Personally, I prefer food/tweaking nutrition... like some foods naturally have the stuff that you eat 5-htp for, if I remember it right.. there's lots about this online, even in Wikipedia I think, and I wrote about it in another thread methinks.. (too sleepy now and it's too late to find it though lol..)
If you do try it and it works well, do tell us about it!
I think it does no good to cover up the root cause of your serotonin deficiency, even if you do have a tryptophan deficiency (I believe 5htp is converted to tryptophan in the body) then more likely you are having trouble absorbing tryptophan from food. I agree with feathers, food is normally the culprit when dealing with low serotonin levels.
I use 5htp. Ooo, contradictory? Well. I know the foods that zap my serotonin levels, and it puts me in a 'void' for a few days. If I accidentally eat one of these foods, I do turn to 5htp and it actually DOES help me! I feel, not as happy as normal serotnin-leveled-me, but, uplifted, more energy to do things, and less appetite. (Low serotonin levels can be to blame for craving unnatural foods that temporarily boost serotonin, though these foods come with the cost of a serotonin crash afterwards). I also hear that if you take 5htp at night, it will be converted to melatonin and you will have sound sleep, as serotonin does assist with that as well. Again, if you are an insomniac, there IS a root cause to look for, but if you're too tired to function or care then it will help. Though, some people get the side effect of insomnia, so if this is you then take it in the morning and you will most likely still convert serotonin>melatonin when night rolls around.
I have also tried taking 5htp when I'm not eating the foods that harm my serotonin levels, and what happens is I get angry, depressed, and zombie-like. (Then again this could have been because I was taking too much at that time, but I believe that if you take it for more than 4 weeks and still get this effect, then you do not need this).
So, 5htp can help. If you are hopelessly stuck give it a try, and look into the TRUE cause while you have the energy/uplift, because 5htp won't work forever and finding the TRUE cause is the only thing that will.
There is a tolerance with this. I'd also start with a low dose. Some people online suggest 100-300mg, don't do that to yourself, you may have side effects not unlike other anti-depressants, including increased depression.. I was taking 200mg (I thought my pills were 100s, WOOPS... just discovered that now actually) and for a day I felt like a zombie with no feelings, increased suicidal thoughts. Start with something low, even 10-25mg every 2nd or 3rd day (you don't need it every day) to introduce it to your body first, and up it to 50 when you feel comfortable. Stay there awhile and see what happens. As with any anti-depressant, if you see no difference stick with it for 4 weeks to get over the adjustment hump.
