Anyone here tried 5-HTP..............?

Question

Anyone taken this for insomnia? What were your experiences with it and did you have any side effects? I am away to start it as all the doctors do is throw sleeping pills at me.

Answer 1

Taken it when I did Ecstasy comin down off it...

Answer 2

I definitely do NOT recommend 5-HTP to anyone. Aside from the heart palpitations, mood swings, and high blood pressure my husband experienced when withdrawing from them, my research has lead me to believe that it is not the answer for people with insomnia.

There are, however, a few things that I do recommend and most of them are free:

- circadian rhythm disruption is caused by 'mixing up your days and nights' through light during hours when there should be darkness. It’s a very common modern problem and you can easily fix this by foiling your windows over or getting blackout curtains so that light from outside doesn't come in at night. Try to also make an effort to lay down when it is dark outside to adjust your body naturally to sleeping in the darkness. Remove anything from your room that has light or sound (turn your alarm clock to the wall). If you are experiencing female problems and/or mood swings, this will also help you out with that as well!

- electronics also disrupt sleeping patterns. I heartily recommend that you remove all electronic devices from your bedroom, even to the point of switching your alarm clock for an old manual one with no lights or electricity. Get the television and/or computer out of the bedroom completely!

- check medications to see if any of them have the side effect of insomnia. Asking your doctor can be useless sometimes because they just may not know (but you can try it). Research them yourself to make sure anyway.

- if there are no contraindications from any medications you're on, then a tea made from catnip, passionflower, skullcap, chamomile, or valerian, etc. can help you drift off to dream land. I do recommend that you look up an herbalist to help you put together a sleepy tea, but it's easy enough to do yourself provided you make sure you won't have a reaction with any meds you are on. No chamomile if you are allergic to daisies, btw.

If you try all of these and they still don't work, then look further into psychological reasons. It could be that your mind is going so fast and in so many directions that sleep won't come no matter what you do. At that point, do some self-analysis and come up with ways to get the chatter in your head to stop.

I do congratulate you on not wanting to take sleeping pills anymore! The side effects are definitely not worth it.

Pax,

Mrs. Yoder

Answer 3

I have used 5HTP for insomnia.  It worked for me.   I had to take 100mg, at least 1.5 hours before bedtime.  You may need less.  If you decide to take it make sure it is extracted from a natural source.   Don't give up on it if it doesn't work the first few nights.  It may take a few days for the serotonin level in your brain to adjust.  

The only time I experienced side effects was when I took more than the 100 mg.  It made me quite feel sleepy during the day, relaxed but sleepy.  :)

Answer 4

I take 5htp but it doesn't do anything for me as far as insomnia goes.

I used melatonin and that works perfectly for me.

You just need to see what works for you.

Answer 5

Hi:   I tried 5-HTP but it did not work for me. However, we are all different, and it might be helpful to you. At least there were no side effects.

I once wrote a very long letter to someone with sleeping problems. I copied and pasted it below. I cut out unnecessary c**p and most of the info about sleeping pills since you said you were not interested in that. See if any of the stuff below helps.

**************************************...

For many people, avoiding caffeine after 3 PM is advised. Also, eating late at night can disturb the sleep cycle.

There are many relaxation CDs available. On eBay, you can find hundreds at cheap prices. What works best for me is a CD that combines someone speaking with relaxing music in the background. Depending on the season, soaking in a warm bath can be very relaxing to the body and mind.

It might be helpful to consider what is making it difficult for you to fall asleep. Are there problems in your life that surface as you are trying to fall asleep? Do you have racing thoughts?

You can try herbs like valerian root, kava kava, chamomile, passion flower, hops and catnip. Melatonin is a hormone, and I would use caution about using it on a regular basis. If you are unsure, consult a health professional.

If the herbs are not helpful, the next step would be to try over the counter remedies like sominex, unisom, and nytol. If absolutely nothing else helps, it might be time for prescription sleeping pills. Ask your doctor for a short acting pill like sonata or ambien. These pills clear out of the body very quickly. Don't take these pills every night. Use them only when necessary.