The symptoms of a dopamine deficiency depend on the underlying cause. For example, a person with Parkinson’s disease will experience very different symptoms from someone with low dopamine levels due to drug use.
Some signs and symptoms of conditions related to a dopamine deficiency include:
- Muscle cramps, spasms, or tremors
- Aches and pains
- Stiffness in the muscles
- Loss of balance
- Constipation
- Difficulty eating and swallowing
- Weight loss or weight gain
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Frequent pneumonia
- Trouble sleeping or disturbed sleep
- Low energy
- An inability to focus
- Moving or speaking more slowly than usual
- Feeling fatigued
- Feeling demotivated
- Feeling inexplicably sad or tearful
- Mood swings
- Feeling hopeless
- Having low self-esteem
- Feeling guilt-ridden
- Feeling anxious
- Suicidal thoughts or thoughts of self-harm
- Hallucinations
- Delusions
- Lack of insight or self-awareness