5 HTP

[erin31]

Has anyone tried 5 HTP?
I suffer from fibromyalgia for which this is said to help but on further research it is also said to be very helpful with depression and anxiety due to the fact it raises your serotonin levels.




Can't help but wonder if PsychoPoet Research Initiative has looked at this?
Please

[NoPoet]

Hehe, 5-HTP seems promising as a treatment for depression and anxiety, so I will get around to this topic as soon as I get a few hours for research purposes!

However I will say now that you should not take more than 100mg in one day and you must never, under any pretext whatsoever, combine it with antidepressant medication. 5-HTP is known to cause bad cases of serotonin syndrome when combined with antidepressants, which in the worst case can be fatal.

Finally, the Americans have had problems with batches of 5-HTP that are not completely pure. This has led to the fallacy that 5-HTP can be toxic or dangerous. 5-HTP is only dangerous when it is combined with antidepressant medication or taken in large doses.

[erin31]

Brill!

Oh s**t I have started on 150mg!
I am taking along with l-tyrosine and of course inositol. I also take a vit B complex and Omega 3.

I have Fibromyalgia and it was while I was studying supplements that could help this condition that I came across 5 HTP.
Sufferers of Fibromyalgia are said to have low levels of serotonin which led me to 5 HTP.
I can't help but wonder if it is to good to be true though.

[NoPoet]

If it was too good to be true, it would be sold on the basis that it "cures depression".

Everything I read about 5-HTP makes it sound like an effective supplement for managing the symptoms of anxiety and depression. My granddad used to say that for every disease or illness that exists on earth, there is a plant or something to cure it. 5-HTP is one of nature's tools to combat depression, so make use of it if you can.

I need more time to research the effects of high 5-HTP dosage. You can always drop your dose to 100mg in the meantime. I doubt taking an extra 50mg for a few days is going to hurt.

[ash1807]

The only thing I am am of is that 5-HTP & SSRI do not go together, a case of possible serotonin overload - Nothing to be laughed at

Poet: While I am at it, .......Inotisol - Is it ok t otake that with a regular dose of SSRI - citalopram

[pheetuz]

I have taken 5-HTP before, however this was before i started suffering from PTSD. At the time I was quite into taking ectacy and found that this made me very depressed during the week..When on 5-HTP though, i found that i no longer suffered from the "mid week blues" as i used to call them and that my mood the day after taking the ectacy was a lot higher.

I know this is a fairly unique case but from my experience with 5-HTP it was like gold dust with making me feel better during my binges.

I would say give it a shot if your not taking anything else that could be dangerous with it.

I used to take 100mg a day before bed time, make sure you have eaten before you take them though as i felt fairly nausious when i had taken them without eating.

Also holland and barret is very expensive for 5-HTP, i used to order mine from www.justvitamins.co.uk

/Pete

[NoPoet]

That's interesting Pheetuz, cos I read this afternoon that a lot of people find 5-HTP relieves the comedown you get after taking ecstasy.

Ash1807 - everything you need to know about inositol is here in this thread, but yes, it is safe to take inositol with an SSRI. However it is not safe to take 5-HTP with SSRIs.

[ash1807]

thank you !

awesome research, and a lot of effort - grateful

ash

[erin31]

Thanks Pete

[neptune]

I'm taking 5htp at the moment. I had been on 100mg Higher Nature for about a year since I withdrew from lexapro. I did think it helped slightly but was not certain. It didn't help significantly, anyway. Then I bought a book about it by Michael Murray and he was prescribing people about 300mg (or more) a day in staggered doses, along with sjw. I thought I might increase my dose and add some sjw, even though I'd read online that you aren't meant to exceed 100mg 5htp a day, or combine it with sjw. But by this point I just didn't give a toss any more.
So about 2-3 weeks ago I increased my 5htp and now take 100mg in the morning and 100mg at night. I have also added 1 x one a day Kira sjw. For the first week or so I was extremely sleepy but had trouble sleeping which is unusual for me. I also felt very drowsy and depersonalized. This has gradually lifted, and a couple of days ago I had the best day I'd had for so long. I was out shopping and felt completely normal again for a whole day. It was such a treat for me I've been worrying a lot today and feel a bit low, but am now feeling more positive about maybe having some success on this combination that I'm taking. I will keep you updated in a few weeks, and let you know how I'm doing.