Posted by Chris O on May 22, 2003, at 10:55:04
In reply to Re: L-Tryptophan HEALTH WARNINGS, posted by Larry Hoover on May 22, 2003, at 8:28:54
Larry:
I'm no expert on amino acid supplementation, but I did have a scary experience with l-typtophan this year. I bought it from a company called Lidtke, who, I guess, is selling it illegally on some health food store shelves. Of course, on their website they have lots of marketing info about how their l-tryp is "pure and uncontaminated", etc. Well, a day after I took 1,000mg of the Lidtke l-tryp, I had strange muscle spasms in my arms, legs, and calves. These lasted for about a week. I have never felt anything like this in my life. I went to see a doctor because I knew these symptoms mimicked those of EMS. He was young, did not appear conservative to me, and seemed to know a good deal about EMS. He informed me that there is too much unknown about taking individual amino acid supplements and that it was not only people who took the genetically-modified Japanese version of l-tryp in 1989 who got EMS. I guess people who have gotten those symptoms off other single amino acid supplements too. Bottom line for me is that I would love to take something l-tryp if it was well studied, validated, "safe", but despite my distaste for the pharmaceutical industry and the conventional medical industry, I don't think l-tryp is a viable alternative to meds yet. I wish it was.
poster:Chris O
thread:227895
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030520/msgs/228322.html