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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 21 of 21. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by john1022 on March 8, 2004, at 8:08:23
I have actually been having some pretty good success with 5htp over the past month. It has helped my depression, anxiety, blurred vision problems and overall wellbeing quite a bit. It was noticable two days after I started 100mgs. I felt better than I had in months. I then moved up to 200mg and felt even better. I think I will eventually end up taking 300mg (6 pills, 2 pills 3 times a day) pretty soon to see if I can get 100% better.
I was diagnosed bipolar. Effexor had worked for me in the past. The third time around Effexor made the depression and anxiety much worse. I then tried Elavil and the same thing happened. St John's Wort the same thing. Some help with lithium orotate but not a whole lot. When I started 5htp it felt like a car that had been running without oil finally got it's oil. It was like that was what my brain was asking for
I am not 100% better, but I feel much more functional and feel better overall. Just wanted to make this post because I feel 5htp is worth a shot to try as I know it helps a lot of people (some people it doesn't). Apparently in some studies it is just as effective as fluxotine (prozac?) as an antidepressant. The good news: 5htp is a natural amino acid and doesn't have any side effects except possibly an upset stomach (I usually have a ton of side effects, but none with 5htp)
Posted by Simus on March 8, 2004, at 8:46:16
In reply to 5htp has helped a lot, posted by john1022 on March 8, 2004, at 8:08:23
Are you on any meds, or just the 5htp?
Posted by john1022 on March 8, 2004, at 9:25:27
In reply to 5htp has helped a lot, posted by john1022 on March 8, 2004, at 8:08:23
The only other meds I am on are lithium orotate, the amino acid Taurine and Ativan and Ambien as needed for sleep. Also zinc, vitiman B and magnesium supplements. I see a doctor/MD/psych who practices both natural and regular treatments.
Apparently they have had a lot of success in treating depression with 5htp and lithium orotate in treating bipolar. I definitely got a much better reaction from the 5htp, but the lithium orotate helped a little
Posted by sjb on March 8, 2004, at 9:49:28
In reply to Re: 5htp has helped a lot, posted by john1022 on March 8, 2004, at 9:25:27
What was your initial dosage of 5-HTP? Did you gradually up your dosage?
I'm so disgusted with meds, I gave up on the lamictal. At 25mg, I was itching all night and had insomnia. Took 50mg of 5-HTP last night and slept a lot better.
I'm also taking other vitamins and SAM-E.
Glad you are doing better. Hope it lasts.
Posted by john1022 on March 8, 2004, at 16:48:06
In reply to Re: 5htp has helped a lot, posted by sjb on March 8, 2004, at 9:49:28
thanks. I started at two 50 mgs before bedtime and stayed at that for 2 weeks. I then saw the doctor who said since it had helped to work my way up to four 50mgs pills for a week and then five-six 50 mg pills. I definitely noticed a difference each time I uped the dose. best of luck
Posted by joebob on March 19, 2004, at 18:57:44
In reply to Re: 5htp has helped a lot, posted by john1022 on March 8, 2004, at 16:48:06
Posted by john1022 on March 21, 2004, at 11:05:19
In reply to where is your pdoc...need referrals to good docs (nm) » john1022, posted by joebob on March 19, 2004, at 18:57:44
Hey joebob,
My doctor is just outside of Boston. She was with a large hospital but just split from them for reason's I am not sure about. Her name is Dr. Stoterau and is located in Lincoln, MA. She used to work with a well known doctor named Dr. James Greenblatt. You can find out more information by searching under Dr. James Greenblatt. Just post if can't find specific contact information after your search and I will help you out. the 5htp has been treating me well. I havn't felt this good in a while. Hopefully it will last. take care
Posted by april8 on April 8, 2004, at 17:51:07
In reply to 5htp has helped a lot, posted by john1022 on March 8, 2004, at 8:08:23
Thank you for letting us know, it means alot. I am on effexor now but wish I could take something more natural. Do you know if it is safe to take with effexor as you wean off effexor? and how is the cost? is it alot?
thanks!
April
> I have actually been having some pretty good success with 5htp over the past month. It has helped my depression, anxiety, blurred vision problems and overall wellbeing quite a bit. It was noticable two days after I started 100mgs. I felt better than I had in months. I then moved up to 200mg and felt even better. I think I will eventually end up taking 300mg (6 pills, 2 pills 3 times a day) pretty soon to see if I can get 100% better.
>
> I was diagnosed bipolar. Effexor had worked for me in the past. The third time around Effexor made the depression and anxiety much worse. I then tried Elavil and the same thing happened. St John's Wort the same thing. Some help with lithium orotate but not a whole lot. When I started 5htp it felt like a car that had been running without oil finally got it's oil. It was like that was what my brain was asking for
>
> I am not 100% better, but I feel much more functional and feel better overall. Just wanted to make this post because I feel 5htp is worth a shot to try as I know it helps a lot of people (some people it doesn't). Apparently in some studies it is just as effective as fluxotine (prozac?) as an antidepressant. The good news: 5htp is a natural amino acid and doesn't have any side effects except possibly an upset stomach (I usually have a ton of side effects, but none with 5htp)
Posted by simus on April 8, 2004, at 23:05:03
In reply to Re: 5htp has helped a lot, posted by april8 on April 8, 2004, at 17:51:07
> Do you know if it is safe to take with effexor as you wean off effexor? and how is the cost? is it alot?
You have to be VERY CAREFUL taking this with Effexor or any SSRI because of serotonin syndrome.
Posted by hugo on April 17, 2004, at 14:01:39
In reply to Re: 5htp has helped a lot, posted by april8 on April 8, 2004, at 17:51:07
Hi!
I had horrible a horrible withdrawl from Effexor, like many other unfortunate folks. It was two months of hell-- dizziness, brain zaps, a sense of living in an aquarium. Be careful! A very interesting book on the subject of amino acids and depression is *The Mood Cure* by Julia Ross. She writes specifically about taking SSRIs and 5-htp together. She sites a study by Eli Lily, the manufacturer of Prozac, on page 43: "Serotonin activity was increased 150% on Prozac alone. It increased 650% after 5-htp was added." She also writes about taking 5-htp to ease withdrawl fom SSRIs. Just ten days ago I tried this myself when I quit Lexapro and Wellbutrin cold-turkey. Two days before I quit he meds, I started on 5-htp at 100mg four times a day between meals and had absolutely no withdrawl symptoms--actually I felt (and feel) much better. I only wish I had known this when I was tapering off Effexor! Good luck, April!
Posted by hugo on April 17, 2004, at 14:02:27
In reply to Re: 5htp has helped a lot, posted by april8 on April 8, 2004, at 17:51:07
Hi!
I had horrible a horrible withdrawl from Effexor, like many other unfortunate folks. It was two months of hell-- dizziness, brain zaps, a sense of living in an aquarium. Be careful! A very interesting book on the subject of amino acids and depression is *The Mood Cure* by Julia Ross. She writes specifically about taking SSRIs and 5-htp together. She sites a study by Eli Lily, the manufacturer of Prozac, on page 43: "Serotonin activity was increased 150% on Prozac alone. It increased 650% after 5-htp was added." She also writes about taking 5-htp to ease withdrawl fom SSRIs. Just ten days ago I tried this myself when I quit Lexapro and Wellbutrin cold-turkey. Two days before I quit he meds, I started on 5-htp at 100mg four times a day between meals and had absolutely no withdrawl symptoms--actually I felt (and feel) much better. I only wish I had known this when I was tapering off Effexor! Good luck, April!
Posted by meejet on April 20, 2004, at 9:01:33
In reply to Re: 5htp has helped a lot, posted by april8 on April 8, 2004, at 17:51:07
April - did you ever try Effexor with the 5-HTP? I am currently on 75 mg/day and my depression is worse than ever. I have been on every SSRI and can't tolerate Wellbutrin, so Effexor is my current best hope. I can either up the dosage to 150 mg/day but I am concerned about all the horrible posts about Effexor, so instead I am wondering about adding 5-HTP to increase the supply of seratonin in my brain.
Can anyone advise me on the combo - or if I should just up the Effexor dosage. I have also read that there are other European drugs like Effexor that may be coming to the USA - specifically Duloxetine (Cymbalta)or Milnacipran (Ixel). Anyone have experience with these?
> Thank you for letting us know, it means alot. I am on effexor now but wish I could take something more natural. Do you know if it is safe to take with effexor as you wean off effexor? and how is the cost? is it alot?
> thanks!
> April
>
>
> > I have actually been having some pretty good success with 5htp over the past month. It has helped my depression, anxiety, blurred vision problems and overall wellbeing quite a bit. It was noticable two days after I started 100mgs. I felt better than I had in months. I then moved up to 200mg and felt even better. I think I will eventually end up taking 300mg (6 pills, 2 pills 3 times a day) pretty soon to see if I can get 100% better.
> >
> > I was diagnosed bipolar. Effexor had worked for me in the past. The third time around Effexor made the depression and anxiety much worse. I then tried Elavil and the same thing happened. St John's Wort the same thing. Some help with lithium orotate but not a whole lot. When I started 5htp it felt like a car that had been running without oil finally got it's oil. It was like that was what my brain was asking for
> >
> > I am not 100% better, but I feel much more functional and feel better overall. Just wanted to make this post because I feel 5htp is worth a shot to try as I know it helps a lot of people (some people it doesn't). Apparently in some studies it is just as effective as fluxotine (prozac?) as an antidepressant. The good news: 5htp is a natural amino acid and doesn't have any side effects except possibly an upset stomach (I usually have a ton of side effects, but none with 5htp)
>
>
Posted by LOOPS on April 23, 2004, at 20:23:14
In reply to Re: 5htp has helped a lot, posted by meejet on April 20, 2004, at 9:01:33
Hi -
I found 5-htp excellent for the first week, and then dived into an irritable depression.
I've tried this stuff three times now. First time I did it for about 7 months - 100mg 3 x daily. I kept on with it because it was the only thing not making me anxious - and I was mellowed out a bit.
Finally came off it and went on St Johns Wort as I had fallen into a really bad slump. The St Johns Wort threw my depression out the window, but along with my sleep. So I eventually had to stop this as well.
All this stuff is strong in my opinion. Just because it doesn't have the side effects of other SSRIs I thought both would individually be alright.
But I think it's good to try, and if it works, excellent. My body just seems to reject almost everything, labelling it as 'hey wake up and don't sleep', or 'hey, just go lose all your motivation and go deeper down'.
Loops
Posted by april8 on April 24, 2004, at 14:15:39
In reply to Re: 5htp has helped a lot, posted by hugo on April 17, 2004, at 14:01:39
gosh I just saw your post and I really appreciate your feedback. I am so depressed right now it made me want to cry. I should try to get that book huh? Obviously I am doing this switching wrong because I am getting really really depressed, I feel terrible actually. My life seems like crap, and it didn't seem that way before I starting switching from effexor to 5 htp so I know it is the meds. Still that doesn't help me feel different it just feels so horrible and real.
I am going to post again for advice no this, if you can let me know how you tapered from effexor I would be eternally grateful. and are you still
on 5htp? let me know if you get this.
Thanks so much,
April
Posted by LOOPS on April 24, 2004, at 14:33:20
In reply to Re: 5htp has helped a lot, posted by april8 on April 24, 2004, at 14:15:39
Hiya -
sorry it's so crap for you right now. I never took Effexor - I was lucky enough to have the time to research natural stuff on the web for a long time. However, I am generally a very anxious and negative person with very low self-esteem; something I have been battling with for a long time.
I know a few things now: 5-htp never seems to have a very consistent effect on me. Either this or I get too accustomed to it too quickly. St Johns Wort feels too much like a hard drug to me. From only taking 1 capsule I become completely manic and anxious.
A really good combination I found for both depression and anxiety was picamilon 50mg 3 x daily, plus DMAE 150mg and also a multi called Mental Edge, which contains a lot of nutrients for the brain. Fish oil has proved beneficial as has lithium orotate.
However, right now I am taking niacinamide with inositol and fish oil. Why? Because the picamilon stopped working for me, and my OCD was beginning to get bad. However I wasn't depressed with the picamilon regime.
To quell the anxiety I started on 5-htp, but this just seemed to make me anxious this time round, and certainly didn't improve my sleep in the long run.
Niacinamide on its own deals with the anxiety, but not the depression. If I add in inositol I am pushing myself towards anxiety, but the depression is then gone. I am trying out a small dosage of inositol - but it still has quite a big effect on me. Right now I am willing to deal with a small amount of anxiety instead of a huge crying fit of depression.
All I want to do is to be able to function and get to some sort of place where I can get on with my life instead of crying /wishing it away.
You may want to give the niacinamide a try - it's very cheap and I do believe it has made quite a difference in how I react to things. Maybe not enough all on its own, but it helps. I take up to 1,500mg per day.
I now think vitamins are the best way to go, as they build you up rather than altering your brain. By the way niacin/niacinamide is supposed to get to the bottom of depression - I have only taken it for a couple of weeks so we shall see.
Good luck!
Loops
Posted by Emmaley on April 25, 2004, at 19:41:26
In reply to 5htp has helped a lot, posted by john1022 on March 8, 2004, at 8:08:23
Do you guys know a good website for purchasing 5htp? Or do you get it from your doctor?
Thanks.
Posted by hugo on May 4, 2004, at 22:28:36
In reply to Re: 5htp has helped a lot, posted by april8 on April 24, 2004, at 14:15:39
Hi April,
I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner, but I'm not a regular internet user. I hope you're feeling better. I did taper off the Effexor to no great effect--it was still a very difficult experience. I am continuing with my amino acid regimen, though I've substituted tryptophan for 5-htp. According to Julia Ross about one third of folks respond better to the tryptophan. Overall I feel calmer and more stable--but no miracles. When I was in the throes of Effexor withdrawl I found a tip for easing the discomfort on a nursing website. It suggested taking two 20mg tabs of Prozac, one at night and one in the morning, just two. It helped me out. Again, no miracles but it did take some of the edge off. The theory makes sense. Effexor has a very swift half-life so it really drops you hard, while Prozac has the longest of the SSRIs, sort of helping to ride out the withdrawl. But April, this is just my experience! Let me know how you're faring.
Regards,
Hugo
Posted by TanyaJean on May 4, 2004, at 22:41:55
In reply to Re: 5htp has helped a lot, posted by hugo on April 17, 2004, at 14:01:39
> Hi!
>
> I had horrible a horrible withdrawl from Effexor, like many other unfortunate folks. It was two months of hell-- dizziness, brain zaps, a sense of living in an aquarium. Be careful! A very interesting book on the subject of amino acids and depression is *The Mood Cure* by Julia Ross. She writes specifically about taking SSRIs and 5-htp together. She sites a study by Eli Lily, the manufacturer of Prozac, on page 43: "Serotonin activity was increased 150% on Prozac alone. It increased 650% after 5-htp was added." She also writes about taking 5-htp to ease withdrawl fom SSRIs. Just ten days ago I tried this myself when I quit Lexapro and Wellbutrin cold-turkey. Two days before I quit he meds, I started on 5-htp at 100mg four times a day between meals and had absolutely no withdrawl symptoms--actually I felt (and feel) much better. I only wish I had known this when I was tapering off Effexor! Good luck, April!
Darn it! Just read this and wondered where I've been. Heard about 5-htp for something totally different (fibromyalgia) and ordered it today. Didn't know it could help with the effexor withdrawal.
Posted by annesand on June 17, 2004, at 7:41:59
In reply to 5htp has helped a lot, posted by john1022 on March 8, 2004, at 8:08:23
Is it still helping you? Or has it "pooped out?"
Posted by arrie on June 19, 2004, at 21:18:54
In reply to Re: 5htp has helped a lot, posted by annesand on June 17, 2004, at 7:41:59
Can you use with Gaba at same time?
Posted by LOOPS on June 20, 2004, at 10:56:51
In reply to Re: 5htp has helped a lot, posted by arrie on June 19, 2004, at 21:18:54
> Can you use with Gaba at same time?
Yes - I use it with gaba - quite effectively as well.
Loops
This is the end of the thread.
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