5-hydroxytryptophan for Anxiety User Reviews (Page 5)
Brand names: 5-HTP
5-hydroxytryptophan has an average rating of 6.4 out of 10 from a total of 128 reviews for the treatment of Anxiety. 56% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 28% reported a negative experience.
Reviews for 5-hydroxytryptophan
- JCM
- Taken for 1 to 6 months
- January 21, 2022
5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) "I am very sensitive to any medication, and have “inverted” symptoms from some (valerian gives me nightmares). So taking 5-HTP 3 years ago for acute anxiety I felt the effects immediately. Now am taking it again"
- Diana
- Taken for less than 1 month
- August 30, 2022
5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) "I have tried 5-HTP on a couple of occasions. The first time it made me really tired. Almost scary tired because I couldn't get out of bed. I wasn't wild about the effects so I stopped taking it. Then a couple of months later I tried it again because I was suffering from anxiety and I had few other options. I had a really bad experience. Again, it made me really tired. I didn't like that it also made my depression worse. It altered my thinking so that I was having more negative thoughts. I had one experience where I was sleeping and I woke up feeling like I was suffocating. It also gave me nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. I think it actually also made my anxiety worse. I had one incident where I started feeling extremely anxious for no reason. I have had panic attacks before and the feeling was similar. Overall I have not had a positive experience with this drug."
- Anna
- Taken for 1 to 6 months
- February 15, 2024
5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) "I've been using 5-HTP for almost two months now. The first day I have used the supplement (100mg), it gave me palpitations and made me a little more anxious. But it actually didn't bother me because I have tried one time a man-made medication for my anxiety and depression, and man... that was something I don't want to experience anymore xD. I have lowered the dose to 70mg per day, and it really works. It gives me more energy (mostly mentally) and makes me more calm. It has no horrible side effects as synthetic medication has, and you can quit whenever you like. It is only recommended not to drink alcohol combined with 5-HTP and to keep the dosage max 200 mg per day. This plant medicine is amazing for people who are sensitive to man-made medication or if they want to switch to a natural solution for their depression and/or anxiety."
- Anxious...
- Taken for 1 to 2 years
- March 3, 2022
5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) "After the loss of some family members, a sudden realization of past trauma and a prolonged period of stress at work I started having panic attacks and rising anxiety which I couldn’t explain being a really logical person. With the onset of the pandemic and the surrounding stress and negativity it resulted in more frequent spells of anxiety and worry. 5HTP really helps me lift myself off the bottom step of extremely low periods and moments of rising panic & anxiety and helps me get more restorative sleep to enable recovery. I take 100mg at night and 50mg in the morning for a week after a troubling episode and reduce down to 50 / 50 and then 50 etc and reuse if needed. It’s an absolute savior - no side effects and no embarrassment of continuous calls to the Dr who takes days to get back in touch and only offers SSRI’s."
Are you taking this medicine?
- John
- Taken for 1 to 6 months
- August 4, 2021
5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) "When you first take 5htp you should start out slow, 50 mg a day a few hours before sleep. Make sure you use a reputable brand and make sure it is enteric coated and have with vitamin b6 and C so it can convert to serotonin. The enteric coating will help prevent the 5htp from converting to serotonin in the stomach, which can cause stomach upset. Up the dosage slowly until you start noticing a benefit. (Effective dosages are between 50 to 300 mgs a day.) As with any supplement or medication give it time. Give the product at least 6 - 8 weeks to notice a benefit. Always talk to a medical professional before taking any new supplement or medication. And never take the product with and MAOI or SSRI. You could develop serotonin syndrome. Read the article below to educate yourself on 5htp and the current research."
- Healt...
- Taken for 5 to 10 years
- January 19, 2023
5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) "I have taken this supplement for over 7 years. I’m not sure if it still works as good as it used to and came here to see about raising dosages. My experience has been overall good. I am a diagnosed NPD. I have increased anxiety around anyone who does better than me in life. To put it mildly I loathe anyone who might have some sort of leg up on me. My son-in-law is one of these people. Very confident person and can’t seem to be manipulated by anyone. I’m not kidding when I say I just absolutely can’t deal with myself when I am around him or any strong male really. My speech is off, I have stomach knots, inside is like a raging fire in my head. I’m working closely with a therapist to change my way of thinking and understand it’s actually me that is the problem and that I am just an insecure old man with a lack of empathy. I have noticed on days when I take a double dose of 200 mg before seeing my son in law I am much more lively and actually enjoy my Son in law."
- Fisher
- Taken for less than 1 month
- February 16, 2020
5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) "I've been taking klonopin(clonazepam) for 12 years for chronic anxiety. I've struggled with depression and self medicating to help with PTSD. Today I don't use any recreational drugs, today I also bought my first bottle of 5 htp. I hope I notice some sort of benefit!"
- Bif
- Taken for less than 1 month
- January 6, 2020
"I can't take 5HTP it has given me serotonin syndrome and was sick for two days. I can't and won't take SSRI's either. My doctor think I am a misfit and she is right I should add my Dr, if you can call her, that is an igmoramus and a bigger misfit than me.!"
- lilys...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- January 21, 2021
5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) "Someone recommended this to me and I bought it, let it sit in my cabinet for months untouched with my other vitamins, and randomly started taking all of them. I don't even know what they all do for u I just know they’re supposed to be good for me"
- Anonymous
- Taken for less than 1 month
- May 4, 2022
5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) "My therapist said to take this for depression, so I bought a bottle of 5-HTP 200 mg, followed instructions, took 1 pill at night. Within 30 minutes of taking this I went really hot and had a rash on face, arms, neck and chest. Went into severe vomiting for hours with muscle spasms in stomach. Horrible headache from back of my head wrapping around, felt like I was going to have a stroke. Made it through the night, I am 12 hours on but would not recommend. Feel horrible. Think it must have been allergic reaction."
- Anonymous
- January 13, 2019
"This has been a game changer drug for me. I take 100mg in the morning and 100mg at night the brand is Irwin and it has some other helpful herbs mixed in, b6, cbd, etc. I was on paxil four years ago then had a break and had started to feel like I needed to get back on something for my anxiety and depression. It was affecting my life and relationship. Extremely hard to control my racing thoughts, I decided to give 5HTP a shot. I highly recommend it. It has allowed the stress in my life to be seen for what they are. I still get emotions, cry, laugh, but nothing is as manic and extreme as was. I am so grateful for this product as it is allowing me to live my life but not numb out my feeling or experiences. I am a little concerned about the dependence side of things, but since I have not seen any negative side effects yet (upset stomach and diarrhea the first three days) I do not mind being on this product for as long as I need too."
- Suzc
- Taken for 2 to 5 years
- February 15, 2021
"I deal with anxiety and depression, generalized anxiety disorder is my actual diagnosis and along with that comes insomnia on occasion. I was on Zoloft for a few years but it left me feeling numb and made me gain weight, so for a couple of years I wasn’t taking anything and my anxiety was coming back hard. I did some research on natural supplements and found 5htp and haven’t looked back. I’ve been on between 100-200 mg a day for probably almost two years and I couldn’t be happier. There are zero side effects, my anxiety is well-managed and I only have insomnia nights now and then. If I find my anxiety getting worse I just increase the dose to 200 mg for a couple weeks and I feel better again."
- Anonymous
- Taken for less than 1 month
- September 19, 2021
"It makes me feel so sick and nauseous, so I split the capsule in half. My friend says i seem a lot calmer and helps with teeth grinding at night. I only taken it a few times. Then I decided to go on Prozac encouraged my GP. I feel so depressed with the Prozac after 4 days, and my teeth grinding has started again. So today. I taken half capsule of 5htp and I became VERY ill and sick. I tried to be sick but couldn’t as I have not eaten much today. I googled and found that 5htp and Prozac can not be taken together. I feel so silly for not checking beforehand. So 5htp is very effective but it has bad side effects and Prozac makes my depression worse. Both 5htp and Prozac has suppressed my appetite, so I lost some weight. There is also research saying 5htp if taken long term can damage the liver amongst several other health issues."
- Girl
- Taken for 6 months to 1 year
- June 8, 2022
5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) "Started 5HTP for very debilitating anxiety almost 10 months ago. I started at 100mg and went up to 300mg within a couple of weeks. However within a week I felt a difference. The anxiety was slightly reduced but the main effect was I was more motivated, enthusiastic and had a spring in my steps. So much happier (and slightly more resilient to anxiety) ! I thought that this drug would be a miracle for people with depression rather than anxiety. Unfortunately this wonderful effect disappeared a couple of months later. My conclusion is that it may not be suited for long term anxiety or depression but if you are going through a rough patch, it may give you the leg up you need during those few weeks. I will now switch to something else. Only side effect was minor headaches for a couple of days when I started or upped the dose."
- kate
- Taken for less than 1 month
- September 4, 2017
"I am a 32 year old female with anxiety and HTP5 works great for me. It slows down my thought spirals and I don't have a racing heart anymore. One tablet in the morning and one late afternoon, the calming effect lasts all day. I've never felt sick or nauseous from it, but I do get very vivid dreams. Fortunately I wake up very calm. I'm so glad I tried this."
- Kody...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- September 15, 2017
"After being on Zoloft, I thought it was hopeless until I tried 5-HTP. I've only been on the drug for 2 days, but already feel a tremendous sense of well being, which I never felt on an anti depressant. I guess if you need an anti depressant for something more severe, go for it. Although I could see this drug used only for mild depression and anxiety, some part of me believes it could be used as a long term medicine for some. I have nothing but positive results so far!"
- Kellos
- December 3, 2015
5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) "Almost immediately effective. Clarity and calmness of mind restored and feeling 100% better. I cannot believe it has worked so well."
- Anonymous
- Taken for less than 1 month
- July 20, 2020
5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) "5HTP was absolutely terrible, I only took 100 mg dose for anxiety and had 5 hours of symptoms of serotonin syndrome. Could not sleep. Heart racing. Waves of anxiety feeling like a panic attack."
- world
- Taken for 2 to 5 years
- February 17, 2014
5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) "Choose a sustained/time-release 5-HTP product for a smoother and longer-lasting effect. Combine with a good Vitamin B complex, possibly in the biologically active form."
- JackJr
- Taken for 1 to 6 months
- June 22, 2014
5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) "After a shaky start, I've had a good experience with 5htp. It has helped my mornings especially. Worth noting I have taken the 5htp patch not capsules, as I hate swallowing those things!"
- Toulo...
- October 20, 2020
5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) "Was very depressed when I turned to 5-HTP for anxiety. Now I never felt better. Feel like a new person. It’s a miracle pill."
- Kit...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- September 20, 2016
5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) "This medication made me so ungodly sick; I vomited all night! I couldn't stop shaking! Scariest thing I've been through! Sorry I wasted my $ on it."
- New...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- June 2, 2015
5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) "I tried 5HTP to alleviate low mood. It gave me the most horrendous headache from day one. I cannot continue it due to this severe side effect."
- Ryan...
- December 30, 2016
5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) "I have been taking 5htp for about for days and feel sleepy all the time. Has anyone else found this or have any advice for me?"
Reviews may be edited to correct grammar/spelling or to remove inappropriate language and content. Reviews that appear to be created by parties with a vested interest are not published. This information is not intended to endorse any particular medication. While these reviews may be helpful, they are not a substitute for the expertise, knowledge, and judgement of healthcare professionals.
"Tried this after trying to get off SSRI's. Had anxiety building up to pre-panic attack on my second day on this. After taking 100mg started to feel the anxiety melt away and pretty much relaxed after an hour. After day 3 have noticed my acid reflux going away too. After researching found out serotonin stops gastic acid production. Usually take around night time with a multivitamin It tends to make me sleepy in a couple hours. Pretty much as effective as SSR's for without as many side effects. Just get a lil disoriented once in a while but a very small price to pay compared to having anxiety."