I posted this on the supplement page but I'm not sure if anyone will see it.

Hi everyone, I haven't posted in awhile but I've been reading everyone's post off and on. My rheumo told me to start 5 HTP with thiamine and cayenne pepper tablets. He said he has been using both and it is helping him with joint pain. I did buy them today and then realized I probably should have checked them out first.
Do any of you take these? Do they help?
I currently take fish oil, D3, probiotics, Curcumin, B12 every other day and COQ10 for supplements. I use to take R lipoic acid but read that it really works for those with diabetes.
I'd appreciate any information you can give me. Thanks!

I've used all three in the past with no problem. I still use cayenne and thiamine.

Thanks Icelander, I'm going to give them a try. I started tart cherry juice last night so I want to try that for a week or so first. Then I'll try the 5HTP. I like to try one thing at a time so I know what is working or not working.

Everyone is different. Some will respond to things, and others not.

I don't see any harm in trying....but with one caveat.

If you are intolerant to nightshades, the cayenne pepper will not agree with you, I'd expect. Some people get irritable on 5-HTP but others like it. The Thiamine is easy to tolerate, even in the benfotiamine form.

Thanks Mrs D., the thiamine is in the 5HTP. That's what my doctor told me to buy. I scan ussually eat red & green peppers so I don't know if the cayenne supplements will bother me but thanks for that tip. I started tart cherry juice before I went to bed last. I couldn't sleep because I got anxious. I don't usually have anxiety however I do have a family member I'm worrying about. Have you ever heard of cherry juice causing anxiety? I'm using it full strength. Two tablespoons. Do you think I should mix it with some water?

I'd take it in the morning. Sometimes things can upset your stomach but not enough to "hurt" etc. But on the fringe there, it can cause an anxious feeling. I get this before I have a GI attack...I have malrotation, and when things twist up I get anxious before the real pain etc starts.

So I'd take it at another time of day. Just to see if the anxiety remains.

Thanks a lot Mrs. D. I appreciate the advice!

Mrs. D. I had taken the cherry juice before I saw your advice last night. I too it at about 8pm. I went into a flare up last night. It is still here today. The burning from my neuropathy is really bad.
I'm not diabetic but could it be the sugar in it? I haven't added anything new but the juice.
Is it possible for a person to have this reaction to cherry juice? Have you ever heard of this before?
If anyone else has ever had bad results from tart cherry juice could you please let me know.

Hi hopeful, I haven’t had any problems from drinking cherry juice, but I use black cherry juice instead of tart cherry. I’m currently using a product from R. W. Knudsen called Just Black Cherry. It does have 25 g of sugar in it, so I drink it sparingly.

If you think the sugar content in your cherry juice is causing your problem, one alternative is to use tart cherry capsules instead. Here is a link to one brand that has less than 1 g of sugar in it:

http://www.traversebayfarms.com/tartcherry.htm

They advertise that the content of the capsules “equals the specific antioxidant benefits of 5+ glasses of cherry juice without the sugar.”

are there additives in that juice?

I cannot stand red wine...I get terrible flares from it. I think it is the sulfites in it, which are added as preservatives.