Posted by Hyena on November 12, 2010, at 14:07:06 [reposted on November 24, 2010, at 0:39:54 | original URL]
In reply to Optimax / tryptophan anyone?, posted by JMS600 on November 11, 2010, at 20:23:30
> Has anyone any experience with taking prescibed tryptophan for treatment resistant anxiety and depression? If so, how successful was it?
>
> I know simply trying to raise serotonin levels is not always the answer. But when most drugs have been tried unsuccessfully, isn't it time to consider alternatives such as tryptophan as an 'add on'??
>
>I have a good bit of experience with tryptophan. I was on lexapro a couple of years ago and stopped taking it cold turkey. I started getting brain shocks pretty bad from the withdrawal. I thought my brain must be suffering from the sudden drop in serotonin levels so I bought some tryptophan. I took a couple of pills for a dose of about 500mg but it did nothing for me. Because I was desperate and my mood was getting worse I decided to try a much higher dose of about 2 or 3 grams. The effect was amazing. It completely stopped the brain shocks and my mood was really elevated. It was a really nice feeling.
I took these large doses for several months after this and it worked great. The only problem was the cost and the amount of pills I had to swallow.
Then one day by accident I discovered that if I combined tryptophan and probiotics the effect was even greater. Using this combo I was able to take much less tryp but I had to take very high dose probiotics (caps of about 20 billion X 5). After searching the net to find out what was going on I found some sites suggesting that probiotics increase Tryptophan in the brain.
Anyway I kept taking this combo for another few months and it gave me great stability. I dont do it anymore because the cost was still high and I have substituted other supplements that are working well for less money.
By the way 5-htp also works better for me when taken with probiotics.
I think most people who try Tryptophan dont take enough and give up thinking it's useless. It may simply be that some of us have a need for greater amounts of it than others.
poster:Hyena
thread:969029
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20101117/msgs/971166.html