L-Tryptophan (on an empty stomach in the evening, (with B6 and vitamin C) can be a softer, gentler route for increasing serotonin. Try this first. If no response, then try 5-htp. Always make sure to include L-Tyrosine (with a methylated B-Complex) in your wellness stack, because if you increase one, you must also increase the other.
Many thanks your information has been a god send. I suffer from anxiety and hormonal depression and I have just started with htp within one hour I have already the started to feel considerably different. I even had a disagreement with a friend which would Have usually sent Me of the edge but I managed to approach it with calm and laugh it off. I am really excited to keep taking this. Thanks for all your info you are truly helping people ❤️
@@goldeneye6651 I've been on it for one year with the same hormonal depression/anxiety as Realist described, and it still works wonders for me. When I try to come off it it, I go back to feeling awful again, so it's definitely working.
Thank you so much, you are amazing🙏 I have suffered from severe depression for years and even attempted suicide. Antidepressants would work for a while but the side effects were unbearable and when I stopped the depression would return tenfold. Through your recommendations I stopped taking antidepressants and started taking 5htp and within a week I started feeling better. Only side effects were stomach upset for a few days. I take it with a combination of tyrosine and b vitamins and it works wonders, better than any antidepressant I have taken. I would recommend giving your body a break by getting of it after about six months or when you start feeling better and when you feel depression coming on again start taking it again That works for me. Now I take it only when I need it with absolutely no side effects. Hope this helps someone 🙏🌻
Thanks so much for sharing your story with us all Saree. It really encourages me to keep going with these videos. Great idea about taking a break occasionally from 5htp and only taking it when you need it. Thanks again and God bless. ❤️👍🙏
@@rosy21284 Hi there, I am currently taking Biogen 5HTP and Biogen stress capsules which has Tyrosine and B vitamins. I am not sure if it is available where you are because it is a South African product. It is very good value for money and almost half the price of all the popular brands but works much better in my opinion. I suppose you have to try a few brands and see what works best. Good luck🙏
I am also feeling suicidal and depressed from last 7 months.... I am on antidepressant fluoxetine from last 7 months but not working... What dose u was taking of 5HTP, vitb12, vit c
Thank you doc. This stuff has really been helping me with my ptsd/anxiety. It doesn’t totally root out deep psychological triggers, however it really Carries me through and allows me to not go into fight or flight nearly as easily. Been really enjoying it for about 5 days now taking it as needed 2-3 times daily
@@cfrank777 yeah I'm always interested to see how it goes on the long run.. Taking something else now? I tried using l-threonate and l-theanine and after few days of feeling good, my anxiety totally came back in much worse condition. Just did some yoga nidra to relax
While anecdotal, I was on it for around 3-4 years, 100-150mg / day. Even years later I do feel I don't produce as much dopamine as I once did. Been considering going back on it when I stumbled on this video. I think it works well for short term use, but may actually cause long term issues.
Agree, it could temporarily assist you but ultimately you have to do everything in your power not to be on it long term, the goal is to develop a pattern of a healthy lifestyle that you could stick to even when you get off medication.
I’m actually really curious how you managed to postpone taking it long term? Does that mean you stopped taking it after example 2months of use, or more like you haven’t taken it long term because of sleep problems. I have a Roomate that does meth, cocaine, molly, etc. and has sleep problems. I can put my head on a pillow and pass out easily, I clear my mind and ignore my anxiety in part of that meditation. But I have anxiety and depression from an abusive ex-girlfriend.
@@whydontyouaskme I didn’t take it everyday and eventually I stopped using it but if I get into another depression period I’ll take them to balance me out until I feel better. Cycling on and off basically
I just started taking it and trying to be patient with it. Anxiety and insomnia. I find it funny how there's little study on supplements yet studies are done for prescription medicine. And thanks for your videos on this subject!!
How has 5-htp worked out for you? The reason theres fewer studies on supplements is because they arent patentable and so theres no $$ for the pharma companies. Its a sad indictment on the state of humanity. Theres very little love for people and a great love of power and money.
I'm currently taking 5htp to help me sleep. Only one 50 mg tablet. I have been talking L-theanine and creatine 5mg for stress. Tumeric supplements w/ NAC for inflammation. Again all low dose once a day. Feel pretty good. Content.
I use it for fibromyalgia. It stopped working for my major depressive disorder. It worked for my depression for roughly 2 weeks at 100 MG a day. It reduces my fibromyalgia pain 70%. It's the only supplement that aids in pain relief from the nerve pain paired with 50mg of pregablin. I refused to increase the pregablin dose and was in search of something natural for relief
A video idea: What's the difference between taking 5-HTP and taking L-tryptophan which is converted in the body to 5-HTP? Why choose one versus the other?
I wonder if the treatment options for dopamine depletion, levodopa will be more efficient than tyrosine, because tyrosine also needs to be converted to levodopa, while the common enzyme is AADC, AADC converts 5htp and levodopa to serotonin and dopamine
5:50 5htp + tyrosin? Good job you will end up with low dopamine and serotonine at he same time (at least wean off gradually). 5HTP into serotonine and tyrosine into dopamine are 2 separate stepa with 2 separate enzymes. The only connectedness could be due to the competition of small amount of shared precursors. How can you say to people to start taking 5HTP right away (ur old video), without any concerns or suggestions (to stop gradually)?
Maybe for long term its better tryptophan better tolerated long term, less potent but for me enough sometimes (other not enough) and even better mood and sleep to me, but 5htp acts faster specially for adrenaline anxiety
I made the mistake of taking the dosage on the bottle I got right away. It was 200 mg.. waaay too much. I got light headed nauseous and my blood pressure seemed to bottom out I basically had to put my head between my knees or lay down on the floor until I felt better. No fun. Now I plan on taking 50 mg maybe twice a day with meals.
I am weanig myself off of antideptessants and find 5-htp is better. Antidepressants helped with my sleep but i was still always irritable, mean and stressed at work. Now with 5htp once at night an donce in the morning. I am in a good mood, not angry and annoyed all the time, and i am functioning better at work which no antidepressant has been successful at doing
I have fibromyalgia and I just discovered 5htp, I just bought it And have taken it for two days and I feel great, it is a big change for me. Anyone here with fibrmyalgia have taken it? Any thoughts?
A person that gets help on this. I WOULD think, would rather risk the use...over being suicidal ideation, etc...whilst taking L-Tyrosine in the AM times. Ie: take low doses in morning of LTyro...with low doses 5-HTP at night. Nothing is perfect...but anything beats enriching Phizer. Right!
I took only 100 mg a day for 2 weeks and my mood did improve but suddenly i got strong side effects like nausea, drowsiness, super jittery, heartburn and agitated sleep. The jitters were scarry they were present all night and not letting me fall asleep properly. Unfortunately i had to stop taking it.
What sources do you use for the depletion theory. I have seen that many sites use a retracted article from ncbi as a source. A retracted article is unreliable.
I'm definitely going to contact you soon and try your custom program.. I've been feeling totally burned out recently,extreme fatigue depressed,suicidal thoughts at times . I know i have adrenal exhaustion and I'm extremely struggling to live atm, Everything spiralled out of control since the death of my mum and now i'm having to care for my father who has dementia and late stage Parkinsons..
So sorry to hear that Chris. Try to take care of yourself. A good b vitamin complex would be a good start to help you with the stress and maybe a good adrenal formula. Take care.
dr. i started using 100mg 5htp once in a day. the result was awesome. my long term depression has gone totally. pl advice me how long can i take this. ty
Raising bodily serotonin levels raises cancer risk ect ect and does not nesseceraly breach the blood brain barrier. You'd be much better off taking an ssri when absolutely needed.
Hi, just wondering once you have taken 5htp and then stop does your serotonin levels go back to what they were previously before taking 5htp? Or does it give your levels a permanent boost? Thanks.
I've been on it for a year and when I tried to take a break from it, I quite quickly went back into depression/negative and irrational thinking. So I don't think it helps keep levels up after you're off. I wish it did!
Ive been taking 5HTP for 22+ years. Sometimes 50mg every other day. Sometimes 100mg a day. Have been off 3X. It leaves my system in 48hrs. Everything that I felt before (ADHD symptoms) come flooding back. I immediately resume taking it.
You do not want to increase serotonin levels in the body. You want to increase them only in the brain. You being a biologist, should have addressed this and give a big exclamation mark to it. ELEVATING SEROTONIN IN THE BODY LONG TERM IS DANGEROUS. I'll leave it up to you to explain why. Doctor.
Low carb leaning towards an organic carnivore diet has helped me more than anything. I find oxilates cause rumination in my thoughts. So no more foggy brain.
Been wondering the same thing, seen so much stuff online saying that 5htp causes heart problems and that ECGC can negate that, 5htp really helps me and Im scared that by taking it I'm doing damage to my heart to now I want to stop taking it
@@andrewwood8740 I first know the treatment options for dopamine depletion, whether levodopa will be more efficient than tyrosine, because tyrosine also needs to be converted to levodopa, while the common enzyme is AADC, AADC converts 5htp and levodopa to serotonin and dopamine
I first know the treatment options for dopamine depletion, whether levodopa will be more efficient than tyrosine, because tyrosine also needs to be converted to levodopa, while the common enzyme is AADC, AADC converts 5htp and levodopa to serotonin and dopamine
@@DrJanelleSinclair I wonder if the treatment options for dopamine depletion, levodopa will be more efficient than tyrosine, because tyrosine also needs to be converted to levodopa, while the common enzyme is AADC, AADC converts 5htp and levodopa to serotonin and dopamine
Hi there! I’m using 5HTP for my hormonal depression. I take 100mg everyday or every other day and my mood lifts in one hour. Currently on Bio identical hormones to raise my estrogen and progesterone because they were awfully low and could be causing my depression for almost 10 years (deficiency in estrogen and progesterone) Studies had shown women with hormonal imbalances respond quickly too SSRIs / 5 HTP. So I’m assuming that’s why I respond quickly. Could you make a video about estrogen receptors? And how being estrogen deficiency could affect estrogen receptors once you start HRT? Things that can affect ERS? My estradiol levels have been rising, been getting sore boobs but my mood is not lifting, so this is why I’m using 5HTP, could estrogen receptors be a factor in this? Thank you ❤️
If your boobs are getting sore the first question I would ask if whether you are taking too much estrogen and not enough progesterone. I'm not an expert on estrogen receptors so I won't be able to make a video for you. Did you test both your estrogen and progesterone levels before starting the bioidentical hormones?
Dr Janelle Sinclair yes, my estradiol was 60 pg/mL in my progesterone was 0.7 ☹️ I felt a little better when I begun my estrogen patches but now I’m over into bio identical injections, I also take 200mg of Prometrium 14 days of my cycle. I’m thinking of buying a cream or taking Prometrium the other 14 days, but estrogen is supposed to be the mood enhancer. I’m trying to figure out if being deficient for so long is causing sensitive receptors? Because I did feel a mood shift on my patches but then it went away... and my estrogen is now 350 in my blood but not feeling any better 😔
@@BrokennessAndBeauty I'm not the expert when it comes to the estrogen injection. My first instinct is that you have too high estrogen and not enough progesterone. Ask your doctor if they think you might benefit from doubling the progesterone dose.
@@BrokennessAndBeauty if the hormones don't end up helping lift your mood, and you are looking for what else might be the underlying cause for your low mood, you might want to consider my new online course Real Relief Foundations. It teaches you to optimise your diet, support your gut health and resolve nutritional deficiencies. I have been able to help women with PMDD by addressing these areas. If you're looking for more practical but helpful ways to improve your mood without the overwhelm you will want to consider it Https://www.drjanellesinclair.com/ecourse
Thank you for this! I've been taking 5HTP for one year and was wondering about long term use. I've had no side effects or other issues taking it thus far and it works very very well to stabilize my mood. I watched this and went out last week and bought L-Tyrosine and started taking it alongside continuing to take 5HTP, to try to prevent lowering of dopamine. I noticed almost right away that it caused me to have more low mood, slight anxiety/overwhelm, negative thinking - - the things I had before starting 5HTP. Is it possible that taking L-Tyrosine can negate the 5HTP or is something else happening?
Too much dopamine as well can affects the dopamine pathways and too much dopamine in dopamine pathways can cause anxiety and negative because one pathway is responsible for negative thought and anxiety .so yes preventing dopamine can cause those symptoms. But doesn’t negate 5HTP , Base on experience with panic disorder
tyrosine increases adrenaline secretion (in addition to dopamine) and also increases blood pressure. These effects all can cause a feeling of anxiety. It's rather irresponsible of Dr Sinclair to neglect to mention this.
Did you ever get an answer to this question? Also, what mg of 5htp were you using for a year and were you taking anything else with it during that first year? I'm thinking you probably didn't need the extra L-tyrosine supplementation because you were probably getting enough from the foods you were eating. That's why I'm thinking about just sticking with only taking the 5thp at first because I eat a lot of foods with L tyrosine.
@@jph77 Hi, I'm still taking the 5HTP (3.5 years now) and I take 100mg pill time release (Natural Factors brand) once in the morning and another one in the evening. Because I have PMDD, I take an extra 100mg pill at lunch time after I ovulate. It works wonders for me. I've tried to come off 5HTP twice over the last 3.5 years and I can clearly see that I go downhill FAST without it, so I'm very consistent with taking the dosage i have found optimal. good luck!
I've read claims online that 5-HTP causes heart valve problems, is there any reason to be concerned about this? Also, thank you for covering this topic!
I have not come across any research suggesting that. As I said in this video I use a very good database that lists all known side-effects. If you could provide me with a link to that material I'd be grateful.
Dr Janelle Sinclair Thanks very much, that's a relief as I have found 5-HTP to be useful. There is a mention of the possibility of this on the Wikipedia page, with links to two studies on serotonin and the heart: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/5-Hydroxytryptophan#Interactions (3rd paragraph).
@@laurieanne9179 I would ignore that information, as the next line tells us that this has not been seen clinically in humans. The database that I use that lists all scientifically validated concerns for each supplement does not mention this concern at all
Yesterday I took 50mg of 5-htp in the morning and evening for the first time. In the morning I felt very tired, my legs felt strange. So I planed to only take it in the evening, and I did. But than I couldnt sleep anymore, I was awake till 4am, is that normal?
Going further up the chain of events, i wonder if it isnt "safer" to take trytophan only so that the body decided which road to take it on. Any thoughts, Dr.?
Uncontrollable shaking aggravated sweating was just the beginning of my journey,I found this supplement dangerous .deeply unsettling with the lack of information on side effects I’m dumbfounded this is recommended by medical professionals
mine is only 50 mg and i just have took the first pill bc i took one ab a month ago but i was still on antidepressants and i read you weren’t supposed to mix the two so i didn’t take it again after that but i just recently went off my antidepressants and started taking 5-htp. really hoping it works for me better than antidepressants and i really like that it’s a natural alternative. is 50 mg enough?
Hello , yesterday was my first time using 5-htp ! I took it about 1 hour before bed ( have to mention that I used it with 5mg of melatonin capsule that I take everyday ) and the result was nightmares it has been a long time that I did not have a nightmare and when taking 5-htp I think it was the main reason of that ! I use 5-htp Griffonia Simplicifolia 500 mg , I did my research and it says that it is better to have low doses at first but how ? should I simply cut my capsule in half ?
I wish Dr. Janelle would reply here, to clear this up if I'm mistaken, but I've wondered about interactions between 5-HTP and melatonin, since 5-HTP is an indirect precursor (via serotonin) to melatonin production in the body. It seems logical that if you're taking 5-HTP then you'd also have to drastically cut or even eliminate the oral melatonin because your body may well be producing more on its own. For me, when I first tried taking melatonin, I was told to try 5 mg but I started at 3 mg, and even that was waaaay too much. Extremely groggy the next morning and very vivid dreams. I had to keep cutting back until now I take one or two 0.3 mg pills if required. Yes, that's one-tenth of the dose I started with! Note that this was by itself, long before I looked into 5-HTP or L-tryptophan.
Hi there Doctor I'm scared to take it as I'm scared it's going cause heart problems like QT prolongation or cardiac arrest I've stopped taking sertaline month ago and want to stsrt taking 5htp what do you think ?
Are you aware of any potential heart problems that 5htp can cause? I've seen a lot of people online saying that it can be bad for you heart and cause heart palpitations which is terrifying to me, I've also seen some people say that green tea extract negates the potential heart damage of 5htp, I've been taking 100mg in the morning for about a year or so now and it really helps me a lot but I can't help but wonder if I'm doing permanent damage to my body, especially my heart, curious as to what you know about the matter
@@DrJanelleSinclair thank you for the reply, I really appreciate it. Yeah I should have know there wasn't any scientific evidence because only non doctors were saying those things, so it's good to hear that from someone who knows their stuff, again really appreciate the reply does a lot to dissaude my fears ❤️
But it is safer that medications isn't it? I know that people who has such a bad depression like I do, take antidepressants for many-many years. I'm really scared with that. 5-htp is much safer isn't it?
Yes it has much less side affects and it's safer because it is something your body naturally produces. Prescriptions go against your bodily functions which causes a lot of problems and vitamin deficiencies. But as she said 5HTP will deplete your dopamine over time if you take it for too long. I get waves of depression so I'm planning on only taking it when I need it (at the lowest dose possible) for about a week or two at a time. You might want to have your Vitamin D level checked as most people are deficient. And I'm not sure if they can test for the B vitamins but being low in those can also cause depression.
I don't recommend combining the two as they work on the same pathways. There's lots of other approaches to improving mental health, so I'd look for something else that improves mood via a different mechanism.
I had a traumatic leg injury and about a month into recovery, developed insomnia. I take trazodone as needed, which is about 60% of the nights. Is 5 htp in conflict with this medication which is not a ssri.
I have been suffering from Bad breath disease for over a year with no solutions, until a friend of mine told me about Dr. Osaka on RU-vid channel who recommend his natural herbal remedy to me and I'm completely cured of Bad breath.
Thanks for the informative videos, Dr. Janelle! I’ve been taking l-tyrosine most days for about a year or more because I notice it helps me focus at work. Do I need to balance my neurotransmitters by taking 5-htp exclusively or take l-tyrosine and 5-htp together? Or should I just stop taking supplements altogether and let my brain chemicals balance themselves out naturally?
I wonder if the treatment options for dopamine depletion, levodopa will be more efficient than tyrosine, because tyrosine also needs to be converted to levodopa, while the common enzyme is AADC, AADC converts 5htp and levodopa to serotonin and dopamine
Solution: take 5HTP with tyrosine and cycle it if you wanna take it long term. Been doing it for 5 years and it works like a charm. The body is smart and will self regulate what it doesn’t need
@@ErikFindling Thanks for the reply! I have to try that! 5htp was literally like a miracle supplement for me, for about 4 weeks, then it kind of wore off/ negative side effects.
Thank you for addressing this! Would I have to suppliment with L Tyrosine if I only take 50 mg of 5 htp long term? Also, here is a major question that I can't seem to find an answer to online: can I combine 5 htp with lithium orotate? I have been taking 5 MG or lithium orotate for a month and just added 50 MG of 5 htp a couple of days ago.
Dr what about foe fibromyalgia? I felt better as lexapro has not helped at all. Only helps for depression and idw to take it anymore. And what dose would be good?
You probably already found an answer, but this is what I've found from other videos I've watched. You can take all three safely together, but L-tyrosine and L-theanine kind of work against each other. Think of L-tyrosine as caffeine to start your day and L-theanine as melatonin to calm you and help you sleep later in the day. While 5-HTP works in the background to balance your body and mood to give your more positive energy, yet help you sleep better at night. If you can drink quality green tea daily. (I think Macha has the highest amount of L-theanine.) That would be a great way to get a small dose of L-theanine without feeling tired. Helping you feel relaxed and focused during the day with L-tyrosine already in your system. L-tyrosine makes you more alert and focused without feeling hyper. Great for when you're at work. That's what I've learned so far. So if you wanted benefits from all 3 daily. I'd take 5-HTP and L-tyrosine pills in the morning. Have some green tea during breakfast and/or lunch if feeling stressed/anxiety. Then take a L-theanine pill after dinner. I know L-tyrosine has other benefits I can't remember. If anxiety/stress is still too high. Rhodiola Rosea reduces stress/anxiety within an hour of consumption. Usually 30 minutes.
I was taking antidepressant for depression and no interest in any work. bupron sr 150, stablon 12.5 three times daily (tianeptine) & linotril 0.25 . i recieved confident within a weak. Suddenly my hand was shaking badly. Suddenly i stopped. One time i got electric shock in back of my head. After that am not using dat medicine again. About 3 yrs i feel very tired, no energy, i feel sleepy altime.. brain is foggy am getting palpitation after getting up middle of sleep. I used many medicine but no improvement.. please advice
There's so many things that could be impacting your health. You could check out my video on vitamin D. My new online course provides a comprehensive systematic approach. It would be the best option for you. It'll tell you what blood tests to get done through your doctor, diet advice, gut health, supplements and lots more. Check it out at www.drjanellesinclair.com/ecourse.
