Trying the 5HTP method for a spin...

[busybeaver]

Hi all!

New to this type of treatment. My family and I have been doing a holistic healing approach for about 2 years now. It's worked wonders as far as allergies and basic curing of whatever ails us.

Recently though a visit to our 'practitioners' has given me a diagnosis of depression for which I am taking the proposed detox according to my TBA. Along with my detox my 'doc' said I should take a dosage of SJW to help in fighting the depression. I am kind of going another route and using 5-HTP instead after reading about the benefits on here and other sites.

I know SJW isn't totally bad for you in helping with depression, but the 5-HTP seemed to me the route to take in a faster and more direct approach to curing my issues. I have only done one dosage so far and have already noticed how clear my head and thougths have been. I know that this might just be a placebo effect for now and that this might carry on for a week or two, but I am thinking of at least sticking with it for a month or more to see if this changes my whole outlook in general.

I have not yet seen a professional doc yet to get specifically diagnosed and my holistic medic has told me to go see my doc for an actual diagnosis to maybe pinpoint my troubles and perhaps get additional help through a psych Dr. Guess I will wait and see what happens after my appointment next week.

I guess a few questions I have are:

Can this be used long term?
I already eat pretty healthy and am cycling out red meats ('cept chicken?) - are there any foods or diets that can aid this treatment or hinder it?
I generally have calmed in my drinking habits - maybe 2 drinks pre week if I have time. Are there adverse effects to the HTP with alcohol?
Are there any type of thoughts on getting help for the thought processes of being mentally healthy and happy to keep from falling back into a rut? I know that noone is happy 100% of the time, so no I am not against the fact that our emotions can effect our moods - I am just trying to get back to what I guess is considered normal??It's hard to pinpoint this down, but I am basically just trying to see if this will help me. If anyone has thoughts, I'd be happy to hear/read about them.

Thanks!

[artur]

I'll answer all your questions and then comment.
1. Yes this can be used long term. After about a week of use i would suggest going on a really low dose because your seratonin levels will build up. You will feel mellow all day. You might consider this good if you are really laid back person. You will be able to fall asleep at any given time as well because seratonin is responsible for sleep aswell. I took it for about a week at only 100mg each night before bed. After a week i would wake up drowsy and was kinda tired all day. I couldnt afford that because i have school to concentrate on.
2. There are no foods that will contradict with this amino acid.
3. Alcohol usually poisons your serotonin no matter what. poisoned seratonin in your central nervous system=bad mood. But you have to drink alot to have this happen. Thats part of the reason alcoholics are depressed.
4. For the last question I would suggest Tyrosine and Rhodiola. SJW will give you the same cloudy and over melow effect that 5htp will. Infact the combination of two will really make you cloudy and sleepy after a while. Tyrosine is responsible for other neurotransmitters that will keep you happy, energetic and full of drive for life. Rhodiola is a herb that will not make your mind cloudy like SJW will. It does the opposite: it will increase your seratonin levels, reduce fatigue and dramaitcally reduce stress.


As for the 5htp, i would suggest taking it at a dose of 50mg before bed. This can be done long term or even forever. I take tryrosine and rhodiola on an empty stomache wil my tyrosine. I would suggest taking 3 or more grams of tyrosine first thing in the morning; the difference in energy, happiness and well being with rhodiola and tyrosine will be noticed in as little as two days, probably even the first time you take it. And NO this will not be a placebo effect. And when you took your 5htp, it was also not a placebo effect. 5htp will change your mood within 5-15 minutes.

anymore questions, ask.......