5-HTP?

[t_wrex]

Does anyone find any use for taking 5-HTP in conjunction with, or prior/subsequent to, psychedelic use? Common lore is that it can lessen an MDMA crash, due to it helping rebuild serotonin levels.

Could it lessen any of the neurotoxic effects of some of the harder psychedelics?

 

[Buzz Lightbeer]

Some psychedelics release serotonin but afaik they aren't neurotoxic, I wouldn't take them at least wouldn't classify any as 'hard' too, maybe NBOMEs.....

5-HTP would lead to more serotonin production, and a quick Google search shows me that the excess serotonin would fight with the psychedelic over the receptors, so it would likely diminish the effects. Some people say the opposite, but that would surprise me personally. Subsequent use would be the same as normal use I'd guess.

Mind you that this is all from a Google search, personally, I'd refrain.

 

[Xorkoth]

Very few psychedelics release serotonin and there are also very few that are neurotoxic (the NBOMes may be, I can't really think of others - The only psychedelic class I might call "hard" is the NBOMes). 5-HTP helps the body replenish serotonin, so for serotonin releasers, taking it afterwards is a sensible and helpful part of recovering your serotonin levels. For psychedelics you don't need to replenish serotonin, the psychedelic just mimics serotonin at various receptor sites, it changes the way your brain fires for a while but doesn't deplete it.

 

[t_wrex]

Very few psychedelics release serotonin and there are also very few that are neurotoxic (the NBOMes may be, I can't really think of others - The only psychedelic class I might call "hard" is the NBOMes).

Are you sure? I thought that's what "serotonergic" means, to bind to a serotonin receptor so that the body cannot recollect it, and the serotonin accumulates. Same with dopamine & dopaminergics.

For example, the Wikipedia article for MDMA says:

MDMA acts primarily as a presynaptic releasing agent of serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine, which arises from its activity at trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) and vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2).

 

[Xorkoth]

MDMA is serotonin releaser, but psychedelics like LSD, psilocybin, mescaline 2C-B, and pretty much all of the rest of them (there are exceptions, like AMT is a releaser as well) are simply serotonin agonists, as in, they bind to serotonin receptor types and more or less mimic serotnin. This doesn't cause any change in serotonin levels, but it does cause quite a bit of change in perception.

There are dopamine releasers, and there are also dopamine reuptake inhibitors (like cocaine). These cause an increase in levels of dopamine because the neurons don't suck as much dopamine that was naturally there back up, for a while. And then there are drugs that directly bind to dopamine sites and mimic dopamine... LSD does this at higher dosages, in addition to its effects on serotonin.

 

[t_wrex]

MDMA is serotonin releaser, but psychedelics like LSD, psilocybin, mescaline 2C-B, and pretty much all of the rest of them (there are exceptions, like AMT is a releaser as well) are simply serotonin agonists, as in, they bind to serotonin receptor types and more or less mimic serotnin. This doesn't cause any change in serotonin levels, but it does cause quite a bit of change in perception.

There are dopamine releasers, and there are also dopamine reuptake inhibitors (like cocaine). These cause an increase in levels of dopamine because the neurons don't suck as much dopamine that was naturally there back up, for a while. And then there are drugs that directly bind to dopamine sites and mimic dopamine... LSD does this at higher dosages, in addition to its effects on serotonin.

OK, thanks for the info. (y)