5 htp?

[LornE1982]

Hi,

Has anyone had any success using 5 HTP for treatment? I've read several glowing reviews and some not so encouraging. I would imagine there are fewer side effects than prescription anti-depressants but it is less controlled. Also, the bottle I have says "do not drive after taking" which makes me question long term usage (unless you have reliable public transportation). What dosage do you use and how often if you've found it works for you?

 

[remnant]

Hallo there Lorna E. The evidence and research supporting the use of 5-HTP is anecdotal and it should not replae medications prescribed by your doctor. One study has concluded that it improves on the symptoms of Fibromyalgia by boosting serotonin levels in the brain. The optimum dosage is 100mg taken 3 times daily. However, it has some side effects like nausea, heartburn and stomach discomfort.

 

[Dooi]

Because I've had a personal experience with 5-HTP I feel obligated to warn everyone not to leave this out on counters and the like if you have children or dogs. I made that mistake with my Labrador a few years ago and he ate half the bottle. I loved that dog more than I can articulate.

I came home shocked and still to this day feel enormously guilty. The 5-HTP made his heart race so fast that while I was out of the house for 2-3 hours he had a sudden and awful heart attack. He was an extremely healthy 5 year old Lab named Murphy. I had no idea the stuff was so potent. There's not much of a warning label and you can buy it off a store shelf. The stuff is very potent. I still miss that dog to this day

Anyways, didn't meant to be a downer, but just wanted people to be aware.

 

[DK_engineer]

What a terrible ordeal! My dogs are very dear to me too. Thank you for the warning.

 

[LornE1982]

Wow, I'm sorry to hear about your dog! Thanks for the heads up. I definitely plan to discuss with the doctor, but wanted to be as knowledgeable as possible when doing so.

 

[gryfalcon]

5HTP increases serotonin. This can be helpful if you need serotonin. It can help with sleep for some people, and can help with depression. Depression can be a symptom of fibromyalgia, but is not a cause.

I do not need serotonin, and have found that it can cause my heartbeat to increase and it doesn't help my sleep. My daughter, who has fibro and ME, has a problem with getting good sleep. She has very vivid dreams. She finds that the 5HTP increases the vivid dreaming and she feels it interferes with getting deep sleep. Instead, we use Melatonin, Skullcap, Hops, Valerian or Kavinace for sleep. She does not use them every day.

Abnormal sleep architecture is a symptom of fibromyalgia, and it can create a negative feedback look, as poor sleep contributes to other symptoms such as fatigue and brain fog and prevents the body from recovering from exercise. Anything that can be done to improve sleep, can help, at least to some extent. Some people may find 5HTP helps with either depression or sleep, or both, but, unfortunately, it didn't do anything for us.

 

[LornE1982]

Hi, not sure why I didn't see this latest post until today! Thanks for taking the time to respond. So this may be a silly question, but how would you know if your serotonin is low? I've never heard of a test for it.

EDITED: Actually, I just saw online that there is in fact a test for it. Never knew that!

 

[diamond]

I have just seen this post too. Gosh David so sorry about your dog. What a terrible shock....and a hard story to share.

Thanks for the warning.

 

[WarriorPrincess]

I've tried 5-HTP and it does seem to help me somewhat. I'm glad I saw this thread, because it's a good reminder that I need to order some more 5-HTP.

@David I'm so sorry about the loss of your dog. I don't know if you're aware (I wasn't) that labs are notorious for eating anything and everything. I haven't been around dogs much, so it was a shock to me when I was visiting my sister and left my camera on the table when we headed out for a shopping trip. Upon arriving back home, one of the dogs had chewed up my camera, and eaten the batteries. Thankfully, there were no ill effects, but I've never forgotten that, because I felt horrible, and I'm always more cautious now.