The compounds 5-hydroxytryptophan or 5-HTP and tyrosine, are both involved in the generation of brain chemicals that affect behavior and mood. Analysis shows that supplementing with any of these chemicals could help to treat problems such as anxiety, stress or depression. However, there are insufficient studies done to definitively suggest their use for these purposes. Like prescription drugs, natural health supplements could cause side effects or react in a negative way with other supplements or drugs. If you are interested in using either 5-HTP or tyrosine for any reason, you should consult your doctor first.
Side Effects of Tyrosine
There are researches about tyrosine stating that it could cause a variety of side effects, mostly of them are moderate. They consist of nausea, heartburn, headaches, joint pain and fatigue. In serious situations, it could cause an allergic reaction or intensify hyperthyroidism. Symptoms of an allergic reaction normally include itching, swelling, trouble in breathing and hives. Tyrosine switches into tyramine, a chemical that has been recognized as a migraine trigger.
Side Effects of 5-HTP
Side effects from 5-HTP are typically light and usually consist of heartburn, nausea, feeling of fullness, grumbling feeling in the stomach and gas. Very high dosages possibly will lead into serotonin syndrome, described by extremely high amounts of this brain chemical that could result to some serious health issues such as agitation, rapid heart beat, loss of coordination, increased body temperature, overactive reflexes and hallucinations. Sometimes, the use of 5-HTP is normally expected with eosinophilic myalgia syndrome, a really lethal medical condition that strikes the blood, muscles, organs and skin.
Medication Interactions
Taking MAO-inhibitors – a type of medicine used to cure depression – and at the same time as tyrosine might lead to a serious raise in the blood pressure, that could lead to a heart attack or stroke. It also can increase values of thyroid hormones, using probably tough if you take synthetic thyroid hormone to cure hypothyroidism.
Making use of 5-HTP at the same time a different medicine or natural and organic supplements could possibly heighten the possibility of serotonin syndrome. Do not make use of 5-HTP if you are taking any of the following supplements for depression: MAOIs, tricyclics, nefazodone or SSRIs. This is also a possible risk if you take in triptans – used to cure headaches or migraines, the pain medicine tramadol or the pure organic and natural treatment St. John’s wort.
Some other Considerations for Use
Do not give any nutritional supplement to a child without having a discussion with your pediatrician. If you have hypertension or diabetes, using 5-HTP might cause problems. Consult your physician first before trying this supplement since 5-HTP can be harmful in higher dosages. Standard dosing recommendations normally declare for 50 mg once to thrice a day but some researches have used higher dosages — approach your doctor for advice on the exact dosage for your condition. The normal dosage for tyrosine is from 500 to 1,000 mg thrice a day about 30 mins before meals.
