# 5-HTP and Tyrosine dosage timing?



## AusRob (Jan 4, 2010)

Hi folks, I've just bought myself some 5-HTP and L-Tyrosine. I've read back over the threads on here and from what I can gather 5-HTP taken at night becomes Melatonin and helps you sleep whereas 5-HTP taken in the morning becomes Serotonin and helps your mood. I've also read that if you're taking 5-HTP you really need to take Tyrosine as well. I know that if you take them at the same time they compete for access so you need to space them out. 

So here's my question. If I take 5-HTP in the morning and at night, when should I take the Tyrosine. If I take it at midday will the two be far enough apart? Any ideas about how much to take would be great too. Also, if I have some bad info in here please let me know. Thanks guys.


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## robertz (Feb 4, 2009)

AusRob said:


> So here's my question. If I take 5-HTP in the morning and at night, when should I take the Tyrosine. If I take it at midday will the two be far enough apart? Any ideas about how much to take would be great too. Also, if I have some bad info in here please let me know. Thanks guys.


There's not really a need to take 5-HTP and L-Tyrosine spaced out. 5-HTP, unlike L-Tryptophan, doesn't depend on the same transport system as L-Tyrosine in order to reach the brain. There is even a brand (Now Foods) which makes a version of 5-HTP with L-Tyrosine.

That being said, most people take L-Tyrosine first thing in the morning and (if needed) mid-morning and 5-HTP in the afternoon (if needed) and before bed time.

Good luck.


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## renski (May 9, 2007)

be careful with 5-htp, you need to take something else with it to prevent your body from producing serotonin in areas other then your brain.


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## AusRob (Jan 4, 2010)

Renski, What should I take with the 5-HTP?


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## mike80 (Jan 9, 2010)

I've read somewhere that a glass of fruit juice (probably freshly squeezed) is the go? I might be wrong though.


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## robertz (Feb 4, 2009)

renski said:


> be careful with 5-htp, you need to take something else with it to prevent your body from producing serotonin in areas other then your brain.


Actually there is serotonin in areas other than the brain, because it is needed there, so what's the big deal ?


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## robertz (Feb 4, 2009)

mike80 said:


> I've read somewhere that a glass of fruit juice (probably freshly squeezed) is the go? I might be wrong though.


That is true for L-Tryptophan, but not necessarily for 5-HTP. To quote the wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryptophan):
_It has been demonstrated in both animal models and in humans that ingestion of a meal rich in carbohydrates triggers release of insulin__. Insulin in turn stimulates the uptake of large neutral branched-chain amino acids (LNAA) but not tryptophan (trp) into muscle, increasing the ratio of trp to LNAA in the blood stream. The resulting increased ratio of tryptophan to large neutral amino acids in the blood reduces competition at the large neutral amino acid transporter resulting in the uptake of tryptophan across the blood-brain barrier into the central nervous system (CNS).

_​The point here is that L-Tryptophan uses the "large neutral amino acid transporter" to reach the brain, whereas 5-HTP not. This basically means it doesn't compete with the other aminos to reach the brain, and there is no need to take it with a meal rich in carbs like the fruit juice you mentioned.


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## renski (May 9, 2007)

robertz said:


> Actually there is serotonin in areas other than the brain, because it is needed there, so what's the big deal ?


Yeah okay, in my case it raised my heartrate quite a bit, which means it was producing serotonin in other parts of my body...


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## robertz (Feb 4, 2009)

renski said:


> Yeah okay, in my case it raised my heartrate quite a bit, which means it was producing serotonin in other parts of my body...


That side effect goes away after a couple of days.


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## renski (May 9, 2007)

robertz said:


> That side effect goes away after a couple of days.


Not for me it didn't, I was taking 100-200mg of 5htp jarrow daily for about 4 months to help with sleep. Every morning I would wake up with raised heart rate, and it would last all day unless I took something to slow it down. I started taking beta blockers not knowing what was causing it.


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## robertz (Feb 4, 2009)

renski said:


> Not for me it didn't, I was taking 100-200mg of 5htp jarrow daily for about 4 months to help with sleep. Every morning I would wake up with raised heart rate, and it would last all day unless I took something to slow it down. I started taking beta blockers not knowing what was causing it.


Didn't you try a lower dose ? say 50 mg ?


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