Supplements

[Gram666]

Hi,

i have suffered from Anixty and mild depression for a year now, i also have cystic fibrosis.  I have tried medication but they seem to make me feel worse, i was thinking about trying 5-HTP my question is i drink 2 cups of korean ginseng tea and take Fish oils, Vitamin b complex, my medication for my cystic Fibroisis and i am worried that i may be taking too many supplements, will adding the 5-htp do me any harm?  

Thanks

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

there would be no conflict with the fish oil or the vitamin b complex but I'm not sure about the ginseng tea.  You have to be careful with the amount since this is an unregulated substance.  Pills might not be the right answer for you because you can get a lot of help without medication through psychotherapy and counseling.

[Gram666]

Thanks for you help

[Paxiled]

The doctor is wrong, natural remedies are regulated, it's just the FDA chooses not to so as not to compete with the equally unregulated pharmaceuticals FDA has power to regulate but chooses not to.  But Korean ginseng is not a good choice for someone suffering from anxiety, and most Ginseng teas have no ginseng in them anyway.  Better choices for adaptogens are ashwagandha and eleuthero, or American Ginseng, as they are less energizing.  5HTP might work, and Dr. Gould seems not to know anything about this, which is par for the course for psychiatrists -- they make their living selling pharmaceuticals.  It's just a metabolite for tryptophan, which makes serotonin in the body and has been used by physicians and psychiatrists for over a hundred years.  5htp is better metabolized than plain tryptophan, so it's a better choice.  But by itself, I don't know if it will help or not.  Generally, when you use natural remedies, you need to use a combination.  A good book for you to read is Natural Highs by a colleague of Dr. Gould's, Hyla Cass.  It will give you a good overview of what's available naturally.  And if you want advice on natural remedies, see a naturopath, or an herbalist, or a homeopathic physician, don't ask an allopathic physician like Dr. Gould.  (By the way, fish oil is also "unregulated.")