5-HTP
Description:
5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) is the direct precursor to serotonin; indeed the terms 5-hydroxytryptamine and serotonin, are synonymous. 5-HTP is derived commercially from the seeds of the Griffonia simplicifolia, a West African medicinal plant.
Usage:
5-HTP 50 mg. 1 a day.
5-HTP is taken among other things to Improve Mood, as a Treatment for Anxiety, and beneficial in Weight loss.
Scientific studies from around the world have shown 5-HTP to, in addition to the treatment of Depression, be effective in:
· Autism
· Relieving Anxiety
· Suppressing Appetite
· Cognitive Enhancement
· Reduction of the rate of Heart Disease by Lowering Anxiety and Depression.
· Hyperactivity disorders
· Relief From and Prevention of Migraine Headaches
· Rett syndrome
· Relieving symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder
· Enhancing Sleep
Method of Action:
5-HTP may be used in relation to St. John's Wort and SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) like PROZAC.
SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are the class of prescription drugs including PROZAC. SSRIs work by increasing the availability of serotonin in synapses (junctions between neurons) by blocking their reuptake.
5-HTP (5-hydroxytriptophan) works by increasing the cell’s output of serotonin.
St. John’s Wort (like SSRIs) increases the availability of serotonin in synapses (junctions between neurons) by blocking their reuptake but also increases the availability of norepinephrine, which increases energy and alertness and dopamine, which increases the feeling of well-being.
Research Briefs:
Depression
In a double blind, multi-center controlled study using patients diagnosed with depression, after week 6, both the patients taking 100 mg. 5-HTP 3 times per day and those taking 150 mg. fluvoxamine (an SSRI) 3 times per day, had equal numbers showing about 50% improvement with 5-HTP proving to be better tolerated than the SSRI and having about a 11% lower failure rate than the SSRI group.
Poldinger, W: A functional-dimensional approach to depression: serotonin deficiency as a target syndrome in a comparison of 5-hydroxytriptophan (5-HTP) and fluvoxamine. Psychopathology. 1991,24:53-81)
Neurotransmitter
Of the chemical neurotransmitter substances, serotonin is perhaps the most implicated in the etiology or treatment of various disorders, particularly those of the central nervous system, including anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, stroke, obesity, pain, hypertension, vascular disorders, migraine, and nausea.
Bore, RF. Serotonin: The Neurotransmitter for the 90’s. Drug Topics. 1994, October 10:108.
Rett syndrome and autism
The features of sleep parameters in the Rett syndrome were compared with those in early infantile autism (EIA) and hereditary progressive dystonia with marked diurnal fluctuation (HPD).
Abnormalities of the sleep-wakefulness cycle were observed in the Rett syndrome and EIA, but in the latter these abnormalities became inapparent with age and improved markedly by correcting the environmental condition and completely by 5-HTP.
Segawa M & Nomura Y: Polysomnography in the Rett syndrome. Brain Dev, 1992 May, 14 Suppl:, S46-54.
Scoliosis
To find if the serotonin may have some role in the cause of treatment of idiopathic scoliosis. Gave daily intraperitoneal injections of 5-hydroxy-tryptophan, a precursor of serotonin, which can pass through the blood-brain barrier versus control in pinealectomized chickens.
One of the causes of idiopathic scoliosis is thought to be the disruption of postural reflex. Serotonin has been proposed to have a crucial role in maintaining normal postural muscle tone or postural equilibrium.
Scoliosis developed in all 40 pinealectomized chickens (control), whereas only 28 chickens in the 5-hydroxytryptophan-treated group (6 in severe, 22 in mild) developed scoliosis. The remaining 12 chickens grew up with normal spines. Most chickens with mild scoliosis did not have curve progression but continued to have wedged vertebrae.
Serotonin deficit secondary to a defect of melatonin may have disturbed postural muscle tone or postural equilibrium resulting in scoliosis in pinealectomized chicken. Prevention from the development of scoliosis or its progression in chickens treated with 5-hydroxytryptophan suggests that serotonin may have potential therapeutic value.
Machida M et al., Role of serotonin for scoliotic deformity in pinealectomized chicken. Spine, 1997 Jun, 22:12, 1297-301.
Therapeutic administration
According to this study, 5-HTP may be effective in treating depression, fibromyalgia, binge eating associated with obesity, chronic headaches, insomnia, and other conditions. 5-HTP may also increase the synthesis of serotonin. Absorption of 5-HTP is not affected by the presence of other amino acids. About 70 percent of oral 5-HTP ended up in the bloodstream, making it a well-absorbed candidate for the possible treatment of a wide variety of conditions.
Birdsall TC: 5-Hydroxytryptophan: a clinically-effective serotonin precursor, Altern Med Rev 1998 Aug;3(4):271-80
Type II diabetes
5-HTP may be effective in normalizing eating behavior for non-insulin dependent diabetics. In a clinical study, the patients were randomized to receive either 5-HTP or placebo for two weeks. Those patients using 5-HTP significantly decreased their daily energy intake by reducing carbohydrate and fat and reduced their body weight. The results of this study indicate that 5-HTP may be beneficial for type II diabetics who have problems with weight management and eating behavior.
Cangiano C, Laviano A, Del Ben M, Preziosa I, Angelico F, Cascino A, Rossi-Fanelli F: Effects of oral 5-hydroxy-tryptophan on energy intake and macronutrient selection in non-insulin dependent diabetic patients, Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 1998 Jul;22(7):648-54
References:
Bore, RF. Serotonin: The Neurotransmitter for the 90’s. Drug Topics. 1994, October 10:108.
Cioli V et al., A comparative pharmacological study of trazodone, etoperidone and 1-(m-chlorophenyl)piperazine. Pharmacol Res Commun, 1984 Jan, 16:1, 85-100.
Iacono RP et al., Concentrations of indoleamine metabolic intermediates in the ventricular cerebrospinal fluid of advanced Parkinson's patients with severe postural instability and gait disorders. J Neural Transm, 1997, 104:4-5, 451-9.
Machida M et al., Role of serotonin for scoliotic deformity in pinealectomized chicken. Spine, 1997 Jun, 22:12, 1297-301.
Poldinger, W: A functional-dimensional approach to depression: serotonin deficiency as a target syndrome in a comparison of 5-hydroxytriptophan (5-HTP) and fluvoxamine. Psychopathology. 1991,24:53-81)
Segawa M & Nomura Y: Polysomnography in the Rett syndrome. Brain Dev, 1992 May, 14 Suppl:, S46-54.
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