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5-HTP

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Question: Does 5-HTP Help Treat Bipolar Disorder?

Please inform me with regard to whether or not 5htp is successful for bipolar illness as well. Actual hypo mania followed by depression.

Regards,
Lisa


Answer #1

The word seems to be: yes! I am a bipolar 25-year-old who also has ADD and have been taking 5-HTP (100 mg) before bedtime for about 3 weeks. At first I noticed only a decreased sense of anxiety during the day, as well as the fact that I slept like a rock: not to mention a little more "smoothness" in my moods. As of today I have upped the dosage to 100 mg, 3 x a day, and so far I have noticed a sense of calm and general clear-headedness the equal of which I have not felt in some time.

From what I have read, it takes up to two to three weeks for any change in dosage to reach its full effect. So we'll just have to wait around and see. Also: I am taking the 5-HTP in conjunction with Lithium, and research is showing that the two can complement each other. Taking 5-HTP may even make it possible for a person to reduce their Lithium dosage, which many bipolars, I think, would be very happy to hear. Regardless of whether one is on a mood stabilizer, though, 5-HTP is worth a shot.

Cheers and good luck,
BRG


Answer #2

I am a 23 year old type 2 bipolar patient, and while I have not taken 5-HTP supplements, I can do a little speculation. I make neurochemistry a bit of a hobby.

5-HT is serotonin, the neurotransmitter targeted by SSRI drugs. It stands for 5-hydroxytryptamine. All it is is tryptophan (an amino acid) with a hydroxy group and an amine group stuck on it. While I'm not sure, I think 5-HTP would stand for 5-hydroxytryptophan. One metabolic step away from serotonin.

Serotonin does NOT cross the blood-brain barrier, and so direct oral serotonin supplementation would have little, if any, effect. Tryptophan supplementation can increase serotonin levels, but tryptophan has been outlawed in the U.S. by some reactionary in the FDA.

I would suspect that 5-HTP would also increase serotonin activity in the brain, brought into the brain by a metabolic similar to the conversion of tryptophan into 5-HT. This would, in theory, have an antidepressant effect.

There are a couple problems here though. Dumping loads of tryptophan (and probably 5-HTP as well) into your system can cause an increase in levels of quinolinic acid, a byproduct of the metabolism of serotonin. This is a rather toxic chemical that will kill brain cells.

The other problem is that any time you add anything with antidepressant effects into the mix in a bipolar patient, you run the risk of triggering a manic or hypomanic episode. If you're already taking lithium, valproic acid, gabapentin, or some other mood stabilizing drug, you would probably be OK, but not necessarily.

If you're bipolar and in a depressed state, I really don't know why you would choose 5-HTP over a drug with proven efficacy like any of the SSRIs. If you have problems with SSRIs, then there are very good alternatives, like Remeron, Wellbutrin, or one of the tricyclics (I like nortriptyline - very effective, relatively low side-effect profile).

If you insist on taking 5-HTP without a mood-stabilizer, BE CAREFUL and STOP taking it if you start to go too high. The last thing you want is a full blown nutso manic episode. I've had antidepressant induced hypomanic before (while on valproic acid), it's not something you want to deal with.


Answer #3

Dear Soul,

I have read the other responses to your question. I am bipolar too, and adamantly will not take any unnatural chemicals to attempt to balance me, as none of them do the job well. Once you come off of them, if you do, you are in a much worse state then before you went on them.

For me, I took 5-HTP, which by the way is basically tryptophan as the other person said. Tryptophan was banned because of one bad batch that was isolated overseas one time, but mainly because tryptophan is the answer to balancing ourselves, and if lots of us knew that, then all those pharmaceutical companies would be making far less profits. Our healing ourselves naturally is not in their best interest. As I was saying, 5-HTP did not make me sleep, but made me feel manic and gave me a headache, so I chose to stop taking it. But what I have found that does work (to my amazement) to naturally increase serotonin levels is Blue Green Algae!! Yes, 3 pills, 3 times per day (brand: Omega 3 out of Oregon) and also taking acidophilus with algae on an empty stomach in the morning. It naturally increases the serotonin with no side effects and even acts as an antidepressant.

At age 33, I have become my own physician and have healed myself of severe acid reflux where I could not talk for 5 months or digest food for 2 (I was on a liquid diet), hypoglycemia, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, severe environmental illness, allergies, blackouts, memory loss and balancing my bipolar mood swings. Eating a good diet of really high organic complex carbohydrates and protein and veggies in small meals, meditating and having Reiki healing attunements and Chakra energy balancing did it for me, along with a completely changing my lifestyle and finally accepting God/Goddess into my life to help me.

Getting your hormones balanced too with a new plant product called Sterinol by Moducare and/or taking Royal Maca from Peru is also good for getting your body's immune system and hormones balanced naturally. These are really new and I do know more about them, and there is not a lot of documented evidence to their effectiveness. But as for me, I do not take 5-HTP. I take Tyrosine 2 times per day. I hope that this has been helpful. I mostly recommend that you try the Blue Green Algae. It also helps with muscle pain too. Sterinol is also the new cure to Fibromyalia they say in a new book called The Immune System Cure. I still get depressed and manic at times, but it is far reduced. All of the medicines that I ever tried had terrible side effects and did not help me one bit. I am so glad that I do not have to take them. They are expensive and harmful and I do not like being the doctors guinea pig. Also, if you are female as I am and wanting to have a child, you will have to come off of the medications. When you do, you will be far more extreme then before you went on them.

Universal Life Force energy or Prana or Reiki Healing Energy I believe can, if applied correctly, heal anyone of most anything. It is the only thing I can truly attest to that worked for me, as for quite some time I could not even swallow pills or keep myself on any steady program. Find someone you like/feel comfortable with and get a treatment. In many areas, they have free or $5-10 donations for group Reiki or Hands on Healing treatments. Open your mind and give it a try. It works. Good luck. Great Blessings of Love and Light to you.

Shannon



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