Posted by FrequentFryer on December 1, 2005, at 17:59:24
In reply to Re: Tryptophan Supliments worth it?, posted by Mistermindmasta on December 1, 2005, at 11:13:28
Thanks! Couldn't have said it better.
Im on 60mg's of Parnate (MAOI) a day though & even though it's supposed to interact with 5htp I reckon I would be fine. (rarly get any hypotension problem's). Although tryptophan may be a bit easier on my heart in the long run?
Dose that sound acurate?
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> Basically you REALLY aren't get as much tryp in food as you can from supplements... unless you eat a very high protein diet, in which case you have tyrosine, leucine, isoleucine and valine (i think i got those right haha) all competing for uptake into the brain. Only minimal tryp can make its way to brain to get tranformed into serotonin. On the other hand, taking 1,000 mg tryp with a small carb meal does a whole lot more. The insulin from the carbs boost the amino acid into the brain and there's zero competition from other aminos. So yeah, supplementing will, in almost all scenerios, generate a good deal more serotonin than eating food and taking supplements like you say.
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> B vitamins tend to help make the enzymes that are responsible for converting tryp to 5-HTP and 5-htp to serotonin. THe only problem is, these enzymes require many cofactors, a deficiency of any of which will lead to less than optimal serotonin production. Supplementing B6 does not lead to more serotonin unless iron is present, as part of the enzyme that converts 5-htp to serotonin. So yes, B vitamins help, but they are not going to guarantee any increase in serotonin levels by default.
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> Another issue is that the dietary tryp (or supplementary tryp!) you eat can be degraded in the liver by some enzyme that i can't remember, and this happens especially in people who are sick, who have high endogenous cytokine levels. The sickness causes tryp to be degraded and thus unavailable to the brain. This might be a problem for some of us and therefore supplementing 5-htp is even better than tryp, since it bypasses the possibility of being degraded.
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> The ONLY real problem with 5-htp is that it tends to convert into peripheral serotonin, not just brain serotonin. This is not terrible, but it can be uncomfortable. Often increased serotonin in the gut leads to nausea, diarrhea, etc, but the gut will eventually re-regulate its receptors so this isn't as much of a problem.
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> All this being said, 5-HTP is one of my favorite supplements, ESPECIALLY in combo with 500 mg tyrosine per day. I use 300 - 400 mg 5-htp with no ill effects besides mild spaciness, which i combat with using tyrosine. The combo noticably cuts anxiety and any of my caffeine induced depression and definitely helps my memory. Since I'm in school now, it makes life a bit easier for me in that respect as well... i feel smarter and more motivated. Another thing for me to note is that 5-htp and tyrosine work twice as well when I'm eating healthy and don't consume alcohol. I think it might have to do with the idea that a healthier intestinal tract has a better ability to absorb aminos and a healthier body has a better ability to make dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, etc out of my aminos.
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> Anyway, that's what i have to say.
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poster:FrequentFryer
thread:583926
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20051025/msgs/584292.html