Hi all,
maybe this has already been addressed, but I have dutifully done my search and can't find anything in this forum on this issue.

Anyone familiar or have any thoughts about this one?:

http://neuroassist.com/Parkinson's_D...rkinsonism.htm

You might want to ask MrsD in the medications forum.

I tried it once because it was recommended for anxiety in a book I can't remember the name of and have loaned out - my naturopath recommended the book. Half an hour later, I was throwing up. So end of that experiment.

from http://www.answers.com/main/ntquery?s=5-htp&gwp=13

The acronym for 5-hydroxytryptophan (or 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan) is 5-HTP, a compound found primarily in the brain. This compound is made from tryptophan, a natural amino acid inherent in foods. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, which means that it cannot be made by the body. It must be obtained from food, particularly proteins. In the liver and brain, 5-HTP is converted to an important monoamine neurotransmitter called serotonin. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that transmit signals between neurons (nerve cells) in the brain.

Taking 5-HTP increases the body's supply of the compound, which leads to higher serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin, also called 5-hydroxytryptamine or 5-HT, plays an important role in controlling behavior and moods. It influences many normal brain activities and also regulates the activity of other neurotransmitters. Having adequate levels of serotonin instills a feeling of relaxation, calmness, and mild euphoria (extreme happiness). Low levels of serotonin, serotonin deficiency syndrome, leads to depression, anxiety, irritability, insomnia, and many other problems.

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Description

The acronym for 5-hydroxytryptophan (or 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan) is 5-HTP, a compound found primarily in the brain. This compound is made from tryptophan, a natural amino acid inherent in foods. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, which means that it cannot be made by the body. It must be obtained from food, particularly proteins. In the liver and brain, 5-HTP is converted to an important monoamine neurotransmitter called serotonin. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that transmit signals between neurons (nerve cells) in the brain.

Taking 5-HTP increases the body's supply of the compound, which leads to higher serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin, also called 5-hydroxytryptamine or 5-HT, plays an important role in controlling behavior and moods. It influences many normal brain activities and also regulates the activity of other neurotransmitters. Having adequate levels of serotonin instills a feeling of relaxation, calmness, and mild euphoria (extreme happiness). Low levels of serotonin, serotonin deficiency syndrome, leads to depression, anxiety, irritability, insomnia, and many other problems.

Conditions associated with low levels of serotonin include:

* anxiety
* attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
* bulimia
* depression
* epilepsy
* fibromyalgia
* headaches
* hyperactivity
* insomnia
* obesity
* obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
* panic attacks
* premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
* schizophrenia
* seasonal affective disorder (SAD)


There's a lot more at the site, but the biggest thing is don't take it with an MAOI such as selegeline. (For that matter, ditch the selegeline anyway. Anything that threatens to kill you as often as it does is suspect in my book.)

And Wendy's experience is typical of a little too much it seems.

5HTP (and tryptophan) increases serotonin and so if one is taking any med or supplement that already elevates serotonin,(eg anti depressant SSRIs like Paxil, zoloft etc) a dangerous condition known as serotonin syndrome aka serotonin spiking can result

many people do find 5HTP very helpful for OCD and depression

It helped my son with these when he was younger but now seems to make him very edgy so he doesnt use it anymore

Thanks all for your responses. Yes, I know 5-HTP is not something people on Park meds want to mess with, but that link I gave above is to an institute with a whole protocol that addresses the use of carbidopa and 5-Htp and mucuna, and has some developed thinking about their combination with levodopa. I was wondering if anyone had heard of them before or had an opinion about what they have to say.