Listening to 5-HTP

5-HTP SeroTonic^TM Users Share Their Practical Wisdom

When we introduced 5-HTP SeroTonic^TM last year, it quickly became one of our best-selling products. This was not a big surprise. Since 1989, when the FDA (for reasons only they really understand) embargoed tryptophan, people who depended on this amino acid for relief from depression, insomnia, and anxiety have had nowhere safe to go. For depression they had to resort to expensive, potent (and sometimes dangerous) high-tech drugs such as Prozac,� Zoloft� and other SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), or tricyclic antidepressants such as Elavil.� For sleep, they had to accept Halcion,� Restoril,� and Ambien,� and for anxiety there was Xanax� and Valium.� For those who preferred a natural solution to these common problems, all anyone could do was offer their sympathies.

Virtually overnight, the introduction of 5-HTP SeroTonic changed all that. The 5-HTP in 5-HTP SeroTonic is 5-hydroxytryptophan, which is the next step, following tryptophan, in the synthesis of the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT). P�ldinger and his colleagues have theorized that a deficiency in serotonin may be at least partly responsible for a whole constellation of physical/psychological symptoms, including depression, anxiety, insomnia, obesity, and migraine headaches. They have termed this constellation the "serotonin deficiency syndrome." ¹

While SSRIs and other drugs may be quite effective for treating symptoms of serotonin deficiency syndrome, P�ldinger presented data showing that 5-HTP was just as effective, better tolerated, and probably safer, because, like tryptophan, it actually corrected the deficiency, rather than masking it the way these other drugs do. Better still, 5-HTP seemed to be even more effective than tryptophan for these purposes. And the best news of all: 5-HTP avoids the FDA's tryptophan prohibition. Thus, for those of you who have suffered through the better part of a decade without tryptophan, the introduction of 5-HTP SeroTonic has meant just one thing. Happy days are here again!

We at Life Enhancement Products have been extremely pleased with our customers' response to 5-HTP SeroTonic. Because 5-HTP is such a new option, and because it has so many possible benefits, we were curious about just how you were using it and what your experiences have been with it. So we decided to do the obvious thing; we asked you. We conducted an informal telephone survey of customers who have purchased 5-HTP SeroTonic to find out why they were using it and what their results have been.

The two primary reasons people said they were attracted to 5-HTP SeroTonic were depression and sleep problems. Not surprisingly, many of the customers were former tryptophan users, and several had been using Prozac or other SSRIs for depression. One customer from Alaska, for example, reported he was taking 5-HTP SeroTonic for seasonal affective disorder (SAD), the depression that some people feel during short winter days (and long winter nights) as a result of too little sunlight. He said that about one tablespoon each evening alleviated the depression he typically feels each winter.

Another customer, who takes his 5-HTP SeroTonic each morning for depression, told us he now "feels great." That sentiment was echoed by another customer, a medical doctor, who also takes it in the morning. He told us it "works wonderfully." He had previously been taking the SSRI Paxil.�

A customer, who takes two servings every night for depression, said she feels "lifted and elevated." She used to take tryptophan until it was embargoed, but now feels that 5-HTP "seems to be working very well," with no bad side effects. Several customers reported that they take 5-HTP SeroTonic to help them sleep better. Many of these are also former tryptophan users who said they have been forced into taking everything from Benadryl� to Halcion� to help them sleep. One woman said she finds 5-HTP SeroTonic "every bit as good as tryptophan." A number of these customers took both 5-HTP SeroTonic and melatonin in the evening just before going to bed. A few customers told us that they were taking 5-HTP SeroTonic for cognitive enhancement. Noted one man in his 70s, "Since I've been taking it, I'm thinking clearer, and my memory seems better."

Most people said that they take their 5-HTP SeroTonic in the evening, especially if they are taking it for depression or to help them sleep. However, there were some who take it during the day, apparently with no ill effects. It appears that as long as it doesn't make you sleepy, there's no reason why you can't take it anytime you like. How much should you be taking? A lot depends on your individual needs and metabolism. Some customers achieved the desired effect with as little as one serving per day, while others reported that they needed as many as six (eg, two servings, three times per day).

Adverse effects were rare. One customer who was taking four servings per day complained of symptoms suggesting too much serotonin (eg, sinus problems, stomach ache, headache). The most common, although infrequent, complaint was a lack of any effect. In many cases, this could be explained by taking too little or taking it for too brief a period (e.g., one week).

References

1. P�ldinger W, Calanchini B, Schwarz W. A functional-dimensional approach to depression: serotonin deficiency as a target syndrome in a comparison of 5-hydroxytryptophan and fluvoxamine. Psychopathology. 1991; 24:53-81.

Life Enhancement Products sells high-purity 5-HTP SeroTonic^TM
in capsule and drink mix form.