Posted by circusboy on November 13, 2006, at 20:48:53
In reply to L-tryptophan, anxiety and all! any experience?, posted by tallclaire1982 on November 12, 2006, at 16:28:57
I recently relegated my bottle of l-tryptophan to my "emergency sleep aid" drawer. Which is good because replaced the melatonin (which would do the job but leave me depressed and irritable the next day), but it's not something I'll be adding to my daily pill pile.
On the up side, at just 500mg on an empty stomach before bed it helped me sleep, complete with a pleasant warmth in my limbs. I did have a bit of a hangover the next day, but nothing like with melatonin.
It also made me a little less inhibited the next day, etc... but this is where it's starting to be not-so-good for me. It felt a lot like an SSRI. Unsurprising, I guess, but anyway... While I was a little freer, my concentration was poor and I felt a little draggy (a lot like how I feel after a few months on an SSRI).
My conclusion: it's a powerfully serotonergic supplement. If you benefit from the serotonin sledgehammer approach -- which might be perfect for OCD symptoms -- go for it. I seem to have very different symptoms than you (low energy, poor concentration), so don't let me scare you off!
Not that monoamines are everything, but I'm continuing my search for a more gentle/indirect serotonergic mood brightener. I've already been helped immensely by SAM-e, tyrosine and fish oil, but there's something missing...
-cb
poster:circusboy
thread:702929
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20061013/msgs/703262.html