5-HydroxyTryptophan

Question: Have you ever tried 5-HTP (5-Hydroxytryptophan) before as a NATURAL supplement to help with SLEEP? * Did it help with sleep? * Getting to sleep? * Staying asleep? * Did the 5-HTP have any effect on you good, bad, or did nothing at all for you?

Answer: My problem is not being able to fall asleep, and I have tried a few things that have helped. 5HTP was one of them. (SJW and prescribed antidepressants also worked.) Yes, I currently take 150mg 5HTP and it helps me with the insomnia a lot. I don't often lie awake unable to drop off, and generally fall asleep easily. Staying asleep is not often a problem for me. It made me drowsy and spaced out in the first couple of weeks, but that went away. More than 150mg gives me palpitations. Overall I recommend it.

Question: Where can I buy 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) in Singapore? I am aware that it is available in GNC but I really find the price a little steep. Can anyone recommend another place in Singapore where I can get this supplement??? Having an address of the place would be a great help.

Answer: If it's not a good enough price at the GNC, you should be able to find some at a local healthfood store. If you aren't able to find one elsewhere, the only option left would be mail order and I'm not aware of any mail order supplement companies in Singapore that have good quality... but the shipping price alone would make the 5-HTP more expensive when being shipped from another country than it would be from your GNC. The higher quality mail order companies have 50 mg dose bottles of 120 caps of 5-HTP ranging from US$14-20, plus the shipping would probably be another US$10-15. I'm not sure how much it costs at your local GNC, but if it's cheaper than US$25-35, I would get it there as it would be your cheapest option. Good luck and I hope I helped!

Question: Do you know where I can get the natural supplement called 5-hydroxytryptophan ( 5-HTP) and tryptophan? I am looking for these 2 natural health food supplements, namely 5-HTP and tryptophan. Anybody can help me find?

Answer: L-Tryptophan is better than 5HTP http://www.papanature.com/store/ProductsList.aspx?c=Herbs&cid=l_tryptophan&gclid=CPHUxZLbx4UCFQ8fSgodigIitg

Question: I had a questions about CELEXA (Citalpram) and 5-Hydroxytryptophan or 5-HTP.? Is it OK to take these concurrently together with no side effects. ** Please do not say "Check with your Dr" most Dr.'s do not know their arse from last Tuesday when it comes to supplements.

Answer: They both elevate the levels of serotonin in your brain. If you get too much serotonin you get something deadly called 'Serotonin Syndrome'. It is rare to get the syndrome but it does happen. I don't think Celexa and 5-HTP would hurt you if you don't go overboard on the 5-HTP. BTW..You may wanna check into Valerian which is similar to an 'herbal valium'.

Question: Does 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) interefere with birth controll pills? lately ive been having sleeplessness and anxiety. i know that its situational. my mother takes 5-HTP and said that it really helps. However, i am on birth control pills and i want to know if this would interfere with them, before i start taking them. thanks a bunch. i thought that i would like to add that origionally i wanted to try st. johns wart, but it says right on the bottle that it interferes. the 5-HTP bottle dosent mention much.

Answer: pretty sure it does not. birth control pills dont affect serotonin, 5htp does,. but RUN this by a pharmacist or doc FIRST please!

Question: 5HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) has anyone tried taking this before? I've taken this on and off to help me sleep, for stress and for things like that. It's an amino acid that your body uses to make seratonin. How much would be a good dose per day? Is it bad for you? Is there anything better? I'm not interested in taking any serious drugs for this.

Answer: 35 mg is what you should take per day. http://www.biosynergy.com/5htp.htm

Question: can you replace lexapro with 5-HTP (L-5-Hydroxytryptophan)? My husband and I are wanting to get off of Lexapro since we've just found out your not suppose to take NSAIDS with it, and I take motrin for pain a lot. We have read a lot of good stuff about 5-HTP but still dont know that much about it. The main question is " will 5-HTP give us the same or at least close to the same results of Lexapro? We only take 10mg of lexapro , sometimes my husband will take 20mg. We really want to take something that is all natural, we also just purchased fish oil to take, is that something that is safe to take with the 5-HTP, and is it also safe to take with lexapro, just until we can get some answers. Thanks in advance for all your replies :)

Answer: Greetings, I have been taking 5-HTP for several months now and it has truly been a veritable miracle cure for me personally. It has greatly alleviated my depression and anxiety problems and caused my obsessional thought patterns to disappear completely. 5-HTP is a natural amino acid derived from the African plant Griffonia. Your body uses it to manufacture serotonin and is thus very effective for people whose depression is caused by a serotonin imbalance (the most common form of depression.) The best part is your body starts converting it within 15 minutes of your taking it, so you can actually experience immediate relief! Studies have proven it to be more effective then Prozac and many other prominent pharmaceuticals, and it has a success rate of 80 percent, typically with no side effects. Patients report increasing levels of well-being the longer they are on it. With a proper serotonin-positive diet, exercise, nutritional supplements, and amino acids, there is the possibility that you can go off the 5-HTP and still maintain its positive effects longterm. It cannot however be taken for bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or psychosis, and can worsen your problems if you have any of these disorders. It also cannot be taken with MAO inhibitors. Studies have shown it to be effective in boosting serotonin production when taken in conjunction with Prozac, but patients are generally told to be cautious when mixing this supplement with pharmaceuticals. Fish oil can boost dopamine production by up to 40% and is a wonderful supplement to take along with 5-HTP. The only side effect I encountered early on was a bad skin rash and dark undereye circles, both treated successfully with Benadryl allergy. I stopped taking it for a few weeks and started it again with no problems. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the book The Mood Cure by Julia Ross. It is a such a wellspring of valuable information that I couldn't type it all here if I tried-which I did! Ha Ha! :) Good luck to you two!

Question: Does anyone take 5-Hydroxytryptophan? I have recently purchased this natural product to hopefully aid my anxiety and kind of perk me up (I tried Prozac last year and it made me feel terrible, mind u only on it for 2-3 weeks) anyway I thought I would give this a go, got it from my local health food/supplement store and I just wondered if it was any good, what the side effects are (if any) and how long did it take to give the wanted effects?

Answer: I have tried 5HTP for my anxiety/depression, i find it makes me more anxious when taken at 100mg per day, as it can cause anxiety in even nomal healthy people at this dose. I reccommend 30mg 5-HTP per day, as recommended by Dr. Ray Sahelian MD in his book 'Mind Boosters' under the depression section. Although, i cannot comment on its efficacy, because i did not stay on it for long, only a few days, i prefer other herbs for anxiety which are adaptogenic herbs like St. Johns Wort or Kava Kava. Be cautious of taking 5-HTP together with pharmaceutical antidepressants as they can cause serotonin syndrome, although some claim this does not occur, it is a possibility you need to take into account and talk to a medical nutritionists/orthomolecular doctor and/or your traditional doctor. Hope this helps

Question: 5-Hydroxytryptophan? where can i buy some?

Answer: http://www.getnutri.com/product33111/5-htp-l-5-hydroxytryptophan.html http://www.vitadigest.com/sn-5-htp-120.html enjoy

Question: 5htp (5-Hydroxytryptophan)? where can you get 5htp? is it an over the counter or perscription? and can you find it at drug stores or just health stores? thankyouu

Answer: You can get it from drug stores, health stores and major supermarkets.

Question: 5 hydroxytryptophan or St John's Wort???? choose one? Hey All! I am trying to decide with medicine would work best for depression,mood swinger, anxiety, stress, and anger problem. Do you know anything about these two, if so pls give me some info on side effects, which one is more effective or what not. What do you think? Thank You! Best answer I'll give 10 BIG-O-POINTS!!!!! :)

Answer: The best thing EVER is Phenibut, it has been shown to work better then any anti depressent and it is easily found on the internet! i just started taking it and its a life saver!

Question: How long should I wait between stopping my anti-depressant and taking the herb L-5-hydroxy Tryptophan? I am currently using Celexa and would like to discontinue this prescribed anti-depressant medication for an over-the-counter herb... L-5-hydroxytryptophan.

Answer: I took Celexa once. Celexa is an SSRI and this family of meds has only one contraindiction, MAOIs. Tryptophan is not an MAOI so you're OK. In future, if you are unsure about a med interaction, just ask the pharmacist. Not only are they trained in answering this, they get these questions all the time. They will immediately know the answer! -- Liam

Question: 5-HTP enhances mood and reduces appetite, but does it increase metabolism too? The reason I would be taking it would be for the increased mood. Actually, the first time I read about it, I read that it was good for people with anxiety disorders, which would be me. But, at the drug store, I also read that it reduces appetite. I won't mind this so much, but if it doesn't increase metabolism as well, I don't want to take it. Reason being, if your appetite is inhibited and you don't eat as much, your metabolism is gonna slow down and actually start eating away at muscle tissue for energy. Since I'm an amateur bodybuilder, I kinda want to keep my muscle and that's putting it very mildly. If it does increase metabolism, then I won't have to worry about all this. Please let me know what you know about 5-Hydroxytryptophan.

Answer: Metabolism is essentially the speed at which our body's motor is running. The speed at which our body burns calories is called the metabolic rate. It's how fast your "motor" is running when you're still in a reclined position or sleeping. About 60-75% of energy is expended by the body at rest in such activities. The metabolism is based on the number of calories we burn throughout the day. Our body constantly burns calories to keep us going whether we are eating, sleeping, cleaning etc. People with a lower percentage of body fat (i.e. muscular) have a higher metabolism than others that are less muscular because muscle uses more calories to maintain itself than fat. Some people have a slower metabolic rate and have a harder time staying slim. Younger persons have higher (faster) metabolism because of the increased activity of cells. A slow metabolism actually causes to store fat. The slower the metabolic rate, the greater the weight gains. How to build muscles to improve metabolism? What type of exercise is ideal that speed up metabolism so that you burn calories even at rest or sleep? There are simple exercises that speed up the metabolism. Causes for Low Metabolism * Fasting * A low calorie diet * Snacking throughout the day on high sugared foods (candy, colas, cakes, gum). * Eating or drinking too much sugar containing foods. * Lack of physical activity. * Underactive thyroid. Metabolism Boosters There are some natural metabolism boosters (natural foods) that improves your metabolism. Do not take over the counter pills containing animal thyroid extract that claim to boost up metabolism. These products may have side effects as diarrhea, increased heart rate, excessive sweating, nervousness, tremors, bulging eyes, etc. How to Improve (Speed up) Metabolism * Do not skip any meals * Exercise daily * Build your muscles * Avoid alcohol, sugar, and fastings *Drink 8-10 glasses of water daily. *Eat foods with high nutrition values

Question: Has anybody taken Natrol 5 htp to help them sleep? I read this in a men's health magazine. here is what it says: Sleepless nights the remedy griffonia simplifica seed extract (aka 5 htp) why it works: 5 hydroxytryptophan (5 HTP) is the chemical that tryptophan must convert to in order to boost serotonin the sleepy time hormone. Unlike tryptophan, however, 5 htp has no troble crossing the blood brain barrier so you'll be sawing wood stat. For nearly half a century 5 htp has been used clinically to treat insomia.

Answer: Plato - Self medication with these compounds is not advisable. There are complications with amino acid type medicines that may prohibit there use if you have certain medical conditions. 5HTP has been around a long time and it has not proven to work either for depression, anxiety or insomnia.

Question: Does the 5-HTP tablets really work for depression? http://www.revolutionhealth.com/drugs-treatments/rating/5-htp-5-hydroxytryptophan-for-seasonal-affective-disorder Have you tried these tablets at all. A friend suggested them to me to treat my S.A.D. and they can be bought over the counter in the UK. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5-Hydroxytryptophan

Answer: Different things work for different people. You just have to find the right one for you. Good luck. :)

Question: Do the natural medications for depression and anxiety cause the same sexual side affects? Containg L-5-hydroxytryptophan (L-5-HTP from Griffonia simplicfolia seeds).. Thanks ahead for any help.

Answer: No, there are no side effects listed for sexual side effects on any supplements for anxiety. Typically, the SSRI antidepressants are the major killers of the sex drive because it inhibits Serotonin among other brain chemicals... including Dopamine. Based on a lot of research (much of it around the antidepressants), Dopamine does have a direct impact on the libido, so a decrease in Dopamine means a decrease in sex drive. That's one of the main reasons that the natural anxiety products don't affect libido... they don't suppress anything (much less Dopamine). Supplements give your body nutrition it's otherwise lacking, so it'll only boost chemicals that help you feel better. Also, regardless of what skeptics may say, any ingestible product MUST be tested for safety to be sold on the U.S. market. Supplements aren't FDA approved, but they also aren't FDA declined unless they aren't safe (in which case they aren't allowed on the market) and tests for safety and efficacy are required before they are allowed to be in stores. FWIW, we have thousands of customers that take 5-HTP, and over the past several years (I believe a couple decades or more) that we've been carrying it, there have been no adverse reports about anything related to impaired sexual effects. You're good. ;-)