5htp

seasew
seasew Posts: 14 Member
edited September 19 in Fitness and Exercise
Has anyone taken a vitamin called 5Htp? It's supposed to help with headaches, and weight loss. It's kinda of like St. John's Wort> I have a bottle of it, an am going to start taking it, mainly due to my headaches.

Replies

  • seasew
    seasew Posts: 14 Member
    Has anyone taken a vitamin called 5Htp? It's supposed to help with headaches, and weight loss. It's kinda of like St. John's Wort> I have a bottle of it, an am going to start taking it, mainly due to my headaches.
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    I would SERIOUSLY check with your doctor first.
    5-HTP is the direct precursor to serotonin, a mood-changing chemical in the brain. Too much serotonin is DANGEROUS, so you shouldn't just self-prescribe drugs like these even if they are OTC. The reason some of them are on the market is that there are too few studies to determine their effects; hence, they haven't been approved by the FDA.
    If you wouldn't take an anti-depressant without a prescription, don't take this.
  • iTim__
    iTim__ Posts: 6,823 Member
    I've never heard of this, but Wikipedia has some interesting info on it, including side effects:

    In animals:

    * In rodents, 5-HTP administration is used in various experimental procedures to induce a "head twitch response" -- behaviour generally thought to be correlated with the animal experiencing hallucinations. There is no evidence however for a similar response in humans, at least when dosage is within the recommended daily levels.
    * In rats, 5-HTP administration raises the risk of serotonin toxicity when given alongside other serotonergic drugs.
    * When given to pregnant sheep, 5-HTP alters the behavior of the fetus.

    In people:

    * When combined with carbidopa (as a treatment for symptoms of Parkinson's disease), 5-HTP causes nausea and vomiting; however this can be alleviated via administration of granisetron.
    * Taken with party pills, 5-HTP administration may raise the risk of acute serotonin syndrome.
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    I've never heard of this, but Wikipedia has some interesting info on it, including side effects:

    In animals:

    * In rodents, 5-HTP administration is used in various experimental procedures to induce a "head twitch response" -- behaviour generally thought to be correlated with the animal experiencing hallucinations. There is no evidence however for a similar response in humans, at least when dosage is within the recommended daily levels.
    * In rats, 5-HTP administration raises the risk of serotonin toxicity when given alongside other serotonergic drugs.
    * When given to pregnant sheep, 5-HTP alters the behavior of the fetus.

    In people:

    * When combined with carbidopa (as a treatment for symptoms of Parkinson's disease), 5-HTP causes nausea and vomiting; however this can be alleviated via administration of granisetron.
    * Taken with party pills, 5-HTP administration may raise the risk of acute serotonin syndrome.

    ^^

    Cool, thanks! It's never a good idea to take drugs without contacting your doctor. I'm sure these effects are only scratching the surface because there have been so few studies.
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