Posted by JLx on October 20, 2004, at 15:29:51
In reply to to Larry..., posted by mmb on October 20, 2004, at 13:36:07
> > I use veterinary tryptophan. Same stuff, but about 1/10 the price. Nobody is going to give a million dollar horse a poisonous supplement, believe me.
> >
> Larry,
> since you are using veterinary tryptophan (you are very creative I must say) is there any difference in regard to "human" tryptophan? Do they have the same effect? Is it good for anxiety? Any side effects?
> best
> mmbI use tryptophan from here: http://www.buygpdirect.com/gpefeed.htm after other people on this site had tried it. It's amazingly cheap compared to other sources. I wonder what is in the other 10 percent of the product? You can get human version from Joan Mathews Larson's ("Depression Free Naturally")60, 500 mg caps for $25.00. http://www.healthrecovery.com/
Here's what she says about it here: http://204.147.80.67/~brecovery/PageMill_Product_Files/Tryptophan.html
"Guidelines For Taking Tryptophan while working with a physician
Like all natural substances, tryptophan needs help to convert to serotonin. These co-enzymes are B6 and Vitamin C. See formulas from Seven Week to Sobriety or Depression Free, Naturally.
Tryptophan converts to niacin before finally becoming serotonin. If your body is deficient in niacin, the tryptophan you take will supply you with niacin, not serotonin. For this reason, it is a good idea to take a B-complex vitamin daily. It will give you both B6 and niacin and allow your tryptophan to make more serotonin.
The B vitamin, INOSITOL changes into a substance that regulates serotonin's effectiveness within nerve cells. A recent double blind study confirms inositol's effectiveness with depression. Inositol powder is sweet and good tasting. One and 1/2 teaspoonful three times daily is the researched dosage. American Journal of Psychiatry, 1995
Of all the amino acids, tryptophan is least able to cross the blood-brain barrier. It must pass this biological hurdle in order to be converted to serotonin. You can give it the right "nudge" by taking it with fruit juice. The carbohydrate will trigger insulin release, which will assist the tryptophan across the blood-brain barrier. Always take tryptophan on an empty stomach.
Is It Safe?
Tryptophan has been widely used by orthomolecular physicians, clinics like Health Recovery Center and the general population, in doses of one to four grams daily. Since you can't store it in your body, you cannot accumulate toxic levels. However, taking high amounts of tryptophan can produce some side effects:
Feeling drowsy the next morning
Bizarre or strange dreams (rare)
increased blood pressure in persons over sixty who already have high blood pressure.
Aggressiveness (this rare side effect can occur in the absence of sufficient co-nutrients needed for the normal conversion of tryptophan to serotonin)Warnings:
Do not use tryptophan if taking MAO inhibitors.
Do not use tryptophan if you have liver damage, or you are restricted from taking phenylalanine, tyrosine, or histadine.
Tryptophan cannot break down into serotonin without B6. Without adequate serotonin there will be erratic sleep and ongoing irritability."Interesting that she says, "Aggressiveness (this rare side effect can occur in the absence of sufficient co-nutrients needed for the normal conversion of tryptophan to serotonin)" I wonder if this is what's going on when people get aggressive on SSRIs? Insufficient co-nutrients?
I take it at night. The one time I tried it during the day I got too sleepy, but I didn't try it at a lower dose.
JL
poster:JLx
thread:405027
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20040928/msgs/405219.html