• The Dark Side 💕 Welcome Guest 💕
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules
    Notable Threads Urgent Hotlines
    Bereavement Mindfulness
    Suicide Support Anger Management
  • TDS Moderators: AlphaMethylPhenyl | paranoid android

Mental Health 5-HTP vs. SSRI's

hawaii

hawaii

Bluelighter
Joined
Oct 10, 2012
Messages
88
My psychotherapists suggested me to take SSRI's (my first one suggested Duloxetine, the second one suggested me Paroxetine) to cure my depression.
I have to say I'm very sceptic about SSRI's.
I never tried them, so they all might be rumors or excessive precautions, but I read of many side effects, addiction possibility etc.

I'm thinking of taking St.John Wort or, even better, 5-HTP.

Is there anyone who takes 5-HTP?
How do you feel?
Is it a safe supplement?
 
I don't have any experiences with ssris and like you you I am very skeptical about them because of the possible side effects some people have experienced. Another reason is the dependency I might develop overtime. I would suggest trying 5htp first or natural herbs such as rhodiola or possibly gaba or ashgwandha. What I had been doing as well is exercising and eating healthy: fruits vegetables. Exercising helps with balancing our neurotransmitters such as serotonin which plays role in sleep, mood and appetite.
 
SSRIs work wonders with many people, but for others it's worse than taking nothing. I cannot take SSRIs because they ruin my libido, but you may still benefit from them. They takes 2-6 weeks to take full effect, so don't expect immediate results if you do plan on going that route; however, you will feel an immediate boost of serotonin with no real therapeutic value.

5-HTP helps me through post-MDMA depression, so it may provide you with some benefit. Do not take it for more than a week without L-Dopa (levodopa) though. I made that mistake once and it put me in a state of depression.
 
5-HTP is safe and very good for depression. I use it to recharge my serotonin after draining it slightly ;)
 
Zalo said:
Do not take it for more than a week without L-Dopa (levodopa) though. I made that mistake once and it put me in a state of depression.
Click to expand...

Can you explain this a bit more? What's L-Dopa?
I'm planning to use 5-HTP for some extended period, like a couple of months.
I started right now with 100mg as a beginning.
 
I took 5htp daily for about two months...I feel like it helps but I have slowed down my usage and I definitely feel more depressed than usual. Makes sense though when you stop taking it.
 
I use it for better sleep and sometimes during the day. It makes me more focused and motivated
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top