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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by laurie_lu on January 11, 2006, at 23:16:20
I was taking 100mg 5-HTP twice a day for about a year. The last few months, it wasn't working anymore. I slowly decreased my dosage until I was completely off of it. Since then, I've been having constant heart palpatations. I get them every day and very frequently. This has been going on for the last 3 months since I stopped taking 5-HTP. I don't have a history of heart problems and I'm a healthy 37 year old.
Posted by JLx on January 12, 2006, at 10:40:12
In reply to Since Stopping 5-HTP, Feeling Heart Palpatations, posted by laurie_lu on January 11, 2006, at 23:16:20
> I was taking 100mg 5-HTP twice a day for about a year. The last few months, it wasn't working anymore. I slowly decreased my dosage until I was completely off of it. Since then, I've been having constant heart palpatations. I get them every day and very frequently. This has been going on for the last 3 months since I stopped taking 5-HTP. I don't have a history of heart problems and I'm a healthy 37 year old.
I'm guessing you haven't had shortness of breath, chest pain or dizziness accompanying these heart palpitations or you would have gone to the doctor.
I'm not sure what the connection might be to 5-HTP, but in general, magnesium and fish oil are both recommended for heart palpitations, which are often caused by stress/anxiety.
I would say try magnesium first as it will probably be faster, specifically magnesium taurate or magnesium orotate. Magnesium is a great de-stressor to the body, relaxing both muscles and blood vessels, for instance.
If you currently eat a very healthy diet with a variety of nuts, seeds, green leafy vegetables, fish and fruits, you may NOT need magnesium. Or since, magnesium is depleted by stress and you may be feeling more stress as a result of the 5-HTP change, perhaps your diet is not supplying enough now and supplementation in the 100-250 mg range might help.
Absent the healthy diet, I'd recommend 250-350 mg of magnesium, or more depending on your size and/or how much magnesium depleting factors might apply. Besides stress, magnesium depleters are diets high in calcium, carbohydrates and sodium - coffee, sugar, alcohol, cola sodas, tobacco – calcium supplements, diabetic and pain relieving drugs, diuretics, Vitamin D supplementation.
Omega-3 fatty acids, as found in fish oil, are good for the heart in general so unless you eat fatty fish like salmon 3 times a week, it may be a good idea to take some fish oil. How much is the question. I take at least 6 capsules a day to provide 1 gram of EPA.
I've found relief from heart palpitations with Vit E, as mixed tochopherols, too.
JL
Posted by laurie_lu on January 12, 2006, at 10:59:46
In reply to Re: Since Stopping 5-HTP, Feeling Heart Palpatations » laurie_lu, posted by JLx on January 12, 2006, at 10:40:12
Thankyou for the suggestions. No chest pain or SOB. Nonsymptomatic. I read on this forum a while back a theory how daily usage of 5-HTP 'might' cause damage to the heart valves. I don't know how true this might be. I do take some magnesium and fish oil daily. I will increase the amount I take and see if the palpatations subside.
Posted by JLx on January 12, 2006, at 11:11:22
In reply to Re: Since Stopping 5-HTP, Feeling Heart Palpatatio, posted by laurie_lu on January 12, 2006, at 10:59:46
> Thankyou for the suggestions. No chest pain or SOB. Nonsymptomatic. I read on this forum a while back a theory how daily usage of 5-HTP 'might' cause damage to the heart valves. I don't know how true this might be. I do take some magnesium and fish oil daily. I will increase the amount I take and see if the palpatations subside.
Did you see this thread above about 5-HTP? http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20051208/msgs/595605.html
If you're concerned about heart valve damage, you might want to check with a physician.
What type of magnesium do you take currently?
I know the magnesium calcium ratio is important, maybe you need more or less calcium along with more or less magnesium. Then there's also potassium and sodium in the mix, along with general nerve conduction needing a good mix of B vitamins.
JL
Posted by laurie_lu on January 13, 2006, at 9:18:35
In reply to Re: Since Stopping 5-HTP, Feeling Heart Palpatatio » laurie_lu, posted by JLx on January 12, 2006, at 11:11:22
I'm taking a combo pill of 500mg Calcium carbonate and 250mg of magnesium oxide. I also take a complex vit B 50mg tablet. Today I feel a bit better. The palpatations are less frequent and weaker. I took your advice and I took an extra magnesium and fish oil yesterday. Maybe my electrolytes are off. If it persists, I'll try some potassium and then seek a physician if it continues.
Posted by JLx on January 13, 2006, at 9:56:23
In reply to Re: Since Stopping 5-HTP, Feeling Heart Palpatatio, posted by laurie_lu on January 13, 2006, at 9:18:35
> I'm taking a combo pill of 500mg Calcium carbonate and 250mg of magnesium oxide. I also take a complex vit B 50mg tablet. Today I feel a bit better. The palpatations are less frequent and weaker. I took your advice and I took an extra magnesium and fish oil yesterday. Maybe my electrolytes are off. If it persists, I'll try some potassium and then seek a physician if it continues.
I used to take a combo like that, and a multi with magnesium oxide. I quit the cal/mag after I had a calcium kidney stone. I found I felt better after I had the kidney stone though I didn't put it together with stopping the cal/mag supplement at the time.
I stumbled across this website on depression, stress and magnesium http://www.coldcure.com/html/dep.html a few years back and started taking magnesium glycinate as he recommended then. A day or two later, I quit my meds (which weren't helping as I was still feeling suicidal) and haven't seen my psychiatrist or taken any meds since. Magnesium does great things for me. Besides taking away 50-60% of my depression, it cleared up my dry skin and my thyroid problems.
I had no idea I might be magnesium deficient because it was in my multi -- 400 mg, which is the RDA. What I didn't know is that magnesium oxide is poorly absorbed, only about 5%. So I wasn't getting 400 mg, it was more like 20 mg! And whatever I was eating in my diet was being overwhelmed by the amount of calcium I was also taking in by diet and the multi (and previously the supplement).
Your mileage may vary, of course.
JL
Posted by laurie_lu on January 18, 2006, at 9:00:46
In reply to Re: Magnesium oxide » laurie_lu, posted by JLx on January 13, 2006, at 9:56:23
Thanks for the link. It was very informative. I am going to my local health food store and look for magnesium glycinate. Looks like my magesium oxide is pretty useless.
Posted by JLx on January 18, 2006, at 10:14:52
In reply to Re: Magnesium oxide, posted by laurie_lu on January 18, 2006, at 9:00:46
> Thanks for the link. It was very informative. I am going to my local health food store and look for magnesium glycinate. Looks like my magesium oxide is pretty useless.
George Eby has a section on that site where he explains why he recommends magnesium taurate over magnesium glycinate these days. I didn't really understand it, but respect the depth of his research and personal experimentation.
Magnesium glycinate was great for me when I first started taking it. I think I was way overloaded with calcium and the sedating properties of the glycine were soothing to my over-excited brain cells. It was some time before I began to feel that magnesium glycinate made me sleepy.
I would encourage you to try different types. Magnesium glycinate may be available in your health food store, probably KAL brand (Eby recommended Carlson's brand) but if it's not, magnesium malate will probably be available and that is a good absorbable kind also. (And not so sedating.)
I haven't seen magnesium taurate too much in the stores, but you can order it from Amazon or Vitamin Shoppe that I know of (Cardiovascular Research brand is what Eby recommends).
And don't forget magnesium orotate, which is often specifically recommended for heart problems.
I hope it works for you. :)
JL
Posted by laurie_lu on January 18, 2006, at 13:48:04
In reply to Re: Magnesium taurate » laurie_lu, posted by JLx on January 18, 2006, at 10:14:52
Right after posting my previous message I went out and bought KAL brand magnesium glycinate. I'm not sure how much I plan on taking. That link spoke of the person taking alot of it. If it makes me sleepy, I'll use most of it before bedtime. Often I have a hard time falling asleep or staying asleep. If it makes me too sleepy, I'll try the other kinds you mentioned.
I think being a woman it is important to take calcium supplements to prevent osteoporosis. That disease runs in my family. I really need to take measures to prevent it. Therefore I guess this is one reason I need to "up" my magnesium intake to counteract what the added calcium is doing to my magnesium levels.
Posted by laurie_lu on January 20, 2006, at 15:03:09
In reply to Re: Magnesium taurate, posted by laurie_lu on January 18, 2006, at 13:48:04
I'm starting day 3 of 800mg of Magnesium Glycinate a day. My heart palpatations are now gone! In fact after the first day of Magnesium Glycinate, the palpatations stopped.
This is the end of the thread.
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