![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by jms600 on February 24, 2011, at 17:28:52
Would it be wise for more and more people who are suffering from depression and/or anxiety to try taking this over the counter amino acid? It's the precursor to serotonin and - while not suitable for us all - would at least be good for some of us here..? Another example is l-tyrosine as a precursor for noradrenaline?
These substances are cheap, have a great side effect profile and don't have the restrictions that prescribed drugs have.
Surely both 5-HTP and l-tyrosine lead to more serotonin and noradrenaline within our brains. Although that doesn't necessarily mean an effective treatment for some of us, there must be some out there who don't respond well to SSRIs/SNRIs etc yet will respond to these amino acids. After all, tryptophan is prescribed for depression...?
Posted by linkadge on February 27, 2011, at 18:26:39
In reply to A little bit of 5-HTP for us all??, posted by jms600 on February 24, 2011, at 17:28:52
I don't know how sucessful the use of tryptophan has been in psychiatry. The use of tryptophan and 5-htp would make sense if there was some evidence of decreased serotonin synthesis.
The problem is that the studies on serotonin levels in depression are not conclusive. Some studies indicate elevated levels of serotonin in depression. In some studies SSRIs actually lower serotonin in certain brain regions.
Linkadge
Posted by mtdewcmu on March 9, 2011, at 2:05:46
In reply to A little bit of 5-HTP for us all??, posted by jms600 on February 24, 2011, at 17:28:52
It may not be safe to mix 5-htp with an SSRI, because of a risk of serotonin syndrome. But, other than that, it is a relatively harmless thing to try. I've had 5-htp, and it caused some minor drowsiness along with perhaps a marginal benefit. I did not try it for an extended period of time.
Posted by Peter S on March 9, 2011, at 12:36:14
In reply to Re: A little bit of 5-HTP for us all??, posted by mtdewcmu on March 9, 2011, at 2:05:46
Great for sleep- I could sleep 12 hours a night no problem- but no benefits for depression.
> It may not be safe to mix 5-htp with an SSRI, because of a risk of serotonin syndrome. But, other than that, it is a relatively harmless thing to try. I've had 5-htp, and it caused some minor drowsiness along with perhaps a marginal benefit. I did not try it for an extended period of time.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.