5-HTP User Reviews & Ratings (Page 5)

• Sarah
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 13, 2019

For Insomnia "I've been taking 5-HTP 400mg for 2 months to try and help with insomnia and depression. But I don't feel any different at all? I don't understand it as other people have reported success so so I was hopeful for this stuff."

• Janelle
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 5, 2019

For Anxiety "Used generic at 100 mgs for slight depression mild anxiety. Got skipped heartbeats especially upon any muscular exercise and was becoming increasingly worse. Figured out this was the only new supplement I had started and used for 1 month. It certainly helped me into a deep sleep, but the skipped heartbeats ( like 40 in one minute ). Scared me- so I stopped. In two days following, my heart returned to normal rhythm. Starting a different brand now at 50 mgs— will keep you posted after one month."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 30, 2021

For Anxiety "I’ve been dealing with some intense anxiety and sadness. Pretty sure all my symptoms point to anxiety. I started a supplement with 5Htp in it. Took it for 2 days and had a massive dizzy spell so I stopped taking it thinking it was the supplement. Started a week later and it’s been four days and I honestly feel my symptoms are much worse than before. It’s 50mg of 5Htp, I’ve researched the other ingredients in the supplement and no other ones seem to make my symptoms worse. I will take a break and see what happens."

• Anna
• April 24, 2018

For Anxiety "I was recommended this by a close family friend who also suffers from anxiety. I took 50mg a couple of times a week a few months ago and didn't notice a change or any negative side effects at that time. I have been feeling more anxious over the past few weeks due to hormonal imbalance/other issues so I decided to try again one night when the anxiety was really bad just to see if it could alleviate some of it. I took 1 50mg capsule about an hour after dinner and for the first few hours after I took it I actually felt noticeably less anxious. At one point, my entire body felt very peaceful and relaxed and almost had a warm feeling to it. It did not help me sleep though like some people commented, I woke up multiple times throughout the night and tossed and turned and then around 6AM woke up feeling nauseous, wide awake, and anxious again. I'm not sure if this is because of my hormonal imbalance issues right now or side effects from this, but not sure its worth it to try again."

• NotKa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 26, 2023

For Anxiety "I had been on an SSRI for months after finding out my dog had cancer in combo with empty nest. I was just not in a good place. After gaining back all the weight I worked so hard to lose, and feeling pretty numbed out from the drugs, I decided to wean off them. I read a lot about 5-HTP, had taken it in the past with decent results. I actually feel really good with 100 mg a couple of times a day, BUT I do combine it with L-tyrosine to stabilize my dopamine. I have read this is important and it must be because I actually feel much better than I did on the SSRI meds. I will say nausea does happen (taking it with a protein helps with this), and do not combine it with L-tyrosine before bed. I am still currently taking both and feel pretty good! If you're on the fence, try looking up 5-HTP & L-tyrosine articles to help explain how they work in tandem together."

• Kieran
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 31, 2020

"I have mild depression, with low serotonin found. I have tried four antidepressants for a decade and always had terrible side effects. I have started to take 5-HTP 75mg once a days and it works great! Not sure for the long term for now, but I don't feel like garbage, don't have suicidal thoughts, and don't feel irritable. When I stop, all those symptoms come back."

• regina
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 11, 2022

For Anxiety "BE CAREFUL! I took 5-htp without any advice from the doctor and it kick started my panic attacks journey. Of course I had some trauma deeply rooted in my subconscious, that was the primary reason of my panic attacks, but 5-htp unleashed all of it! I ended up having to go to a psychiatrist and went on SSRIs to fix myself. The doctor told me the dosage advised on the 5-htp box (100-200mg/day) was way to high for me and that messed up my brain. Just don’t take this without a doctor’s advice, please, it might do more harm!"

• Dopey
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 2, 2022

For Anxiety "I found that both the 100mg and 200mg made my depression much, much worse. I cried more, thought of suicide more often and felt completely hopeless. I started with 200, then reduced it to 100 and still had the same thing happen. Although the thought of suicide is never really out of sight as an option being on 5-HTP made it worse. I actually started formulating plan, making a will, etc. I stopped taking it and about a week later I was back to my usual depressed self - minus the urgent need to commit suicide. Be careful. Prozac did me the same way."

• Jill
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 2, 2023

For Anxiety "Life changer! My naturopath suggested I start taking 100mg a day for my depression. It's day 2 & I already feel a massive difference in my thought patterns. The past few weeks have been very dark for me & full of racing thoughts. I finally feel normal again."

• Cheryl
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 18, 2020

For Insomnia "I have been using 300mg of 5 HTP at bedtime as well as Klonopin. It works for me. I have severe insomnia due to a problem with fibromyalgia. That being said. Go for it. The Klonopin alone didn't do it but the combo cocktail does. I feel like the quality of sleep is better also. My chemical complex is strange. I need large doses of anything to benefit."

• Styner
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 30, 2020

"I went to a Nutritional store for 5-HTP after doing some research on it for mild chronic depression. Nutritionist suggested 200 mg. Took it at night for a couple nights and my stomach woke me up. Had pains and diarrhea. Took it after breakfast two days later and ended up with severe nausea, diarrhea, dizziness, sweating, pale, and weakness. Was terrible. I am going to try the smallest dose I can get and take it on a full stomach. See what happens. Otherwise, it's not going to work for me."

• JCM
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 21, 2022

For Anxiety "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"

• John
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 4, 2021

For Anxiety "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."

• Fisher
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 16, 2020

For Anxiety "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!"

• Anxious...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 3, 2022

For Anxiety "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."

• Diana
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 30, 2022

For Anxiety "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."

• Trial...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 19, 2019

For Insomnia "I bought some 400mg high strength tablets after reading good reviews about 5HTP and knowing I have a high tolerance medicines. I took tablet around 8pm hoping to feel a bit drowsy by bedtime but it's 00:15am and I'm still wide awake even though I also took 2 zopiclone at 10.55pm and ran 13 km earlier and done a full 9 hour day at work today. I feel a little bit queasy in stomach but it's hard to say as I do have a lingering chesty cough right now too. Feel a bit anxious as I want them to work."

• Cathy
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 26, 2024

For Insomnia "I was not sleeping at all most nights and tried 5-HTP, and it improved my sleep significantly (now sleep 5-7 hours). I started with 100mg time release in the evening, then raised it to 100mg in the morning and 100mg in the evening. I have been on it for 3 years at this dose. I noticed my insomnia returning a few weeks ago and upped my dose, adding 100mg at lunch. It helped to relieve the insomnia once again. I have tried stopping the 5-HTP on 2 occasions over the 3-year period and within 3 days, I was back to not sleeping at all. It must be genetic as my mother has terrible sleep as well. No side effects for me other than slightly softer stools. I hope this helps someone else with insomnia."

• w33d
• February 28, 2019

"Hello, I hope for the following combination a drive-enhancing and motivating effect in a good mood. So I started my experiment 2 weeks ago: I took 200 mg 5-HTP 3 times daily, 900 mg St. John's Wort 3 times a day and 1950 mg L-tyrosine twice daily. St. John's wort acts as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and 5-HTP increases serotonin levels. The effects should therefore influence each other positively. I took the L-tyrosine to increase my concentration on the work. I know that this is a high starting dose, but my curiosity and lack of respect for drugs have won. ^^ After 11 days I feel that I have become a little emotionless and much in thoughts. The St. John's wort works only after 4-6 weeks, so I will carry out my experiment for a while."

• lilys...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 21, 2021

For Anxiety "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

For Anxiety "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."

• Healt...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• January 19, 2023

For Anxiety "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."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 29, 2021

For Insomnia "Was recommended to take 5 HTP because I have no problem falling asleep, but rather staying asleep. Took 100 mg and slept better (still work up but it a much calmer way), but then next day after taking 100mg again I could tell it prevented me falling asleep and also elevated my heart rate to the point that I couldn’t sleep at all. Am going to speak to a doctor to ask whether it might work at a significantly lower dose. So many websites say 100 mg is fine and even say 200mg is ok to start with—I wish more recommended 25 max to begin, especially if you’re sensitive."

• stevo
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 14, 2020

For ADHD "I am trying 5 HTP now as of today. I have been taking 500 mg of l phenylalanine for the past few weeks. Overall my mood, focus and attention levels have been optimal thus far. Thoughts have been more entertaining rather than anxiety stricken. I still get some anxious thoughts and sometimes impatient that's why I am trying to stack 5 htp as well. I usually even with the phenylalanine have times where it's hard to relax another reason for the 5 htp addition. But I would definitely say if you have adhd try phenylalanine you should see an improvement."

• Billy
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 13, 2021

"5-HTP for SIBO as a prokinetic. Take I have been using 5HTP for 4 months in the form of Motilpro to stimulate the Migrating Myoelectric Complex (MMC) for SIBO, 100mg at night (2 x capsules) I had mild adverse side effects at first but continued to use. I have now had to stop, my side effects are waking up in the night with racing heart, nausea, sleeplessness, vivid unpleasant dreams, also sweating, dizziness and fatigue that lasts during the day. I cannot function whilst taking this drug anymore. Its was worth trying out, I believe it is effective. My FP advises some peoples Serotonin levels rise very fast, I believe I am in that category. I hope this helps someone else decide where or not it is for them. I do not suffer from depression and didn't notice any enhancement of my mood."