For instance, do you often...
* Have problems falling asleep or staying asleep?
* Find yourself edgy, irritable or angry?
* Lack motivation or feel depressed most of the time?
* Prefer to be left alone?
* Have ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) in your head?
* Worry, get anxious and find it difficult to concentrate or make decisions?
* Have feelings of low self-esteem and lack of confidence?
* Feel self-critical and guilty?
* Tend to be shy or fearful?
* Tend to be obsessive, inflexible, a control freak, or a work addict?
* Particularly dislike the dark weather?
* Have PMS or menopausal moodiness?
* Have a sweet tooth or crave carbs and starchy snacks or alcohol?
* Are all achy and/or have jaw pain?
* Find some relief of all of these symptoms when you exercise...if you happen to get around it?
* Do you have a family history of fibromyalgia and/or treatment with SSRIs (serotonin boosting antidepressants)?
These are all manifestations of serotonin deficiency. If you felt identified with some or all of them, then 5-HTP - an over the counter and natural supplement - can change your life forever.
5-HTP stands for 5-hydroxytryptophan, a form of the amino acid tryptophan which is found in foods like red meat, turkey, fish, or seeds. 5-HTP comes from the seeds of the African plant Griffonia simplicifolia and when taken correctly, it turns into serotonin - a brain chemical which regulates our sleep, raises our pain threshold, and elevates our mood.
We all have a right to healthy levels of serotonin, but we live in a highly stressful world where we are exposed to all kinds of toxins and pollutants, where our modern foods are often nutritionally deficient and toxic, and where people often have to turn to stimulants or anti-depressants in order to cope with life's demands and stressful situations. We live in a world where life can be quite hard and nothing is certain except death. All of this takes a high toll on our serotonin levels, and thus on our bodies and our psychological well-being. In addition, genetic predispositions might leave you vulnerable to low levels of serotonin. Helping the body to top up the serotonin tank when you are faced with a stressful situation is exactly what you might need.
5-HTP administration has been shown to be effective in treating anxiety, depression, fibromyalgia, insomnia, binge eating, pain, and chronic headaches including migraines. Studies have revealed that it can work better than prescription medications at treating depression, and without the negative side effects!
We have more serotonin receptors in our intestinal tract than we do in our brain, so it doesn't come as a surprise that low serotonin can also interfere with proper intestinal function. This is also the reason why 5-HTP can be beneficial in the treatment of IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome).
In order for our bodies to convert 5-HTP into serotonin, we need calcium, magnesium and B vitamins. Unfortunately, our dietary intake often doesn't meet our body's needs, so it is important to supplement ourselves with a good multivitamin containing at least 50-100mg of vitamin B6, and at least 700mg of magnesium chelate, citrate, or taurate. 5-HTP will turn itself into serotonin and then into melatonin, a natural sleep hormone and powerful anti-oxidant. In fact, 5-HTP can increase the body's production of melatonin by 200%.
In general, an average of 300mg of 5-HTP per day is the recommended dose to restore your levels of serotonin, although quite often, some end up needing around 500mg per day. Start with 50 mg at lunch and dinner and increase your dose every 2 days by 50mg until you reach 300mg of 5-HTP per day. If you are unable to have a restorative sleep after two weeks, then you can also consider increasing the dose or supplementing yourself with melatonin at night.
Potential side effects of 5-HTP include nausea, diarrhea, and sleepiness. Also, in very rare cases, there might be insomnia and headaches, which usually happen when 5-HTP is taken on an empty stomach and when a person has "sluggish" liver issues. The good news is that when you take 5-HTP with meals and gradually increase the dose, these side effects should be eliminated.
If you don't respond to 5-HTP, do more research and consult a doctor. 5-HTP is not a panacea, but it can help with the misery caused by stress-induced serotonin deficiency!
Note: It is practically impossible to reach a serotonin overdose, but a combination of 5-HTP and drugs like SSRIs (serotonin boosting antidepressants) and especially MAOI (Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors) can result in an overdose. Please, do not take 5-HTP and these prescription drugs without consulting your physician first.
Further reading:
Michael Murray, N.D. 5-HTP: The Natural Way to Overcome Depression, Obesity, and Insomnia. New York: Bantam Books, 1998.
Dr. Rodger H. Murphree, Treating and Beating Anxiety and Depression with Orthomolecular Medicine. Birmingham: Harrison and Hamptom Publishing Inc., 2005.
Julia Ross, M.A. The Mood Cure. New York: Viking Penguin, 2002.
Dr. Rodger H. Murphree, Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Birmingham: Harrison and Hamptom Publishing Inc., 2008.
"If you don't respond to 5-HTP, do more research and consult a doctor. 5-HTP is not a panacea, but it can help with the misery caused by stress-induced serotonin deficiency!"
There are number of nutritional requirements and physically produced enzymes to make the conversion from Tryptophan to 5-HTP to Seratonin to Melatonin. There are also a number of toxins, xenobiotics(carcinogens), and stress inducers which "use up" melatonin as an antioxidant, rather than as a sleep inducer.
A study done in the 90's researched the potency of Melatonin as an antioxidant and the results indicate a person needs to protect themselves from the toxins and non-organically bound "nutrients", especially elemental iron, which is being forced on the populace through the food supply. Reduced iron (free iron) can spin off some very potent free radicals, setting off chain reactions creating more free radicals keeping the antioxidants such as melatonin very occupied. Unfortunately, melatonin, once used as an antioxidant, is done...it doesn't get "recycled".
So while 5 HTP may help in the short term to improve levels of seratonin, and with the right "ingredients", melatonin, one must reduce and eliminate free radical producing chemicals and food ingredients by avoidance and detoxification. Switching to organic foods is the only way to avoid "fortification" ingredients(elemental minerals), GMOs, xenobiotics, pesticides and herbicides, etc. and restore your body's natural ability to produce these beneficial biochemicals.
This following link provides some practical information gained from research done on melatonin's antioxidant properties and should help us understand more about free radicals, how they are formed and the damage they can cause.
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