I’ve been on 5-HTP for 7 days now, since I’ve also stopped working… Which is it supplying my energy?
Tonight I slept 10h40, my sleep this week was on avg. 9h20, so I can’t complain about that either, unless I say that’s too much and making me tired/drowsy rather than keeping pain down.
Excerpt from https://forum.livingwithfibro.org/t/jaycs-s-fibro-blog/13307/174:
Interesting what will happen to my energy and pain when I stop 5-HTP again - on this epilepsy forum I read someone with increased energy (and more vivid dreams) due to 5-HTP. 5-HTP | Coping With Epilepsy Forums , but also several people with increased seizures.
But 2 focal seizures this week were perhaps caused by the 5-HTP
As I had two focal seizures this week, one at night, making 4 this month, both very unusual, I’ve researched epilepsy-forums and seen that some people’s seizures improve, some worsen, with melatonin also. However last time I took it was in May, where I didn’t register any seizures in my pain diary (even more unusual). So I’m not worrying about the seizures that much as they haven’t come on again since then, neither has an aura. Interesting, never been on epilepsy forums before; seems quite a few people are claiming that a lot of it starts in the disbalanced gut flora. However my neurologists are sure that mine is ?mainly caused by brain cortex having remained in my speech centre at birth.
Excerpt from https://forum.livingwithfibro.org/t/jaycs-s-fibro-blog/13307/174:
Here Tryptophan Side Effects: L-Tryptophan Is Far From Harmless it says:
One of the principal L-tryptophan catabolites, 3-hydroxykynurenine (3-HK or 3HOK), augments oxidative stress in the brain and is able to induce depression , epileptic seizures, and other brain damage (Guilarte & Wagner, 1987; Stone, 2003; Wichers & Maes, 2004)
Excerpt from https://forum.livingwithfibro.org/t/jaycs-s-fibro-blog/13307/174:
English wikipedia (as well as other sites too) also says “Potential side effects of 5-HTP include heartburn, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, drowsiness, sexual problems, vivid dreams or nightmares, and muscle problems.”…
If at all I have had slight heartburn twice, and I was unsure what from, drowsiness today and on some nights vivid dreams (cf. blog).
Excerpt from https://forum.livingwithfibro.org/t/jaycs-s-fibro-blog/13307/174:
I could try L-Tryptophan instead (again), but I thinks it’s probably similar. Melatonin itself doesn’t go thru the blood-brain-barrier.
So it seems 5-HTP is more effective than melatonin and tryptophan.
Research for 5-HTP with fibro is even older than research for melatonin…
1990, 1992, 1998… 5-Hydroxytryptophan: a clinically-effective serotonin precursor - PubMed
The reason for this research being old btw is said on a good German site to be that L-Tryptophan, 5-HTP (and melatonin) all increase serotonin, and the up-and-coming (chemical) SSRIs (= serotonin-enhancers, fluoxetin etc.) seemed much more effective.
L-Tryptophan was made illegal in the US, due apparently actually to only half-clarified contamination, which caused EMS in a lot of people.
Blog-like memory of Dec/Jan when I first took tryptophan as a doc-recommendation.
Just realized that this topic is taking back to Dec/Jan, to the first doc who tried to do something about my pain, who’d recommended this, plus testosterone, and did extremely painful acupuncture and hyaluronic-acid-back-injections on me, and didn’t acknowledge fibro as a diagnosis and also didn’t listen to me… She was a ‘rehab medic’, sort of orthopedist. The next orthopedist wasn’t particularly helpful either.
Thinking about Picamilon (not FDA-approved)
BTW - an acquaintance has also recommended picamilon once again. I’d tried 2 pills he’d given me a few months ago. I’m skeptical there because it’s a lab-synthesis of GABA and niacinic acid, which is why it is not FDA-approved, so not allowed, but illegally? sold, in the US, but available here. While that seems scary (unregulated) I think I should compare it to having tried tilidine or taking statins for my blood fats, since picamilon is claimed to reduce, as well as blood pressure, both of which might be better than taking the other chemicals. One of the adverse effect of picamilon is said to be skin problems, but cf. tilidine etc.