Tryptophan

[kim]

5HTP made my son sleepy, husband said he felt wired from it. He was trying to adjust to a different shift at work, and I gave it to him to help him sleep. Backfired big time with him.

 

I know some cites suggest the tryptophan converts to 5HTP, so giving tryptophan won't force it on the body. Only what is needed will be converted (so the theory). I found what you said, EAmom, 5HTP easier to find tho.

 

Cheri just posted this on the TS side today. Sheeez, try to figure this stuff out (for about the 100th time!) Interesting how insulin or sugar levels might effect things in conjunction with tryptophan tho.

 

http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=11369

Animal Study Suggests Diet Linked to Mental Illness also mentions Tourette Syndrome

 

 

http://psychcentral....ness/21786.html

 

Joseph Garner, an associate professor of animal sciences, fed mice a diet high in sugar and tryptophan that was expected to reduce abnormal hair-pulling.

 

Instead, mice that were already ill worsened their hair-pulling behaviors or started a new self-injurious scratching behavior, and the seemingly healthy mice developed the same abnormal behaviors.

[EAMom]

good point about not mixing it with a SSRI!

 

Yes...my PANDAS dd is still on 10mg/day prozac. Tyrptophan is something to think about if /when we take her off.

[EAMom]

Very interesting mouse article...I wonder if they had used more complex carbs (potatos, pasta) instead of simple sugars, if there would have been a different result?

 

Another thought...is maybe the tryptophan influenced something else (histamines?) . You would think an itchy mouse would be more prone to self-barber, pull hair out right? I'd be curious to see if a lower dose of tryptophan would have the same effect on the mousies.

 

Overloads of tryptophan supplements cause - among other relevant side-effects - an increased formation of formate and indolyl metabolites, several of which inhibit the degradation of histamine. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16307217

Edited December 15, 2010 by EAMom

[JAG10]

Forgive me if this was already covered, but do those of you with children who have tried both Zith and Augmentin, did you find a greater need for something, either supplement or prescription, with mood enhancing properties on Zith than you did with Augmentin? Dd11 switched from Augmentin to Zith about 2 1/2 weeks ago. After about 10 days, we saw notable cognitive improvements, but mood instability and sleep issues. Added the 5HTP in a few days ago and she is much, much better. She never needed 5HTP on Augmentin, but Zith appears to be bringing benefits to the table Augmentin did not.