Misc My bad reaction to 5-HTP - Please help me

[gazpitchy92]

Hello everyone,

I have signed up to this forum because I've had possibly the hardest week in my life for mental health.
Now to clarify, I have no history of mental health illness or otherwise.
I am a very skinny person at 9st, 25 years old and male.

I started taking 5-HTP a month ago, the second night I did wake in a panic attack.
I just kind of associated this with "starting" a new drug.
I started this to help deal with my boss, who is causing me hell of a lot of stress that I find hard to let go of when I got home.
I was not treating a specific disorder, but i do get easily stressed which is what I wanted to solve.

So it has now been a month since I began taking 100mg of 5-HTP, 50mg in morning and 50mg at night.
This did help to a certain extent, but I felt significantly hyper whilst on this and this was noticed by others.
I thought this was normal, until reading that most people get sleepy on it, I had the opposite.

My issue is, last Friday I had a very serious panic attack and continued to have them nearly daily for over a week now.
This reminded me of the panic attack I had when first starting 5-HTP but much worse.
Other symptoms have been thudding heart and very sweaty.
No real depression, apart from being very bored and tired of feeling like this.

I have had an ECG and blood test, which all came back fine.
My blood pressure is also fine, so no issues there.
The symptoms are starting to calm down and my doctor gave me Valium to take the edge off.

This all seems early similar to symptoms people experience when coming off SSRi drugs.
Perhaps I am overly sensitive to this supplement? Has anyone else experienced this or have advice as to how long these symptoms could occur.

I have stopped consuming coffee and cannabis for now as they seem to exacerbate it.
I have also been off the 5-HTP since Wednesday.

All help is appreciated,
I feel like im slightly loosing my mind here guys

 

[gazpitchy92]

Anyone with any help would be appreciated.

 

[w0w0mg]

The amount of serotonin in the brain depends strongly on the levels and dietary intake of tryptophan and 5-HTP. symptoms equivalently to Prozac, ... In fact, one way in which most physicians treat panic attacks is with a class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Prozac® and Zoloft.

That being said, it may just be you're sensitive to it and should try a lower dose of just discontinue the supplement all together.

 

[gazpitchy92]

Thank you for the advice.
I made the silly mistake of thinking "suppliment" meant safe to use.
And the people at the health store said there were no potential risks.
I have discontinued the use for now but it strikes me as worrying that Holland and Barrets in the UK sell this with 0 warnings.

I hope these symptoms go away, I dont want to always feel like this...

 

[sekio]

If you are having panic attacks, it's unlikely that such a low dose of 5HTP would do anything either positive or negative for them.

It's worthwhile to practice mindfulness and think of what is triggering your panic attacks, maybe you can avoid the stressors that make you panic in the first place? Taking chemicals like benzodiazepines or other anti-anxiety drugs isn't necessarily going to work forever. If you continue taking Valium or other benzos for too long, you will become dependent on them, and that's no good. So avoid taking them for more than 2 weeks.

If your job is causing you so much stress that it is effecting your life at home, you need to seriously consider either talking with your boss, your company's human resources dept, or even finding a new job that doesn't stress you out as much.

 

[Red Moon]

I feel those panicky feelings with heart racing and everything whenever I take any medicine that increases serotonin levels significantly now. It's possible it's a coincidence that you felt those when you did since you have been under a lot of stress, but I'd be more willing to bet it WAS the 5-HTP.

Things that increase serotonin like 5-HTP and SSRIs can have all kinds of bizarre effects. You say that from your research most people seem to get sleepy from 5-HTP, but when I was doing my own searching about it it seemed like there were also a very large amount of people who are so awake after taking it that they can't sleep. And I expect you probably know this, but SSRIs can even paradoxically cause depression (the main issue they're used to TREAT) in a notable number of individuals. The point there? Serotonin works in mysterious ways and is sometimes the problem instead of the solution.

The low dose doesn't really matter -- if you were actually able to feel noticeable positive effects then that dose is affecting you significantly enough for it to make things go downhill instead. I'd definitely stay off of it, at least for a while. You might be someone who would benefit more from taking it on a less frequent basis (like maybe once a week instead of every day) so your levels can get closer to your baseline before you increase serotonin yet again. I wouldn't risk it, personally, but that's just me. I'm never touching a drug that increases serotonin again. Way too volatile. I have no idea how long your symptoms will last, but don't go overboard on the Valium, and DO drink lots of water. Your body loves that stuff and it'll help it get things back to normal.

You probably were not and are not in any danger, on the bright side (as long as you weren't taking anything with it other than the cannabis and caffeine, anyway). But you should know for the future that labels are not always adequate in their warnings of danger, and that's especially true of supplements.

 

[abadab]

i took 5 htp for a year, towards the end (i went off it because of this), i started feeling like you do. it's really weird that it did take the anxiety away for so long then exascerbated it~! switched to 'rhodiola' you might wanna look that up, it doesn't make you feel tired or hyper, it just makes you more alert and calm.

i agree with those who say not to use serotonin screwing supplements, i honestly think that switching brands may have caused the anxiety issues, even after i went and got the original brand back, it's like the 5htp was ruined. different doses and quality? if you decide to stay on the 5htp try a lower dose. i can also say when you start an ssri (again, comparable to 5htp with the serotonin), the first month is really hard, your anxiety can increase or you can feel changes in your head that can lead to panicking that something bad is happening if you tend to worry about your health. so it could be your brain adjusting...

learning to deal with stress is the most important thing, with something to help you out it makes learning those skills so much easier! good luck!

 

[Red Moon]

i agree with those who say not to use serotonin screwing supplements, i honestly think that switching brands may have caused the anxiety issues, even after i went and got the original brand back, it's like the 5htp was ruined.

That's really interesting. I was reading a topic somewhere (I don't think it was here, but a forum specifically for depression/anxiety) and there were a lot of people discussing how SSRIs, even the same exact SSRI at the same exact dose, never worked properly for them again after they went off of it once. I wonder if that might be true for 5-HTP sometimes, too?

 

[motiv311]

most people don't feel shit from 5htp , its probably mental

 

[Strype]

Are you taking any other supplements, by chance? I have never had an adverse reaction to 5-HTP alone, but I once had an awful reaction to (what seemed to be) a simple combination of 5-HTP and St. John's Wort. Doctor told me they should be perfectly safe to stack, so I did. Never again! Ended up white as a ghost, with my entire body going completely numb and shaking uncontrollably. Had to be escorted out of my work building, almost passed out twice, and ended up vomiting several times in front of all of my co-workers before being sent home. Was VERY close to having them call 911, as the feeling was quite scary. After hitching a ride home with my girlfriend, I slowly regained normality over the next 2 hours. However, it was a very frightening, yet memorable experience that I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy. Certainly won't be taking that mixture again, and will be far more careful when mixing ANY kind of chemicals in the future, as you never know what might send your body into a "wtf did you do to me?!" fit.

 

[Red Moon]

Are you taking any other supplements, by chance? I have never had an adverse reaction to 5-HTP alone, but I once had an awful reaction to (what seemed to be) a simple combination of 5-HTP and St. John's Wort. Doctor told me they should be perfectly safe to stack, so I did. Never again! Ended up white as a ghost, with my entire body going completely numb and shaking uncontrollably. Had to be escorted out of my work building, almost passed out twice, and ended up vomiting several times in front of all of my co-workers before being sent home. Was VERY close to having them call 911, as the feeling was quite scary. After hitching a ride home with my girlfriend, I slowly regained normality over the next 2 hours. However, it was a very frightening, yet memorable experience that I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy. Certainly won't be taking that mixture again, and will be far more careful when mixing ANY kind of chemicals in the future, as you never know what might send your body into a "wtf did you do to me?!" fit.

Your doctor is either stupid or dangerously risky. If you take more than one source of serotonin (St. John's Wort does increase serotonin as well, if I remember correctly) you're at risk for getting serotonin syndrome, which is potentially life-threatening... That's why I said gazpitchy92 was in no danger AS LONG AS he wasn't taking anything else he hadn't told us about. I'm glad you made it out of that alright in the end.

 

[gazpitchy92]

Hello everyone,

thank you for the advice.

I have managed to not take any more Valium for around 4 days now and the "anxiety" symptoms are lessening in general.
At this point it's hard to know if I am winding myself up or still suffering some kind of serotonin imbalance.

I have also experienced slight dizziness and blurry vision too, I'm not sure if that helps a diagnosis.
I was also taking medication for my migraines now and then which contained codeine (16mg) which may have played a role in this but this was by no means a daily occurrence (perhaps once weekly), I haven't taken that for a few weeks now too.

I'm now just trying to get through this with exercise and omega-3 without the aid of any other drugs or suppliments.
But I am still having heightened anxiety and slight dizziness.
I will keep updating this thread for anyone else that has this experience, as there seems to be little information out there.
It will be 2 weeks on Wednesday since my last dose of 5-HTP.

 

[pandas]

Thank you for the update. It sounds like things are improving. Perhaps try walking as exercise--it will be safer if you are dizzy. Pick up the walking speed when you feel comfortable...power walking. Either way, it will help reduce anxiety. I recommend not drinking alcohol right now...it likely will increase your anxiety the following day.

Go easy on yourself - have a relaxation day at least once a week. Go see a movie, chill and watch Netflix, whatever is no stress and enjoyable. You're doing a great job doing things to feel better. Having a day off/free day is good for you. Takes your mind off things and it may help the healing process.

If exercise is helping, do morning exercise on your free day if you want to...then declare the rest of the day as chill out time. Or skip the exercise for the day. Whatever is best,for you. It's self-care.

 

[gazpitchy92]

Thank you for your support pandas, I'm finding all this especially hard as my Granddad has just passed at the weekend too. It never rains but always pours hey!

I've managed to get back to work today and get past some of the anxiety of going back which is a relief
What I would give to go back three months and never take these supplements but instead change my lifestyle slightly.
But I suppose I have to see this as a hard lesson, tablets aren't an easy fix to life's issues.

Thanks again

 

[mike.vick]

5-htp can cause mania, setoff bipolar, it made me uneven and I only take it 1-2 times every 6-12 months now. Intrestingly, I was reading a study just the other day where 5-htp, arecoline, and apomorphine were used to induce "psychotic-like states" in lab mice for testing.

 

[gazpitchy92]

5-htp can cause mania, setoff bipolar, it made me uneven and I only take it 1-2 times every 6-12 months now. Intrestingly, I was reading a study just the other day where 5-htp, arecoline, and apomorphine were used to induce "psychotic-like states" in lab mice for testing.

Wow, that seem quite likely from the way i have been feeling mike.vick.

Just a general update, symptoms have become "slight" now. This is around 3 week mark since my last dose.
My anxiety is very manageable now, and I have stopped being dizzy in the mornings.
Getting slight hear palpitations now and then, but instead of being constant they are only lasting a few minutes.
My dreams are also incredibly vivid.

If anyone is reading this that has had a similar experience, hang in there it will get better
I have been eating a lot of good food and also doing a lot of jogging at night to help sleep.

thanks for all the replies