5-htp

[Paxil Junkie]

iv read so much about 5-htp do u guys know its naturally produced by the brain when you excersize? theres no need to buuy it or anything because you can just excersize and get plenty of it, thats why people say they feel better when they excersize

Do you exercise to improve your mood and well being Steve?

[Paxil Junkie]

nope heh

Any negative side effects from 5HTP?

Any negative withdrawal from 5HTP?

What's better, 5HTP or St. Johns Wort?

Alot of people on this board swear by 5-HTP. I actually bought some myself but haven't taken any yet. You really shouldn't take it with any other SSRI, because there's a risk of getting "serotonin syndrome," which pretty much sounds like Paxil withdrawal, but worse.

I've read alot of good things about St. Johns Wort, but again I don't think you should touch this stuff until you're totally off all other antidepressant medications especially the SSRIs like Paxil. I have heard that the side effects of St. Johns Wort are very similar to those of Paxil and I had alot of problems and side effects with Paxil.

[Paxil Junkie]

if 5htp can cause seratonin syndrone i wouldn't want to take it because only SSRI's can really cause seratonin syndrone, seratonin syndrone is nothing like paxil withdrawl, it is a fatal brain disease

[Joelle]

I take a conservative dose (50mg/day) of 5-HTP and excersize 3 times a week. Took 100mgs for a couple days (more is better, right?) but I've read that is a high dose and I was worried it would be too much so I'm back at 50 and I feel fine. I like the added benefits of the 5-HTP (in addition to the seretonin production it's also effective in treating obesity- I don't crave sweets and carbs like I used to- also muscle/head aches, insomnia, and PMS)

Hi ,

some of you may have read my story under Paxil Withdrawal. I have been off Paxil for about 6 weeks and have recently started taking a combination of 5-HTP and St John's Wort.

The biochemist who "mixed" the herbal remedies for me included Ginseng,Kava, L-Tyrosine, Zinc and Vitamin B-Complex into the 5-HTP capsules. He advised that I take 2 tabs 3X per day (ie total of 150mg of 5-HTP), plus he says I should take the SJW 2X per day, at 500mg each.

I started taking the 5-HTP 3X on Sunday, and took only 1 tablet of SJW on Tuesday and this morning.

I must admit that I feel absolutely terrible today, and I am sure that I am probably taking too much.

I think I am going to cut out the SJW for now and reduce the 5-HTP to only 100mg per day for a few days and see how that goes.

Anybody else out there who has tried a combination of the two, and if so, what quantities did you take?

regards,
solly

i took one hundred mgs of 5-HTP yesterday to try to combat the headaches and muscle aches

i felt absolutely awful and very very anxiuos

i wont be taking anymore of that

I went to a local homeopathic doc. and he suggested starting with 50 mgs. for 2 weeks and then moving to 100 mgs.

I am also concerned about addiction and thus withdrawal, too! Solly, do you have any thoughts on this?

Does this also help panic attack or just depression? Anyone know how seratonin affects panic attacks?

Blessings, Bill

[Joelle]

I did a keyword web-search for "5-HTP + withdrwal" and "5-HTP + addiction", and found zero results. Very promising, conisdering the results I've found when doing the same search but substituting Prozac or Paxil, for instance.

And yes 5-HTP is used to treat anxiety as well as depression.

To those who are trying this as an alternative to Paxil, you will need to give it a few days for it to take effect. It will not magicaly work overnight after the first dose. Also everyone is different and it may take some time to determine what the right dosage is for you.

Solly here is the exerpt from www.5-HTP.com which address the issue of St. John's and 5-HTP together:

6. Can 5-HTP be taken with St. John's wort extract?
Yes. In fact, the two seem to work very well together. St. John's wort extract has been shown in over 25 double-blind studies to be as or more effective than antidepressant drugs in the treatment of mild to moderate depression. In more severe cases, I recommend using 5-HTP along with St. John's wort. Be sure to use the St. John's wort extract standardized for 0.3% hypericin. The dosage for this extract is typically 300 mg three times per day. When using it in combination with 5-HTP I recommend 50-100 mg of 5-HTP and 150-300 mg of St. John's wort extract three times daily.

Hope this helps

I think we need to do some more investigating about 5-HTP!

On Monday night, I tapered from 5 mgs. to 3.5 mgs. and truly have been feeling and sleeping well (except for the usual energy issues and slight muscle cramp). For now, my mood is fine. Perhaps it is because of a slower taper than I have previously done (20 to 10 and 10 to 5), but I think it is because of 5-HTP. It truly makes sense to me!

I have been taking 5-HTP for about a week (50mgs. 3/day with meals) and my mood is much better as is my ability to cope with the withdrawal. I have also been sleeping great with it (there was some wierd dreams at first and some anxiety as I built to 150 mg. over a few days).

My doctor and I think the threat of Seratonin Symdrome is way over-hyped (especially when decreasing paxil to lower levels) and probably promoted by the drug cos. like GSKB. I don't think you need to wait until you are weeks off of paxil - check with your doctor about the right time.

http://www.sjwinfo.org/forums/5-HTP/thread_open.shtml

http://www.smart-publications.com/books/5htp/toc.html

Here are some links for you to do your own investigation (and have discussions with your doctor). Please let me know any thoughts!

Blessings, Bill

Tryptophan is just an imino acid produced by the brain, right? I heard it's the same stuff that makes you sleepy when you eat turkey. I don't think Hydroxytryptophan should cause worry. I got turned onto it when it came back on the market (it was illegal for a while because people in China didn't produce it right) and have used it for anxiety no matter what SSRI I was taking at the time. I've used it for years. And I hear you on the Tyrosine, although it doesn't work as well. There's also L-Phenylalanine. I looked into it because Paxil withdrawals were screwing up my speech/language capabilities. It's good stuff.. one of the precursers to noraphenephrine, I believe. The three brain chemicals they focus on for depression are seratonin, norephinephrine, and dopamine. Something I learned back in high school, although I have no idea why! It's all about the transfer of messages to the brain. Hehe.

Tara,

Has it (5HTP) helped with your Paxil withdrawal? If so, in what ways?

Thanks! Bill

Hydroxytryptophan can't do a thing for your muscle aches, sweating, diarrhea, cramps, nightmares, zaps, rash or migranes (all wonderful gifts from GlaxoSmithKline), but it does WONDERS for anxiety and panic attacks. A lot of us who started taking Paxil for generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, etc have found out the hard way that ANXIETY comes back with deadly force (worse than ever before) within days of quitting Paxil. It happened to me 6 days after being at 0mg after a SLOW 10 week taper. I couldn't take it and had to go back up to 5-7mg a day of Paxil. 5-HTP (in my opinion) should be seen as a natural alternative to Xanax, Klonopin, or Ativan. Tryptophan is an imino acid used for CALMING... relaxing... insomnia... that sort of thing. I wouldn't be where I'm at without it. It's truly a wonder product and I swear by it wholeheartedly! If any of you are the types to get that pain in your chest that makes it hard to breath or even think - try it! It won't knock you out like Xanax, yet you get the same relief.

Tara -

I have found that my mood is INCREDIBLY improved on 5HTP!

I don't have the usual "waves" of intense emotions or moodiness/bad thoughts, as I have had through my Paxil taper.

I moved from 5 mgs. to 3.5 mgs. on Monday and I feel amazing - quite unusual for me! Since utilizing 5HTP, this has been the easiest cut I have made by far and quickest recovery time.

Blessings, Bill