This warning can never be overstated for 5-HTP. Higher doses/longer term use can have a lot of negative effects in the heart, as well as in the serotonin and dopamine system (even up to serotonin syndrome in the most extreme cases). A major problem is that the body does not have mechanisms to regulate conversion of 5-HTP to serotonin (5-HT), which is not a really good property of a supplement.
One should do their search before starting it, which anyway holds as advice for most supplements, but even more for this one. Anecdotes should not be taken as evidence of overall safety.
Correct me if I'm wrong, because I don't have a great grasp of drugs or biological pathways. The following is my extremely lay understanding:
* The reason people started taking MDMA was that it caused their brains to release large bursts of seratonin, which felt good.
* Receptors to seratonin tended to be overwhelmed, which caused people in the short term to be unable to achieve the same levels of ecstasy, and in the long term caused them to (grow new receptors? or at least...) have a perceived deficit of seratonin; causing short and long term depression in MDMA users.
Surely, injecting yourself with the chemical that causes your brain to be happy can't just work forever...right?
Serotonin doesn't cause you to be happy. Its effects are more basic in some ways, but also more complex in others. It is a chemical which serves a purpose in at least all forms of multi-cellular life, from plants to animals - so you can imagine how old and fundamental its role is.
Also, depression is not caused by low serotonin levels:
> The main areas of serotonin research provide no consistent evidence of there being an association between serotonin and depression, and no support for the hypothesis that depression is caused by lowered serotonin activity or concentrations. Some evidence was consistent with the possibility that long-term antidepressant use reduces serotonin concentration.
>> provide no consistent evidence of there being an association between serotonin and depression, and no support for the hypothesis that depression is caused by lowered serotonin activity or concentrations
I did not read your paper, but believe parent is making a different claim: it is not lowered serotonin levels or reduced activity, but an increase in receptors (perhaps a proxy for expected serotonin levels) that is causing the problem.
If this paper is specifically addressing serotonin levels or movement I can’t see how it could address receptor density.
The paper is specifically claiming there is just no association between serotonin activity and depression. By my understanding, that should include increased/decreased receptors, reuptake, breakdown etc.
Ok, I read the paper. Here is the most pertinent part on receptors:
> Fourteen different serotonin receptors have been identified, with most research on depression focusing on the 5-HT1A receptor [11, 34]. Since the functions of other 5-HT receptors and their relationship to depression have not been well characterised, we restricted our analysis to data on 5-HT1A receptors [11, 34].
So they reviewed two 2016 meta analyses of one out of fourteen known receptors involved in the process.
> Both meta-analyses were based on studies that predominantly involved patients who were taking or had recently taken (within 1–3 weeks of scanning) antidepressants or other types of psychiatric medication, and both sets of authors commented on the possible influence of prior or current medication on findings.
So both meta analyses were very sensitive to temporally
proximate relevant medication use.
Of the two receptor analyses:
> one analysis was of very low quality [37], … and one was strongly influenced by three studies and publication bias was present [38].
This is about as little (and sadly as much) as one could do to address receptors, and about as far from a dismissal of association of receptor count and depression as it is possible to get.
If anything it's probably the other way around - I'd posit that the portion of the population the does mdma, speed and the like is on aberage more depressed than someone "sober". Chicken and egg
I took 5-HTP longterm (two years) and started experiencing panic attacks, among other symptoms. I had to stop. I had supposed this to be a natural supplement without side effects, but I was wrong. I suppose each person is quite unique, so your mileage will vary.
Two years it's kinda long to take anything really. You can mess yourself up even if you just drink specific herbal tea for that long if you are unlucky.
Yes it definitely made me reevaluate my vitamin routine. I cut back most supplements and only take fish oil and vitamin D in winter now. I even cut out the caffeine and feel MUCH more relaxed.
One should do their search before starting it, which anyway holds as advice for most supplements, but even more for this one. Anecdotes should not be taken as evidence of overall safety.