5 htp effectiveness.

[feelhope]

I m taking 5 htp for almost 15 days but it is not working except first day (the day I start taking the 5 htp capsules).it works well on first after that day its stpps working.also I m taking vitamin b6 capsules.plz tell me the dosage of  both of  the two and which one I take first? Thank u

[Paxiled]

Don't really understand the comment that supplements are inconsistent in quality and dose.  How would you know without testing each company's products every time you buy a bottle?  Some companies are better than others just as brand name drugs are a whole lot more consistent in quality when tested than generics, which are made by several companies some of which are often caught cheating.  You have to know the brands and avoid the discounters for the most part, meaning, if you know growing and harvesting and preparing an herb is hard, and it's selling for a low price, it's probably too good to be true.  It means don't buy from direct marketers or internet only, since they're avoiding public scrutiny.  But the dose is the dose unless the company is lying, and lying isn't confined to supplements -- every business has its liars, and the pharmaceutical industry is probably the biggest liar of them all.  So yeah, consuming is tough when people trying to make money off us may have no scruples, but that doesn't mean you throw out the whole shebang and give up.

[gymdandee]

Kira st john's wort is an excellent product!  st john's wort has been shown to be effective in clinical trials.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20181361

[Foxy1969]

5-htp works well but it's too expensive for me. When I took it I found it more effective when combined with St. Johns Wort. Eventually I only took the SJW, double the standard dose, and it worked better than anything else I've ever tried. There's clinical studies proving it works as well if not better than SSRIs. The only downside is over the counter supplements like 5-htp or SJW are inconsistent in quality and dose and what not, which is why I stopped taking them. But 5-htp really just helped me sleep and curb my appetite. It had a calming effect too or perhaps it was a placebo. I never knew. Hope I helped!

[Paxiled]

I should have added, natural medicine for mental disorders generally goes after different areas of the body -- for example, neurotransmitters for anxiety and depression such as 5-HTP, adrenal support herbs, and depending on the cultural tradition perhaps the organ associated with the emotion, combined with therapy, exercise, lifestyle changes including diet and sleep, meditation, all the things that go into altering the blocked mind.  It's not easy, and takes a lot of motivation, but there it is.

[Paxiled]

Already told you, it's complicated, mentioned two books to read, and I suggest since you don't know this subject well to see a naturopath or other professional expert in natural medicine to help you.

[feelhope]

so please tell me what combination i use with 5 htp and 5 htp still not working for me .I also take vitamin b6 after 20 minutes of taking 5 htp.Please tell me the combination please.

[feelhope]

But 5 htp m using right now doesn't have vitamin b6

[Paxiled]

As for speaking to your doctor, you can forget that -- doctors know nothing about anything other than prescription medications, which is all they study in school, and even that not very much.  You should also check your 5-HTP supplement to see if it already has B6 in it.  Many do.  Most don't really need extra B6 and as mentioned above you don't want to overdo B6.  But here's another thing about 5-HTP -- it only will work if your body believes is is necessary.  If it doesn't, it won't make any extra serotonin.  All 5-HTP does is make the production of serotonin more efficient.  Drugs that affect serotonin such as certain antidepressants don't make more serotonin, but they block the enzyme that breaks down serotonin.  5-HTP works naturally in the body -- it's a metabolite of L-tryptophan, an amino acid, that's one step up the ladder toward serotonin from plain tryptophan.  And like drugs, 5-HTP doesn't work for everyone or even most people -- it only works for those it works for.  Keep in mind that antidepressants only work in clinical trials for only a small percentage of those who take them and even then barely beat placebo.  So you shouldn't expect a natural remedy to work for everyone any more than you should expect most drugs to work for everyone.  The brain is a very difficult organ to figure out and treat.  Also, 5-HTP, again like antidepressants, doesn't work right away -- it usually takes some weeks for most people, as do antidepressants.  So be patient.  You also have to take the right dose for you and you have to keep it in your body and you have to take it at the right time.  As for causing serotonin syndrome, that's only theoretical, it's a very rare condition, but you don't want to risk it, so definitely don't take it if you're on a medication targeting serotonin.  As for liver disease, I know of no connection to that.  It would actually be odd for that to be true given that tryptophan is in food and must be in the body for us to survive.  So that's probably theoretical.  I would never give anything to children that affects brain neurotransmitters, including medications, unless absolutely necessary, as the brain is still developing.  The last thing I'd say is that in natural medicine it's rare to use just one remedy; they usually use combinations.  There is a good book, though it's old, on 5-HTP I believe by the naturopath Michael Moore, and a good overview of natural remedies for mental conditions generally by Hyla Cass, a psychiatrist at UCLA.  You don't, by the way, mention what you're using the 5-HTP for, so we don't know if you're using it properly.  Natural remedies usually have to be taken more than once a day to keep them in the body, but the dosage varies by the person.  50mg is the usual starting dose, but different companies make different dosages and recommend taking them different amounts of time during the day.  You also have to buy a good quality product; there's a lot of bad stuff out there especially being sold at prices that seem too good to be true by discounters and by on-line only sellers or direct marketers who have no supervision at all with their products, unlike companies that put their products on store shelves where store managers and random testers can get their hands on them.  

[gymdandee]

You should talk to your doctor for a dosage for your circumstances as well as  safe usage.
The University of Maryland Medical Center reports health care professionals typically recommend taking 50 mg one to three times daily. The UPMC reports a typical dose might consist of 100 mg to 300 mg three times a day and that once the supplement begins working, you can usually reduce the dosage and still maintain therapeutic benefit. Because a standard dosage can vary widely, the best way to determine the optimal dose for you entails working with your doctor.
Don't use 5-HTP at the same time as antidepressant medications the combination could raise serotonin to dangerous levels, which can result in serious effects such as extreme mood changes, rapid fluctuations in heart rhythm and blood pressure and even coma. Dangerously elevated serotonin levels can also result from using 5-HTP at the same time as the pain medication tramadol and triptans, a class of drugs used to treat migraines. Drugs.com reports that in total, this supplement might negatively interact with 73 different types of drugs.
Do not use 5-HTP if pregnant, nursing or if you have any condition that affects your liver. The UPMC notes this supplement has been studied in children without any negative effects but formal studies evaluating its safety in this population have not been conducted. Do not give 5-HTP to children without talking to your pediatrician.
Vitamin B6
The National Institutes of Health reports that the RDA for vitamin B-6 is 1.3 milligrams to 1.7 milligrams for men and women. Pregnant and lactating women are required to get 1.9 to 2 milligrams of vitamin B-6, according to the NIH.
The Linus Pauling Institute reports that side effects have been reported from dietary supplements. High intakes of vitamin B-6 supplements are associated with nerve damage and can be reversible once supplementation is ceased, according to the National Institutes of Health. The tolerable upper intake level of vitamin B6 for adults is 100 milligrams per day, according to the LPI.
Speak to your doctor first!!