Posted by Larry Hoover on December 13, 2003, at 17:25:13
In reply to Re: Sleep Problems » Larry Hoover, posted by Ron Hill on December 13, 2003, at 15:53:40
> Lar,
>
> > So, given the restraints I've outlined, I don't have too many options, eh?
>
> There are ALWAYS options! Problems are merely solutions waiting to be found. We just have to be smart enough and persistent enough to find one or more of the workable solutions.Indeed. The search is ongoing, and still hopeful, despite the tone of my last message.
> > I've just ordered some horse feed. Maybe that will help.
>
> You mean tryptophan, right?Yes. You always were the perceptive one. And, snipping right to the point....
> Thus supplemental tryptophan may induce one’s pineal gland to naturally increase its melatonin production. Also, important sleep regulating nerve circuits in the brainstem (the raphe nuclei) use serotonin as their neurotransmitter, so it is unreasonable to expect melatonin alone to provide optimal insomnia relief.
> Low dose melatonin (0.5mg to 1mg) plus tryptophan (500mg to 1500mg) may prove more effective for many people with serious insomnia.Exactly the point of a discussion with my CBT counsellor just last week....so I decided to see if my horse feed will get past Customs... along with a variety of other supps (great prices!).
> Taken from: http://www.smartnutrition.info/JamesSouth-tryptophan.htm
>
> In years past, I had problems with insomnia (due primarily to hypomania). I had some success with low dosage (about 0.5 mg) sublingual melatonin (Source Naturals brand). Melatonin in any form other than sublingual would not even touch my insomnia.Just in case anybody else is following this thread, most melatonin tablets on the market are substantially more than physiological replacement doses of melatonin (should be 0.3-0.5 mg, not 3 mg like I usually see). So, I chop the tablets into smaller chunks, and take little bits....but it always leaves me "hungover".
> I had to take frequent breaks from the sublingual melatonin or else it lost its effectiveness. Also, Sonata worked fairly well for me. YMMV.
>
> -- RonI'm just trying to do one manipulation at a time (experimental control methodology), but I'll certainly give tryptophan a decent trial.
Thanks,
LarP.S. New supplement and herb regs go into effect in Canada in January, to be phased in over the next three years. Melatonin will be legal right away (as far as I can tell), as will some free aminos. It even looks like tryptophan will be legal again, as an OTC supp, once the approval has been granted. It's hard to tell for sure, but it looks that way.
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:286464
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20031204/msgs/289450.html