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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by baba-loo on March 18, 2005, at 15:24:37
I have been taking 5htp for about a year and the depression/anxiety has been creeping back in. My Dr prescribed tytophan, suggesting it may be more helpful at this point. I started two days ago with one dose of 500mg. Felt great yesterday-best I've felt in a long time. Last night I upped the dose to not quite 1000mg and woke up today, a wreck! anxious, jittery, muscles in my leg cramping, hyper-alert, and very aggitated. I am so wanting to keep trying the tryptophan but am afraid of serotonin syndrome. i am not on any other antidepressants ( have never been able to tolerate the side-effects), but am still taking a low dose of 5htp (100Mg). I'm wondering if anyone else has had these symptoms when first starting tryptophan. I'm hoping I can just go back to the one pill and let my body more gradually adjust, but the way I feel today is worse than the depression. I'm so frustrated at how sensitive I am to taking things that are meant to help. Perhaps I should completely stop the 5htp because the two are interacting and giving me too a big a serotonin boost too quickly. Any thoughts from fellow-experimenters? Thanks, Baba-loo
Posted by Chris O on March 18, 2005, at 17:40:39
In reply to trytophan side effects, posted by baba-loo on March 18, 2005, at 15:24:37
I don't want to alarm you, but leg cramps, if I recall correctly, are one of the symptoms of EMS, the syndrome that people got from contaminated tryptophan in the late 1980s. I have...when I took tryptophan, I experienced the same thing, the muscle cramping, and I immediately stopped. I'm a bit of a scardy cat with supplements though. I guess I would check all of this out with your doc to make sure it's okay.
Good luck,
Chris> I have been taking 5htp for about a year and the depression/anxiety has been creeping back in. My Dr prescribed tytophan, suggesting it may be more helpful at this point. I started two days ago with one dose of 500mg. Felt great yesterday-best I've felt in a long time. Last night I upped the dose to not quite 1000mg and woke up today, a wreck! anxious, jittery, muscles in my leg cramping, hyper-alert, and very aggitated. I am so wanting to keep trying the tryptophan but am afraid of serotonin syndrome. i am not on any other antidepressants ( have never been able to tolerate the side-effects), but am still taking a low dose of 5htp (100Mg). I'm wondering if anyone else has had these symptoms when first starting tryptophan. I'm hoping I can just go back to the one pill and let my body more gradually adjust, but the way I feel today is worse than the depression. I'm so frustrated at how sensitive I am to taking things that are meant to help. Perhaps I should completely stop the 5htp because the two are interacting and giving me too a big a serotonin boost too quickly. Any thoughts from fellow-experimenters? Thanks, Baba-loo
Posted by baba-loo on March 18, 2005, at 19:25:22
In reply to Cramping in leg? Be careful... » baba-loo, posted by Chris O on March 18, 2005, at 17:40:39
>Chris
Thanks for the input. I did call my doc and she didn't seem too alarmed. All the symptoms have abated as the day has gone on. I feel much better. Now just trying to figure out whether it's worth trying another small dose. I'm a bit of a scaredy cat myself!
baba-looI don't want to alarm you, but leg cramps, if I recall correctly, are one of the symptoms of EMS, the syndrome that people got from contaminated tryptophan in the late 1980s. I have...when I took tryptophan, I experienced the same thing, the muscle cramping, and I immediately stopped. I'm a bit of a scardy cat with supplements though. I guess I would check all of this out with your doc to make sure it's okay.
>
> Good luck,
> Chris
>
> > I have been taking 5htp for about a year and the depression/anxiety has been creeping back in. My Dr prescribed tytophan, suggesting it may be more helpful at this point. I started two days ago with one dose of 500mg. Felt great yesterday-best I've felt in a long time. Last night I upped the dose to not quite 1000mg and woke up today, a wreck! anxious, jittery, muscles in my leg cramping, hyper-alert, and very aggitated. I am so wanting to keep trying the tryptophan but am afraid of serotonin syndrome. i am not on any other antidepressants ( have never been able to tolerate the side-effects), but am still taking a low dose of 5htp (100Mg). I'm wondering if anyone else has had these symptoms when first starting tryptophan. I'm hoping I can just go back to the one pill and let my body more gradually adjust, but the way I feel today is worse than the depression. I'm so frustrated at how sensitive I am to taking things that are meant to help. Perhaps I should completely stop the 5htp because the two are interacting and giving me too a big a serotonin boost too quickly. Any thoughts from fellow-experimenters? Thanks, Baba-loo
>
>
Posted by Chris O on March 18, 2005, at 19:32:49
In reply to Re: Cramping in leg? Be careful..., posted by baba-loo on March 18, 2005, at 19:25:22
Baba-loo:
I have a question for you, regarding the 5-HTP. I've been taking Nature's Way brand, 100mg in the morn, 100mg in the eve to reduce my anxiety for about a week now. It seems to work okay, but not great, very mild in its effect on me. Takes away some of my physicalized anxiety symptoms, but not too powerfully. I was just curious: After a year's use of 5-HTP, can you offer me any wisdom about best brands, how much to take, etc. etc.? I'd just be curious to hear your experience of the stuff over a long period of time.
Oh, and I meant "scaredy-cat," not "scardy-cat." I guess I am a "scardy-cat" too, since I have several scars on my body from old injuries and surgeries.
Thanks,
Chris
Posted by baba-loo on March 18, 2005, at 20:32:10
In reply to Question for you, baba-loo.... » baba-loo, posted by Chris O on March 18, 2005, at 19:32:49
Chris
I have tried several brands of 5htp and there is definitely a difference. I can just feel it in my body. Lifetime has a 100 mg variety that I have gotten through stayleaner.com for a very good price. The other brand I've liked is Natrol. Some varieties are paired with B6, which they say aids it's effectiveness. I'm not sure, but it might be worth a try.I definitely was helped by 5htp-it does take a while. For sure give it another week. It took the edge off the buzzed up anxious feelings and it also improved my sleep. I really have nothing bad to say about it. I was just wondering if the tryptophan would be an even bigger boost to feeling "normal".
Do you feel sleepy when you take it during the day? I always took my whole dose at night because I was concerned it would make me feel drowsy during the day. I hope it kicks in for you in a bigger way! blessings, baba-loo
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