Posted by bleauberry on September 26, 2009, at 16:41:24
In reply to 5 Htp some insight please., posted by Chowdha on September 25, 2009, at 22:30:59
For the best information I know of to guide you on your usage of 5htp I would suggest going to this forum: www.sjwinfo.org. It is primarily a St Johnswort forum, but there is also a forum for 5htp and another for Rhodiola.
What you will discover with 5htp is that it is not a medicine to take like clockwork, but rather a natural function to take as needed. In other words, doses may be very small, several times a day, once every few days, or constant everyday like a med. Each person is different and it requires some experimentation in getting to know your body.
For example, a common story is that after doing well with 5htp for a period of time depression creeps back in or there is a flat effect. That is a sign that serotonin has been over exaggerated for too long. While the larger constant doses were needed early in treatment, later in treatment they could have been reduced. This is commonly remedied by adding balance to serotonin, which is tyrosine (for dopamine and norepinephrine).
Some people find that once there serotonin system has been refurbished, they can go several days without any 5htp and do fine. They take it every few days to resupply the stores of serotonin. They can feel when the stores are getting low.
Bottled doses and internet hyped doses are, in my opinion, exceedingly high. A normal 50mg dose for a quick bounceback might be appropriate, but for everyday constant usage I don't think so. That just takes one chemical imbalance and creates a new one in the opposite direction. Anyway, whatever, you'll see that some people take very low doses. One person I believe did something like 25mg per day spread out in several tiny amounts. People get to know and sense when they need more or less at any particular time and adjust their doses and timing accordingly.
And of course some people need large doses. The point is, everyone is different. The best way to get a good picture of the various strategies of successful 5htp users is to see their posts at sjwinfo.org.
poster:bleauberry
thread:918526
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090921/msgs/918609.html