I'm considering taking 100-200 mg of this supplement at night. Does anyone take it and feel it's helpful? Any interactions with Abx, especially Ceftin / Biaxin or Malarone?
How long does it take to see if you receive any benefit?
Any feedback is appreciated.
Posted by seekhelp (Member # 15067) on :
Sort of unrelated, but also does anyone find GABA useful as a supplement?
I had a neurotransmitter urine test done a year ago by a facility called Neurosciences. I have no idea if it's creditable at all. I didn't think much of it, but I should have since it cost $135!
It showed quite low serotonin and moderately low GABA. I was recommended to take two supplements (5-HTP and GABA). I bought them, but didn't commit to taking them. I think I'm ready to try this route now. I had fears of taking psych drugs. It's always been a mental battle for me.
Any issues with 5-HTP and GABA together?
FYI, I did a search and saw several old posts on 5-HTP. It's always nice to get more opinions more current too. Posted by seekhelp (Member # 15067) on :
Last of my own replies:
I found this article and author to be VERY interesting. Low serotonin causes muscle cramps.....hmmmm..
A lot of familiar symptoms of Lyme IMO. It makes you wonder what we're really battling.
Posted by CD57 (Member # 11749) on :
I've taken GABA and 5HTP for a long time. No problems, even with abx. Some people say 5htp gives them vivid dreams.
Posted by kam (Member # 3410) on :
I was taking it. I did not make the connection between the night mares and the 5HTP until I read an article about things to take to help with sleep for the chronically ill.
It said 5HTP was a good resource if you can handle the bad dreams.
Since I have stopped taking it...no more bad dreams.
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
For a while, I took 5 HTP with sleeping pills. The sleeping pills wouldn't keep me asleep, but the 5 HTP helped with that although the 5 HTP wouldn't put me to sleep, so the combination worked well for a while.
Posted by lpkayak (Member # 5230) on :
my llmd had me take it with melatonin for insomnis and it worked. i don't need it since i had my amalgams removed. no more insomnia after taking meds for it for 30 yrs!
Posted by dguy (Member # 8979) on :
seekhelp - I did that test and had similar results to yours. I suspect that lyme can disrupt proper neurotransmitter levels, and that can be responsible for some of the symptoms we experience. I'm researching possible mechanisms to account for that disruption.
As for supplements, GABA supplementation did nothing for me. Online I see various reports that GABA does not cross the blood-brain barrier, so dietary supplements won't have effect. Other reports say you need to take very large doses for any effect, and then the effect is primarily on muscle growth, not neurotransmitter levels in the brain. I've not been willing to try huge doses for concerns of side effects, not to mention the expense.
OTOH, various meds that influence my existing GABA levels have a huge impact on my migraine/dizziness. For example, benzodiazepines (which operate on the GABA system) clear up that symptom like magic. The problem with benzos is they are not sustainable because the body rapidly adjusts and becomes addicted, needing ever higher doses. Other things that boost natural GABA levels also help me, but not nearly as much as benzos do.
Like GABA, serotonin is a neurotransmitter. Many antidepressants manipulate serotonin levels, but you can also take supplements to boost serotonin production. 5-HTP is one of them, others are l-tryptophan, vitamin B6 and zinc.
For many people, l-tryptophan and 5-HTP have a sedating effect. They had the opposite on me! What I quickly discovered is they somehow boost the activity of thyroid hormone (I take thyroid supplements), such that I felt hyperthyroid, which is anything but sedating. With l-tryptophan and 5-HTP, I no longer needed to take as much thyroid supplementation. I have not experienced any change in dreams from 5-HTP.
When I tried 100 mg of vitamin B6, I got a terrible headache. The headache was similar to those I get if I take too much thyroid hormone. So, B6 also lessens my need for thyroid supplementation. I am able to tolerate small doses of B6, as in 10 to 25 mg daily. Zinc works similarly on me, but not as powerfully. It could be I am deficient in B6, perhaps due to lyme. You might look up pyroluria to see if it matches at all for you.
I suspect all these supplements are boosting serotonin, and there's an interaction with thyroid hormone. Somehow this is all connected with the immune system and lyme.
Posted by Tiramisu (Member # 15082) on :
I tried 5HTP on two different occasions for about 6-8 wks or so. Neither trial worked for me for sleep.
Posted by Shosty (Member # 12232) on :
be careful with Nueroscience supplements, which have several ingredients besides the 5HTP or GABA. There are some good books on 5HTP (in my house somewhere). As I remember, you might want to start only with the 5HTP and wait before adding anythign else. Start at 50mg, not 100-200. Take it alone or with some B6, but not too much, because too much B6 makes the serotonin metabolism happen in the bloodstream, not the brain, and can be toxic (this is from memory, so check my facts).
My daughter had a huge improvement in an OCD/depression issue she was having, on 5HTP, for a month. Relief was very quick, and seemed miraculous.
However, after a month, there was a backlash with panic attacks and other things. I read that this happens with 20% of all people who take it, and that taking L-tyrosine with it can help prevent the backlash.
Finally, some experts on 5HTP (again, I can't find the book right now) recommend taking breaks, for instance, taking it on weekdays and skipping it on weekends.
It definitely can cause sleepiness, but for some it can cause jitters. But for many, it really can be of help.
Interesting that it might address muscle pain...
Posted by seekhelp (Member # 15067) on :
I'm more intetested in 5-HTP for mood enhancement than sleep. I can sleep fine through the night, but really never have any energy. Weird.
I'm considering trying L-Glycine for deeper sleep, but I don't know if it's just more $$$ down the old pot. Most of these supplements Dr B and other prominenet LLMDs recommend are just that.
Posted by Shosty (Member # 12232) on :
You are probably doing this, but it is cheaper to buy the ingredients by themselves.
I also think it is safer, as I said before, to try one ingredient at a time, at the lowest dose possible. 5
HTP will have a very quick effect on mood, which will last for a few weeks, even if you are in that 20% for whom it stops working...
You can buy it pretty cheaply, at least compared to some of the supplements recommended by doctors and naturopaths...
Posted by sunshinyday (Member # 14337) on :
I was taught that 5-HTP, L-tyrosine and L-Lysine taken together make seratonin. It has worked for me.
Zinc has been credited with leveling out your dopamine levels.
I find when I feel overwhelmed I test for the Seratonin mixture. When I feel really sad that my dopamine level is down.
You have to be careful with the zinc, ecause too much can cause problems with the metals. If you can get tested(muscle, art, biotensor,etc.)that is best.
This is not medical advice, just sharing what has worked for me.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)