5HTP!!

[antidepressian]

Hi,

I know this thread is very old now, but just in case it helps someone...

I had understood we should not mix SSRI's and tryptophan for fear of getting excess serotonin syndrome.
BUT
I did know there was one particular organisation using both, however, they were monitoring urine levels of serotonin very carefully. The sources were very hard to track as it was an excerpt from a HUGE medical tract and kept moving.
Anyway...
I recently was looking for advice to update my book How to Fix Depression, and stumbled upon this information (dang - can't post links yet but website is moodcure by Julia Ross - find the excerpt
I actually got the book some time ago, so I checked it out further, and apparently in the UK a study combined SSRI's and tryptophan and found it very helpful. Again the book quotes the Canadian study suggesting 20 milligrams of prozac with 2 - 4 grams of tryptophan.
(That seemed like a lot of tryptophan to me, but I am currently trying to find a medical reference that can back this up.)
Further on 5HTP and Tryptophan, from memory, I understand 5HTP may benefit many of us, (me included) but others may benefit from taking just tryptophan instead if 5HTP is not effective.
I watched a video on youtube about depression, very helpful and very technical with regard to dosages of supplements, can't find the link right now, but may post later if I can.
It suggested if you take L-tryptophan dose is 3000 - 6000 mg daily
alternatively if you take 5HTP dosage is 600-1200 mg daily.
Works best when insomnia accompanies depression.
Use with vitamin B6.

Aha!!! found the link to the youtube video can't post a link so look for The Nutritional Approach to Anxiety and Depression (by Dr Krier)

Anyway, hope this might help someone out there. Be well, be happy and don't beat yourself up too much.

[steveo]

Also worth pointing out that 5HTTP or Tryptophan needs to be taken on an empty stomach otherwise it's useless.

I've done ALOT of research myself into amino acid therapy.

[chloe9jenkins]

You should ask your doctor about 5-HTP -- I had been taking Anafranil and wanted to try 5-HTP and my doctor advised against it unless I went down in dosage.

Yes you have to be careful with using any 5-HTP tablets/patches if you already take medication that alters your serotonin levels. It sounds like it can be fatal if you take SSRI's for example with too much 5-HTP. Two of my friends have been taking 5-HTP for many years and say they have never experienced nasty side effects.

[Oosh]

I've taken this. I can only remember bits of advice but there is loads of info on google.

It started with a book called Potato not Prozac for me.
The idea was that if you have a high G.I meal (a potato) in the evening a bit before bed it helps the tryptophan/serotonin in your system pass through the blood brain barrier alone and unhindered by the other amino acids you get from protein.

5-htp is a way of increasing the tryptophan in your system.

It needs to be taken away from other amino acids/protein though or it gets lost amongst them.

Loads of user experiences with 5-htp here. Copy somebody who had success with it.

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supple...drugname=5-HTP

[Oosh]

You take in all the other amino acids in the protein you eat throughout the day, chicken, eggs, broccoli.
They like you to consume it away from the other aminos as they end up taking priority and the tryptophan gets lost and doesn't get to cross the blood brain barrier.

The dangers are probably because

1.there was a batch a long time ago from Japan or something that caused a health scare in the U.S

2. If taken with an ssri depressant, the 5-htp creates more serotonin in the bloodstream and the ssri blocks your receptors making way too much build up = serotonin syndrome.

You're not on ssri's and the supplies are safe now. They sell it in Holland and Barret. That's not going to happen if it's unsafe.

[lhappylife]

Can someone tell me a good dosage for this 5HTP for OCD????

[MyNameIsTerry]

Can someone tell me a good dosage for this 5HTP for OCD????

Have you thought of speaking to a pharmacist? They are usually very good and considerate of health conditions often more than GP's tend to be when it comes to anxiety.

Is this any use?

http://www.ocdrecoverycenters.com/about/prot_5_htp.html

[Bonkersbob1710]

5HTP didn't help me at all, in fact I felt it made it all worse - more anxiety?!
Sorry to say but didn't work for me.

[MyNameIsTerry]

5HTP didn't help me at all, in fact I felt it made it all worse - more anxiety?!
Sorry to say but didn't work for me.

I used it for a while and felt similar. It gave me the shakes a far bit.

[PriceyNumber10]

I wonder how many of you know that all anti-depressants including Citalopram contain Flouride..! GP training does not include even one days training on naturopathic or holistic remedies they are financed and influenced by Big Pharma throughout their entire careers. Not one single Doctor I have visited knew that Citalopram and all the other anti-depressants contained Fluoride. Not one..! Even though fluoxetine (Prozac) is basically 94% flouride (The clue's in the name) One of them even searched while I was there and said she was shocked to discover this. When I asked her for a natural anti-depressant she couldn't recommend a single one as she had never had any formal training. If you research properly you will discover that Big Pharma has an influence at every level over the medical profession which will explain why Doctors are trained to prescribe synthetic (profitable) drugs and mock the real stuff. Flouride is a neurotoxic brain suppressant used by the Nazi's to make POW's passive and lethargic and has been proven to reduce IQ (Harvard Study). It should be banned completely from human consumption, period..!