5-HTP has had a good effect on me, I use it sometimes but I'm usually testing supplements and medicines and want to know what the meds i'm testing are doing and so don't test anything but that one med at a time otherwise I'd have taken a lot more 5-HTP in my time
One of the reasons I've never tried Rx antidepressants has been because of the awful withdrawal effects that sometimes come with getting off of such medications, I asked my functional medicine doc what she thought about prescription antidepressants and she warned me that some of them can be really difficult to taper off of so I looked it up online and sure enough I found quite a few posts by people who had to go through some terrible stuff to change meds and others who cant get off their meds at all because the withdrawals are just too much. Depends on the drug though but if I ever do go after such an antidepressant I'll read about it in detail first
I've found L-theanine to induce relaxation and overall good feeling, another thing like 5-HTP that I havn't used long term...yet but every time I've tried it Ive felt rather spectacular
Here is some stuff from my digital notes, haven't tested much in these antidepressant sections so I can't really attest to the veracity of most of this stuff but maybe the data and the ideas about ways of testing and using these will help you folks out.
From cfs treatment guide, 2nd edition
Loss of appetite, like many upper GI problems, is most common during acute phases of the illness. The inability to eat, although sometimes misdiagnosed as "anorexia," is not due to an aversion to food but, in most cases, can be attributed to sympathetic nervous system arousal. Norepinephrine, which is released during sympathetic activity, suppresses the appetite. This is, in fact, how most appetite-suppressing medications work. It is very difficult to eat when one has no appetite, so during phases of sympathetic arousal, weight loss is very common. Herbs, such as kava, valerian, and skullcap, have a calming effect and can be drunk as teas throughout the day. Magnesium is a potent down regulator of sympathetic arousal and has a long track record as a CFS/ ME treatment. The amino acid taurine is neuroinhibitory, and can act to stabilize the autonomic nervous system. Acetyl-L-carnitine is probably the most effective supplement for increasing appetite. It has been marketed as a weight-reduction supplement, but when taken during acute stages of CFS/ ME, it has the reverse effect due to carnitine's important role in energy metabolism. Once energy is increased, appetite improves. Medicinal marijuana, although used to stimulate appetite in cancer patients, is not recommended. Patients report that it increases sympathetic arousal, worsening all related symptoms.
From Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia and CFS:
for increasing GABA: L-theanine has been shown to increase Alpha waves, which are associated with meditative states of mind. Individuals taking Ltheanine report feeling calm and relaxed. Research with human volunteers has demonstrated that L-theanine creates its relaxing effect in approximately thirty to forty minutes after ingestion. Recommended dose of L-theanine is 100– 200 mg. taken as needed, or two to three times a day on an empty stomach.
Most people will notice an improvement in mood symptoms within a couple of weeks of starting 5-HTP. However, a minority find that after being on 5-HTP for several weeks or months, their improvement starts to taper off. This is most likely due to an increased awareness of deficiency in their other neurotransmitters— such as norepinephrine, GABA, or dopamine. If this happens to you, add 200– 1200 mg. of SAMe once or twice daily on an empty stomach. I have a small percentage of patients who don’t notice much improvement on 5-HTP. If this happens, I recommend that they add St. John’s Wort to their 5-HTP therapy.
Always treat deficiencies in the calming amino acids ( 5-HTP, GABA, or L-theanine) first before supplementing the energizing ones (L-phenylalanine, DL-phenylalanine, or SAMe).
(for depression) The ideal dose of St. John’s wort is 300 mg. of standardized 0.3 hypericin. I usually don’t start my patients on St. John’s wort initially, though. They begin the Jump-Start Program and the appropriate amino-acid replacement therapy based on their Brain Function Questionnaire. If they aren’t responding as quickly as I’d like, I’ll add St. John’s wort.
Below are from online posts, if i remember correctly some of the things the posters say conflict with one another, was hoping to sort it out if I ever tested out 5-HTP more thoroughly, if anyone has found stuff here to be true or false I'd love to hear about it
https://drugs-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=238378
The "maximum safe dosage" span for 5HTP is generally regarded to be 12 weeks (with daily supplementation), mostly because after this it has been shown to lose efficacy. There haven't been any studies that have definitively shown any adverse effects when 5HTP is taken daily for longer than 12 weeks, but this doesn't mean that they are not completely out of the question or that the 5HTP will continue to work for you as well as you would like after these 12 weeks. My recommendation would be to try and avoid using the 5HTP when you feel it is not necessary and to take short breaks (1/2 to a whole week) every once in a while. This should help keep the 5HTP from losing its efficacy and it, in theory (assuming you don't currently experience any adverse effects), should also help prevent any inconvenient
side effects from developing down the road.
The problem today with 5-HTP-selling companies bypassing doctors and going to laymen, is that a lot of health enthusiasts with problems who are enthusiastically taking 5-HTP are NOT taking Carbidopa, but they ARE taking a lot of B6 in one form or another. Yet without Carbidopa, more than a few milligrams of extra B6 per day would be expected to insure that most dietary 5-HTP gets turned into serotonin before it can get into the brain.
It has been shown that excessive 5-HTP can cause heart valve damage much in the same scenario as the naturally occurring carcinoid syndrome.
http://nootriment.com/is-5-htp-safe/
At present, it is not recommended to take 5-HTP supplements for more than 12 weeks at a time without a break. Long term use of 5-HTP (up to a year) has been done in controlled clinical studies. However, use for this amount of time is not currently recommended for the general public, unless directed by a doctor.
https://bebrainfit.com/5-htp-benefits-side-effects/
5-HTP should not be mixed with herbs that are natural relaxants or supplements that work by increasing serotonin levels.
Kava, catnip, hops, and valerian fall into the first group; l-tryptophan, SAM-e (S-adenosylmethionine), and St. John’s wort fall into the latter.
Why 5-HTP Is Not a Long-Term Solution
Another factor to consider is that 5-HTP is not intended for long-term use.
When taken for more than a few months, it loses its effectiveness.
This is due to a see-saw effect between serotonin and other brain chemicals. (
22)
While 5-HTP is boosting serotonin, it happens at the expense of other neurotransmitters, specifically
dopamine,
norepinephrine, and epinephrine. (
23)
So prolonged use of 5-HTP will ultimately have you trading in one brain chemical balance problem for another.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics..._taking_5htp_for_3_months_how_worried_should/
5-HTP is converted to serotonin by aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AAAD). The problem is that enzyme
is found in your stomach and periphery. If you do not inhibit it in your stomach, then a portion of your 5-HTP will get converted to serotonin in your periphery. Since serotonin cannot cross the blood brain barrier, it will remain in the periphery and can cause issues with your heart valves and digestion.
Taking vitamin B6 with your 5-HTP just speeds up this process. Ideally you would take a B6 supplement in the morning, then dose your 5-HTP at night to avoid this.
To inhibit AAAD, you should always take EGCG (green tea extract) with your 5-HTP. EGCG
has been shown to be a good inhibitor of L-amino acid decarboxylase.
You also need to take into consideration that AAAD is also responsible for creating dopamine from L-DOPA. If you are constantly saturating that enzyme with 5-HTP, your dopamine levels can fall. So I would only suggest 5-HTP short-term, or dosed along side an L-tyrosine supplement.
So either 5-HTP with EGCG, short-term.
Or 5-HTP with EGCG and L-tyrosine long-term.
http://www.bluelight.org/vb/archive/index.php/t-545570.html
from article #2 "In summary, there is no evidence to implement 5-HTP intake as a cause of any illness." nonetheless, PwnX's statement about cardiac fibrosis is true in theory. 5-HTP increases blood serotonin levels much more than L-Typtophan and SSRIs. although no case of cardiac fibrosis has been directly linked to 5-HTP use, extended use of 5-HTP makes it more probable..
Every time I took 5HTP, I felt like shit afterwards. Combined with the fact that it can be deadly when taken with alcohol, I stopped taking the stuff soon after I started.
http://serotoninsupplementsinfo.com/237/5-htp-side-effects/
Some people report that the benefits of 5-HTP wear off with time (after several weeks or months of use) while others are able to take 5-HTP for years without any problems and ongoing beneficial results. The only way to know this is to try it!
after several days or weeks of use is that you start feeling tired, and in that case (according to Ray Sahelian MD, author of
5-HTP: Nature's Serotonin Solution) this is a sign you should probably take a break from 5-HTP for a week or two. (Dr Sahelian recommends taking a break of a week every 1-2 months, regardless, simply as a precaution against any this type of adaptation and any other possible longer term effects.)
Dr Sahelian specifically says he is not aware of any reports in the medical literature of anyone who has encountered a life threatening, toxic, or other serious adverse effect from using 5-HTP. That seems to be pretty generally agreed, though you might encounter some reports of previous safety issues with
L-Tryptophan, also a popular serotonin supplement.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/comments/2930at/long_term_5htp/
The entire cardiac fibrosis thing is theoretical, AFAIK it has never been observed directly. Just take it with EGCG if you are afraid, it might even potentiate it.
http://www.depressionblog.com/archives/000043.shtml
I have been on 5-HTP off/on for 2 years now. I find it an incredible help with my depression battle. I react very badly to SSRIs (foggy mind, weight gain, suicidal thoughts etc.) so I sought an alternative. This stuff is incredible. I normally start feeling the positive effects within 48-72 hours, and it continues to increase for 7-10 days when it balances out and I'm at the ultimate level.
I am taking 300mg per day (100 in the morning, 100 early afternoon, and 100 before bed) and find that ideal and it is as listed on the bottle. I was experiencing some of the side effects noted on this blog with the first batch I bought which was in capsule form. I then found an enteric coated version, which dissolves in the small intestine versus the stomach, and have not had any further problems. For anyone else in Canada: The Life Brand enteric coated tablets from Shoppers Drug Mart are by far the best I have found. For those outside of Canada: look for an enteric coated version, and I all but guarantee you'll get all the benefits without the stomach upset etc.
A side tip: 5-HTP metabolises more efficiently with a normal to high level of B vitamins in your system. If you are finding that you're not getting the effects you need or expect, try taking a B-50 or B-100 complex as well, and it will give a boost to your results that is noticable (a multi-vitamin is fine too, so long as it has a decent about of B-vitamins).
I have been using 5-HTP for the past few years (50mg tablet per day), especially during the winter months, and overall it's been perfect for me. Definite side effects in the first couple of weeks but not after that. Recently though I started taking the 5-HTP patches instead because it feels like the tablets are wearing off. The patches are much better for me as the 5-HTP lasts steadily through the day and the effect seems to last much longer.
Another thing, I don't think it is mentioned above but I've read that Rhodeola, the adaptogen, has decent serotonin focused effects so anyone already taking serotonin type meds might want to avoid it
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