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Thread: St John's Wort and 5-HTP together ?

  1. #11

    Re: St John's Wort and 5-HTP together ?

    Hi,

    I have just joined after stumbling across this post.

    I recently found a product called Seritol. It claims to be herbal.

    I found the ingredients and YES....5-HTP and St.Johns Wort, which I previously thought a big no no.

    http://www.seritol.com/seritol-proprietary-blend.html

    Has anything changed since the beginning of this post/thread?

    Has some groundbreaking research been done?

    If not, how can they market such a product?

    I have also found this, though I don't know who posted the reply.

    http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Can_you_ta..._the_same_time

    It's hard to tell what is real and what is not.

    Any feedback would be welcome.

  2. #12
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    Re: St John's Wort and 5-HTP together ?

    I have read that 5-HTP may increase the risk of serotonin syndrome when combined with SSRIs but this is not conclusively proven as not enough high-quality research has been done into the antidepressant effects of 5-HTP.

    Data in this table indicates that taking 5-HTP and St John's Wort together will also increase the risk of serotonin syndrome: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_John...c_interactions

    Personally I would avoid taking both these substances together. Speak to a doctor or a pharmacist.
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  3. #13

    Re: St John's Wort and 5-HTP together ?

    I use a medicine called Brainmood, which has the following ingredients:

    5-HTP (from 714 mg Griffonia simplicifolia):100 mgSt Johns Worth (0,3% hypericine):200 mgRhodiola rosea (1% salidroside en 2% rosavin):100 mg

  4. #14

    Re: St John's Wort and 5-HTP together ?

    I would surely think twice before taking an SSRI with 5htp, certainly not at once and in high doses. However I think 5HTP and st johns wort can be taken together just fine. I have taken those two sups together in considerable doses and its just not that heavy. But of course every body is different, and when taken for weeks and weeks in a row things might turn different. I believe st johns's wort is quite a weak monoamine oxidase inhibitor, just as rhodiola, mentioned on another place in this forum. And indeed sometimes they are all put together in one supplement, and this is not forbidden. SSRIs are simply far more selective and effective, and those can be considered far more dangerous. Serotonine syndrome is not something that falls out of the sky like that, or you should be really sensitive for this. In comparison, some people use serotonin stimulating party drugs (xtc for example) and add 5 htp just for fun. Now that can be considered dangerous and insane, and still nothing happens in most cases (apparently). But I would strongely advise you not to do this of course.

    Fact is, each supplement that contains serotonin stimulating properties, should have a warning about serotonine syndrome. Otherwise, one could accidentely use them all together and die. This does not mean however that 5 htp and st johns wort cannot be used together, and it could be considered one of the weakest combinations imagenable. Nonetheless I would certainly advice to listen to your body, and go gentle on the doses when you first try this. In addition I would not take an advice from a doctor who says that it is better to take only one of the two. The thing is, there is no decent information available to give anyone a serious advice without having information about his/hers chemical balance, or heart condition or whatever. Always ask for arguments. For example a research paper or personal experience with patients. If the doctor however says that both supplements act on the same system or something alike, and cannot argument this any further, the advice is quite useless, and you earn a better advice. Of course it is the safest way to go, but perhaps also the way that does not work.

    Wishing you all the best

  5. #15
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    Re: St John's Wort and 5-HTP together ?

    I think this combination could at worst cause some unpleasant side effects but not dangerous serotonin syndrome (ie fits, coma, death). SJW is nowhere near as selective or powerful as SSRI drugs. SSRI drugs increase serotonin levels to absurdly high levels. However, SJW is not only an MAOI but also acts on gaba and glutamate receptors in the brain. In fact its preferential target receptor in the brain is said to be dopamine, not serotonin. 5-HTP from natural sources is also nowhere near as potent as SSRIs. Furthermore, the interaction with SJW and SSRIs and other drugs is more likely to do with inhibition of metabolism through cytochrome P450, causing an accumulation of the drug and therefore serotonin levels. Also, scientists have trouble working out the mechanism of action of mono-molecular compounds, let alone a multi-molecular compound like SJW.
    Last edited by KK77; 01-12-09 at 02:05.

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