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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Relapse on December 31, 2009, at 0:11:33
I know this has been discussed, but I was wondering if any one has had any success with hydroxytryptophan. I'm not sure exactly how it works, but basically it helps to produce serotonin as opposed to blocking the re-uptake by the ssri's. Zoloft has been the first line of defense for me (supplemented with lithium, trazodone and Seroquel). But it will finally ware out. I thought maybe switch to the 5-HTP for a while then go back to the Zoloft as a new strategy.
Thanks-Dave
Posted by janejane on December 31, 2009, at 9:07:19
In reply to hydroxytryptophan - any success?, posted by Relapse on December 31, 2009, at 0:11:33
I think 5-HTP helped take the edge off my depression, but eventually caused some really bad anxiety (this built over time, and I unfortunately kept trying to take more to reduce it, which only made it worse). 5-HTP does seem to work for some people, and might be worth trying, but I think you should definitely start with a small dose (I was able to cut some tablets down to 12.5 mg, but even smaller doses might be better) and watch for anxiety as a side effect.
Posted by janejane on December 31, 2009, at 9:26:34
In reply to Re: hydroxytryptophan - any success? » Relapse, posted by janejane on December 31, 2009, at 9:07:19
I forgot to add, some people think tryptophan is better. You might want to search the archives here to see discussions. I tried it too, and I'm still not sure what I think about it. At times it seemed like it did nothing, and at other times, I thought it helped a lot. (Maybe I was just experiencing normal mood fluctuations when that happened.) I think it also made me anxious and headachey at times.
Posted by Relapse on December 31, 2009, at 10:25:00
In reply to Re: hydroxytryptophan - any success?, posted by janejane on December 31, 2009, at 9:26:34
Thanks JJ,
Unfortunately I think anxiety is at the root of my problem. If this stuff kicks that up, I'm backing up. For me, anxiety is the absolute worst. Nature should have a law against it.
Thanks - Dave
Posted by janejane on December 31, 2009, at 10:40:40
In reply to Re: hydroxytryptophan - any success?, posted by Relapse on December 31, 2009, at 10:25:00
> Thanks JJ,
> Unfortunately I think anxiety is at the root of my problem. If this stuff kicks that up, I'm backing up. For me, anxiety is the absolute worst. Nature should have a law against it.
> Thanks - DaveDave -- Many people take it for anxiety, so it may very well be beneficial to you. I think my reaction was a bit unusual, though not unheard of. I definitely wouldn't rule it out just because of something that might happen as a rare side effect. You could test a small dose and see if your anxiety worsens. If it does, don't take any more. Hopefully, you'll find relief instead and want to keep with it.
Posted by bleauberry on December 31, 2009, at 10:52:35
In reply to hydroxytryptophan - any success?, posted by Relapse on December 31, 2009, at 0:11:33
5htp can work really well, but it has to be targeted to the right people and the right symptoms. It is not a shotgun effect that covers all types of depression. It is more specifically for the types characterized by low serotonin, which includes crying spells, doom and gloom, excessive emotional sensitivity, and such. Julia Ross does a good job of charactezing the different types of depression and matching the right precursors for them.
Tryptophan with B3 and B6 can work better when 5htp doesn't.
Very often it needs companions, such as DLPA for low endorphines, tyrosine for NE/DA, and/or GABA/glycine. It usually is not any single one, but the proper "balance" of the right ones, that gets people feeling better quickly.
5htp on its own by simple blind trial and error can work fantastic for some people, but often poops out within a few months. It actually isn't a poopout, but rather a signal that the serotonin stores are full, too full, at the expense of NE/DA. The strategy to restore effectiveness is to reduce dose or frequency of dose, and add tyrosine.
At sjwinfo.org there is a section devoted to people who focus on just 5htp. That's a good place to read archives of actual 5htp users, what they discovered works and doesn't work, add-ons, etc.
Posted by inanimate peanut on December 31, 2009, at 17:42:17
In reply to Re: hydroxytryptophan - any success?, posted by bleauberry on December 31, 2009, at 10:52:35
Sorry if you already replied to this on the other post I asked, but where can I get some articles, etc by this Julia Ross you talk about? It sounds interesting, and I would appreciate anything by her. Thanks!
Posted by bleauberry on December 31, 2009, at 19:36:03
In reply to Re: hydroxytryptophan - any success? » bleauberry, posted by inanimate peanut on December 31, 2009, at 17:42:17
> Sorry if you already replied to this on the other post I asked, but where can I get some articles, etc by this Julia Ross you talk about? It sounds interesting, and I would appreciate anything by her. Thanks!
I think if you type her name in a google search you'll maybe find some excerpts of her writings. Most of her information is in a book she authored, which is based on what she does in her clinical practice. The book is widely available everywhere. I went to Borders and spent a couple hours reading it there so I didn't have to buy it.
This is the end of the thread.
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