5-HTP

Dolf

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Hi guys, I'm new to the forum and to Ray Peat's ideas, and I'm wondering, why do I feel better after taking a supplement of 5-HTP. Is it placebo, or it does have some physiological reason? Thanks.
 

Frankdee20

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That's powerful stuff so be careful, it messed me up so much.
 

Frankdee20

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First of all, it wasn't placebo. Used it for insomnia years ago. Initially helped, but after a week, started to feel weird. Intense GI overactivity, increased heart rate, intense anxiety, developed strange muscle pains, extreme fatigue, extreme depression, extreme restlessness. It's not like regular tryptophan. Good luck.
 
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Dolf

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First of all, it wasn't placebo. Used it for insomnia years ago. Initially helped, but after a week, started to feel weird. Intense GI overactivity, increased heart rate, intense anxiety, developed strange muscle pains, extreme fatigue, extreme depression, extreme restlessness. It's not like regular tryptophan. Good luck.
I have too been feeling more depressed when I don't take it, weird...
I think it may have something with the excess serotonin from taking it
 

Frankdee20

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I have too been feeling more depressed when I don't take it, weird...
I think it may have something with the excess serotonin from taking it

All I can say is I'll never mess with it again as it took a long time for me to come back to homeostasis. I ended up with hypersensitivity of the nervous system as a result. It's similar to what Charles Groenindijyk wrote about on his surviving antidepressants site, under the surviving a negative reaction to SSRI. Although the 5htp wasn't a reuptake inhibitor drug, I still think loading up on serotonin precursor messed me up big time. That stuff works fast too, plus unlike tryptophan, there's no rate limiting steps with the hydroxy.
 

alywest

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Once I took a large amount of 5HTP in powder form and I woke up extremely sick the next day. Now I know I probably had serotonin syndrome. MY brain felt like it was swollen and I seriously wondered if I would recuperate. The weird thing is everyone on amazon and similar sites talk about it like it's the best thing ever. Of course, with serotonin being considered the "happy hormone" it would go hand in hand, but I have decided if a supplement tastes toxic, it probably is. This pure 5hTP powder tasted so disgusting, I can still remember it and it makes me feel icky. When I take pregnenolone or even aspirin it doesn't have that strong bitter poisonous taste at all. Strong vitamin B supplements taste bad but not once they're diluted with juice. If you could even taste the 5htp slightly in your juice it would make you gag. I believe that's nature's way of telling you "this is toxic. Don't consume!"
 

Frankdee20

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Once I took a large amount of 5HTP in powder form and I woke up extremely sick the next day. Now I know I probably had serotonin syndrome. MY brain felt like it was swollen and I seriously wondered if I would recuperate. The weird thing is everyone on amazon and similar sites talk about it like it's the best thing ever. Of course, with serotonin being considered the "happy hormone" it would go hand in hand, but I have decided if a supplement tastes toxic, it probably is. This pure 5hTP powder tasted so disgusting, I can still remember it and it makes me feel icky. When I take pregnenolone or even aspirin it doesn't have that strong bitter poisonous taste at all. Strong vitamin B supplements taste bad but not once they're diluted with juice. If you could even taste the 5htp slightly in your juice it would make you gag. I believe that's nature's way of telling you "this is toxic. Don't consume!"

Listen, PM me and I'll share my experience. I can make a great case against 5htp supplementation. Stay the **** away dude
 
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Dolf

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Once I took a large amount of 5HTP in powder form and I woke up extremely sick the next day. Now I know I probably had serotonin syndrome. MY brain felt like it was swollen and I seriously wondered if I would recuperate. The weird thing is everyone on amazon and similar sites talk about it like it's the best thing ever. Of course, with serotonin being considered the "happy hormone" it would go hand in hand, but I have decided if a supplement tastes toxic, it probably is. This pure 5hTP powder tasted so disgusting, I can still remember it and it makes me feel icky. When I take pregnenolone or even aspirin it doesn't have that strong bitter poisonous taste at all. Strong vitamin B supplements taste bad but not once they're diluted with juice. If you could even taste the 5htp slightly in your juice it would make you gag. I believe that's nature's way of telling you "this is toxic. Don't consume!"
Last week I took two capsules and ended sleeping 14 hours, haven't taken it since then, it was not a pleasent experience
 

sladerunner69

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My buddy started 5htp and felt great for a month ro so and now he says he feels horrendous and Im trying to get him to stop.
 

Frankdee20

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Yeah, with me it was ok for a week then horrible for a long time, just stop
 

JoeKool

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@Frankdee20

Hey FrankDee, I'm not taking 5htp but I am trying something that will eventually help balance out serotonin. Would you be willing to share your experience on this thread rather than PM so myself and future readers will know of the concern you're referencing? It could be helpful for others who view this in the future
 

alywest

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L Tryptophan might be milder

Doesn't Tryptophan also make you produce more serotonin? I was under the impression that tryptophan was not an amino acid you want to try to get more of, if anything you get plenty from muscle meats and you want to balance it out with as much of the amino acids prevalent in gelatin such as glycine as possible.
 

alywest

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Listen, PM me and I'll share my experience. I can make a great case against 5htp supplementation. Stay the **** away dude

Lol...yes I agree! I would love to hear more about your experiences if you are willing to share on the message board too, I'm sure others would be highly interested.
 

alywest

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Last week I took two capsules and ended sleeping 14 hours, haven't taken it since then, it was not a pleasent experience

Yeah, that almost sounds like the effect of a benzo or something. I threw out the rest of the bag of 5htp powder once I came across Ray Peat. I realized there is no purpose for it and in fact it should be a controlled substance! Haha
 

DuggaDugga

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https://www.researchgate.net/public...in_depression_and_the_antidepressant_response

Having a hard time copy/pasting from that site, but advance to section 4.5 and it discusses how SSRIs perturb serotonin homeostasis and may induce a compensatory action by the brain trying to achieve homeostasis. One of my favorite papers ever; definitely worth reading in full.

Virtually everything about endogenous serotonin production in the body is linked to some sort of stress from what I've read.
 
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Dolf

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https://www.researchgate.net/public...in_depression_and_the_antidepressant_response

Having a hard time copy/pasting from that site, but advance to section 4.5 and it discusses how SSRIs perturb serotonin homeostasis and may induce a compensatory action by the brain trying to achieve homeostasis. One of my favorite papers ever; definitely worth reading in full.

Virtually everything about endogenous serotonin production in the body is linked to some sort of stress from what I've read.
Nice! Thanks
 

alywest

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https://www.researchgate.net/public...in_depression_and_the_antidepressant_response

Having a hard time copy/pasting from that site, but advance to section 4.5 and it discusses how SSRIs perturb serotonin homeostasis and may induce a compensatory action by the brain trying to achieve homeostasis. One of my favorite papers ever; definitely worth reading in full.

Virtually everything about endogenous serotonin production in the body is linked to some sort of stress from what I've read.

Thanks for the light summer reading! Haha, seriously though, I'm going to try to read this while I chase around two toddlers!
 

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