Mental Health Dealing with constant low mood

[Plan B]

Hi all,

I am a 22 year old male and I have been dealing with constant low mood for as long as I can remember. Rather than being depressed per say, I am generally very irritable and lose my temper quickly, unsociable, and pessimistic. This has been made much worse by 3 years of regular MDMA use and occasional Cocaine and Mephedrone use.
Recently, I began taking 5HTP and St John's Wort every morning and I've found that my mood has lifted. My outlook on life has improved, I'm getting less irate, and I'm interacting with others more. This has led me to believe that my body's serotonin production is messed up. I was hoping that somebody could help me with the following queries:

- Can I request a blood test for serotonin levels at my local GP?
- Is it safe to continue to take 5HTP and SJW regularly? I've read that long-term 5HTP use can lead to complications.

Thank you.

P.S. I recognise that there are other members on this forum with far more pressing conditions than mine so please assist them first if you are able!

 

[herbavore]

Here is the best information I found on longterm use of 5-HTP and here is the best on St John's Wort.

My advice to you is to use this time while the benefits are working to explore all the non-chemical ways that you can improve your life--like diet, exercise and personally meaningful activities and relationships. Feeling that you have a "chemical imbalance" is IMO a limited way of thinking but one which is dominant in mental health circles today. I don't mean to discount it altogether but to point out the limitations of that thinking on your own perceptions. I think if you use the beneficial effects of 5_HTP and ST John's Wort to give you this window of opportunity and motivation you could begin to explore creating a richer and more satisfying life for yourself.

Also, I think it's great that you are going to discuss all this with your doctor. I'm not sure about the serotonin levels test but that is a question he/she will be able to answer--no harm in asking!

 

[HeadHigh]

I have to agree with herbavore, dont use that explanation to limit your scope of possibilities. Your mind is much more amazing and complex than that, and there are many things that should be put in place before using chemicals (both natural and artificial). BUT, i am still an advocate of using herbs and other plants that have beneficial traits for your situation, and with that being said, i would advise dropping the 5HTP and SJW for at least a couple weeks, and then trying out some Kanna (sceletium tortuosum).

Basically, work on your lifestyle first, and then add kanna if that does not get you where you want to be

 

[AlphaMethylPhenyl]

So maybe a combination of agitated and cynical? These symptoms can be caused by a few different mental illnesses, but occur frequently in some types of depression.

No one can known just what biochemical activity is lacking/excessive based on how they feel. There's also no real safe way to scientifically determine which neurotransmitters are too few/many in your body.

5-HTP shouldn't be taken continuously for more than about a month. After that period, it can damage your circulatory system. It doesn't retain efficacy like something such as SJW.

I would think that changing one thing in your intake at a time, will lead to the best outcome.

If you want to recover well, therapy is necessary. It really is super-important for mental illness, just like medication. Usually though people get the most out of therapy when they're stabilized on a medication regimen.

That kind of brings me to what you're taking. Again, 5-HTP isn't that great of an idea. The problem with herbs such as SJW is that your dose changes as you make new purchases of it. That's largely why pharmaceutical meds are preferred. If you really want to get down to the bottom of this thing, I suggest going to a psychiatrist and honestly tell him/her you're story (events, how you feel, etc).