Pre-loading observations / questions

Apologies if this has been covered before, but I couldn't find any references to this in the FAQ...
Just want to run through the last couple of weeks leading up to my pre-loading experience...
Just giving the sequence of events before the pre-load experience. All of these events were on the same, good quality pill.
Jeff Mills (March 31) -- Was greedy, took two, 1.5 hrs apart. Very nice 4 hour peak
Mash Up (April 7) -- one week after Jeff Mills. Took one. Nice 3.5 hour peak.
Rewind (April 12) -- 5 Days after Mash Up. Took one, mild 1.5 hour peak.
Elektrick (April 14) -- 2 Days after Rewind. After Rewind, I thought my seretonin might be running out, so I tried pre-loading with 1000mg 5-HTP per day, in four 250 mg doses, on April 13 and again on April 14. I had a very intense, actually a bit too intense for my liking, 2.5 hour peak. This peak didn't feel as 'natural' as the other ones. I enjoyed the afterglow from the peak more than the peak itself.
I haven't been at this very long, first pill at New Year's, once a month after that until the sequence above. I have pre-loaded before, about 200-400mg per day, 2 or 3 days before the event.
I am interested in the variation between the peaks two days apart. I was a bit worried at Rewind that I might be using a little to frequently and that dropping that night would kill the roll at Elektrick. Maybe my mindset that night caused the mild peak??
But I was even more worried at Elektrick that I wouldn't peak at all that night, yet peaked quite hard. So was it the pre-loading that caused the intense peak?? I was talking to someone after my peak about pre-loading, and he claimed that pre-loading tended to increase the intensity, but decrease the duration.
Or was it just a strange combination of things that just caused both nights to be different??
Anyone else have any similar experiences with pre-loading?? I have seen a number of posts where it is claimed that pre-loading doesn't work.
And does anyone know how much 5-HTP the body can covert to seretonin in say a 24h period??
Anyways, I'm on a break for a few weeks after all of that...

The effects of pre-loading seem controversial. A reasonably good diet and plenty of time between rolls should negate the need for "pre-loading." It's worth knowing that 5-HTP cannot "increase" the ammount of serotonin within the brain, it can only replenish it back to nominal levels. This means that scoffing 5-HTP under normal conditions is more or less a waste...
However, when the brain is starved of serotonin after a roll, 5-HTP comes in very handy as a supplement. You can quickly replenish lost serotonin, and since it is a neurotransmitter used in relatively small ammounts, you could probably not bother pre loading later when you want to roll. By that time you should already have a stable reserve of serotonin.
So, for my little opinion, forget the 5-HTP beforehand (save it for after) and stock up instead on antioxidant vitamins. C, E etc. These do help beforehand, during and after.
Still however, the best preloading treatment is time... Give yourself plenty to naturally recover.
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The woods are dark and deep, and you have miles to go before you sleep...

fantastic topic punters
and remember if you cant get your hands on 5-htp. bananas, turkey, and pineapple will all help serotonin be produced naturally by your body. and they're all damn tasty too.
tony
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a : "i feel like a big mushy potato."
b : "i feel like the michelin man."

My personal experience is that pre-loading definitely does make a difference to me, however, it is obviously a bad idea not to wait a healthy amount of time between rolls anyway...
Thoth says it cannot increase your normal level on 5htp, however there was a site that tested on people, which said it DID slightly increase their natural seratonin level.
I think it would be more dodgey taking 5htp if you've only just started taking e's. I wouldn't take it until maybe 3 years after first e-ing! You should let your body recover naturally, and work naturally for as long as possible... if e's aren't working like they should, stop for longer between them, after all, the more you run yourself into the ground, the less the e's will effect you for the rest of your life, IMO...
I would never have more than 100 or 200mg's every day or two for a week or two before hand either... and definitely none on the day!
If you use 5htp to preload, then use it so you need less pills, not so the same amount of pills will do more damage!!!
My experience was that I only had about 4-5 pills per year for 2 years (after taking a lot more than that for a few years before) but they never effected me anywhere near as much as my e buddy... after preloading, the situation was reversed... I would feel it slightly more than my e buddy. It seemed to make more difference to me than to him...
I also was depressed several years ago, so my theory is that my natural seratonin level is lower than a lot of other people, therefore the pills will never be quite as effective for me without the 5htp...
The last two times I dropped I have run out of 5htp, and I definitely notice the difference...
BUT - 1000mg is TOO MUCH!
No wonder you were a bit overpowered! That is completely unneccessary - you will do yourself damage if you keep that up!
(You probably have already!)
Especially since you've only just started e-ing!!! I wouldn't be going near the 5htp if I were you, for at least a year or more... seriously - put it off for as long as possible... (I'm not trying to be negative, just want to help it last for you!)

Umm chaoscat, you are not totally right about 5-HTP.
5-HTP being a suppliment, there should not be any realistic problem in taking too much. Since 5-HTP is a precursor to serotonin, it has been indicated as beneficial in preventing potential neurotoxicity. Neurotoxicity allegedly occurs when the brain is starved of serotonin. Therefore, it is handy to use 5-HTP after every roll. Check the medical Q&A.
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The woods are dark and deep, and you have miles to go before you sleep...

Umm chaoscat, you are not totally right about 5-HTP.
5-HTP being a suppliment, there should not be any realistic problem in taking too much. Since 5-HTP is a precursor to serotonin, it has been indicated as beneficial in preventing potential neurotoxicity. Neurotoxicity allegedly occurs when the brain is starved of serotonin. Therefore, it is handy to use 5-HTP after every roll. Check the medical Q&A.
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The woods are dark and deep, and you have miles to go before you sleep...