5-htp *increasing* anxiety?

[it_girl_rag_doll]

So I've tried a search but couldn't find anything on 5-htp doing the opposite of what I presumed it was supposed to...

I'm currently in the middle of a long break from MDMA, after doing it at least 2 or 3 times a month for most of 2008. I last rolled more than two months ago, and over the last few weeks I've been feeling great. I am calm, interested and excited by life and able to concentrate and think like I haven't been for years.

When I was doing MDMA I usually used 5-htp after coming down and I found it helped my mood to some extent. Last night I was feeling relatively sleepless and stressed out, so I decided to take one of my 5-htp capsules before bed. These contain 100mg 5-htp, 5mg niacin, 5mg vitamin B6, 25mg magnesium and 50mg valerian.

I ended up sleeping for 10 hours, having vivid and disturbing dreams and waking up feeling so irrationally anxious about the day ahead that I couldn't get out of bed for 90 minutes. These are exactly the kind of symptoms that I've been gloriously free from since I stopped abusing MDMA.

The only thing I can think of that could've caused this was the 5-htp - but I thought 5-htp was meant to alleviate anxiety! So what gives?

 

[Arnold]

anxiety =>gaba
5-htp =>serotonin
Increase one the other one can become lower.
100mg is a bit to much when your body ain't used to it...

 

[Pingu]

you should read a book called "feel the fear and do it" by susan jeffers. it will change the way you think for the better

 

[Pander Bear]

taking it causes panic attacks with me. You might want to try cutting your dose in half.

 

[Roger&Me]

Yah I'm not so sure how I feel about 5-htp. I wouldn't take too much of it. Just a low dose occasionally.

 

[gman2008]

5htp was my Savior didnt think u needed any 5htp or a lower dose!!!

 

[Dave]

I took 5-htp for a LONG time. In the beginning it helped, but for the last couple of years it was of no real benefit, and did increase my anxiety. Something to do with the general 5-HT agonism causing increased 5-HT-1 agonism (which causes, among other things, anxiety) IIRC.

My personal advice: quit taking 5-htp and go see a psychologist. It helped me a great deal, and has helped countless others.

 

[it_girl_rag_doll]

Well, I already see a counsellor, and really I think most of my anxiety problems are/were caused by a combination of exceptional external stress factors and doing drugs, especially MDMA, to excess and for the wrong reasons. So I don't think what happened this morning needs urgent addressing with a medical professional or anything, and I feel fine now. I was just curious really, because I took the 5-htp as an experiment which I thought would be helpful.

Thanks for all the responses though, and I think I'll just stay away from using the stuff in that way in future!

 

[Dave]

Good call. It's handy as a pre/post load supplement, but that's pretty well it.

 

[Ximot]

Good call. It's handy as a pre/post load supplement, but that's pretty well it.

totally don't agree, although at those mdma times it is especially helpful. i use it just like that (not as a pre-loader or post-loader) with no obvious ill effects...

 

[Dave]

So did I for a while. It's just not a long-term solution, and it can delay getting the help required to get a long term solution.

 

[robcypher]

5-htp is not a good alternative to an antidepressent in my opinion. If you're really taking a long term break from E and need a mood lifter SSRIs are the way to go.