5htp?

[sadie147]

Is anyone familiar with this or has anyone tried it? One of the drugstore chains here just started selling it. Apparently it's mood enhancing and can help in dealing with stress, and insomnia caused by stress (a big problem I have), it is also helps with appetite.

Did a bit of research and found this blog of someone that's taking it: http://netchick.ca/archives/378 sounds like good stuff.

I also managed to find an article from Vanderbilt University..most of the other articles (as mentioned in this one) are biased, pharmaceutical based reviews: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/psycho.../5htp_myth.htm

Just curious if anyone has an real life experience?

[jimmie 48]

Re: 5htp?

not me, sorry sadie. interesting read.

[biogeek]

Re: 5htp?

I've only read about it, I've never taken it myself. It would be interesting to see what experiences others have had with it.

[sadie147]

Re: 5htp?

I started taking it on the weekend, it came in 100 mg pills, i'm taking 2 a day, from what i've read 2-300 mgs a day is what is recommended. I haven't experienced any nausea which they say it can sometimes cause.

This was thanksgiving weekend so it's been tough for me to give a review, i was tired, had a headache late sunday night after dinner, didn't have much appetite and slept like a log, could be from the 5htp, could have been from the stress of baking an applie pie, cherry and blueberry tarts, pumpkin pie, and making a turkey dinner for 12 people that day by myself LOL.

This will be a calmer week so i'll give it a few more days to get an idea of what, if any benefit or lack of...

[sadie147]

Re: 5htp?

So here's my one week update:

I was taking 100mgs with breakfast, and one with lunch. I found myself extremly tired during the day, hard to keep my eyes open kind of tired. So i've switched from 2 pills during the day, to 1 pill after dinner, and that seems to have helped. I may up it after a couple of weeks, since I'm not sure if it's the 5htp or the fact that it was thanksgiving last weekend and i'm probably tired anyway. One thing i do find is it does seem to have appetite suppressant qualities (which is why i was taking before meals) and I have been sleeping like a log. It has been better for my sleeping than melatonin has been.

And it has definately calmed me down as far as stress and anxiety goes..that claim is definately true. I'm swamped at work and normally i tend to get hyper and moody when it's like this, i haven't been at all.

I'll give another update again after i've takin it for a bit longer...

[Miss Phode]

Re: 5htp?

I tried it, but not for long, and probably didn't give it a fair chance, but it made me feel weird. Kinda spaced out I guess.

Now when i have trouble sleeping, I take Valarian. It's definitely not an every night thing for me. A word of warning: Don't smell it. It smells like something died. I pop a capsule every so often when I'm feeling really anxious and restless at night.

[theredhead]

Re: 5htp?

At my doctor's suggestion, I started taking 5HTP about a year and a half ago for my mild depression. I was skeptical, but it's actually working very well! I tried not taking it for a couple of weeks awhile back and I could tell my thoughts were getting more negative, so I went back on it. Definitely a difference.

My pills are 50 mg and I take one in the morning and one at night. I don't have any negative side effects. I don't really get any appetite suppression from them, but then, NOTHING makes me less hungry. I tried taking a higher dose for awhile, but didn't really see a difference. I've been unable to lose weight for the past three years, although I'm a faithful low-carber. My body is very stubborn and I feel like menopause had something to do with it.

I think 5HTP is certainly worth a try for anyone who feels they might benefit.

[sadie147]

Re: 5htp?

Wow thanks for the review Laurie! I've thought about cutting my pills in half to make them 50 mgs and taking twice a day rather than once at 100, but i'll stick to the 100 for now. Do you find they make you sleepy at all? that's my only issue with taking them during the day.

I'm also happy to hear it was a dr. that recommended them, sometimes i'm skeptical of the safeness of herbal remedies. THough i did research this as much as i could on the web and it does seem safe.

[ladyinred]

Re: 5htp?

Hi Sadie Jen! I've been lurking lately as I'm gearing up to start over again. sigh It's been a rough year, but I'm coming out of it. Anyway. I tried 5HTP a few years ago and it does everything you say. It seemed like a miracle drug. I stopped taking it though because, as Miss Phode says (Hi Miss Phode, honey!!) it made me feel spacy and weird. What I found out when I stopped taking it (and which I later found written info on) is that when you stop taking it, whatever you were taking it for in the first place becomes amplified. I think I started taking it to deal with weight gain and mood swings from early menopause. So the emotions came back with more force and even swingier than ever. Maybe they've changed the formula since then, but I would just warn that if you try to get off it, do it very slowly and use something like St. John's Wort or Valerian Root to help ease the symptoms. Please note: I am not a doctor and I don't play one on t.v., but this was my experience.

[Miss Phode]

Re: 5htp?

Awwww...I missed LadyinRed.

[sadie147]

Re: 5htp?

Awwww...I missed LadyinRed.

ME TOOO!!!!!!

Luckily however i'm taking 5htp, so i wont be as depressed over it as you will

i'm going to have to search the board and try and find her!

oh and LIR, thanks for the input, i'm actually glad that i've gone down to just once a day...i might stick with that. that 'spacy' feeling might be part of the tired feeling i have, i swear i couldn't keep my eyes open, which is not good at 2 in the afternoon!...now that i'm taking it at night it's a bit better, though i took last nights kind of late (9:30) and i slept form 11 p.m. untill 9 a.m. this morning, which is not like me!

[ladyinred]

Re: 5htp?

Well, I'm not taking 5HTP and all week I've been a bobble-head in the afternoon. Maybe it's the time of year. Maybe we are all ready to go into hibernation mode. And no, it's not induction flu....that's coming next week.

[Miss Phode]

Re: 5htp?

I would LOVE to hibernate. I'm sooooo tired right now. zzzzzzzzzzz

[theredhead]

Re: 5htp?

I tend to be a sleepy person who sleeps well at night no matter what I do. I was thinking that the 5HTP was making it worse, but when I stopped, it didn't make any difference. (I was always sleepy before I started it, too.) I probably wouldn't take more than my 50 mg in the morning, though. I buy mine at WalMart for less than $8 for 90 pills.

My doctor is an osteopathic MD who is really into homeopathic stuff. She's treating my menopause symptoms with natural bio-identical hormones and I'm very happy with that, too. No more hot flashes & night sweats! And my fingernails! I never could grow them before, but now they're quite nice and strong.

[Evermind]

Re: 5htp?

I tried it for 4 months. It did nothing for me except make me sleepier than usual.

However, I have been taking GABA, 750 mg in the morning,and 750 in the evening, and it is great. I'm sleeping thru the night and my anxiety is evening out.