Question about long term use of 5-HTP

Hello all, just a question whose answer I hope will be able to point me in the right direction.
I have what can be termed "mild clinical depression" which is basically just a chemical imbalance that causes me to feel less than 100% This has not been a problem for me in well, many years, and I suspect never will be again.
As was reported a while ago, I got my hands on some 5-HTP for use after a big weekend out (albeit too late to help) and I started taking them a week before my next planned weekend.
I noticed that I felt more "normal" in the few days I took the 5-HTP, and in a much better state of mind than I am usually. This is piqued my interest to such a high level that I'm planning to acutally purchase 5-HTP no as a comedown cure, but as a chemical that will improve my quality of life more in the long run.
That said, does anyone know if there are longterm health effects or warnings that go along with taking 5-HTP for extended periods? Any links or journal references and the such would be helpful.
As a note, I am planning on taking 100mg a day. But on good advice will go lower or higher.

Fetish: I have never been diagnosed with any kind of depression but I also have found that when I preload/postload for a period of days before and after I just feel much brighter and positive about the universe on a cosmic scale. I'm interested in taking it as a daily dietary suplement so let me know what your search comes up with
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I don't like the idea of Milhouse having two spaghetti meals.. in the one day

It was my impression that what you descibed was the normal reason for using 5-Htp anyway. I thought the only reason that it was used for comedowns was because the way that the MDXX family released your seratonin, and that 5-HTP was just somthing that would help replenish it.
If, however I am deluded, someone set the story straight...

I've been taking 100mg 5-HTP 2-3 times a week for much the same purpose (plus obviously post-loading when I go out) and have found it really useful. I seemed to remember ages ago reading a thread about how ongoing supplementation could limit the body's natural production (sorry can't remember the link and I could well be wrong) hence me only taking it a couple of times a week.
You've inspired me to dig around a bit in the archives and I've found the following:
Topic: Physical addiction to 5-HTP?

...after a while of taking it regularly your body starts to get a bit lazy in converting proteins in your food into 5-htp. The solution to this is simply to taper off your dose over a period of time.
An example: Last summer I was taking 200 mg a day for depression (it worked really well too ). But then it seemed like I was developing a tolerance, or that I had plateaued. Whatever the case was, I decided to quit. I also noticed some evil depression, and on the advice of a friend in the medical profession I began to taper off my dose. Over the course of a month I went from 200 to 100 to 50 to nothing. And I felt reasonably fine (the old depression was still there, but no worse).
Why dont doctors prescribe 5htp for depressed patients?

Click to expand...

Okay, so I've trawled the web for a short while and the only thing I've found that refers to long term health effects is one site mentioning that 5-HTP can cause elevated blood pressure much in the same whay phen fen (sic) does.
Other than that, the only obivious thing I can see happening is tolerance if you have high doses.
So, in the next few weeks, I am going to embark on a course of 100mg of 5-HTP just before bed.

if your taking 5-htp not just for the come down but for depression as well should u be considering seeing a doctor?
Yeah i no prozac sucks i should no ive been given it 4 times in my life. But when Ive needed it the most its helped.

Keep in mind 5-htp was only introduced to the market in 1994... Knowledge regarding its safety, particularly long term/chronic use, is very limited.
It's best to keep your 5-htp intake to a minimum. For those who are self medicating with 5-htp for MDxx related (or otherwise) depression, please see a doctor regarding your choice of 5-htp as an anti-depressant, as
A. the doctor might have something better suited to you, and
B. you might be messing with something dangerous in the long term.

[ 17 August 2002: Message edited by: apollo ]

^^^
Sydkiwi: I made a educated move in not going to the doctor for any meds because I can function without them, I've never taken them and I doubt I ever will.
Apollo: The only choice you get given in antidepressant meds are MAOI's or SSRI's. Both of these have waaaaayyyyyy to many cons for its small pro. I understand an increase in seratonin via chemical means will of course have some effects on the body/brain and some side effects, but the only one seems to increased blood pressure.
I'm thinking because of it's action as an ammino acid (I think) there is going to be less of a risk than anything that interacts directly with the seratonin receptors.

fetish jester: its your health and your choice. theres is always a consequence for your actions. like i said the choice is yours. You have your long term health to consider.

Jester, if you are considering taking something everyday, why not try tryptophan instead of 5HTP?
You will still need to see a doctor for L-tryp, and they do cost (~$43-00/60). Tell your doctor you have considered the options and wish to try L-tryptophan. Sometimes a small white lie can help; something like “a friend gave me some L-tryptophan and after a few days at 1000mg/day I felt much better…”
Tryptophan is less likely to pose the same health concerns as 5HTP when taken for long periods. Tryptophan doesn’t tend to cause large increases in serotonin, but there is definitely some noticeable mood change. Melatonin levels are increased indicating extra serotonin is being produced. This helps with sleep, and can result in a more evenness of mood. It doesn't work for everyone, but it's about as natural as you can get apart from tryptophan containing foods.
Enquiries regarding L-tryptophan will undoubtedly receive warnings about EMS, so it’s worth reading up on this before approaching your doctor. Chances are you'll then know more about it than he/she will. Good luck, Oh and read some of the early 90’s reports on the benefits of tryptophan when taken for depression. A lady I know at Uni tried many things to help her radical mood swings. After trying virtually every new drug released, she settled on tryptophan and reckons it has made all the difference.
The first step in getting L-tryptophan rescheduled is to show support, which is best demonstrated through the numbers of people being prescribed it. Currently these numbers are low, so get a script and help support getting L-tryptophan back on the shelf where it belongs.

Different things work for different people, and 5-HTP is no exception. I find it doesn't do an awful lot for me, nor does L-tryptophan, but on the other hand, prozac (fluoxetine hydrochloride) works wonders for me. I know that prozac works in a different way to 5-HTP and L-t, but where the symptoms are long-term depression, the question begs of whether you should be seeking psychiatric counselling... I am not ashamed to admit that I've been in therapy on and off for 5 years now, and spent 3 of those years on prozac.
My MDxx habit has ultimately had little bearing on my general mood... I have spent time on MDxx alone, MDxx + prozac, prozac + lithium carbonate, MDxx + prozac + lithium carbonate (once, never again), and prozac alone, and the key factor in determining my mood was the prozac. I can happily say that I have finally found my balance, between keeping myself sane and partying just hard enough so that I can treat myself occasionally to some MDxx.

Okay, finally got my bottle of 120x100mg caps of 5-HTP. I'm taking 100mg per night, which is about a 10th of the dose that they used in the clinical trials thus, it would be expected that the side effects are either going to be minimal or non exsistant. I'm also hoping that any chronic use symptoms will also be lacking, due to the dose I'm taking.
I shall report back after a few weeks of usage to see what should be changed.
Oh and as a side note, I talked to someone about using 5-HTP and she just gave me a blank look and asked if that was a type of MAOI... Scarey when you know more about your condition than the professionals.

From personal experiences and stories told by myfriends, GP's don't regularly keep up to date with many of the supplements out there. In fact, they get concerned when people wtart doing self-diagnosis. For me, 5-Htp is about as an effective mood-lifter as St. Johns Wart. Many people have said that St Johns wart doesn't do shit for them, I guess I'm just lucky. :D

I don't think GP's can keep up to date with all the new medication coming out on the market these days.
If you want good medical info about drugs i suggest getting a MIMS book. I think you can purchase them at pharmacies or book shops...i THINK you can, every doctors office, medical centre, hospital, nursing home has one. These are really handy if you wanna know about adverse effects and so on. These are usualy updated every 3-6 months.