![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by nilla on May 20, 2003, at 9:52:13
seems like my 400 mg of Serzone might be pooping out. I did best on 500-600mg of it several years ago but I'm trying to keep my dosage low.. Looking for an alternative to prescriptions...
Anyone have experience with either SAM-E and/or 5-HTP? I tried 800mg/day of SAM-E (400 2x) and I noticed no improvement)... desperate to try new stuff..
previous med combos were serzone + wellbutrin (no improvement), serzone w/ low dosage of provigil (no improvement), serzone w/ paxil (no improvement). symptoms: depression, apathy, anti-social, fatigue, overall gloom n doom "why bother" attitude. Angst at it's best.
thanks for responding... I need some light in my darkness.
Posted by Caleb462 on May 20, 2003, at 12:27:59
In reply to On Serzone. Add SAM-E and/or 5-HTP?, posted by nilla on May 20, 2003, at 9:52:13
I tried SAM-e for a little while, and got a mild anti-depressant effect from it. It was screwing up my sleep big time though, so I stopped it.
As for 5-HTP, it's useless. A scam. It does not cross the blood-brain barrier.
Posted by Bill L on May 20, 2003, at 14:19:21
In reply to On Serzone. Add SAM-E and/or 5-HTP?, posted by nilla on May 20, 2003, at 9:52:13
Your best alternative is to raise your dose of Serzone.
Posted by Tony P on May 23, 2003, at 2:25:53
In reply to Re: On Serzone. Add SAM-E and/or 5-HTP?, posted by Caleb462 on May 20, 2003, at 12:27:59
> As for 5-HTP, it's useless. A scam. It does not cross the blood-brain barrier.It may be useless, but in my experience it has SOME effect. Perhaps it disturbs a metabolic equilibrium. I tried taking it for insomnia while I was on AD's (Wellbutrin and/or Serzone), instead got much worse insomnia, and what I've now come to recognize as a mild case of Serotonin Syndrome (i.e. excess).
My old Merck lists 5-HTP as a serotonin precursor; the question is, where does it "precurse"? Which side of the blood/brainn barrier? Does circulating serotonin affect receptor activity? All pharmacologists/biochemists on deck - bring me up to date here!
Posted by Tony P on May 23, 2003, at 3:03:05
In reply to Re: On Serzone. Add SAM-E and/or 5-HTP?, posted by Tony P on May 23, 2003, at 2:25:53
Also see current thread on L-Tryptophan/5-HTP, esp. Re: L-Tryptophan HEALTH WARNINGS » Chris O
(http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030520/msgs/228359.html)There is SOME evidence for an effect - however it may be mediated.
Posted by Caleb462 on May 23, 2003, at 10:13:04
In reply to Re: On Serzone. Add SAM-E and/or 5-HTP?, posted by Tony P on May 23, 2003, at 2:25:53
> My old Merck lists 5-HTP as a serotonin precursor; the question is, where does it "precurse"? Which side of the blood/brainn barrier? Does circulating serotonin affect receptor activity? All pharmacologists/biochemists on deck - bring me up to date here!
>5-HTP is created within the blood-brain barrier, after L-tryptophan has already crossed the BBB. The hydroxy in 5-hydroxytryptophan is what prevents it from crossing into the brain from the outside, same with serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine). Thus serotonin circulating in the bloodstream will have no effect in the central nervous system.
I am not an expert... but I believe I'm correct.
As to whether 5-HTP has any anti-depressant effect, well I suppose it's possible, though I don't understand the mechanism. Larry, you wanna weigh in on this?
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.