Comment · Thu, April 16, 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
Dyingalchemist · 1 points
Is there any option, other than Bacopa?
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · Ceretropic
Sure, some antipsychotics increase the expression of TPH. However, you have to determine why you want to up-regulate TPH. Up-regulation of TPH in the lower brain stem is actually positively correlated with depression. So you want it to cause up-regulation in certain brain regions, but not necessarily in others. Also, a lot of people are thinking too simply, with more serotonin = good. That is not the case, though.