Comment · Tue, March 10, 2015 · Ceretropic
Would it be correct to say that l-tryptophan is superior to 5-HTP for correcting serotonin deficiency (since 5-HTP bypasses natural rate limiting)?
Original post in this thread
CharlesStross · 2 points
Just making sure I understand the principle correctly.
EDIT: I'm not taking either of these, I have no reason to think I'm serotonin deficient, I'm just double checking that the 5-HTP is going to give you more serotonin, faster, and bypass the body's natural rate limit at the tryptophan hydroxylase stage.
What they were answering
Direct reply to the original post — see the thread post above.
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · Ceretropic
5-HTP will raise your brain serotonin levels faster than L-tryptophan, if you take a peripheral aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase inhibitor, like EGCG. If you do not take one, then most of the serotonin will be made in the periphery, and go on to mess with your digestion. Even if you take EGCG with your 5-HTP, that is going to affect your dopamine synthesis after a while. That is because aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase is an enzyme that is shared by L-DOPA and 5-HTP. Overload it with one, and the levels of the downstream metabolites of the other will eventually fall too. Your body uses said enzymes as a balance. Going around them is always going to lead to unintended side effects. That is why addressing the enzyme expression itself is a better option. Need more serotonin? Up-regulate tryptophan hydroxylase using something like Bacopa. Then you keep the enzymes in place, but alter their expression to change the balance, without bypassing them.