Whats the proper dose of 5-htp for someone to take with depression?
The general concensus is 200-300 mg per day. I took 50 mg/day and felt fine, except I was only taking it every other day, so after a few weeks, the day off was getting me down <lower energy, depressed feelings>. I'd suggest start at the 50 mg once daily, try that for 3-4 weeks, and if you need more, go up by 50 mg at a time. Also, many people claim that it's better absorbed on an empty stomach, but the bottle I had recommended taking it with food, so I did. If taken w/ a meal, drink some soda or other "sugary" drink to kick-start the serotonin production process. Sugar activates an enzyme within your digestive system that blocks other amino acids from passing through the blood-brain barrier and out-competing the 5-htp. The first few days you take it, you may feel nauseous, jittery, edgy, but that wears off after 3 or 4 days <perhaps sooner>. One word of advice....when you stop taking it, you may feel a "let down" like I did. I had some mild depression, cried a time or two, then a few hours later, I was okay. Also, you're not supposed to take it every day for more than 2-3 months without taking about a 3-week break. Some doctors also say you can take it up to 5 days a week, with 2 days off, rather than the every-day approach.
This totally depends... on your height, weight, severity of depression, health history, any other medications you might be taking. I hope you are under a doctor's care for this. Even if you start taking it, you might need to adjust the dosage for side effects, and you need a doctor to do that.
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