does anyone take 5-HTP (serious only please)?

DeanRyanDavis and Dr J have put it the right way i believe.The only thing that kept me from taking it was that i heard that it inhibits the libido and therefore you would have less sexual appetite. what do you guys think ?

---

No libido issues here, and I supplement with it almost daily.

---

Hi jh. Clearly, 5-HTP (Five Hydroxy Tryptophan) has been a major help to deanryan.He doesn’t quite have the biochemistry straight, so I would like to clarify what is thought to be the chemistry of 5-HTP.5-HTP is the precursor that the body converts into Serotonin (Five Hydroxy Tryptamine). Serotonin is the active neurotransmitter. Ideally, your body will make adequate amounts of Serotonin from the amino acid Tryptophan, but often this process can be inadequate.Also to clarify some of deanryan’s comments, sam-E (s-adenosyl methionine) is not a neurotransmitter. However, it is a very important molecule needed for the synthesis and metabolism of some neurotransmitters, especial epinephrine.Tyrosine is not a major neurotransmitter (that I am aware of), but it is the amino acid that is the precursor for the synthesis of Dopamine, Norepinephrine, and Epinephrine. It is also required for the synthesis of melanin (pigment) in your skin.Additionally, Serotonin (made from the 5-HTP) is converted into Melatonin, the important sleep hormone and antioxidant made in the body when in the dark.Lastly, the highest levels of Serotonin in the body are not in the brain, but rather in the the gastrointestinal tract (gut). Consequently, for some people (me, for example), supplements of 5-HTP can cause an increase in gut levels of Serotonin which may lead to diarrhea.Hope this was not too complicated to be helpful. Best wishes and good luck.

---

I take sam-E, 5-HTP and L-Tyrosine. According to an article I read in Psychology Today Magazine a few years ago, these are natural neurotransmitter chemical replacements. I take them to subdue symptoms of anxiety-depression disorder. I have not had a panic attack since I started taking these 5 years ago. Source(s):Psychology Today Magazine and personal experience.

---

If you are deficient in Serotonin, it makes sense to take the literal building block for this neurotransmitter, which is what 5 htp is. The SSRI drugs are supposed to target this neurotransmitter and keep it working longer in your brain.at what cost? We don’t know, though serious side effects are known to occur, e.g. suicide, memory loss. 5htp is profoundly safer. It is like eating turkey, but in a very concentrated form. It tends to relax you, and can help with other issues like insomnia, because at night time serotonin is converted to melatonin, the sleep hormone, by the pituatary (in the absence of light)> Don’t take 5htp with an SSRI>.you’ve got to make a choice, Natural, or Synthetic.. See I have no idea what that is and you would probably have better results if you elaborated more.Just a thought. Good Luck.