Is l-tryptophan legal in Canada or in Europe? IT is usually sold as an amino acid supplement and packaged right next to melatonin, or it may be kept behind the pharmacy window. that's my main question.... the reasons are below, but you can stop here if you don't really need all the details.
After 20 years of searching. I finally have an answer as to the root causes of my psych and physical ailments including IBS/Anxiety/Depression/Sleep disorder/chronic infections/illnesses.... Low serotonin levels - extremely low. doc says basically the one sure thing that would work and has been documented to work with the least amount of nasty side effects or nasty addiction issues would treatment would be the amno acid L- tryptophan. Yes that's right the thing in Turkey that makes you feel contented and sleepy. I should be rejoicing that after 20-25 years of suffering there is something out there that can help me and we've pinpointed 95% of my health issues to something quantitative it's not in my head. I feel vindicated you might find it interesting that any drug inthe SSRI class will be completely ineffective in treatment of mental illness due to the shortage of the neurotransmitter serotonin. SSRI's basically double the efficiency of usage of the serotonin we have in our body.....BUt ZERO TIMES TWO is STILL ZERO well prozac has sure ripped me off for 25 years...not only did they take my money, but put load on my kidneys and liver as they metabolised the fluoxetine. But at least Prozac was a no harm done. I definitely can't say that about all the meds like PAXIL, Effexor, cymbalta ability etc..... I can't beleive that pshychiatrists don't test these levels before they put you on meds that can drastically alter the balance of these major major neurotransmitters. If they put you on the wrong one during their little guessing game, it can have disastrous and even deadly results. Maybe the makers of Prozac should start requiringn this or suggesting it...... it might be a telling number - the number of Prozac Sucicides that were too high or too low on Serotonin levels. I am really angy. I am a HUMAN BEING and not a guinea pig. Can we at least pretend to use the Scientific Method in the field of Psychiatry? These issues and the medication merry go round have hurt me and been even more heatbreaking forthe ones who love me most. Those who's hearts are breaking because they see me falling and they know they can't help me.
Unfortunately, since the 1980's L-Tryptophan has been banned in the US. There wer a few deaths associated with Serotonin Syndrome because the consumer's weren't educated enough about the possible side effects and basically they OD's on Serotonin or were abusing it....basically people were using it just pain stupidly, incorrectly or irresponsibly. Coincidentally, this is about the same time SSRI's came out so I am guessing the drug companies may have decided that having an over the counter med so cheap and readily available and so effective might hurt their ssri sales even though their drug is useless in low serotonin level patients and harmful for patients with too high a serotonin level. I am only guessing there but it would not surprise me at all to find that the PHARMA lobbyist pushed for this////// look how lucrative the market has been.
The biggest tradgedy is that people out there like me who have been saying for 20-25 years I don't think this is working for me.... were totally right but instead were (mis) diagnosed as bi-polar and sent on a terrible journey through augmenting an SSRI which was useless against this kind of depression/anxiety/ADHD/bipolar whatever you want to call it have probably put on anti-epiliptics and or antipsychotics that may have aggravated already elevated dopamine and nor-epinephrine levels to cause psychotic breaks, murderous agression, suicide attempts and self-mutilation (i.e. cutting, burning yourself) There is no way to adequately describe how primal these feelings are. They are more intense than anything I have ever felt and frankly I was afraid of myself because for the first time I realized I really might not be able to control this or myself and it frightened me so badly I had myself locked up. Which is a whole other MAJOR STRESSOR in itself. And Major Stressors make the serotonin level, what little you have left plummet. So it's a vicious circle.
When your serotonin is so low your Dopamine and Norephinephrine levels usually elevate as a coping mechanism for the shortage of Serotonin. Unfortuntely they don't cover serotonin's responsibilities like good old serotonin can....Dopamine and Norepinephrine are associated with the very primal fight or flight response and Serotonin is kind of the capping mechanism that say ok, your ok, lets tone down the response to a more reasonable level now that we know your life isn't in danger. If you don't have the serotonin and now your dopa and norpinephrine levels are rampd up you are in FIGHT OR FLIGHT response ALL THE TIME. And it can really start burning you out physically leading ailments like intense pain/neuragias, racing heart rates, extreme panic disorder and High blood pressure to name a few. It will also cause diahreah so bad you will be confined to the house at 38 beause your are afraid to leave the house for fear of being incontinenet(number 2, not number one) in public. YES, at 37, I actually had to make sure I had extra clothes shoes and underwear in the car and seriously started considering wearing adult diapers and clean up wipes not just for the baby but for me also. The FIGHT OR FLIGHT response things also makes large social gathering almost unbearable because you are just receiving too much sensory input, you can't tune it out and its total overload and you have no way to react even to the most benign conversation but with an intesity of reaction that is WAY out of bounds and this leads your further down the road to being a shut in. and your dragging your spouse or Sig Other with you.
THe other treatment options are Elavil, Ritalin, Oxycodone (1 for the neuralgia pain and 2 for increasing serotonin production. but the doc said, I don't care if your in pain or not you re to take it every 4 hours to see if we can boost the serotonin. All these meds are either known or suspected increase serotonin levels but have some pretty obvious side effects including the possiblity of addiction. I was very upset about this in the docs office. But he said, look, you can't go on this way. You NEED these meds. I'd much rather try the naturally occuring amino acid first and then resort to these, But in the end I know I can't live this way. It's bad for me, my body, my marriage and my three year old daughter to witness suffering I hope she never has to endure.
If you got all the way through this huge brain dump it must have interested you, i'd love to hear your comments or experience or advice on where to go where their might be clinical trials, a practice devoted to just that or even know of a good compounding pharmacy in the DC metro are.
I had to laugh today. I was diagnosed as a diabetic in OCT 2005. So my therapist says how are handling that emotionally beause usually it's a big deal for most people......for me that is so far off on my radar screen I just take my pill and think to myself..... welll if I could only have that simple of an answer for the rest of it... I am like lady, that hasn't even made it to the top 15 emotional issues.
auntbea,
Where did you have your seratonin levels tested? Did your medical doctor do this or did you have to go somewhere else to have this done? I have been really intrested in having this done myself. I like you cannot understand why in the world this is not routinly tested before meds are perscribed.
I have tried Adderall, but it causes me too much irritability and anxiety. I also tried Concerta, but it caused depression. I am convinced that I have an imbalance in my neurotransmitters wich effects the way these meds work for me.
RE: where I had my serotonin level tested....
BTW are you having any chronic pain issues?
After years of being referred to a pain managment specialist.....I finally relented and went.... i suffer from a very very, painful condition called trigeminal neuralgia which I only found out after having all my teeth root canaled and then pulled on the left side. Last year I spent 20 grand in dental and sinus procedures trying to get rid of the pain. and I still have the pain! It is kind of like a facial migraine and can put me flat on my back for days at a time.
There are three branches of this trigeminal nerve all start at the ear. The place that moves when you chew is almost exactly where the nerve comes out of the skull and spreads across your face. You also have the same nerve on the right side, but my pain involves only my left side.
Anyway, I didn't want to just be on narcotics all the time so I put it off. Going to this guy has changed my life and unlike my fear I am not on narcotics all the time... I've had some blocks and other procedures. the pain comes and goes unpredictably, but I have had about 8 weeks pain free with no narcotics.
anyway I asked this Dr. why was it that when I take what is supposed to be a stimulant, I am actually calmed but it, and when I take something that is intended to calm me like pain meds, I get hyper like I am on steroids.
He looked up right at me like something clicked in his mind and said. You have a neurotransmitter problem, I think its serotonin and he ordered a blood test.
Some doctors will tell you that the blood test doesn't mean anything. I say bullhockey..... serotonin is resposible for a host of other functions besides just mood and the way it gets around is through blood flow. For Example, serotonin is a smooth muscle relaxant and controls peristalsis in your bowels and also how much water is recycled from your bowels.... if your serotonin is off or non existant, the result can be IBS, constipation or incontinance... (which was my problem until the l-trypto) Serotonin is also resposnsible for sense of well being, pain tolerance, energy levels, immune system messaging and a host of other things. If you have none you may be chronically ill. also if you have no serotonin your dopamine and norepinephrine may be elevated causing anxiety, panic, racing thoughts, high blood pressure and other things associated with the fight or flight response. Personally, I think this is where my ADHD symptoms stem from. I feel like I am on fight or flight all the time and the racing trhought, axiety and panic distract me from what I am supposed to be doing, so I am racing around like a chicken with my head cut off but accomplishing nothing and since I am so distracted I can't remember what I did with anything.. but that's my personal opinion....about my own situation....
The rest of the information I pulled from sites like NIMH, MEDline, WEBMd and conversations with the pain management doc. I am sure there are other opinions out there feel free to chime in...and call bs on me if you find something just now well thought out... or unsubstantiated or find more research....
BTW, I even seen some sites that specifically link low serotonin to left sided trigeminal neuralgia specifically...... that's a pretty specific and rare (or at least unusual) condition.
Also, the other way to get a brain level serotonin is Spinal Tap. Obviously, you'd start with the blood test - if there's a major discrepancy or issue it will show up.... Even if nothing shows up there though that doesn't mean that the spinal tap wouldn't indicate something.
So I feel like a whole bunch of peices fell into the puzzle and fit together for the first time. and thanks to the l-trypto I've been back to the gym for the first time in 9 months. BTW the exercise is helping with the pain. And it raises serotonin levels. So when the pain is really bad I force myself and just keep repeating in my head - this will make the pain go, this will make the pain go.....
Dr.s Best L-Tryptophan
Which company did you get your L-Tryptophan from?