Anyone who has taken 5-htp supplement please help!

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When I was doing a very low calorie diet (think 800 net calories) my hair was falling out. Are you eating enough?

kneely16 wrote: »

I've been on 5-htp supplement for about 3 months now. I really thought it was helping my depression and anxiety (which i still believe) but I have had significant hair loss in the past few months... may have been longer than ive been taking it i really cant remember. Im 25 this isnt normal.
Has anyone else ever had this from 5-htp? And if so, when you stopped taking it did hair loss get better?? im not sure if im being paranoid or if its stress. Im going to the Dr soon now but would love to hear from someone.
Please and thank you!

Supplements aren't regulated by FDA, so they could basically have ANYTHING in it. It's NOT uncommon to find ingredients in every supplement in the world that ISN'T on the label.
If your hair is falling out...........................STOP.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I never saw hair loss as a side affect of 5 htp. But if it is try stopping for a while and see if it helps.
Hair loss can also be from all sorts of other things, an unknown autoimmune disorder, thyroid, low iron, low other vitamins, hormonal changes, stress...If it doesn't stop in a couple weeks of dropping 5 htp, go to a Dr.

Go to your doctor asap and get blood work done. Schedule a dermatologist app & have them look at your scalp. Together they can rule out causes & help you get to the bottom of it. So sorry you're going thru this.

I'm going through a serious bout of hair shedding that turned out to be something called telogen effluvium (can google for more info). It's among the most common reasons for excessive hair shedding/falling out in our age group (young, under 35).

It's caused by a traumatic stressor on the body most commonly either: hormonal changes (pregnancy or change in birth control), infection (ex: tooth infection), surgery, and/or crash dieting. Often when the body hits a stressor that causes it to conserve energy and nutrients, hair is the first thing to go, while your body focuses on internal organs & "important" stuff. In my case the hair growing cycle became arrested.

I've taken 5-HTP safely on and off for years so I can't speak to that, but ask your doctor, and let him/her do the diagnosing.

I did not believe this telogen thingy was what was going on w me at first. I was convinced my doctor was wrong, but then my case & symptoms unfolded EXCATLY the way other typical cases do. My hair falls out at the root-bulb still attached. Hundreds of them. Daily. Showering makes me cry - seeing how much comes out in the drain, on my comb, can't even blow dry anymore. This all came to a head a few months after I moved, had a tooth infection that had to be removed, and subsequently basically stopped eating for almost a month from stress. I will NEVER make that mistake again - robbing my body of nutrients when it needs them most. I wasn't intentionally dieting, I just had this crazy reaction to stress, so much anxiety that I could not eat-not a typical reaction for me and I cannot explain it but I wish I would have forced myself to eat during that time.

Anyway, the hair loss peaked roughly 5 months after that. During that time I started taking better care of myself, and last month I noticed a crop of new baby hairs growing in - all the same length. Indicitaive of the way telogen effluviem begins to resolve (hair growth cycle resumes).

The only good news about this particular condition for me is that it is a temporary & resolves 6-24 months after the problem is removed/fixed but it takes time.

Not at all saying you have the same thing, just my story.

My hair is still falling out 7 months after the crazy anxiety ridden tooth pulled stopped eating days, but new hairs are growing in. I can feel that my hair is thinner when I put it in a ponytail. It sucks. But I know it will get better.

Sorry for the long post! I just wish I'd come across a story like mine early on.

Bottom line, go to your doctor. It's important. And don't take "we don't know" for an answer. Hang in there!

if you have an anxiety disorder and are not on proper meds, your hair could fall out from stress. that happened to me. also, make sure you aren't using any hair color with "odd" ingredients that would cause problems with your hair follicles. could be a hormonal imbalance (are you pregnant, nursing, just have a baby recently?) or thyroid issues. i had mounds of blood labs and was told my thyroid was normal, went to a specialist and found out that my thyroid was just a "BIT" off and he started me on a low dose of thyroid hormone. overall my energy is so much higher, even though i am only on a small fraction of what others are on. i would definitely see a dr. :flowerforyou: