Hi All! Is 5-HTP addictive? - http://www.sjwinfo.org Forums
Topic Title: Hi All! Is 5-HTP addictive?
| |  "Hi All! Is 5-HTP addictive?"
, Wed 12 Mar 16:38
Hello everyone.
I suffer from anxiety with occasional panic attacks.
My wife also feels I suffer from depression.Maybe I do.I don't know.
My doctor wants to put me on Zoloft and Xanax.Just the thought of taking those drugs gives me anxiety.I can't do it.I'm scared to death to take SSRI's.I've read about too many negatives about them while on and getting off them.
Doing some internet research the wife and I came upon 5-HTP.
I've been taking 2 50mg capsules a day for about 4 days.
I feel strange at times.A bit uncomfortable.Don't know if it's the 5-HTP or my mind.
Dreaming more vividly the past few nights too.
Can anybody tell me if 5-HTP is addicting or tough to come off of.
Posts: 0 | | Registered: Wed 12 Mar 2003 16:27 |
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| | "Re(1):Hi All! Is 5-HTP addictive?" , Thu 13 Mar 04:35:
5htp does increase anxiety for the first week or so until your body adjusts to it. It does also increase vivid dreaming.
Here is a great website about 5htp and some dosing guidelines.
http://www.smart-publications.com/books/5htp/toc.html
100mg is a low dose, the book says, "When taking 5-HTP for depression, anxiety, or fibromyalgia, the general practice in scientific studies has been to take 100 mg three times a day. This dosing regimen may leave some people too sleepy during the day, however. The number of these doses should be adjusted to a level that provides adequate relief without causing daytime sedation."
And, it's not addictive!!
MJ DuPont
[this message was edited by DuPont on Thu 13 Mar 04:36]
Posts: 482 | | Registered: Wed 20 Jun 2001 6:19 |
| | |  "Re(2):Hi All! Is 5-HTP addictive?"
, Thu 24 Apr 15:42
I've done a lot of reading on the subject, and there is absolutely no evidence that 5-HTP is addictive. It's a substance naturally made by your body out of tryptophan, which is found in food. The nice thing about taking 5-HTP instead of Tryptophan is that you can bypass the chemical steps of turning tryptophan into 5-HTP (Which some people's bodies are not very good at) and then into serotonin. Plus, 5HTP more easily passes through the blood-brain barrier than tryptophan, so it can be turned more quickly into serotonin.
It may have some side effects the first couple of weeks or so; the most prominant seems to be nausea, but these generally go away after a short time. It will definately make your dreams more vivid, probably permanently, as having a higher supply of serotonin in your body increases REM sleep.
I would definately reccomend trying 5HTP first before tangling with antidepressants. I was on Paxil for 2 1/2 years and just got off of it. It had some bad side effects which I was no longer willing to live with. I'm taking 100mg tablets of 5HTP 3 times a day now, and it works just as well if not better and doesn't have any side effects.
To help with the anxiety, you might try taking the amino acid GABA which has a very calming effect and is often helpful in anxiety.
I'd also suggest reading two books: 1) "The Mood Cure" by Julia Ross, which has all kinds of information on alternative substances like 5HTP and their efficacy in treating both depression and anxiety. 2) "5HTP; The Natural Way to Overcome Depression, Obesity and Insomnia" by Michael Murray, gives you loads of information on 5HTP, along with a discussion of how your brain manufactures neurotransmitters, and lots of scientific studies comparing 5HTP to SSRI's. Both have been invaluable to me and have taught me a great deal.
Good luck with finding what you need.
Posts: 2 | | Registered: Wed 23 Apr 2003 14:48 |
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