Everybody's favorite thread - 5HTP and DA Depletion, EGCG, L-TYROSINE

[Mask0ff]

greetings all. new to the forum.

I have several environmentally acquired illnesses - and have decided I need to get my brain in order before I begin the long lask of fixing the other issues.

I started taking 5-HTP (50mg, x3 daily) to boost my production of 5HT; the immediate effect was positive. I gained a major boost in my mood, and my head felt 20-30% clearer.

However, over the last week or two, I've gained back brain fog and lost a little bit of motivation.

I know there is plenty of talk on the potential problems of 5-HTP with:

1) Peripheral conversion of 5-HTP into body serotonin (which can be inhibited by a peripheral decarboxlyase inhibitor)
2) Possible depletion of Dopamine due to hijacking of dopaminergic neurons to produce serotonin, and competitive inhibition at the AAAD enzyme


I've read two studies thusfar which support the theory of exogenous tryptophan-based depletion of dopamine -

On the interaction of 5-hydroxytryptophan and 5-hydroxytryptamine with dopamine metabolism in the rat striatum - Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology

The effects of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) and some indole derivatives on dopamine metabolism in the corpus striatum of rat were studied. Striatal dopamine as well as its metabolic end-products, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA) were measured following 5-HTP or...

link.springer.com

Tryptophan Derivatives as Inhibitors of Tyrosine Hydroxylase in Vivo and in Vitro

Certain typtophan analogs were found to be potent inhibitors of tyrosine hydroxylase and to act by a mechanism that is not competitive with substrate. The most active compounds in these studies were those with a hydroxyl group at the 5 position on the indole ring. The most potent inhibitor was...

molpharm.aspetjournals.org

Has anyone had actual experience with this, and did EGCG or L-tyrosine lift your 5-HTP induced brain fog?

 

[sekio]

Your body already has L-tyrosine floating around in it, assuming you're not malnourished.

5-HTP does very little to effect brain serotonin levels because very little of it crosses BBB. Most is decarboxylated to serotonin outside the brain.

Also, the 5-HTP that does reach the brain is likely quickly converted to serotonin, leaving little time for it to effect dopamine production (remember, 5-HTP is naturally produced by your body).

I note that your first study uses 5-HTP injected directly into the brain of rats. And the second talks of alpha-methyl-5-HTP, a different compound entirely.

Unfortunately I'd say any effect you experienced was likely placebo, especially at such a low dose.

 

[plumbus-nine]

I thought 5-HTP to help with brain zaps, but in theory it shouldn't as in SSRI withdrawal we will have over-active transporters, so the vesicles always full and receptors depleted of 5-HT - the 5-HTP would then just get sucked in too or metabolized by MAO, no? So might have been placebo yet maybe things are so complex that more 5-HT still means more out/throughput of it. At least L-DOPA is proven to work (with a peripheral carboxylase inhibitor like carbidopa) and maybe on SSRI w/d we actually have many receptors and little 5-HT due to negative loop (which causes the initial delay when starting a SSRI) and some boost of 5-HTP helps..

Certainly would need to buy a box of L-DOPA/carbidopa in the pharmacy down the street & do some science (here literally every street has at least one huge pharmacy, and pretty everything besides benzos/opates is OTC ... but my gf is the green-tea-cures-everything kind of person, works from home, and I've already bought a bunch of meds - you get the picture. Input about interesting meds / combos is still welcome xD
Once I tried to acquire pure carbidopa back in Europe but wasn't able to source any.

Unsure whether you really can deplete your transmitters besides MDMA. It's more receptor regulation like with post acute withdrawal ...