5 HTP questions!

[Samboo1994]

Hello guys, I recently had a real bad spike of depression and ocd which I have had all my life, things started to get worse again so I decided to take some 5htp 100mg capsules which also has 100mg valerian root, for the firSt day I took one tablet, the second day I took one in the morning and one at night time. I started to feel happy and I'm a better mood! I thought this stuff was really working to raise my mood! But the last few days I have felt crap! Bad thoughts, bad anxiety, tired, and depressed in general.

I just want to know whether I should stop taking them all together or to keep taking them as I know it can take a while for thkngs to fully start working, if so to keep taking them; what dosage a day? And what time of day to take them?

 

[Samboo1994]

Oops forgot to say thanks!

 

[Cotcha Yankinov]

I think other people have reported anxiety and sigh from 5-HTP, although who is to say what the valerian is doing. I would play it safe, and try cardio along with mindfulness meditation.

You can always talk to a doctor about more typical antidepressants if the aforementioned strategies fail, but I suggest giving them a good go. Mindfulness especially can take a little while to learn.

 

[dus_aster]

5-HTP, like SSRIs, works best if given time to fully express itself. While it can have some immediate benefits, tmk (I found it useful in the promotion of sleep), it's mood stabilizing properties require time (anywhere from a couple weeks to a couple months) to reach their full potential.
From this end of the monitor, it sounds like perhaps you've been feeling the Valerian root more than anything, and that, now that you've become more psychologically and physiologically acclimatized to it (more so the former than the latter, I would imagine?), that you're finding a decrease in relief (as well as not yet benefiting from the mood stabilizing effects of 5-HTP). Someone feel free to step in an correct me, but I recall reading a lot of anecdotal evidence regarding the decrease in Valerian root's acute efficacy when administered multiple times/day for multiple days.

I've used both 5-HTP and Valerian root to manage depression (PDD) and anxiety (GAD) in the past... honestly, if it's something that you find effecting your life negatively, you might benefit from getting onto a pharmaceutical to help? They're more predictable than naturals/supplements, and, depending on your neurochemistry, potentially more useful. There are newer options that don't require weeks/months to work; bupropion, if you want something stimulating, or mirtazapine, if you prefer something sedating. Getting onto one of these temporarily while waiting for SSRIs to take effect (w/ careful dose monitoring and tapering if need be) can work wonders!

 

[thizzkid]

Hey there OP;

To chime in I have been on a regular regime of 5-HTP @ either 200mg or 300mg a day with at least 6hrs apart depending on how I felt that day for about 4 months now. To be more exact I also co-administer a B-multivitamin complex and a magnesium/potassium supplement which deffinitely have a beneficial synergy, particulary the B-complex. Actually as I understand, B6 (pyroxidine) is essential for the bioconversion of 5-HTP to serotonin so you may want to consider taking a B-vitamin as well for this purpose as well as the added energy it supplies in it's own right. That said I have no knowledge of valerian root and it's synergy with anything I have listed so do your research before combing supplement willy-nilly. On that note, be careful not to judge your combinations right away because of many reasons....

1) There is little to no quality control in the supplement industry and what one brand says is in their product may not be entirely accurate. 5-HTP is a big offender of this generally and several companies have been caught using ground rice as filler and etc. I know for me too some brands of 5HTP have not had the same benefit of my current brand which could be due to a variety of reasons but maybe this is your issue. For 5-HTP I recommend "Jarrow's Formulas" brand. They are slightly pricier than some but depression-treatment isn't something you wanna cheap yourself on.

2) Everyone is different, and that cannot be stressed enough. I personally experience very strange side-effects from B-complexes that have high-dose B6 that manifest as a very uncomfortable, numbing/buzzing feeling in my arms and hands. It WILL take some trial and error to find what works for you and you should not be afraid to try something new or do some elimination experiments to find out what does/doesn't work for you.

3) There is a chance that 5-HTP is simply not the right answer for you, but it seems like it is too early to make any conclusions so keep-calm and continue this with an open mind. Remember your depression has taken years to develop and there is no way you should expect it to go away in a matter of days.

Anyway like you, I experienced nearly immediate benefit from this regime (started at 300mg btw) and this effect lasted for about a week before taking a bad turn, leaving me in a strange emotional limbo for a while. I too began to wonder if I should stop taking the 5-htp but I decided to stick with it and am very glad I did. The weird emotional state lasted about another 2 weeks but subsided completely and I have a more stable, positive mood than I ever have.

Something to note too is that I lessened the dose to 100-200mg a day right around the time that the effects improved. Whether or not this change has to do with the results I am unsure of, but ever since this I have not had the need to take 300mg in a day which is counter-intuitive but certainly a noticeable change.

Nothing has had the benefit on my mood like 5-htp has and I consider it a god-sent, and to anyone experiencing depression I highly recommend giving it a try before resorting to SSRI's. The benefits happen more quickly and you can stop your self-treatment cold turkey at anytime whereas SSRI's have a terrible withdrawal syndrome that can be difficult to overcome.

All this said though it is extremely important to not rely solely on the 5HTP. Simple human functions such as diet and exercise are very important to consider during self-treatment and anyone experiencing depression knows how difficult these can sometimes be to maintain so keep that in mind.

In all though just keep it up and report back with what worked fro you because there are certainly other people wondering the same things you are.

 

[d1nach]

Tbh the problem I have with 5 htp is it effects in rats to my knowledge is lacking and humans can easily trick ourself.