User Reviews for 5-htp

I will highly recommend this.

Let me first write - there are several different types of 5HTP on the market...be sure to read the labels carefully. My original reason for trying 5 HTP (again) was to help me get some zzz's at night - nothing else was working, so I grabbed an older bottle that I purchased from CVS (generic brand). The first night I took one with my Melatonin and slept better, at least when I woke up at 1 AM - I did go back to sleep. When the CVS bottle ran dry, I went to the local Vitamin Shoppe and purchased 5HTP, but this one contained Phosporous (the first bottle did not) in addition to 5HTP and B6 - well, let me tell you this one KEPT ME AWAKE all night and I had the feeling of restless leg syndrome. I ended up taking 1/2 tab of Motrin PM every 2 hours to try and get some sleep. Talk about being a Zombie for work! The CVS label said it will produce drowsiness and help with sleep...the Vitamin Shoppe did not. My takeaway READ the LABEL on each bottle before deciding which one is needed, not all 5 HTP's are equal. I tried the VS version twice now and same results each time. I have since gone back to the cheaper version (CVS) and will stick with it. Good luck to all who are trying to figure out their individual problems...I just want some good quality sleep! Read More Read Less

I have taken 5-HTP for a while to help with my ADHD. Completely gone! You have to take really small amounts, like 30mg (max) of 5-HTP, then take it with 50mg of venlafaxine, which is an snri. So as the 5htp increases seratonin (in small doses), the venlafaxine prevents some seratonin from reabsorption, allowing seratonin to build up in the brain. Most effective treatment yet!

I took these vitamins to help with ADHD. Worst mistake! I have been nauseous to the point where I can’t even drink water without it upsetting my stomach. This is my third time taking them, I wanted to give them a chance and I can’t anymore. I immediately started shaking and sweating after taking them this last time. It felt like I was going to pass out. 5-htp makes your drowsy and does have negative side affects. Please do research before taking them. Serotonin is good for your body but too much of it can lead to medical health problems. Read More Read Less

The overall effect for me was a lifted spirit. I was more motivated, also more positive minded

I took my first 2 pills last night to help me deal with stressful life events. I have had the side effects of nausea and drowsiness and still feel them 17 hours later. I did feel the serotonin increase as relaxed muscles and that relaxed feeling i have at night just before sleep, but I overslept by 2 hours and still got mildly stressed and burst into tears in a confrontation this morning. Since I am in good health and still find moments of happiness each day, I'm thinking of waiting a dsy or two and then trying one more pill to see what happens. After reading about side effects and contamination, I'm not sure the risks are worth it for me. I already slept well anyway. Read More Read Less

Was given 5htp for sleep by my doctor who told me it increases melatonin. Insomnia was causing anxiety & I had a severe adverse reaction for 2 months on it. I should have researched prior as I can't tolerate serotonin increases and my doctor knew my history with ssri's. The worst mental side effects & withdrawals and I continue to experience numbness in body parts and now depression 2 months after. There should be warning labels on these supplements esp since they aren't fda approved. I wish I never touched this garbage.Read More Read Less

I have dealt with mild OCD for over 50 years, and believed that the side effects from the pharma "cures" were worse that the problem. This lead me to try 5-HTP. Overall, I will say that dosing at 100 mg daily reduces stress levels, which stops me from starting the patterns that lead to the OCD "continuous loop." I have also had better, more refreshing sleep. If I take the capsules on an empty stomach, then I have horrible gastric distress; taking it with a fairly large meal OR one that contains a lot of fiber helps considerably. This is worth a try if you have ingrained, stress induced habits that you want to break.Read More Read Less

I have a tough time with SSRIs, and tried 5HTP on my doctor's advice. The first week was AMAZING, and I felt better than ever. By week two I was overly emotional, and by week three crying over everything and getting severe heart palpitations. Tears and palpitations went away immediately upon discontinuing. I was disappointed as I really wanted this supplement to work. Depression after stopping was increased, and it took quite a awhile to bounce back. I was lucky and had a supportive doctor to walk me through this- don't use this supplement casually, and be very mindful in changes that you experience. I'm glad it works for some- it seems effective for short term depression for some peopleRead More Read Less

I've been taking this product for a while off and on. I took it a few years ago and my family/ friends all commented that they noticed a positive difference in me. I noticed a difference within 3 days. The negative self talk and impulsiveness moved to the background then disappeared in a few weeks. I have no negative side effects except they make me sleepy but since I have trouble sleeping I guess that's really a positive too. I just take them about 7 pm.

Amazing supplement!! Effectively raised my seroyonin levels and practically eliminated depression and anxiety. Works better than pharmaceuticals and causes no side effects or addiction. But it's VERY important to get a good quality one. Don't buy supplements from Walmart or Wallgreens or such places because they sell junk full of toxic garbage that will hurt your health and sanity (but hey, it increases corporate profits and that's apparently the most important thing in America, where toxins are legal to help the bottom line for corporations, even if it damages your wellbeing and sanity. That is the kind of morally bankrupt unintelligent system we live in). Buy the highest and purest quality you can possibly find. No fillers, no toxins, no additives, no junk. I am pretty sure that most of those who reported negative reactions here, was because they took low quality junk full of toxins (either that or they are paid by Big Pharma to rubbish on alternatives) High quality 5-htp is a gift from heavens and one of the most effectice ways to increase serotonin and balance neaurotransmitters. Other ways being diet, sleep, reduction in stress, listening to your heart and doing what truely brings you the deepest joy (not what society/family expects you yo do and not necessarily where the "job security" is) and most importantly - love and resolution of traumas, which are VERY common and are the root cause of most psychological disharmony in our insensitive unaware immature brutal society. One more th8ng that helped me enormously in coming out of depression and learning to love myself was the writing (and videos) by Jeff Foster and Matt Licata. They are both on facebook and slso have blogs. Deeply insightful and touching and helpful and intelligent and compassionate writings with deep insight into the human condition and suffering. Very highly recommended! Good luck friends! Please always listen to your heart first and foremost and always love youself! You are precious! Read More Read Less

Took for about 2 weeks and it did help with anxiety and ability to sleep. Then started to experience some fatigue, muscle spasms in legs and palpitations and irregular heart beat. Stopped taking and symptoms resolved.

I take 5HTP to help me sleep. I have always had difficulty maintaining a normal sleep pattern, ever since my early teens, which is when I first also had the depression that has affected me from time to time ever since. After having a form of MS some forty years ago (undiagnosed at the time, but a symptom pattern which exactly matches current diagnostic criteria) I now have fibromyalgia which severely affects my sleep,’pattern’ leaving my often unable to sleep for as much as 28 hours at a time. Even then when I do eventually manage to sleep, I may wake again after only 3 or 4 hours before another long period of wakefulness. At other times I may crash out and sleep for 14-16 hours at a stretch. It’s not the pain of fibromyalgia which presents sleep, though that doesn’t help. It’s just that I seem to have a completely muddled sleep ‘pattern’. I also have very frequent migraines, often daily for periods of up to several weeks. Though, fortunately, the symptoms are largely controlled by preventative treatment and tablets taken at the onset, I find the only way to recover is to sleep,for a few ours, thus further disrupting me sleep. I therefore take 3 x 50mg capsules of 5HTP each night which has allowed me to cut my prescribed sleeping tablet in half. I can’t say it always works, but it has still made a huge difference. When it does work I can feel it. I gradually become noticeably drowsy and — providing I do nothing to over-ride it like moving around too much or reading/playing Patience (U.S. ‘Solitairr’ I think) on my iPad for too long and then take my sleeping tablet I usually have no trouble falling asleep. It sounds very ‘belt-and-braces’ to need both the 5HTP and the prescribed sleeping tablet, but, mostly, without both sleep is very elusive and I’m awake for my usual 26 or so hours again. 5HTP at least gives me some measure of control, allowing me to at least be awake during the day, such natural pattern as I have tending to sleep from 4 or 5am to afternoon.Read More Read Less

been on antidepressants for 6 years. replaced them with 5HTP and immediate results better than prescription drugs in managing depression, anxiety, insomnia, temperament, mood, I am no longer the mean girl. i get mean with stress and this has changed my life

I am weanig myself off of antideptessants and find 5-htp is better. Antidepressants helped with my sleep but i was still always irritable, mean and stressed at work. Now with 5htp once at night an donce in the morning. I am in a good mood, not angry and annoyed all the time, and i am functioning better at work which no antidepressant has been successful at doing

Ive been taking 200 mg of 5-HTP at night for about a month and have found that i no longer struggle with falling asleep every night. I also have noticed a change in my mood during the day, im less likely to get angry and am generally happy. It has also decreased my appetite by a small amount, but no weight loss.

2 weeks 100mg in the evening -> 3. week 200 mg, 100mg Morning and evening -> 5. week 300mg, 100mg Morning, mid-day and evening. I'm using a Product not listed. 100mg + Vitamin B6 I have very serious Depression amd Anxiety, I'm not able to work, I can't do my housework and literaly every little thing requires me to fight for it. Including my Hygene, I rarely leave my apartment. A few days into 200mg my mood is noticeably better. I started with 300mg today. It's very subtile so far, things are still hard for me and I still have to fight. But I have the energy to do little things step by step. I'm able to leave the bed and clean up. I'm hoping for another noticeable improovement in a few days at 300mg (Might be more satisfied than 3 Stars after that). I'm sleeping a little bit better and feel better in the morning. If I feel like I need more medication I will start with a low dose St John's-wort. I read through the studys and the mechanisms and consider the risk for Serotonin syndrome very, very low. Side Effects: Slight Diarrhea and movement in my stomach from time to time. But nothing too bad. Vivid dreams (A plus for me) Slight drowsiness, I might change to 100 mg Early and 200 mg in the evening.Read More Read Less

I experience occasional bouts of panic attacks and depression relating to childhood trauma. Am basically a positive person but when it hits, it hits hard. Recently, I tried 5-HTP and within a day the symptoms were essentially gone - the difference was as evident as night and day. One note: I learned only to take it in the early evening with dinner. I get a decent night's sleep (if I wake up I just go right back to sleep). I stopped taking it in the morning because I found I wasn't getting much done, although my mood felt normal and good I just didn't have much energy. But, even taking it at night I still feel a decent amount of calm during the day. It did bother my stomach a bit so I take it with food and usually empty a small amount from the capsule for a slightly lower dose. Still works great and I am so grateful for it!Read More Read Less

I just started and feel extremely full. BUT I do not suffer from depression and I am a happy, relaxed person. The second day in I began crying at the drop of a hat. I would suggest being very careful if you usually have high serotonin levels & no depression symptoms. 100mg Finest Natural

I've been depressed for as long as I can remember leading to a suicide attempt and long term hospitalization. I took seroquil for depression in the past which was horrible. I started with 100mg at night of 5htp and I felt like I was high on MDMA and couldn't sleep at all. However I'm now taking 50mg in the am and I've only had positive symptoms. 5htp has turned my entire life around. I feel as though it's the first time in my life that I'm not forcing myself to be happy and on 50mg a day I sleep better, and it has helped me bond with family due to my fun and optimistic attitude. I'm much less aggressive as well.Read More Read Less