Anyone use 5-htp?

[mari]

I use this stuff for sleep. It supposed to increase serotonin levels, and it totally knocks me out. Give it a try if your having sleep problems.

[Hmark]

Thanks for the information. Here is more info

Research suggests that if you suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Fibromyalgia, you probably don't produce enough serotonin. Serotonin is one of your brain's most important neurotransmitters that affects your mood and your sleep.

So how do you increase your serotonin levels?
5HTP supplements can apparently improve your:

* sleep quality
* fatigue
* anxiety
* pain and stiffness
* and can possibly even help depression.

[DiamonDie]

Just be careful to never take it with vitamin B6. This combination causes it to convert to serotonin outside of your brain, and outside of your brain serotonin can cause permanent organ damage (if you don't believe me, Google for this).

5-HTP doesn't really work for fatigue, no matter what some people might claim (unless your fatigue is caused by very poor sleep). Serotonin is generally a sedative neurotransmitter that can cause fatigue. Some researchers have even suggested that the fatigue in CFS/ME has something to do with excess serotonin.

[cfs_since_1998]

[quote="DiamonDie"]Just be careful to never take it with vitamin B6. [/quote]

I did not know that you shouldn't take 5HTP with B6. Thank you for the warning.

[quote]5-HTP doesn't really work for fatigue, no matter what some people might claim (unless your fatigue is caused by very poor sleep). Serotonin is generally a sedative neurotransmitter that can cause fatigue. Some researchers have even suggested that the fatigue in CFS/ME has something to do with excess serotonin.[/quote]

I too have read that ME/CFS is associated with excess serotonin, which distinguishes it from depression. I have occasionally taken 5HTP to help sleep. Whle it seems to work the effect diminishes greatly if I take it a couple days in a row, and doses above 50mg give me a headache the next day. I don't take it anymore.

[billoddie]

I use it occasionally for sleep amd mood. 100mg a night and it definately helps. Seems to kill any sex drive though. Most likely due to increse in serotonin

[Minaret]

I first heard about 5HTP when I was reading Patrick Holford's Book 'Optimum Nutrition'. His suggestion was that one way to improve brain function/memory is to provide more of the building blocks that are used to make serotonin, and this is what 5HTP (5-hydroxyytryptophan) does. It is touted as an antidepressant, appetite suppressant, and sleep aid, and apparently counters the withdrawal symptoms of taking Ecstasy. You can get it naturally from seeds, but we can never get enough in the diet (though it does help your serotonin levels to eat more seeds). 5HTP is processed from the seeds of the Griffonia Simplicifolia.

I did try it myself, taking it in the morning, it seemed to give me a 'feel good factor' for a while, then it panned out. My sleep was better, though I didnt realise at the time it helped with sleep. Anyway I stopped taking it for a month and am going to reintroduce it again.

The two big cautions Ive come across: If you are on SSRI anti-depressants (which block the recycling of serotonin), and you take large amounts of 5-HTP this could make too much serotonin, which has a negative effect. Vitamin B6 taken in doses of 5 milligrams or greater causes 5-HTP to be converted into serotonin before it passes into the brain. As serotonin does not easily pass the blood-brain barrier (as 5-HTP does), this effect is undesirable and can be detrimental.

[lili2701]

I take L-tryptophan which is similar to this for food cravings and sleeping disorders. i guess it helps, depends really..