# 5-HTP or Trytophan



## metamorphosis (Dec 18, 2008)

I'm about to order some supplements but am up in the air about tryptophan or 5-htp. Which seems to have helped you more for GAD and/or sleep? I also would like to take a supplement throughout the day to help with relaxation. Jarrow makes a Stress formula that looks pretty good. Also,I've heard good things about Theanine along with relora. I'll also be taking a multi, b complex etc. What has helped you throughout the day to reduce stress,calming and for sleep?


----------



## Vini Vidi Vici (Jul 4, 2009)

valerian root worked really well to reduce anxiety and help me relax, but sometimes it was too strong to take in social situations...it eliminated all my anxiety, but made me way too tired. Kava Kava was also very effective..its the best herbal product ive ever used for anxiety. (if you get the right brand). L-theanine is nice, but the effects of one dose would last less than an hour for me, it was calming and antidepressant, but hard to continually dose. chamomile is ok, but sort of weak and short lasting. 

kava kava can cause liver damage and skin discoloration and other stuff, if you get an impure product/use it too much. some parts of the Kava plant are really poisonous, you have 2 make sure your just getting the root/ root extract (the good part).


----------



## robertz (Feb 4, 2009)

5-HTP is stronger than L-Tryptophan. The effect you get from L-Tryptophan is more mellow. 

I wouldn't recommend 5-HTP for long term use. Both are nice to relieve depression and anxiety though. 5-HTP makes you more happy when you are feeling down at first, but after some days of use that effect goes away and you just feel ok. If you continue taking it chances are you'll feel emotionally numb. This can be counteracted by taking L-Tyrosine. In fact it is recommended to take L-Tyrosine at a different time of the day because that way you increase both dopamine and serotonin. I for one, can tell you L-Tryptophan works better if you take L-Tyrosine at least once a day. 

I've tried both, and I'm currently taking L-Tryptophan because it is more gentle and doesn't decrease my libido as much as 5-HTP. 

I asked an orthomolecular psychiatrist about what could I take for social anxiety, and she recommended L-Tryptophan first thing in the morning, before lunch and then before bedtime. I just need to take 1 dose daily, and even that is too much after continuous use. 

L-Tryptophan gets converted to serotonin if you take it during the daytime, whereas if you take it at night it will get converted to melatonin. If you are anxious you want the former, if you are an insomniac you want the latter. 

Be sure to take L-Tryptophan cofactors (Vitamins B6, B3, C, Zinc, Magnesium....), so a potent multivitamin like Solgar's VM-75 is a must. 

Good luck.


----------



## metamorphosis (Dec 18, 2008)

Has anyone had problems when taking Tryptpphan with a low dose of of an ssri? I take 5-10mg of Lexapro.I don't think that amount would cause serotonin syndrome as I would be very careful in watching for signs but even at 1500mg of tryptophan a day max,I shold be okay. Any experiences?


----------



## renski (May 9, 2007)

robertz said:


> 5-HTP is stronger than L-Tryptophan. The effect you get from L-Tryptophan is more mellow.
> 
> I wouldn't recommend 5-HTP for long term use. Both are nice to relieve depression and anxiety though. 5-HTP makes you more happy when you are feeling down at first, but after some days of use that effect goes away and you just feel ok. If you continue taking it chances are you'll feel emotionally numb. This can be counteracted by taking L-Tyrosine. In fact it is recommended to take L-Tyrosine at a different time of the day because that way you increase both dopamine and serotonin. I for one, can tell you L-Tryptophan works better if you take L-Tyrosine at least once a day.
> 
> ...


Interesting, I could only take 5-HTP at night before bed, otherwise it would make me too sleepy.. but by the sounds of it tryptophan could be the go.

Also I agree about the initial effects, when I first started taking 100mg of 5-HTP at night, the positive thoughts during the day were remarkable. That does go after a while though, I was taking 200mg every night for about 2 months for insomnia, it worked OK.


----------



## fightingdepression1975 (Jul 3, 2014)

Hi,
I am also experimenting with food supplements ti cure my depression and brain fog. I am using l-tyrosine, l-tryptophan, b6, b complex, c and a multi vitamin mineral. Depression has gone down but so has my libido. Is there a solution to this problem? Will appreciate any help.


----------



## McFly (Jul 15, 2014)

5-htp gave me incredible vivid dreams when I first started taking it. Then I would wake up feeling fully refreshed and in a positive mood. I tried taking it during the day but it made me drowsy and I would be daydreaming non stop. After a few months it stopped working. What I've read is that you should stop taking it for a while and then it will be useful once your body chemistry resets.


----------

