5hydrotryptophan, dangerous or not !!!

[von123678]

hi,

I am taking 5htp for depression after 16 years on antidepressants.
I have finally found something that I'm reasonably happy with and I'm now getting hastle from my family because of the different right up this herb has been getting.
I have researched online and have seen the pros and cons and it mostly says there is no medical evidence of any serious harm from these pills.

One site however says they can cause heart defects which my sister is focusing on.

Please advise.

thanks.

Yvonne xxx

[von123678]

Thanks for your comments will try get sis to calm down, just was a few doc reviews said 5htp puts serotonin in blood, struggles to cross the blood brain barrier causing heart defects.

Do my best, thanks for the advice.

Yvonne xxxx

[margypops]

I took 5HTP for quite a while I would take it again If I needed to, I took it for several months and found I was having night mares , so I thought I would stop for w while as they do say haveing a break is good, I also tried Sam-E thats another good one ...there is something called the Serenity foruma that is good its herbs with Rhodiola and Ashwagandoa , also eutherelo(I may have the spelling wrong, the writing on the pot is so small)   out of them all I would say that the last one worked immediatly to relax me ,I had been moving house having a hard time .  As I say I dont take anything all the time except a multi Vit but sometimes we need a little  help ..good luck

[Paxiled]

Has your sister ever looked at the side effects of antidepressants?  That ought to give her a real scare.  As M4 says, 5-HTP is found naturally in the body; antidepressants aren't.  Which do you think is more harmful?  Also, if the body doesn't need the extra 5-HTP, it has a system of flushing it out; that's the very system ssris and snris disable in order to intensify serotonin's effects.  There are books on 5-HTP which will discuss what research is available on it.  As for it stopping to work after a short time, that's completely dependent on the person using it.  Antidepressants can do that, too.  And the body will only use so much 5-HTP to manufacture serotonin, in combination with B6 and other cofactors; it won't use more than it can use, in other words, which is why it probably is fine to take HTP along with St. John's Wort, but not along with serotonin medications because the medications interfere with the breakdown of serotonin, which St. John's wort doesn't.  Good luck, but remember, everything has potential side effects.  Always watch for them.  Get your physicals.  Stay fit.  Get therapy, because nothing works forever except solving the underlying problem, if it's possible to do so.  And watch your dosages.  

[M4Y0U]

5-HTP is used in the synthesize of serotonin from the natural amino acid tryptophan. Supplementing with 5-HTP at night should not be something to be worried about and it is safe unless you mix it with other serotonergic medications like another antidepressant or even St John's Wort to avoid any pharmacodynamic interactions.

M4

[AliBhai]

I have been taking it .... and it is much better than any antidepressants that i have ever taken.....BUT....it doesnt work for longer periods....after couple of months it will stop working and you may end up increasing the dose which can be dangerous as any dose above 100 mg is not recommended......for me its over two months now and i am feeling sad again.....so i would recommend you to take it for a month just for a change but dont count on it.....Soon i am going to see my best friend 'AntiDepressant' :)

[peggy64]

I have been taking it for quite some time now. natrol and have no problems.