I'm being taken from Remeron, and wondered if L-Tryptophan would be safe to take for Seritonin levels

Question

I've been taking an anti-depressant called Remeron. The doctor is taking me off the drug because of it causing health issues. I had been taking the drug for almost 5 year's and the doctor assumes that I don't need an anti-depressant any longer. However, I'm still concerned about my seritonin levels because of my diet; lack of meat's. So, instead, I did some research on this dietary supplement called L-Tryptophan, which helps stablize seritonin and melatonin since I'm being taken off the SSRI. I'm down to 7.5 mg's of Remeron, and wondered if it'd be safe to take the Tryptophan (500 mg's) without seritonin toxticity. Next week, I'm being striped from Remeron competely going from 7.5 mg's to 3.5 then taken off. Thus, leaves me with no more SSRI's. So, concerned for my seritonin, to be healthy, would Tryptophan be a good alternitive?

Answer 1

If you are weaning off the SSRI completely you don't need to continue the seretonin reuptake effects. Hopefully you won't have to take anything else at all. I would check with a doctor or pharmacist first if you insist on taking something that affects your brain chemicals.

Good Luck!

Answer 2

L-tryptophan is the same chemical found in turkey. that is why you feel sleepy when eating turkey. so basicly it acts as a sedative. urban legend says that L-tryptophan is good for people wich take "E". i don't think you have any thing to worry about regarding taking too much L-tryptophan all supplements starting with the letter L- are amino acids what ever extra you have in your body, your system will metabolize.-blurey

Answer 3

Hi:  I took Remeron very briefly. The side effects were too much for me. Remeron seems like an odd drug to me. People either love it or hate it. It's either black or white, with almost no shades of gray.

I am a little confused about something. You said your doc is taking you off remeron for health issues and the doc assumes you don't need an anti-depressant anymore. So my question is if you still feel depressed and still feel you need some kind of anti-depressant.

Remeron is similar to an SSRI, but is actually a different class of drug. It works on both norepinephrine and serotonin. If you don't feel depressed, I am not sure you really need trytophan, although it probably can't hurt. In terms of diet, there are some links below about foods that contain a lot of tryptophan. Contrary to popular opinion, turkey does not have any more tryptophan than any other meat.

You might try 5-HTP from a health food store instead of tryptophan. 5-HTP will probably give you more serotonin than tryptophan. Both 5-HTP and trypto are unfortunately pretty expensive.

Serotonin toxicity seems quite unlikely. It usually comes from mixing different kinds of prescription drugs. The last two links give you some info on the toxicity.

St John's wort might be useful for fairly mild depression. I know lots of folks who wasted time and lots of money on SAM-e. I would avoid it. You might try omega 3 fish oil. Fish like salmon, tuna, herring and sardines are probably better than taking capsules. If you are vegetarian, take flax seed oil.

I am not a doctor, so please check with a doctor when necessary. Some docs and nutritionists know a lot about this stuff. Others do not. If you are still depressed and no natural remedies help, there are many more anti-depressants besides remeron.

PS Don't forget about psychotherapy and stuff like that.

Be well.

I forgot something I found online:

Foods highest in Tryptophan are Tofu, most Soy products, Black-eyed Peas, Black and English Walnuts, Almonds, Sesame Seeds, Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, and Gluten flour.

Answer 4

Herbal preparations such as Saint John's Wort (plant), and a concoction known as SAM-e are sold over the counter as suited for relief from depression.

Might ask your doctor if you could supplement on these instead of the chemical versions.  However, he may be right in that you need nothing at all, which is our most normal mental condition.

I'm sure if you have further episodes, there are many anti-depressants available he can prescribe.  Self-medicating can mask some serious symptoms, so be very careful with this, and let your doc know what you are doing.  He won't get mad.