What is 5 HTP? What Are The Benefits

5-HTP is a relatively new supplement having been discovered in 1994.  It has many potential benefits from aiding weight loss to helping relieve insomnia, to helping overcome anxiety and depression.

Below I'll explain these potential benefits in more detail:

5-HTP and Weight Loss

5-HTP does not actually help you lose weight, but what it does do is stops the craving certain foods, such as carbohydrates and fats,  that often cause weight gain.  If you are one of those people who craves for cakes, bread and pasta then this could work for you.  You will only achieve weight loss by reducing the amount of these foods you are eating and 5-HTP can help acting as a simple, convenient suppressant.

Craving often occurs when your Serotonin levels are low, so we start to crave foods to raise it.  Unfortunately, Serotonin is not found in high quantities in many foods, so we turn to carbohydrates and fats to fulfill that need.  5-HTP provides a natural, effective alternative to increasing our levels to more normal levels.  If our Serotonin levels are normal / high then our cravings for these fatty foods subside.


Depression

Depression is a major subject in today’s world.  There are many diagnosis of depression including loss of interest in activities, overwhelming sadness or fear, the feeling of helplessness and disturbed sleep patterns just to mention a  few.  There are many more symptoms but these are the more common.

The medical profession usually prescribe SSRI’s (Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors).  However, there are many side effects with these drugs as well as the risk that they become addictive.  5-HTP is a non-addictive supplement and has proven to be as effective as many prescription drugs.

5-HTP does not change the brains normal metabolic processes, unlike SSRI’s like Prozac.  It works by raising raise the level of Serotonin in the brain.

It is recommended that you start on a low dosage of 50mg and increase this to 100mg if you feel the need, taking a break after 3 months to re-evaluate how you feel.

It can take time for the supplement to raise your Serotonin level, typically around 2-3 weeks, so be patient and don’t give up after a week.


Insomnia

 Insomnia is the inability to remain asleep for any length of time.  The brain has the inability to rest and ‘switch off’.

The brain makes a hormone called Melatonin which is a sleep inducing hormone and aids restful sleep.  If your levels are low then it makes restful sleep difficult.

5-HTP not only raises the Serotonin levels but also the Melatonin levels in the brain.  Both are needed to achieve a restful sleep as well as relieving worries.

If you are using 5-HTP to aid sleep, you are advised to keep to a low dose of around 50mg.  It should be noted that one of the more commin effects of using 5-HTP is that it can enhance your dreams making them more vivid.  This can be good or bad depending on how you view it.


Anxiety

Anxiety manifests itself in many forms.  Shortness of breath, heart palpitations, shaking, nausea, bloating and dizziness to mention a few but there are more that have been reported.

Most of these effects are caused by low Serotonin levels.  Taking a regular dose of 5-HTP will help raise your Serotonin level to a point where these attacks cease.  Again be patient as the Serotonin levels can take a couple of weeks to reach normal levels where if benefits become noticeable.

Few Men's problem

Pre-mature edaculation and erection problems (ED) are 2 of the most commons problem men face today. In several studies 5 htp has shown that it can inderetly cure these problems.


As with any medication it is advisable to fully research the product and you may want to read about side effects and dosage.

Side Effects of 5HTP - Take Precautions

The use of 5-HTP is generally safe because it is naturally produced by our body. However, as with any other supplements some precautions should be taken

It is said to be beneficial to many people, but there is always someone that it may not suit and they will react poorly when using the supplement.

As long as the supplement is taken in safe doses then there will be little if any effects at all.  However, more research is required to understand the effects of using higher dosages.

5-HTP should not be used if you are taking certain prescription drugs, such as other anti-depressants or SSRI’s as you may experience some serious side effects.

Whatever the side effect, because this a more natural supplement, the side effects will be less pronounced, less likely to occur than with prescribed drugs like SSRI’s.

Side effects that have been reported usually occur when regularly using a dose of 100mg or more, and tend to be temporary while using the supplement.  Most side effects will stop soon after you stop taking 5-HTP.

The most common side effects are nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, nightmares, decreased sex drive, constipation and gas and drowsiness.

Dosages of more than 100mg should only be taken with recommendation from your GP.  If you take too much, excessing increases in your Serotonin levels can cause a condition called Serotonin syndrome.  This can be very serious and even be fatal.

Signs of Serotonin syndrome are sustained rapid eye movements, rapid  muscle relaxation and  contraction in the ankle causing abnormal movements in the foot, feeling drunk or dizzy, clumsiness, sweating,  high body temperature,  muscle twitching,  rigidity, euphoria and drowsiness.

There is a group of people that should not take 5-HTP as is can make their condition worse and be extremely harmful:

1. Cardiovascular Disease, high blood pressure
2. The elderly
3. Those with Parkinson’s disease, cancer,  or autoimmune disease like rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and lupus
4. Lung disease
5. Alcoholics
6. Liver disease
7. Parasitic infection
8. AIDS
9. Anorexia
10. Low protein diets
11. Allergies
12. Myalgia – persistent pain in the muscles
13. Rash or flushing
14. Edema
15. Nausea
16. Diarrhoea
17. Sickle Cell
18. Haemophilia
19. Pregnant

You should also note that you cannot take 5-HTP if you are taking a certain group of drugs:

1. Anti-depressants
2. Alcohol
3. Weight loss medications
4. Antihistamines or cold remedies
5. Tranquilizers
6. Antibiotics
7. Cancer chemotherapy
8. Intravenous drugs

The reason is that many of these also increase your Serotonin levels and so in effect you will be taking a Serotonin over dose which will cause the side effects listed above.

If you do decide that 5-HTP is for you, always be aware of how you are feeling and on the alert for unwanted side effects.   If there is any chance that you are feeling unwell, physically or mentally stop taking the supplement immediately and the discomfort should stop shortly afterwards.

5 HTP Dosage - Get it Right or Regret Later!

5-HTP is a newly discovered supplement that is gaining a reputation for helping to treat a multitude of conditions, acting as an appetite suppressant and food manager, helping with depression, and working as a sleep aid.

5-HTP stands for 5 Hydroxytryptophan and is also known as oxitriptan.  It works by helping the body to naturally increase the production of serotonin; the happy chemical in your brain!

As with all supplements and medications the body's response is different for everyone.  The correct dosage must be administered which may be different for the symptoms that it is treating and from person to person.  It has been recorded that too high a dose of 5-HTP can cause cardiovascular disease or other such side effects including poor blood circulation.

There are various reports on what is the correct dosage of 5-HTP to take.  Again there are differences and the correct doage can vary from 25 milligrams up to 300 milligrams.

On average a dose of 100 grams seems to be a safe level to take as a supplement.  Some sources recommend that if a higher level is taken then it should be done in conjunction with another drug Carbidopra.  This is supposed to help prevent serotonin being made in the peripheral circulatory system.

You can buy 5-HTP over the counter and they come in various sizes even as low as 20ml per capsule but more often they are sold in 50mg and 100mg capsules.

Some people can do well on just 20mg of 5-HTP a day whereas others may need 100mg per day.

However much you take it is always best to have on an empty stomach as is more easily absorbed.  There is also a 5-HTP spray and lozenge that can be taken subliminally, that is taken under the tongue.

The use of 5-HTP is relatively new and was only introduced in 1994.  There is still much research that has to be done and so it is recommended that you take the minimum dosage required to get a result and not for any prolonged periods of time but to have a break after 2-3 months.

It is important to be consistent when taking 5-HTP capsules in order to achieve the best results; ensure that you are taking the capsules at the same time of day, under the same set of circumstances, whether with or without food, also taking into consideration any additional supplements you are using.

It is also recommended that you take your 5-HTP about half an hour before you go to bed.  This is because not only does 5-HTP increase serotonin levels but also melatonin.  This is a sleep inducing hormone so not advisable to take first thing in the morning or if you have to drive.  It is important to note that the effects of 5-HTP can be felt within 10 minutes of taking it.

So to summarize, if you just want to have a restful sleep then a 25mg dosage should be adequate.  If you are using 5-HTP for something more like depression or anxiety then a maximum of 100mg is safe.

As the capsules usually come in 50mg then we can safely say that 1 x 50mg is an acceptable dose.

It is always advisable to read the instructions that come with your packet of 5-HTP or even check with you GP.

For Weight Loss:

If you want to lose wight by suppressing your appetite 5HTP is the ideal choice for you. Take 50mg 3 times per day. (As recommended by Dr Oz)