5-NTR: instructions for use and reviews

March 28, 2019
Other drugs
Olga Yamzakova

Among representatives of modern humanity, it is quite easy to find those who have any problems with sleep.

Some people cannot fall asleep for hours, while others wake up several times a night. Some people have nightmares, others cannot remember their dreams, but feel tired the next morning. In simple words, the problem is quite common and can be explained by the following factors:

Frequent stressful situations.
Intense rhythm of life.
Finding yourself in front of a flickering screen on a TV, computer, or phone monitor in the evening.
Unbalanced diet.
Lack of vitamins, minerals and amino acids.

For example, a common cause of sleep disorders is a lack of the amino acid 5-HTP. Next, we’ll talk in detail about what kind of compound this is and how to make up for its deficiency. The main characteristics specified in the instructions for 5-NTR will also be considered.

The concept of amino acid

5-HTP or hydroxytryptophan by its nature is an active metabolite of the essential amino acid tryptophan. It is called irreplaceable because the human body cannot synthesize it itself, but is forced to obtain it from food.

Once ingested, tryptophan is metabolized to 5-hydroxytryptophan. It is this compound that already has a direct beneficial effect on the immune, nervous and other systems of the body.

However, often when a number of factors or even one of them occurs, the process of conversion of tryptophan is disrupted and 5-HTP is produced in insufficient quantities. This happens due to the following reasons:

strong physical activity;
prolonged emotional stress;
diseases of the liver and digestive organs.

All this negatively affects metabolic processes, as a result of which the conversion of tryptophan occurs slowly and is not efficient enough. This is why consuming the ready-made 5-HTP metabolite is most beneficial for the body.

5-htp: principle of action on the body

5-htp, also known as 5-hydroxytryptophan, is an amino acid that is part of proteins. 5-Hydroproxytryptophan, entering the body, participates in tryptophan metabolism. Tryptophan is one of the most important amino acids, which helps neutralize the state of constant anxiety, depression, and also improves appetite, reduces pain and helps strengthen the immune system.

5-htp, entering directly into the brain, helps increase the ability of transmitting neurons to create serotonin, which actively affects not only the overall emotional state, but also improves physical and mental health in general.

In addition to participating in the production of serotonin, 5-Hydroxytryptophan promotes the production of melatonin, known as a sleep cycle regulator. This amino acid helps miraculously get rid of sleep disturbances at night and drowsiness during the day.

Useful properties of 5-HTP

The instructions for use of the drug state that tryptophan and its active metabolite are responsible for certain processes. These include:

Healthy functioning of the nervous system. A person who receives a sufficient amount of tryptophan is calm, stress-resistant, falls asleep easily and quickly, and also sleeps without waking up all night.
Normalization of the hormonal system. Women have a regular cycle, mild manifestations of premenstrual syndrome. They are less prone to early development of menopause and osteoporosis. Men have a healthy sex drive and potency.
A sufficient amount of tryptophan also has a beneficial effect on the immune system. A person gets sick less often, is resistant to various infections and feels reliably protected during an epidemic of colds and flu.

This is the main, but far from complete, range of healing properties of tryptophan and its metabolite - 5-HTP. The instructions for use describe each of them in detail.

Having studied the beneficial functions, anyone will involuntarily wonder how to compensate for the deficiency of this amino acid. The ways to solve the problem are:

By eating certain foods.
Taking dietary supplements high in 5-HTP.

5-Hydroxytryptophan: how does it help cope with depression?

Depression is a multi-layered concept, and to get rid of it, you need to work on every aspect. One of the so-called “layers” that forms the concept of depression is the ratio of hormones in the human body.

If a person has a disturbance in psycho-emotional reactions for quite a long time, this often indicates that the level of serotonin is too low. Initially, the human body independently synthesizes this hormone, but when its level decreases, it is necessary to replenish it.

How does a lack of serotonin affect the body:

Dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract.
Weakening of the immune system.
Disturbance of biological rhythms.
Feeling of increased anxiety.
Memory impairment.
Depression.

If a person has sleep disturbances, namely: he cannot sleep at night, and during the day he is constantly haunted by a feeling of drowsiness, most likely the reason lies in a violation of the production of melatonin.

In the human body, hormone production systems are continuously interconnected. The main causes of melatonin deficiency in the body are:

Lack of sleep and rest.
Incorrect load distribution.
Poor nutrition.
Chronic diseases.

Because 5-htp helps the body synthesize melatonin and serotonin, it can improve health and combat depression.

It has been scientifically proven that taking 5-htp in the complex treatment of depression has proven to be an effective and safe product. 5-Hydroxytryptophan has not only antidepressant properties, but also sedative, anticraving (elimination of pathological cravings for alcohol), anxiolytic (reducing feelings of fear). 5-htp is recommended for the treatment of depressive disorders of various origins, including those associated with drug addiction.

What foods contain amino acids?

The list of products with the named substance is as follows:

Red and black caviar are richest in healing compounds.
Other leaders in content are nuts: peanuts, cedar, cashews, almonds. This also includes sunflower seeds.
In third place are soybeans, cereals, and beans.
Cereals such as buckwheat, oatmeal, barley and pearl barley can be an excellent source of tryptophan.
Seafood. For example, squid, lobster, oysters. The richest fish in tryptophan are cod, mackerel, salmon, pike perch and others.

Another representative of tryptophan-containing foods are products of animal origin. Milk and cheese, chicken eggs, rabbit meat, veal, beef, pork, turkey and chicken.

However, despite the correct diet and the inclusion of the above foods, the body still needs 5-HTP. And then dietary supplements come to the rescue.

Best 5-HTP Supplements

Choosing a high-quality dietary supplement from a reliable manufacturer may not be as easy as it seems at first glance. If you have little experience in using dietary supplements, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with a small TOP of reliable companies producing hydroxytryptophan:

Natrol

Natrol is an American manufacturer of vitamins and other dietary supplements, popular for its line of products with biotin, melatonin and omega-3. Natrol's health-focused products are considered some of the best.

This company produces 5-HTP in the following packages:

30 capsules of 50 mg (cost - 770 rubles);
45 capsules of 50 mg (cost: 870 rubles);
30 capsules with an increased dosage of 100 mg (cost - 1160 rubles).

But the most effective dietary supplement is Natrol Mood Positive, each tablet of which contains 50 mg of 5-HTP and L-theanine, as well as 10 mg of vitamin B6, 200 mcg of folic acid and 50 mcg of vitamin B12. All of these substances play an important role in the production of serotonin, and their combined use creates a synergistic effect that allows you to maximize the benefits of the dietary supplement.

Now Foods

Now Foods has gained immense popularity thanks to its high-quality and effective dietary supplements sold at an affordable price. There are slightly more variations in the volumes of packages with 5-HTP from Now:

90 capsules of 50 mg (cost - 1100 rubles);
180 capsules of 50 mg (cost - 1990 rubles);
60 capsules of 100 mg (cost - 1050 rubles);
120 capsules of 100 mg (cost - 1880 rubles);
60 capsules of 200 mg (cost - 1890 rubles);
120 capsules of 200 mg (cost - 3300 rubles).

The most popular are packages of 180 capsules of 50 mg and 60 capsules of 200 mg.

Doctor's Best

Doctor's Best is also an American supplement and sports nutrition company. At the same time, she is engaged not only in production, but also in scientific research, studying dietary supplements and their effect on the human body. This allows the company to create more effective comprehensive supplements, such as 5-HTP Enhanced with Vitamins B6 & C, a complex containing hydroxytryptophan, ascorbic acid and vitamin B6.

But Doctor's Best also produces basic 5-HTP supplements in packages of 60 and 180 capsules of 100 milligrams.

Important! When purchasing dietary supplements, you need to pay attention not only to their manufacturer, but also to the place of purchase. It is best to purchase dietary supplements in specialized stores - this way there is the lowest chance of purchasing a counterfeit product.

Release form and indications for use

On the pharmaceutical market, 5-hydroxytryptophan can be presented in the form of:

capsules;
tablets.

Indications for use:

The main purpose of the supplement is to combat depressive disorders and eliminate insomnia.
Another application is weight control. The fact is that the compound has a beneficial effect on metabolism, speeding it up. Therefore, incoming fats and carbohydrates are consumed quickly and efficiently, without adding extra pounds.
Quite often, doctors prescribe the supplement in addition to the main medications for the treatment of migraines and relief of muscle pain.

Depression: what is it?

We often misinterpret this concept. Very often people confuse the usual blues and lack of mood with depression.

Depression is a human mental disorder, the main symptoms of which are a complete lack of ability to enjoy life and depression of mental activity.

Main symptoms of depression:

Intense feelings of devastation, sadness and indifference.
Anger and irritability.
Sleep disturbance - a person can sleep too little or, conversely, sleep too much.
Loss of interest in ordinary things that used to bring joy.
Loss of appetite - either excessive overeating or a complete lack of it.
Constant feeling of anxiety.
Deterioration of memory and concentration.
Unexplained physical pain.

Depression can develop, among other things, due to a lack of serotonin in the body, the hormone of happiness. Therefore, it is so important to maintain its level within normal limits.

Modern medicine offers a lot of pharmaceutical drugs with sedative, hypnotic and antidepressant properties. However, it is necessary to understand that chemotherapy drugs are often designed to produce a quick effect, which can lead to a violation of the dynamic balance of the body.

In order not to upset the balance and not harm your body, it is recommended to use products of plant origin that will not entail negative consequences.

Side effects

Like any other pharmaceutical product, the amino acid 5-HTP has a number of unwanted side reactions. Most often they are either weakly expressed or absent altogether. However, it is worth knowing about them:

Among the most common symptoms are dyspeptic disorders. The patient may complain of nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. Especially often, such reactions occur during the first days of taking the supplement and gradually disappear.
Another side effect is drowsiness, inhibition of reactions, decreased libido. If these types of side effects occur, you should reduce the dosage of the drug after consulting your doctor.

Directions for use and dosage regimen

How to take 5-HTP? The instructions indicate the following information:

A capsule containing 100 mg of the compound should be taken orally, after which it should be washed down with a sufficient amount of clean drinking water. It should not be replaced with tea, coffee or dairy products. All this can lead to a decrease in the therapeutic effect of the supplement.
The product should be taken on an empty stomach, at least half an hour before meals.
The standard regimen for using the supplement for preventive purposes is one capsule per day. According to the instructions for 5-HTP - 50 mg in the morning or evening - is also an acceptable regimen for using the drug.
To treat depression, take 2-3 capsules per day.
When eliminating insomnia, the supplement should be taken 1-2 capsules half an hour before bedtime.
If 5-HTP is used for the purpose of appetite control and weight loss, the dosage can reach up to 900 mg (9 capsules) per day.

The maximum duration of the course is three months and can be increased only by the doctor’s decision.

Contraindications for use

Despite its relative safety, the supplement has a number of contraindications, which include:

Age up to 18 years. For young people, the use of tryptophan metabolite is permissible only when prescribed by the treating pediatrician.
Pregnancy. At the moment, there are no research results that could reliably confirm the safety of the supplement for the unborn child and the mother’s body.
Concomitant use with antidepressants and the presence of mental disorders. Otherwise, unforeseen consequences may occur for the patient’s nervous system.

According to the instructions for use of 5-HTP, women who are breastfeeding should use the supplement with caution. Officially, the supplement is allowed for this category of people, but subject to agreement on the dosage with a specialist.

Also, special vigilance when using the drug should be observed by persons who are forced to spend time behind the wheel or whose activities require a high concentration of attention. For such people, it is better to start taking the supplement with 50 mg, gradually increasing the dose and carefully monitoring your response.

Reviews

The instructions on how to take 5-NTR do not contain data on the results of using the drug. But if you study patient reviews in detail, you will notice that the vast majority of them are positive. People note an improvement in their emotional well-being within the first week of using the amino acid.

Patients become more stress-resistant, calm, fall asleep easily and quickly, and have uninterrupted, sound sleep throughout the night.

Those who decide to use the supplement to prevent amino acid deficiency note the ease of use (one capsule per day).

Parents whose children have been prescribed the supplement by a neurologist or pediatrician note that their child has become more balanced, calm, and assiduous during the day, and sleeps more soundly at night.

Despite the reviews, no one has canceled the instructions for using 5-NTR. The information contained therein must be given priority. And when deciding whether to take a supplement, this is what you should consider.

Reviews from doctors (the instructions for 5-NTR say the same thing) say that the drug rarely causes any side effects. Therefore, doctors like to prescribe this dietary supplement to patients who suffer from insomnia or mild depression. At the same time, they may not worry about the risks of developing any adverse consequences, as is the case when prescribing more serious drugs to patients.