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5-HTP Withdrawal? Help.

RhythmSpring

RhythmSpring

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Joined
Jun 19, 2008
Messages
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So I've been taking 5-htp rather consistently for the past few years. Mostly at around 100mg a day. Sometimes 200mg a day, occasionally 50mg a day. I took a few breaks here and there when I felt that I was in a very good place.

Recently I stopped taking it though. I was taking 100mg a day, and then 50mg a day for about 2 weeks, and then I just stopped. I was taking it for depression/anxiety/OCD-like symptoms and compulsive eating. But it was really messing with my sleep schedule, my eating habits, and my circadian rhythms in general. I had to stop.

But now I feel like I have no drive. Or discipline. I feel like 5-htp has BEEN my discipline for the past few years. It has allowed me to eat judiciously, sleep minimally, and think positively. Now that I've stopped, all of that has gone to shit. I can barely control my eating habits. I'm sleeping too much. My thoughts are terrible--I'm stuck in my head and I feel this sense of dread all the time.

But I don't want to be dependent on 5-htp. I know there is potential for cardiotoxicity and I just don't like the idea of being dependent on something for the rest of my life to get by. How can I detox? How can I face reality without 5-htp?

Thanks for any input you have.
 
RhythmSpring said:
But it was really messing with my sleep schedule, my eating habits, and my circadian rhythms in general. I had to stop.
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It has allowed me to eat judiciously, sleep minimally, and think positively. Now that I've stopped, all of that has gone to shit. I can barely control my eating habits. I'm sleeping too much. My thoughts are terrible--I'm stuck in my head and I feel this sense of dread all the time.
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It seems like you're conflicted as to what you want out of life because you totally just contradicted yourself.

Whenever you remove a substance that has been modifying your behavior by altering the levels of neurotransmitters, there is always going to be a rebound or adaptation period.

How long has it been since you discontinued it? I've heard of 5-HTP triggering a discontinuation syndrome not unlike SSRIs that can last a few months but it seems to be kind of rare. At the same time, not many people take such high doses of 5-HTP or take it as long as you were taking it either.
 
i just wonder how much you sleep without it? I have notice the same as you. but i only took 5-hpt 6 weeks after a MDMA roll but after i started sleeping 11,12,13,14 H per day. i have had hard to focus and such. These symptoms are the same, i try to use Amph's to focus now instead. but due to you have used it for a few years maybe you should take 50mg for some month and then 50 mg every 2 days and such?
 
If you seriously have that bad of addiction you need to taper off of 5-HTP, I highly doubt all these symptoms are attributed to 5-HTP, how many drugs have you done in the mean time? 5-HTP should not always be administered on a daily basis in the first place it can cause a Manic thought process in OCD/ Anxiety patients and you probably should not have used it in the first place.

I am guessing you used it to help maintain a lifestyle of drug use I could be wrong this is an assumption.

No offense bro there is no way 5-HTP can be causing DP/DR like symptoms.

A change in diet and exercise, meditation are what you need, pretty hard when messing with 5-hydroxytryptamine Precursor addiction, this is an essential part of our bodily functions.

Re evaluate all your vitamin and herbal supplement intake.

EB
 
1) Does this stuff still work if used on a weekly basis?
2) I'm not too keen on waking up feeling overly energized, so would it be best to not take it at night?
 
its kind of like weak ssri effects in a way

with too much 5htp you get lethargic (melatonin conversion), it makes getting pissed 50x's as fun and sex is not as fun and you dont want as much and hunger is easier to tolerate/body temperature feels higher subjectively
 
i always saw 5htp as a mild ssri typre drug. how should one take it to treat anxiety or derpression?? have people found it effecive for this? how many times per week is ok, what dosage should one start at and should it be taken in the morning or night.

i have 100mg capsules i think. i have had them for a while and only really used them a few times the day after taking mdma. cant say i noticed much effect from them but would be interested in trying them for anxiety, ocd type symptoms.

what drugs should be avoided? i am opiod dependent and trying to taper benzos.
 
for me 5htp makes me want to drink/makes opiate withdrawl much worse/benzo withdrawal worse

i find too much serotonin floating round makes me crave depressants, mainly alcohol and it makes drinking wayyyyyyyyyyyy more euphoric but is this a good thing?
 
5HTP shouldn't cause SSRI like withdrawal however I think after chronic use your more than likely to experience some kind of withdrawal, but it should not be anything like an SSRI type withdrawal.

The withdrawal from SSRIs is not due to serotonin receptor activation, it is due to the neural adaption to the SSRI itself.
 
OP.

You could always try to combine the 5-htp with something that stops its reuptake. I've heard/seen it combined with substances that do so. The half -life is very short.

As far as I'm aware 5-htp only works with consistent dosing, or for reversing down-regulation of serotonin. Two different issues imo.
 
Most 5htp is destroyed before it reaches the brain or is converted to peripheral serotonin that isn't centrally active... c.f. L-dopa. But it does have effects on depression and anxiety, albeit mild.


Also, on paper you shouldn't have withdrawals from 5htp, your body makes it naturally.

You could always try to combine the 5-htp with something that stops its reuptake. I've heard/seen it combined with substances that do so.
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This sounds like a good way to get serotonin syndrome or otherwise unpleasant effects.
 
You can get a kind of withdrawal syndrome from anything that is psychologically addictive, see for example pathological gambling. The fact that you're experiencing a withdrawal syndrome doesn't mean you're now deficient in 5-HT or anything like that, it's part of the recovery from any addiction.
 
I've started microdosing with Syrian Rue, which seems to have similar benefits, but in a more grounding way. Let's see how this goes.
 
The way 5-htp works is it's a precursor to serotonin, that being said, ingesting large amounts or even daily amounts could replace valuable hormones your body is already conditioned to make. By replacing these with synthetic materials from outside sources you are in turn programming your body to make less and less the longer you take it. This is one reason why taking too much melatonin is a negative thing although not many people know the consequences I can assure you bingeing on melatonin every night for a year then quitting cold turkey basically gives you borderline insomnia among other things.
When you take 5-htp and it is converted to serotonin, to my limited understanding you only have so much serotonin floating around in your brain so taking more will not make the affects any more potent unless your are deficient in that particular receptor which I hope is not the case.

My advice? Start by tapering off and make sure to eat a banana everyday for the first month (serotonin levels) get plenty of sunlight and exercise, if you have trouble sleeping take a melatonin but not more than 2x a week. Best of luck!
 
I'm glad I stumbled upon this thread. I have taken 100mg of 5-htp every night and 100mg of l-dopa every morning for the past number of years. I have decided to cut the dosage of both drugs in half and add a b complex vitamin instead this past week. I have definitely been starting to feel anxious and depressed the past few days. So much for cutting the dosage.
 
Getting a lot of carbohydrates will help natural tryptophan reach your brain, which will then be converted to 5-HTP and subsequently 5-HT (serotonin). This should help with the withdrawal symptoms.
 
It is exactly like a horrible SSRI to withdrawal from ...not SAFE...

MrSpeedyG said:
5HTP shouldn't cause SSRI like withdrawal however I think after chronic use your more than likely to experience some kind of withdrawal, but it should not be anything like an SSRI type withdrawal.

The withdrawal from SSRIs is not due to serotonin receptor activation, it is due to the neural adaption to the SSRI itself.
Click to expand...


I've accidentally hooked myself on 5 htp.
I have liver issues and was tapering benzos. So many people recommended thus without saying anything because I doubt many experience what I am going through. I have been taking this stuff for 3 months unfortuntelt I now have to taper off it. It on top of benzos on top of a poor functioning liver. It is terrifying at times. My blood pressure spikes. My hands go numb. I want to just stop it. But abruptly stopping it is what started all this...I have dropped to 100mg from an apparent massive 200mg daily dosage...Im so disappointed in myself but at this point there's nothing I can do...If I end up in wd from benzos it gets 100x worse...if I don't take 5 htp it gets worse and if I do take it it's worse as well..its 100% uncomfortable and physically scary if I stand up my bpspikes and my heart skips. I'm just lucky I stopped tapering because I could be dead pretty easy I feel. This medication needs a fucking warning. I cannot believe I got myself hooked on this mystery ssri wannabe...but minus the brain zaps so far...heavy head pressure and tingly limbs...all signs anyome else would take to their dr...I just can't ev3n...Taking benzos and tapering b3nzos was fine...till I added this mix. It's never calm. I might have dropped dosage too fast but there's nobody to ask.
.im alone.
Lost
And dying
Please of anyone has gone through this tell me how to taper this...im just assuming to lower dosages daily...or should it be weekly..I think I need to updose the benzos now. This is so unfortunate...
 
5HTP does not produce dependence type symptoms in any human or animal models, the "withdrawal" is most likely attributable to the benzos and/or anxiety... 5HTP is not converted to very much in-brain serotonin at all, most if not all of it is metabolized outside of the BBB. And 200mg a day is not a massive dose at all.

Please go see a doctor and see what they can do, if you are experiencing anxiety or fear they can prescribe nonbenzos to help.
 
Mr. Mayor said:
The way 5-htp works is it's a precursor to serotonin, that being said, ingesting large amounts or even daily amounts could replace valuable hormones your body is already conditioned to make. By replacing these with synthetic materials from outside sources you are in turn programming your body to make less and less the longer you take it. This is one reason why taking too much melatonin is a negative thing although not many people know the consequences I can assure you bingeing on melatonin every night for a year then quitting cold turkey basically gives you borderline insomnia among other things.
When you take 5-htp and it is converted to serotonin, to my limited understanding you only have so much serotonin floating around in your brain so taking more will not make the affects any more potent unless your are deficient in that particular receptor which I hope is not the case.

My advice? Start by tapering off and make sure to eat a banana everyday for the first month (serotonin levels) get plenty of sunlight and exercise, if you have trouble sleeping take a melatonin but not more than 2x a week. Best of luck!
Click to expand...

Perfectly said. I aggree 100%. Could not have been said any better than this.
 
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