Does anyone know if you can take 5 HTP while on antipsychotics generally, or quetiapine/seroquel specifically?
The purpose of taking 5-HTP is to increase brain serotonin levels. Seroquel is a serotonin antagonist, it does not allow serotonergic neurons to fire normally. 5-HTP would most likely not provide any benefits for anyone on serotonin antagonists such as quietapine, Zyprexa. The two antipsychotics that one can be on and benefit from 5-HTP are Invega and Latuda.
What was your interest in 5-HTP? Depression? Anxiety? For anxiety you can try taurine, GABA, or glycine supplements available online. I take all three of those.
Are you on an antidepressant? Sometimes SNRIs can help a little.
You could still try it. Worst case, you don’t feel any different.
You might also want to discuss this with your pdoc or provider.
Mainly for low mood. I used to take it before I went on an SSRI sertraline (I think “Zoloft” in the US). I’m not on antidepressants anymore though. I didn’t realise Seroquel was a serotonin antagonist. I might have to look into getting on an SNRI. I wish I could go on Wellbutrin which seems common in the US but is not available as an antidepressant here.
I am interested in supplements for anxiety though so thanks for the suggestions. GABA is banned here I think which is annoying but I’ll look into the other two.
While I was on Invega I was naturally making 5 htp from tryptophan and, then, converting it into serotonin. 5htp supplement would probably be a good with Invega curbing some of your appetite. I want to ask my pdoc about this. I don’t agree that taking a 5htp supplement while on seroquel would be completely useless because of the antagonist effect. Would it block it totally? Who knows. I take GH Freak by pharmafreak, a gym supplement also it has 5htp in it’s ingredients.
How did you make serotonin from tryptophan? Are you a chemist, or just a genius? I was hoping if I learned chemistry and biochemistry I could figure out how to make serotonin from 5-HTP. I just don’t have the brains to figure it out!
Your body does it naturally. 5HTP is a naturally occuring amino acid. You can say God did it. Or you can just have the brains to study biochemistry and be god like.
Ignore this post, it is completely incorrect; Seroquel only has a high binding affinity for certain serotonin receptors, and others it won’t bind to, meaning that it will cause serotonin to favor certain receptors, and might actually boost the positive effects of 5-HTP. It is often prescribed alongside an SSRI to help with depression for this very reason, because it will bind primarily to the 5-ht2a receptors and leave more serotonin to bind to the preferable receptors and boost mood. Taking 5-htp could be a healthier way to help with Seroquel’s mood boosting effects without adding additional drugs.
5-HTP is the direct metabolic precursor to serotonin; you don’t need to be a genius to figure that out, it is very common knowledge.