Hey Mr X!!

[SonnyBlack]

Hey wats up bro....Around ! month ago, I started taking 5-HTP (L-Tryptophan) to help me out with my mood swings and battle my occasional bouts with deppression. Well recently (like 1 wk and a half after starting the 5HTP) I started noticing that for no reason at all I went up in weight on the scale (its not muscle, since i took measurements). Now I've heard that antideppresant medications are notorious for causing people to gain fat.....as a matter of fact, I was witness to this2 yrs ago when I took Prozac for 2 months and right away, like in the first month for no reason at all ( i ate and trained just the same) i went up like 10 pds of fat. Now since 5HTP increases seratonin in the brain and overall improves mood, I was wondering if it would have the same effect on makin me gain fat weight. Does it slow down your metabolism and make you gain weight...or does it make u retain water or something, such as is the case with antideppresants. Im kinda confused cus many people say that it aids in fat loss and Biotest even includes it in their MD6 fat burning formula.What do u all think...any experiences or info on this??

 

[Mr.X]

You gained weight on 5HTP, well, I'm pretty sure it's an allergy or some sort of a "back-fire" by your body. I actually wanted to answer your original post, but I have been looking through all these books to find something about 5HTP and fat-gain...but, my friend, all I could come up with was an allergy or bodily misreading of some sort. Are you taking 5HTP with Monoamine Oxidase (MAO) inhibitors? (this might be a cause) Are you taking over 6g a day?

"Excessive tryptophan levels in the brain can cause perception and mood changes. Remedy this by supplementation of B3 and B6. " Ref: Dr. Guineberg. Depression plus health and wellness. 1999. 12.

You see, 5-Hydroxy Tryptophan or 5-HTP is the precursor to the important neurotransmitter serotonin, which regulates several vital processes in the body, including sleep, emotional stability, pain sensitivity and addictive cravings. When levels of serotonin drop too low, a vast array of symptoms, ranging from anxiety and insomnia to obsessive/compulsive behavior and suicidal depression, can occur.

The body is able to manufacture serotonin from the amino acid tryptophan, which is found in certain foods. Many people who reach for ice cream, sweets and pastries when they feel stressed or depressed are instinctively attempting to increase their uptake of tryptophan to elevate their serotonin levels and improve their mood. Unfortunately, it takes great quantities of these "comfort foods" (with their unhelpful fat, sugar and calories) to significantly affect serotonin levels.

PM me, I will try to get more information for you. I have to tell you the truth: you are the first person that I heard stating that 5HTP can be related with fat-gain. But, it could all be true.

Mr.X