Weird comedowns, 5HTP, will it work?

[HiManImDan]

Hey guys!

My Situation
I've been rolling quiet frequently lately (every 1-2 weeks, maybe 3 at most) on 125-500mg at the most and I've decided to take a break for a while. The problem is, I have started experiencing comedowns 2-3 weeks after I roll, whereas I used to get them 2 days after rolling and that would be gone in a few days. I rolled on a Friday night 3 weeks ago and had no comedown or any weird emotions for 2 weeks after and then just before the Friday which marked the 3 week break, the Tuesday I started feeling depressed and just different, in a bad way. When it hit the 3 week mark at Friday, I just started feeling depressed at some points and then I would be happy at some points. I go to school everyday and have been going to the same classes without anything changing and I am just feeling a different vibe to it, like it doesn't seem like the same place anymore, it's sad. It's not just with school, even my own home or the local mall doesn't feel like the same place, it just has a different and sad vibe to it. There are also certain points where I feel depressed, like one being exactly after I've worked out. Anyways, this is the most of the weird things that has happened to me over the last few months of abuse I can think of at this point in time.

Now my question is, will 5HTP help?
To my understanding (which is probably wrong, please correct me), 5HTP is a substitute for serotonin, meaning the serotonin your brain is using comes from the 5htp instead of producing and gradually releasing its own, which lets your brain reproduce the serotonin you loss while it's relying on the 5htp? I've heard that taking 5HTP can cause down regulation of the gradual releasing of the serotonin, which apparently can be fixed with time. I have no clue of how this stuff works, so this is why I'm asking people that are more educated on this.

Just asking about how this works and how I can make my emotions and the chemicals in my brain return to normal.
Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks!

 

[mb-909]

First of all I would take a long break. How many times did you take it total and for how long? Are you a dancer or more of a watcher?

I have no idea how 5HTP can fix you up. Personaly I try not to take any drugs after I used MDMA. I eat healthy and do some running. Ok, I drank a beer 3 weeks after the last use of MDMA, but usually I take breaks for like 6-8 weeks. Everything will be fine, if you give your body enough time to heal. Try mediating.

 

[VitamaN]

First of all I would take a long break. How many times did you take it total and for how long? Are you a dancer or more of a watcher?

I have no idea how 5HTP can fix you up. Personaly I try not to take any drugs after I used MDMA. I eat healthy and do some running. Ok, I drank a beer 3 weeks after the last use of MDMA, but usually I take breaks for like 6-8 weeks. Everything will be fine, if you give your body enough time to heal. Try mediating.

Ya, you need a vacation and lots of sleep and healthy food. If you use anything for a gnarly comedown I wouldn't fuck with whatever it is for more than about 2-3 days. 1 if you can . Putting a strange substitute in your brain might make your body refrain from producing its own chemicals. You wanna teach your brain to make its own serotonin.

 

[HiManImDan]

Anyone else know anything?

 

[DrGreenthumb]

5HTP can be decarboxylated to serotonin in the liver, any that does wont reach the brain & it could cause trouble in the body, particularly on the heart & circulation, if used for long periods. Avoid taking it with vitamin B6 & just have small one off doses if you're going to have it. Tryptophan may be safer. 5-htp is a precursor for serotonin, tryptophan is a precursor for 5htp, serotonin can't cross the blood brain barrier, but tryptophan or 5htp can, if your liver doesn't get it first.

Probably better off just making sure you're eating plenty of protein along with some fresh fruit & vegetables, then your body can make it's own 5htp & serotonin, along with anything else that may have been depleted. A bit of exercise will help too.

 

[HiManImDan]

5HTP can be decarboxylated to serotonin in the liver, any that does wont reach the brain & it could cause trouble in the body, particularly on the heart & circulation, if used for long periods. Avoid taking it with vitamin B6 & just have small one off doses if you're going to have it. Tryptophan may be safer. 5-htp is a precursor for serotonin, tryptophan is a precursor for 5htp, serotonin can't cross the blood brain barrier, but tryptophan or 5htp can, if your liver doesn't get it first.

Probably better off just making sure you're eating plenty of protein along with some fresh fruit & vegetables, then your body can make it's own 5htp & serotonin, along with anything else that may have been depleted. A bit of exercise will help too.

Being healthy will help me repair?

 

[HiManImDan]

Anyone else got any advice?

 

[DrGreenthumb]

Being healthy will help me repair?

Yes, healthy diet & a little regular exercise will help you recover much faster. Get fresh meat, fish, dairy, eggs, fruit, vegetables & your body can produce everything it needs from that. Expect to get a little depression & anxiety after heavy MDMA use, but remember it's just the after effects from the drug, your brain chemicals will be messed up, but they should recover naturally over a few days/weeks, as long as you're eating right & active, and not doing other drugs (including weed or serotonin supplements/anti-depressants/etc) to prolong it.

Keep a positive mindset, if you convince yourself you'll be like that forever, then you might, don't let a light depression spiral out of control. Most people fully recover from MDMA abuse quite quickly & easily. A bit of depression after MDMA use is a standard effect, it's just a drug effect & it'll disappear if you don't let it suck you into a depressed state & don't take any more drugs for a while.

Have a chocolate milkshake & go for a jog, see how much better you feel. If you're depressed you're probably not going to want to do much & that's just going to make you more depressed, but force yourself to eat some protein, along with fresh fruit/veg & exercise a little.

A small amount of 5htp or tryptophan may help a little, but just a small one off dose, not daily supplementation, that'll make things worse, be careful with 5htp. Tryptophan is converted to 5thp & then serotonin by your body, it's a natural component of protein, found in most protein containing food, milk has quite high levels of it. The conversion step of tryptophan to 5thp should rate limit it & cause less of an unnatural spike in serotonin levels than 5htp, especially if it's from food rather than an isolated supplement. 5htp isn't a normal part of your diet & a lot of it could be converted to serotonin in your liver before it reaches your brain, serotonin can't cross the blood brain barrier (too much body serotonin is pretty irritating & possibly dangerous, does no good at all), but your brain can usually produce as much serotonin as it needs from tryptophan, which is a normal part of everybody's diet.

 

[HiManImDan]

Yes, healthy diet & a little regular exercise will help you recover much faster. Get fresh meat, fish, dairy, eggs, fruit, vegetables & your body can produce everything it needs from that. Expect to get a little depression & anxiety after heavy MDMA use, but remember it's just the after effects from the drug, your brain chemicals will be messed up, but they should recover naturally over a few days/weeks, as long as you're eating right & active, and not doing other drugs (including weed or serotonin supplements/anti-depressants/etc) to prolong it.

Keep a positive mindset, if you convince yourself you'll be like that forever, then you might, don't let a light depression spiral out of control. Most people fully recover from MDMA abuse quite quickly & easily. A bit of depression after MDMA use is a standard effect, it's just a drug effect & it'll disappear if you don't let it suck you into a depressed state & don't take any more drugs for a while.

Have a chocolate milkshake & go for a jog, see how much better you feel. If you're depressed you're probably not going to want to do much & that's just going to make you more depressed, but force yourself to eat some protein, along with fresh fruit/veg & exercise a little.

A small amount of 5htp or tryptophan may help a little, but just a small one off dose, not daily supplementation, that'll make things worse, be careful with 5htp. Tryptophan is converted to 5thp & then serotonin by your body, it's a natural component of protein, found in most protein containing food, milk has quite high levels of it. The conversion step of tryptophan to 5thp should rate limit it & cause less of an unnatural spike in serotonin levels than 5htp, especially if it's from food rather than an isolated supplement. 5htp isn't a normal part of your diet & a lot of it could be converted to serotonin in your liver before it reaches your brain, serotonin can't cross the blood brain barrier (too much body serotonin is pretty irritating & possibly dangerous, does no good at all), but your brain can usually produce as much serotonin as it needs from tryptophan, which is a normal part of everybody's diet.

Thanks for the advice! I got a long rode of recovery ahead. I'll only start feeling the comedown effects within 3 week mark snd then I hope it's all up hill from there!

 

[Thomas29]

I Heard 5HTP is Useless and A Healthy Diet is Far Better For Health And Recovery Waiting 6 Months between uses is Best.

 

[Black]

The conversion step of tryptophan to 5thp should rate limit it & cause less of an unnatural spike in serotonin levels than 5htp

yep. but it's also the step that's inhibited by mdma. it's surely the healthier way to eat food rich in tryptophan than taking 5-htp, and obviously making sure that you get enough tryptophan is certainly a good thing, but it's no miracle cure either.

5-htp has multiple problems. it's almost completely metabolised by the liver before it has a chance to reach the brain and therefore increases the serotonin concentration in the bloodstream (which is a bad thing, since the blood comes in contact with the serotonin receptors on the heart valves).
basically you'd need to combine it with a specific enzyme inhibitor (for instance carbidopa) that makes sure that the 5-htp isn't prematurely converted into serotonin (which is why it's typically used that way when prescribed by a doctor), but these things can have nasty side effects and especially in the combination of carbidopa with 5-htp a correlation with autoimmune disorders has been observed. that doesn't happen too often, but when it does happen, you're going to have a pretty awful time. so while the combination is the only thing that's going to be truly effective, imho it's not nearly worth the risk.