5-Htp Mood Enhancer Nature’s Serotonin

5-HTP (compound 5-hydroxytryptophan) is a derivative of the amino acid tryptophan. A mood-enhancing chemical, it has gained a great deal of respect lately because of its ability to decrease depression. Unlike other supplements and prescribed drugs that have molecules too large to pass from the bloodstream into the brain, molecules of 5-HTP are small enough to do so. Once in the brain, they’re converted into an important nervous system chemical, or neurotransmitters called serotonin.

5-HTP is the intermediate metabolite of the essential amino acid L-tryptophan which was taken off the market in 1989 because 27 people died from it (over 250,000 people die each year from prescribed pharmaceuticals). Unlike tryptophan, 5-HTP cannot be converted to kynurenine; so it can easily cross the blood brain barrier. While only three percent of an oral dose of tryptophan is converted to serotonin, over seventy percent of an oral dose of 5- HTP is converted to serotonin. Today, 5-hydroxytrptophan is considered a safer and more effective treatment for these conditions. In addition it is much cheaper than L-tryptophan.

5-HTP causes an increase in levels of endorphin and other neurotransmitters that are often decreased in cases of depression. 5-HTP also increases serotonin levels. Thus, it is much more effective for depression. In fact, numerous studies have shown that 5- HTP has equal effectiveness compared to drugs like Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft (SSRIs) and tricyclic antidepressant drugs like imipramine and desipramine in terms of effectiveness, therefore tryptophan and especially 5-HTP, should not be used by anyone taking any of these drugs or not to be used with Saint John’s Wort. 5-HTP may also be helpful in some cases of compulsive carbohydrate overeating, alcohol addiction and compulsive gambling (specific forms of OCD), as well as for insomnia. Reported side effects include nausea, vomiting, and difficulty breathing. High doses of 5-HTP can cause agitation, fast heart rate, a boost in blood pressure.

Numerous clinical trials have studied the efficacy of 5-HTP for treating depression. One compared 5-HTP to the antidepressant drug fluvoxamine and found 5-HTP to be equally effective. Researchers used the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and a self-assessment scale to gauge the effectiveness of the two medications. Both scales revealed a gradual reduction in depressive symptoms through time with both medications. Perhaps the most convincing evidence, however, comes from scientists who examined research from around the world on the use of 5-HTP in treating depression. One such researcher, writing in Neuropsychobiology, sums up the findings this way: "Of the 17 reviewed studies, 13 confirm that 5-HTP has true antidepressant properties." (David Wolfson, N.D.)

The effective dose of 5-HTP appears to be between 50 and 500 mg daily.3 Used in combination with other antidepressant substances, however, the effective dose may be even lower. Research shows that some people respond better to lower doses, so I recommend beginning at the low end of the dose range and increasing as necessary. Side effects associated with therapeutic doses of 5-HTP are rare.