5-htp

[xtcnation]

Have been taking 5-htp daily for a few months now, i find it works well to ease depression and anxiety. Have been wondering how bad it is to take as often as i do, havn't really experienced any side effects as im only taking 100mg, 150mg max. Mixed opinions from people as to weather this can cause negative problems, would be interested to hear what people have to say?

 

[Swimmingdancer]

I've taken it for long periods of time and noticed no unwanted side effects and no dependence or adverse effects upon stopping. 5-HTP is a naturally occurring amino acid which is a precursor for serotonin. Normally our bodies make most of it from tryptophan we get from food. Side effects from 5-HTP are rare, the only one actually known as far as I'm aware is mild gastrointestinal upset when some people first start taking it in large doses. It has also been proposed that it might not be safe to take close to serotonergic drugs. Why would you think it is bad to take it?

 

[xtcnation]

Some people say that it damages the ability to create serotonin naturally, although others say different. Also sex drive, sex drive is number 1 for me i would hate to lose that. First started taking 5-htp to help recovery of mdma but enjoyed the fine tuned anti dep feel of it so carried on.

 

[Goodbook]

5-htp doesn't pass through the Blood Brain Barrier efficiently. Look into buying L-Trytophan, which does. Also look into piractem and other racetem and nootropic chems.

 

[Jabberwocky]

^ don't understand the point of this post

on 5-htp, there's no proof that it diminishes the brain's ability to produce serotonin naturally, but logically, if taken for a long time i assume that the brain will simply alter the level of serotonin produced by itself to a lower level, as it has artificial support and does not normally require that amount of serotonin in it, which means you'll have to take more and more 5-htp, and when you stop using it would produce less serotonin than you would have if you had never taken the 5-htp, and it will take a bit for your brain to recover and boost the levels back up to what is considered normal.

 

[Allein]

I tried the stuff at about that level for about a month but ran into a problem with the most horrific nightmares. I'm not usually spooked by such things but these ones left me feeling disturbed all day. I didn't notice any problem with stopping taking them but they didn't work out well for me.

 

[Jabberwocky]

eesh, i had that problem too atm23. for the first two weeks it was wonderful to take at night, but then triggered my sleep paralysis every single night i took it... i'm still scared to try and take it again
for the next day or two i did notice a slightly lower mood, but nothing awful.

 

[JackiesBabyy]

Don't do what I did, but...

I've taken 400mg of 5-HTP on two occasions, once alone and once with 4-FA(research chemical, think of weaker MDMA).

Alone, it just caused sedation.
With 4-FA, it didn't make the experience any better or worse.

 

[Renz Envy]

Pure L-tryptophan works better and is natural. I take tryptophan alongside amphetamines to give me an almost MDMA-like high.

It was nearly scheduled by the FDA because its anti-anxiety effects are that good.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Don't do what I did, but...

I've taken 400mg of 5-HTP on two occasions, once alone and once with 4-FA(research chemical, think of weaker MDMA).

Alone, it just caused sedation.
With 4-FA, it didn't make the experience any better or worse.

perhaps it sort of smoothed out the high, or perhaps 4-FA doesn't produce many heart wrenching side effects, i know when i used to binge on MPH, 5-htp would smooth out the high and comedown to bearable levels, just because of its horrible side effect profile at high doses.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

Some people say that it damages the ability to create serotonin naturally, although others say different. Also sex drive, sex drive is number 1 for me i would hate to lose that. First started taking 5-htp to help recovery of mdma but enjoyed the fine tuned anti dep feel of it so carried on.

As synthetix said, there is no evidence that taking 5-HTP diminishes ones ability to create serotonin without it. The most convincing theory I've read on possible adverse effects from taking 5-HTP suggested that if you take it daily for long periods of time without getting sufficient dopamine precursors (l-tyrosine or l-dopa) that it might deplete the catecholamines (dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine). If dopamine depletion became very extreme, 5-HTP may no longer function. Or if one's symptoms were a result of a lack of catecholamines (such as dopamine) taking 5-HTP by itself might actually worsen your symptoms through catecholamine depletion. So they recommend taking l-tyrosine (or l-dopa) with the 5-HTP. There is no recommended ratio because it is different for every person, so you'd have to experiment and see what ratio works best for you.

As for sex drive, 5-HTP seems just as likely to increase your sex drive as it is to decrease it. If you end up being one of the people who feel like it is dampening your sex drive you could just decrease your dose or stop taking it. As far as I've heard any effects on sex drive wear off quickly. ETA: Taking l-tyrosine or l-dopa is supposed to increase one's sex drive as well.

5-htp doesn't pass through the Blood Brain Barrier efficiently. Look into buying L-Trytophan, which does. Also look into piractem and other racetem and nootropic chems.

That's not true, 5-HTP crosses the blood brain barrier very well. It is also superior to L-tryptophan for raising serotonin. And nootropics serve a different function. Check out this article from PubMed:

5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) is the intermediate metabolite of the essential amino acid L-tryptophan (LT) in the biosynthesis of serotonin. Intestinal absorption of 5-HTP does not require the presence of a transport molecule, and is not affected by the presence of other amino acids; therefore it may be taken with meals without reducing its effectiveness. Unlike LT, 5-HTP cannot be shunted into niacin or protein production. Therapeutic use of 5-HTP bypasses the conversion of LT into 5-HTP by the enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase, which is the rate-limiting step in the synthesis of serotonin. 5-HTP is well absorbed from an oral dose, with about 70 percent ending up in the bloodstream. It easily crosses the blood-brain barrier and effectively increases central nervous system (CNS) synthesis of serotonin. [Source]

 

[JackiesBabyy]

perhaps it sort of smoothed out the high, or perhaps 4-FA doesn't produce many heart wrenching side effects, i know when i used to binge on MPH, 5-htp would smooth out the high and comedown to bearable levels, just because of its horrible side effect profile at high doses.

4-FA is incredibly gentle on the heart, very little physical stimulation unless you overdose.

Pure L-tryptophan works better and is natural. I take tryptophan alongside amphetamines to give me an almost MDMA-like high.

It was nearly scheduled by the FDA because its anti-anxiety effects are that good.

Where the fuck are you getting this information? L-tryptophan has been proven to be less effective than 5-HTP, 5-HTP comes from a natural plant source too, and it WAS banned by the FDA for a while, but not because it's anxiolytic effects were so good, but because there was an impurity in it that killed a bunch of people and left thousands with a painful and incurable disease.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eosinophilia–myalgia_syndrome

 

[ErgicMergic]

Is 5-HTP really that much better than taking an SSRI?

I find it amusing that people curse SSRI's in to the fiery chasms of hell but take OTC drugs like 5-HTP that do the same exact thing, it's just that one's a precursor to 5-HT (5-HTP) and the other is a reuptake inhibitor of it (SSRI's).

 

[JackiesBabyy]

Is 5-HTP really that much better than taking an SSRI?

I find it amusing that people curse SSRI's in to the fiery chasms of hell but take OTC drugs like 5-HTP that do the same exact thing, it's just that one's a precursor to 5-HT (5-HTP) and the other is a reuptake inhibitor of it (SSRI's).

The net result is the same as an SSRI. SSRIs are incredibly effective for a specific type of depression in it's severe and moderate form, and for anxiety that stems from a certain cause,(Explaining why would make me need to write an essay full of pharmacology terms most on here wouldn't get) and does jack shit other than placebo for every other type of depression. This leads people to think they're useless when it's just the fact that they're overused and depression is overdiagnosed.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

Is 5-HTP really that much better than taking an SSRI?

I find it amusing that people curse SSRI's in to the fiery chasms of hell but take OTC drugs like 5-HTP that do the same exact thing, it's just that one's a precursor to 5-HT (5-HTP) and the other is a reuptake inhibitor of it (SSRI's).

Because that's not actually the same thing. It may have the same result, in that they can both increase serotonin levels, but 5-HTP isn't likely to give you terrible withdrawal symptoms and side effects like an SSRI often does.

 

[Cyanoide]

I've got more or less severe side effects from 5-HTP. Using the "recommended" dose of 100 mg/day (that's what the bottle said, I didn't bother to read more back then) resulted in a mild serotonin syndrome after 5 days; fever, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea etc. I also get heart arrhytmia if I take 5-HTP more than a few days.

There are sources which claim 5-HTP may contribube to heart valve disease (due to high levels of serotonin), but there have been no such cases recorded and I'm quite skeptical about the claim.

One thing I really want to emphasize about 5-HTP though is that it does not help with SSRI withdrawal, even if your serotonin levels are low. This is not only my experience, almost universally 5-HTP seems to make SSRI withdrawal much worse and I strongly discourage from using it if you're quitting SSRI's.

 

[JackiesBabyy]

I've got more or less severe side effects from 5-HTP. Using the "recommended" dose of 100 mg/day (that's what the bottle said, I didn't bother to read more back then) resulted in a mild serotonin syndrome after 5 days; fever, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea etc. I also get heart arrhytmia if I take 5-HTP more than a few days.

There are sources which claim 5-HTP may contribube to heart valve disease (due to high levels of serotonin), but there have been no such cases recorded and I'm quite skeptical about the claim.

One thing I really want to emphasize about 5-HTP though is that it does not help with SSRI withdrawal, even if your serotonin levels are low. This is not only my experience, almost universally 5-HTP seems to make SSRI withdrawal much worse and I strongly discourage from using it if you're quitting SSRI's.

The theory is that, due to the large amount of 5-HT3 receptors in the heart valves and the fact a 5-ht3 agonist, fenfluramine, causes cardiac fibrosis, that more serotonin at the 5-HT3 receptors can also cause cardiac fibrosis.

 

[xtcnation]

Thanks for the replys guys. I decided to purchase some L-Tyrosine to see how it works with that.

A separat question about L-tyrosine, would it be safe do have this in my system near to dosing MDMA, or LSD? Would it potentiate or dampen effects?

 

[Swimmingdancer]

Some sources suggest that you not take 5-HTP or L-Tyrosine with recreational drugs like LSD or MDMA, but I have not been able to find any concrete evidence of adverse events. But I would probably try to not take it on the day that you take LSD or MDMA just to be on the safe side.

 

[drivinthattrain]

5-HTP readily crosses the blood–brain barrier and in addition is rapidly decarboxylated to serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine or 5-HT).[
also.....
5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), is a precursor to tryptophan.
but serotonin is a precursor to melatonin
So how much is converted is beyond my knowledge.
Which my first conclusion is tryptophan would be better, but after researching breakdowns, I do know think 5-HTP would be better, that is...
as a serotonin enhancer.

combined analysis of the two 5-HTP and tryptophan studies showed significant effectiveness over placebo in treating depression
however, because alternative antidepressants exist which have been proven to be effective and safe, the clinical usefulness of 5-HTP and tryptophan is limited http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5-Hydroxytryptophan