholar? And certainly not sci-hub. Or the amazing discussion between scientists one can find on Twitter.
Funny thing right!!