Has anybody tried L-Tryptophan in place of traditional SSRIs in order to mitigate MAV? My understanding is L-Tryptophan is the only substance that can be converted into serotonin and SSRIs only work to trap existing serotonin in the brain. It would stand to reason L-Tryptophan would be at a minimum somewhat as effective as traditional SSRIs at increasing serotonin levels in the brain.
5-HTP is similar to L-Tryptophan. Apparently the conversion goes:
L-Tryptophan–>5-HTP–>Serotonin
Anybody ever try either of these?
i have tried 5HTP to help me sleep…i didnt find it helped me. '-( maybe i needed more than 50mg?
yrs ago i was tapering off sleeping pills & i was taking triptphan at nite…it worked really good but it was dis-continued. :x not sure why? Im in canada.
Ive read that 5HTP can help with migraines…but i am currently taking nortriptyline, so i dont think i should take both.
Hi
Yes, that is the conversion. I take 5htp at 100 mg nightly. It helped a bit and I agree that to have a serotonin reuptake inhibitor, one needs the serotonin in the first place. By itself it didn’t do much but ad part if my cocktail, I think it’s a fine choice.
Kelley