Brand Recommendation

[chelsey]

Hi all,

I've done a search through these threads but have not been able to find much information about what the best brands of 5HTP are.

What has worked well for you, at what dose and at what time?

Thanks

[Quest]

Hi all,

I've done a search through these threads but have not been able to find much information about what the best brands of 5HTP are.

What has worked well for you, at what dose and at what time?

Thanks


Everyone is different. And so doses are an individual thing. A starting dose of a 50mg tablet once in the am would work better for anxiety and depressive prone individuals. Then, if it agrees with you you can up it to 2 tablets..one in the am and one in the afternoon. If sleep is an issue you can take a third at night. Dont do this rapidly..let the body adjust. Some people will eventually end up on 100mg 2 to 3 times per day for depression as an average dose. Some people take it ONLY at night for sleep issues. I suggest ENTERIC coated tablets. They are least likely to cause nausea. Natural Factors has a good caplet, as does Natures way. Where you might run into controversy is that Natures way tablets have B6 added because some individuals believe that it is necessary to help convert the HTP to serotonin more efficiently. Yet others believe that the addition of B6 converts it so efficiently that more is released into the main bloodstream then is crossing the blood brain barrier. It depends on what you think about it and what you research.

[chelsey]

Thank you for your helpful and thoughtful reply, Quest, it is much appreciated.

I couldn't find either of those brands (can always order off the internet in the future) so I took the recommendation of the health store clerk and chose their most popular brand, NOW. Not enteric coated and yes there is a bit of stomach upset but so far not as much as when I was taking SAMe.

So far, so good. Sticking with 50mg at night because it does make me sleepy - I'll switch to day time use once I adjust. Not sure if I'm getting a good night's sleep or not. I do sleep but it's a different quality of sleep with frequent awakenings and yes the dreams are quite poignant. Not really upsetting but they stay with me - I can actually remember them the next day. My anxiety seemed better today (maybe a coincidence but maybe not). I'll keep taking it and see what happens.

The SAMe I'll continue too but maybe at 50 mg every few days. Otherwise the side effects are too bothersome.

All the best,
Chelsey