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[Bracken willowshimmer]

Has anyone had any good results from taking 5 htp? 

Was thinking about giving it a try for perimenopause symptoms.  Also, as menopause progresses do the symptoms change or diminish?

Thanks ladies xx

[honeybun]

It gets very mixed reviews. Digestive problems seem to be the main concern.

The only thing that will get rid of meno symptoms is HRT.

If it's something for low mood and mild anxiety then St Johns Wort is a much safer and tested product.


Honeyb
x

[glenys]

Whether you have 5HTP (one of the precursors to Seratonin) or St Johns Wort (a Prozac/SSRI alternative), it is best to ask a herbalist for advice correct dosages, before you start. 

Also there are quite a few of these remedies that interact with each other and with prescription drugs, so do your research first. 

Doctors should be supposed to know about 5HTP, but I have not come across one myself - it is similar to Tryptophans which used to be widely prescribed, before there was a scare over a contaminated batch many years ago. Since then the trend to prescribe them has been changed to modern antidepressants (despite there being some belief that they are equally as effective). I was on 5HTP for a while and it did help.

[glenys]

I now have prozac instead because I am financially under the weather, and do not pay as much for my prescriptions as I did the 5 HTP

[caz24]

Hi Sarahm

I too am thinking of taking 5 HTP for peri symptoms, mainly feeling really low. In fact it arrived in the post today. I was on the verge of going to see my doctor for anti-depressants, which I took a few years back when my marriage broke up and although I feel rubbish now I wouldn't say that I feel as awful now as I did then and I do have some days that are good which I didn't when I was suffering from depression. Different circumstances though.
I've done a bit of reading and it seems that 5 HTP can make you have vivid dreams.
I'll give it a go and I'll let you know how I get on.
Good luck if you decide to give it a try.

[Bracken willowshimmer]

Hi Carol,

Thanks that would be great if you would let me know how you get on.

Are you in peri and if so what are your symptoms?

Xx

[Hurdity]

Hi Sarahm

I did some research into 5 HTP for someone else a while back - maybe a year or so but I don;t know where the post is but I made some notes back then ( I haven't re-read any of the papers or looked to see if there have been any since).

Here are my notes as I wrote them then and hope they are helpful, and it looks like the studies have been mainly concerning its use in treating depression. Some of them are quotes from papers.

" 5-HTP was introduced primarily as a substitute for L-Tryptophan when the FDA had it banned from the market. It is made from the extract of a bean

It has a mild sedative effect

5-HTP (5-Hydroxytryptophan) is a compound produced in the body from the amino acid tryptophan. It is a precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin and the hormone melatonin.

5-HTP supplements have become popular because it is thought that providing the body with 5-HTP in pill form can boost the body's serotonin levels, similar to the antidepressants that are thought to increase the amount of serotonin available to the brain

5-HTP is manufactured from the seeds of an African plant, Griffonia simplicifolia.

Uses for 5-HTP?
•   Depression
•   Anxiety
•   Insomnia
•   Fibromyalgia
•   Migraine
•   Weight Loss

5-HTP is most commonly used for depression. Because it is thought to work like serotonin antidepressants, 5-HTP has also been used for other conditions for which these antidepressants are prescribed, such as anxiety, insomnia, fibromyalgia, and migraine.

Overall, the clinical trials published to date indicate that 5-HTP may be effective in treating depression, both on its own and when used in conjunction with prescription antidepressants. Better quality studies are needed, however, to firmly establish its effectiveness.

There is one very serious safety concern with 5-HTP, however. When taken in conjunction with other medications which also increase serotonin, such as SSRIs or MAOIs, there exists the possibility that serotonin levels may become dangerously high. This condition, called serotonin syndrome, leads to symptoms such as high blood pressure, hyperthermia, flushing, hyperreflexia, dizziness, disorientation and myoclonus. Patients experiencing these symptoms should seek immediate medical attention, as this condition can be fatal.

The latest scientific study - or review of studies published last year is a highly technical article, probably understandable only to biochemists but the summary says the following:

5-HTP is the immediate precursor of serotonin. It is readily synthesized into serotonin without biochemical feedback. This nutrient has a large and strong following who advocate exaggerated and inaccurate claims relating to its effectiveness in the treatment of depression and a number of other serotonin-related diseases. These assertions are not supported by the science. Under close examination, 5-HTP may be contraindicated for depression in some of the very patients for whom promoters of 5-HTP advocate its use.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3415362/

Most of the other studies I looked at were small and apparently many have been conducted by the companies who are marketing it. There appears to be a strong placebo effect but some of the studies do hint at it having a small effect for depression.

Antidepressants are sometimes prescribed for migraine headaches. Some studies suggest that high doses of 5-HTP may help people with various types of headaches, including migraines. However, the evidence is mixed, with other studies showing no effect.

Source: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/5-hydroxytryptophan-000283.htm#ixzz2M1nODglJ "

Hope this helps

Hurdity x

[Bracken willowshimmer]

Hurdity, thank you so much for the information.  I will have a good read. X

[caz24]

Thank you Hurdity, I too will have a good read.

Sarahm yes I am peri-menopausal, I'm 47 and not taking any other medication. My symptoms are erratic periods with the last one lasting 21 days. My periods are really heavy too (something I've never experienced before all this started). I feel generally rubbish, really low, shattered, sometimes snappy and angry and sometimes very emotional and tearful. I feel very anti-social too which isn't like me at all and I have palpitations. What a list! I'm thankful that I haven't had any hot flushes or sweating yet. I did have anxiety but I've been taking other herbal supplements and I don't know if it's coincidence but I am less anxious.

I've had blood tests and an ultrasound scan and all is ok, just a small fibroid and a cyst on one of my ovaries which is the kind that will go away apparently. I'll have another scan in 3 months.

Are your symptoms similar? x