5htp question?
Thursday, July 30th, 2009 at
10:29 pm
i want to start taking the supplement 5htp. i have depression and trouble sleeping at night, but i want to take a natural supplement. i have been doing research on it, and have been reading so many contradicting ‘facts’ about 5htp.
does anyone know the FACTS about this supplement? does it help depression/insomnia? weight loss?
i’m healthy and young, i don’t have any known heart problems. although i do have asthma. i am not currently on any other medications. would it be okay for me to start taking 5htp?
are there any risks? what are they?
any other information would be helpful.
Filed under: Alternative Medicine
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There’s a lot of yes/no answers in there. I would talk to a doctor that knows about supplements like a homeopathic, holistic, or naturalistic doctor…. if none are available, check with a nutritionist or chiropractor.
The number one reasons I say that is because you said you are young and have a medical condition (asthma). Most supplements (especially herbs) are not listed for use of anyone under 18 years old, so a doctor should be the only one that can tell you yes or no.
Now, on to the facts.
5-HTP is typically naturally-derived from griffonia beans and is a neurotransmitter that supports your overall mental and emotional well-being. It does that by promoting healthy levels of Serotonin, which is the hormone that helps regulate both mood and sleep patterns.
The reason that there are warnings on it (especially about prescriptions and depressants) is because it DOES impact a hormone in your body. All of your hormones exist on a balanced system within your body….. if one of them is thrown off too much, it can throw all of them off. Needless to say, because of that, it’s not something that should be taken lightly without looking at the implications (like a doctor would).