5-HTP and Headaches: What Users Say

• Sha...
• July 11, 2019

For Anxiety "Took SSRI (Prozac) for Anxiety/Depression for 18 years with the only side effects being needing more sleep (8.5-9 hours a night minimum) than normal people. Four months ago, decided to quit the Prozac cold turkey because I thought I could manage without it. No issue initially, but couple months later I started getting very irritable and quite moody. Not wanting to go back to clinical drugs, decided to try 5-HTP. Taking slow time-released 5-HTP 100mg twice a day. Two weeks in, the effects are undeniable. The moodiness is under control, the 'overall feeling of well-being' is back, sleep quality is much improved. Remember to take it with food. You might feel drowsy with mild headaches initially, this goes away in a week or so. Give it at least a couple weeks to fully kick in. Now, just hope the effects last long term and don't 'plateau' out. Maybe I'll make another post a year later, haha. Good luck!"

• Anonymous
• August 24, 2018

For Anxiety "5-HTP has helped me manage my anxiety, and after years of PTSD-related nightmares, I'm finally sleeping properly. It's helped massively with suicidal ideation. Even during better times, the intrusive thoughts were always lurking. For the first 7-10 days, I did have quite noticeable side effects: headaches, feeling nauseous, and shaking a little. But I continued to take it because, to be honest, it was better than the side effects of prescribed antidepressants I've experienced in the past. Which is probably not the most sensible, but now I'm happy I did. I take this with a combination of L-tyrosine, B vitamins, and magnesium. Probably also worth mentioning is the ease with which I've managed to sort out my binge eating. I've lost 13kg in the last 4 months, which has been a fantastic thing for me, and now my BMI is back in the healthy range."

• Rob...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 3, 2021

For Insomnia "Solgar 5-HTP 100 mg. 1x daily. First three days it helps with my insomnia, nice 7-8 hours of sleep, but no change with anxiety or mood. Then I started waking up at 3 a.m., sweaty with elevated heart rate and having very vivid bad dreams, and it continued during the day with tension headache and severe anxiety and depression. I didn't know 5-HTP was causing it, so I continued taking it. Things got worse to the level that I was stuck in a dark mood and suicidal feelings. I stopped taking them. Three days later, my system cleared and was back to normal. Some of us are sensitive to these 'brain chemical adjusters.'"

• ano...
• May 14, 2015

For Anxiety "This supplement has really worked for me! The only problem is after about a month of taking it, I have started experiencing ringing in my ears and pressure headaches. But it does boost my mood, and I haven't had mood swings or anxiety like before I started taking this. Also, I find I haven't been as hungry and eating as much. This supplement would be perfect if I hadn't started having the problems with my ears and the headaches."

• One...
• January 5, 2016

For Anxiety "Been using timed-release 200 mg for the last month and used to 400 mg daily. Slight stomach and headache issues but gone after the first week. Works very well but need to buy a quality product. I paired this with Niacinamide 1500-2000 mg, this is all medicinal level and it's working nicely with slight mood swings. My sleep is better with a higher dose, and I'm not suffering major panic attacks. I'm off Seroquel for now, and this is working for my seasonal depression, and I am bipolar 1. I would recommend a neuropath when using this, but I'm very well trained and aware of my body."

• Tin...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 24, 2019

For Anxiety "I recently lost my job and am going through stress. For about three weeks now, I've been taking Ativan for sleep because the anxiety was keeping me up at night. I do not want to get addicted to the benzo. Tried magnesium threonate, but the side effect was tension headache. Tried valerian, that just made me more anxious. I take B complex and D3, along with what is prescribed by my doc. I tried 5-HTP. It relaxes me but doesn’t make me feel sleepy. Do I have to up the doses to make it more effective? How many days before it started working? Any ideas? Thanks."

• 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 my face, arms, neck, and chest. Went into severe vomiting for hours with muscle spasms in my stomach. Horrible headache from the 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 an allergic reaction."

• Gir...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 8, 2022

For Anxiety "Started 5-HTP for very debilitating anxiety almost 10 months ago. I started at 100 mg and went up to 300 mg 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 step. 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."

• New...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 2, 2015

For Anxiety "I tried 5-HTP to alleviate low mood. It gave me the most horrendous headache from day one. I cannot continue it due to this severe side effect."

• Lel...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 13, 2019

For Anxiety "I have been taking this for a while now. My brain feels clouded, and I get massive headaches. In the beginning, it helped my depression and anxiety, but now I kind of feel terrible again."