Expert: Dr Alan Galbraith - 9/11/2009

Question
Hello i am emailing via allnutri.com and hope you can help with my problem. Appparently 5htp causes "serotonin syndrome". MY QUESTION IS: Would taking 300mg of 5-htp daily with no other serotonin affecting medications/supplements give ANY CHANCE of causing serotonin syndrome??? This is very much a gray area on the internet.
Also would my risk increase if 5-htp is taken with alcohol or migraine medications??? How many hours would you recommend between taking the two? Would you recommend St Johns Wort as better/safer than 5-htp? Thanks for help.


Answer
Dear Gary

It is not recommended to take 5-HTP at over 100mg per day because of the risks you mention. If you really need this amount for depression it is better to speak directly to a prescriber who knows your history. Doses higher than 100mg must only be used under medical supervision, in my opinion. Alcohol should not effect greatly the action of this drug but is best avoided except in moderation or non at all in depression. If you are using the triptan (eg Imigran) type medications for migraine the risk of serotonergic syndrome would be increased.

Whether St John's wort is safer than 5-HTP is very debatable especially with concurrent use of some other drugs including those for migraine but I would say the 5-HTp would be better.

Regards

Dr Alan Galbraith