Posted by Larry Hoover on November 7, 2004, at 11:50:19
In reply to L-Tryptophan - dosages dreams receptors??, posted by Jasmineneroli on November 5, 2004, at 0:36:56
> Apologies if this has been raised before, but my Pdoc has taken me off my low dose of Celexa, due to S/E's and replaced it with L-Tryptophan. He feels I will have less or no S/E's. I'm still on my low dose of Klon. He's left the daily dosing up to me, because he says that people have a wide range of dosage responses. I can take 500-1500mg per day to start with and experiment with timing.
> I'm on day 4 on Trypt. and off Celexa.
> Question 1: Exactly which 5ht receptors does Tryptophan affect?Well, all of them, but indirectly. By supplying serotonin precursor, you optimize your body's ability to "do the right thing" with respect to serotonergic function.
> 2: Does it affect other catecholamines at all?
Yes, indirectly. In a crude simplification, serotonin opposes dopamine. The thing is, sometimes that's good and sometimes that's bad. Depression, for example, isn't just serotonergic hypofunction. In some regions of the brain, it's hyperfunction. Blocking reuptake, as SSRIs do, can make certain abnormalities worse, not better.
> 3: I'm taking 1250mg at night right now (zero side effects - yay, although waiting for sexual s/e's of Celexa to subside), is this the best time? Should I spread the dose out during the day?
No reason to move away from night-time dosing. Many people find that it improves sleep, but the effect will carry over into the day.
> 4: On night 2, I took 1500mg at bedtime and just after falling asleep I had a very weird experience. I had a frightening dream and tried to scream in the dream, but couldn't. My throat seemed really closed up. I awoke, to find myself still trying to scream, but feeling terror and a constricted throat. In the past I've had dreams where I couldn't scream, but this was extreme and carried over to waking.I couldn't even call out for help. It took at least 5 minutes to be able to make a sound. This was only about 15 mins after falling asleep. I rarely dream at all. Was it the tryptophan, or coincidence?
I'd be hard pressed to call it just a coincidence. Your sleep structure could have been abnormal before the tryptophan intake, and you're simply conscious of how much it is changing. Alternatively, this may be a combination effect of Celexa withdrawal and tryptophan supplementation.
> Thanks for your help.
> JasLet us know how it goes.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:411976
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20041022/msgs/412896.html