Question from a member: HTP 5

I am considering taking HTP 5 as heard that it can be effective for Fibro. Wondered if anyone had tried it and whether it had helped?

*hmm, interesting, when I worked at a vitamin store, 5-HTP was recommended for all sorts of things; let us know!

*Wondering the same about low dose naltrexone.

*No and No. Helpful Eh.

*It cannot be taken with any antidepressants. Make sure you check for drug interactions before you take it.

*I've heard bad things about that product, something to do with side effects being worse than the symptoms in a lot of people but at the end of the day its the individuals choice isn't it.

*Tremaine can someone tell me what it is, and I would also be interested in what others are taking for Fibro pain.

*I have been taking Lyrica for the past couple of years, and it helped at first, but not so much for the past couple of months. I don't go back to the MD until August, so I am hoping that this will pass. So I am curios myself to see how others answer your question.

*I didn't notice any difference, but I didn't take it for very long.

*I tried Htp5 didn't see any difference.

*Cherry active, I heard Is good for Fibro. Been saying going to try it but keep forgetting to go to shop to get it!

*5-HTP doesn't react well with other drugs, you have to take it alone, and like antidepressants, you have to let it build up in your system before it works.

*I take prescription, high dose amino acids, that brought me back from the brink of disability, and helped me lose lots of weight.

*Exactly what amino acids and they are prescription? Please expand on that if you could. Thank you!

* Have you heard about Monavie? It has helped many people with Fibro.

*I have bu trans patches which work fab and co codamol, never heard of the others sorry.

*I'm interested in the high amino acids too.

*A good site with loads of info is the Fibro 360 Community/Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centres, they are here on fb, also just search Fibro and you will have tons of info.

*What is htp5? I have never heard of it.

*Tell us more I have not heard about this.

*Most people get something off their doctor for pain and I've been ill with M.E & fibro for 10yrs (+ so many other things) and never been offered any pain relief apart from the anti-depressants I'm on. I'm not even sure what I could be taking.any ideas?

*I take it and have been for about a year I also take calcium, evening primrose and magnesium with gentle exercise and yoga plus a good diet I cant say am pain free that's for sure but I am med's free now! Need to think positive gets you farther!

*I use 5htp - 100 mg and yes it helps a lot. I missed a couple of days (from being disorganised and running out) and by god I knew about it.
Had a mini flare and my mood bottomed out. I like the fact it helps my low mood *and* the fibro too win, win in my book. You mustn't take it when on anti depressants though and possibly a few other meds this site is really good if you want to find out more:
HTP5 Information site


*For me personally I get little side effects from 5htp whereas meds from doc make me very sick. So now only taking moderate pain relief as and when needed.

*5 HTP is 5-hydroxytrypophan an amino acid that helps form the bodies happy hormone serotonin. to quote the article I have read it says, 'because increased levels of serotonin are thought to help us combat depression, reduce appetite, ease chronic headaches, INCREASE PAIN TOLERANCE AND RELIEVE SLEEP PROBLEMS, 5 HTP may be helpful in treating these conditions although this has yet to be clinically proven.'
The article also says that it should not be taken if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or on antidepressants. it is expensive £14.99 for 60 capsules at Holland and Barrett although it is currently half price until 28 or 29th April 2010 (cant remember the exact date).
I have bought some and am now guinea pigging myself with these tabs to see if they have any effect. will keep you all posted! if not its back on the lyrica and a quick couple of stone added to the body weight. what's better fatter and in less pain or thinner and in agony!

*I tried it, but you have to give up any anti depressants you're taking at least a week before starting the 5-HTP, as it doesn't interact well with them. I have to say I found it hard to tolerate as it gave me nightmares, but I started on 100mg and maybe the trick is to start on a lower dose and build up? I've been recommended trying Low Dose Naltrexone and am hoping to start that in the next few weeks. Fingers crossed.

*The only thing that really makes any difference is pacing, patience and eating well. I have tried all the drugs offered and just end up no better or even worse.

*I tried 5-HTP once for anxiety and it didn't work. Then I read something re few people it doesn't work for and they responded to something else - melotonin (?) I couldn't get the stuff anyway. I'm now on paroxetine low dose and that has helped a bit with anxiety though have put on weight.

*The sunshine helps.

*I am interested too, I need some relief and I have had gastric Bypass and medications are a issue for me. Needing something though I have my good days and my bad days and when I have a bad day it is really a bad day.

* What is it? How do I research it? Where do I find it/ What do the letters stand for? Never heard of it.

*I have heard this is helpful, although you should not take it if on antidepressants due to drug reaction.

*Yes I take it daily along with mellatonin,ldn,Q10,vit c,giniko biloba, siberian ginseng, natural glandulars [ nutri adrenals]

Do you let yourself sleep during the day?

*I need to quite often

*Of course! Sometimes it's not a choice.

*yes I have to.

*I only can on the weekends. Usually Sunday.

*If I can and feel I need to I do.

*I find it hard to sleep during the day but I get exhausted by about 2/3pm so I am wondering if a nap would be in order, or if this would make things worse.

*If I need to and can then yes. I try not to sleep after 4pm or it affects me settling.

*Yes, I do on most days.

*I try not to because if I nap I seem to wake up feeling really ill and in more pain.

*Only if I'm home for the day. But during the work week, no.

*Oh, that I could nap! I just can't do it.

*Only if I don't have to get up early the next morning, otherwise I might not be able to go to sleep at night.

*Sometimes, if I really feel I need it. I have to put my energy savings into my reserve for the days when I work.

*Not as if I get a choice! Lay on the sofa, next thing, it's 2 hours later!

*I used to every day. I HAD to every day. My doc back then weaned me off of it, telling me it would only make me dependent on the nap. Now, if I feel like I have to, I do it because I know it's necessary, I just don't schedule it into my daily plans.

*Not usually but if I don't have to be anywhere and the boys (10 and 7) are watching a film or something and I feel particularly bad I may doze on the sofa. I end up feeling worse usually though.

*Hubby quite often goes back to bed during the day as he can only manage being awake and downstairs for a couple of hours at a time. He's there now, and has been since 3pm.

*Yes don't sleep well at night, I have no energy so have to.

*I try not to as it makes me more foggy believe it or not.

*I sleep most of the morning, but try NOT to take naps once I am up.

*Sometimes but try not to sleep for more than an hour during the day.

*Sometimes.

*Yes, but only when I am desperate, like now, I have been at M.I.L's for two nights with little sleep, so I know tomorrow will be bad and I will need to sleep.

*If I need to yes, but wake up a bit hungover.

*If I am really tired I do.

*no

*Yes, sometimes its the only thing that takes the pain away.

*I most certainly do.

*If my eyes are closing and I have absolutely no energy, yes

*oh yes!

*I'm OK if I don't sit down, if I do then I'm gone but that makes me feel worse when I wake up, I'm better off trying to keep going.

*I have no choice I fall asleep at any time sometimes in mid conversation.

*I do if I can fit it in! But it helps with the energy but sometimes I feel ill when I wake up and it seems to effect me falling asleep at night!

*I try not to, but I recently lost my job and since then the urge to sleep more has taken over. When I start work again, naps are going to be a big no-no. If I nap during the day I can't sleep at night.

*nappies, yes.

*Yes, can't help it, I get so exhausted, I fall asleep on the sofa, I've no energy to keep going.

*Only if I've not slept the night before due to insomnia. Otherwise, I try to stay awake for the whole day, even when I really don't want to.

*Yes, I work 3rd shift 3 nights a week so I sleep whenever I get a chance.

*Sometimes

*Sometimes a nap is the only thing that can salvage a bad day. I can attempt to stay up, and be uselessly miserable the whole time, or I can to to bed (maybe an hour, maybe an afternoon-depending on how bad I'm flaring) and hope to stop the crash in its tracks.
Heaven help me if I don't listen to my bodies need for rest - I'm inviting a days-long in-bed crash.

*Only if I really need too.

*Of course, I sleep at least 11 hours a night, then lay back down after I eat for the rest of the day and evening till bed on the heating pad. The pain is so intense I can't do anything else now.

*Not all the time but if lot of pain I do plus sometimes I have to fight to keep eyes open, just defeats the object. If your body needs the rest then you got to listen to it, same as pacing yourself.

*Not if I can help it.

*I so wish I could but work does not allow me too. I am off on Fridays and I pretty much sleep all day.

*I try not to, but sometimes if I'm really tired, I can't help having a nap. I'm lucky in the fact that with my amitriptyline I sleep well, although I can sleep for 12 hours or more and still feel tired when I wake up.

*I try to get in bed at a reasonable hour even if it takes me a while to fall asleep. I usually get up around 7:30 - 8:00 and feel extremely tired. If I nap, upon doctor's advice, I keep it to 20 to 30 minutes. More than that, I feel terrible. But if your body is screaming at you to stop, STOP!

*yes all the time especially when I have flare ups like say today.

*Yes if I really need it. I was advised on a pain management course to sleep when I am tired as your body needs it.
Then when in bed at night if you wake up and can't get back to sleep is to get up and just do something that is not stimulating to the brain and only go back to bed when your feeling really tired again.

*My doc has put me back on my medication and plus I have a baby to look after, so sleep during the day is very hard at the moment. If I can, I will.
If on the other hand I have taken my meds, I have to fight the tiredness until someone else is in the house.

*No. I don't sleep during the day.

*I do sometimes. If I have had a really bad night then I go for an afternoon snooze.

*Yes, if I am able. I think it helps my body repair since nights are so bad. Plus it helps me get through the worst afternoon/evening hours.
I sometimes nap with the toddler, if I didn't have kids at home I would nap more often.

*Yes I have to or I cant function properly for the rest of the day, some times I lie down and an hour becomes all day depending on pain, fatigue etc.

*I just seem to fall asleep. Sometimes I can't be woken up, then I will go days without sleep because I can't. It seems I go from sleeping all the time to no sleep at all.

*Yes sometimes I have no choice.

*Most days, but feel horrible when I wake up.

*Yes I do because that is half of he sleep I do manage.

*Not unless I can help it, night sleep goes a bit troublesome other wise.

*Yes, and sometimes it's not a choice, my body will make it will happen whether "I" want it or not.

*Trying to avoid nodding off right now.

*Yes some days I just can't stop myself.

*I need to so much, but always feel guilty when I do.

*If I need to yes!Learning to listen to our bodies is key! Granted sometimes we can't and we battle on but otherwise listen! Cant beat a sleep day or night.

*Naps are only about 20-30 minutes, otherwise it's too deep a sleep to be considered a nap. Once I respected that and limited my "naps" to the shorter time, I felt much better and will definitely take them if I need them and am able. They do help me get through the day better.

*Yes I have to, or I am crabby when family gets home.

*Yes I sleep during the day usually will take 1 1/2 to 2 hour nap....I exhaust easy if I'm doing a lot of running around town, in addition to babysitting my 15 month old grandson plus pick my 7 yr old old grandson up from school and keep both boys until mum gets off work and picks the boys up around 6:30pm Mon through Fri

*Cant help it sometimes, don't realise until I wake up!

*I take a nap during the day, if I need it. My hours are already off-kilter from the "normal" household; I'm a night owl, staying up until 3am some nights. I compensate by sleeping until 10am or noon. Thanks to my C-PAP machine, I don't need the afternoon naps as much.

*If I need to, I won't fight it. The problem is I don't need to most of the time.

*Most days,, nearly always wake up confused.

*Yes I'm the same, most times I just know that I need to lie down,its like someone has zapped all my energy like in an instant , but I don't always sleep just rest depending how bad the pain is.

I try to keep going. I can never fall asleep, wish I could!

*I need to lie down most afternoons when I come over all sleepy and more often than not I will fall asleep, and then wake up at teatime, feeling disoriented. I don't fight it now but just go with it.

*Yes, I can't help it! I am now on disability, but I do work from home telecommuting. I keep a little alarm clock in the living room, because I can't sit in a chair for too long, so I have to lay down, and most likely fall asleep once a day, between shifts.
I do feel awful sometimes when I do wake up but I just don't ever feel like I am rested.

*Can't with 2 children and also work.

*If I don't schedule a nap, my body will schedule it for me. Sleeping during the day is unavoidable for me. Right now I'm in a flare with CFS.
I got up to take hubby to work at 7am, then went back to sleep until 1pm. I will still be able to sleep tonight with n issues.

*Yes I have no choice.

*They wont let me sleep at work.

*Sometimes I have to cant function otherwise!

*Yes

*Yes. I sleep when I'm tired, though I try to limit my naps to no more than 2 hours.

*Yes every lunchtime - have my lunch then half to 1 hour sleep - luckily I work for myself so I can have a nap. If I didn't have that nap I would find it very difficult to carry on for the rest of the day. I only have a few hours sleep every nite so my nap is essential.

*I have to. I've tried not to, even if I've only had a couple of hours sleep the night before. I still have problems sleeping at night.
I have such poor quality sleep that I have actually fallen asleep standing up! So I've learnt to listen to my body, some days I can go without sleeping but most of the time I have to sleep either for half an hour or on a bad day for hours!
Some days, like today, no matter how much I need to sleep (only had 2 hours last night). I just can't get my body to relax enough to sleep.
Having two children to look after too can make it doubly difficult. I've learnt that we are all different and that we must do what we feel is best for ourselves. I try to be a martyr some days (the guilt of not being able to function normally as a parent gets to me a lot and I push myself too much) but all that does is set off a big flare which can put me in bed for a whole day or even two on a really bad one!

*Just a warning about amitriptyline my friend who was prescribed it, took it for 1 week and had to be admitted to hospital because he was fitting and since that he has lost the use of the right hand side of his body and speech.
You would think he had a stroke but it was the amitriptyline - please be careful.

*Oh yes.

*Seriously?? I wish! I would like to just sleep at night. Although, occasionally, after long bouts of not sleeping well, I will go back to bed after getting up and getting everyone out the door, just for about 2 hours, but it's good sleep.

*Guess I forgot to add the part where, if I sit down at any point, I WILL sleep sitting up whether I want to or not, so I guess then the answer is yes, if I sit down (and sometimes the pain is too much to where I have to, and use the heating pad because I have a charley horse pain in my bum and down my leg) uugh

*I wouldn't survive otherwise! I'm usually confined to bed, and I sleep in 2-3 hour spurts, on and off all day.

*Yes I do.

*I may be the only one but when I need to lay down most times I don't have a lot of choice as I need that nap. If I didn't go to sleep I would fall asleep wherever sitting.
Last week I had a sleep day where I just need to sleep I made myself go to the doctors and My husband and friend had to carry me in and I was immediately asleep for two days!

*I wrote this before I read any opinions and am glad I am not alone. Pretty much when my body says sleep I gotta sleep!

*Sometimes it just happens.

*I do if I can sleep. I usually get really sleepy at around 4 pm until around 8 pm, then I'm wide awake until 1 am. I can only go to sleep at 1 if I take a sleep aide or a Xanax at 10 pm

*If I need to yes, if I don't then my kids hear how stressed I get

*When I'm home but not at work though I'd like to.

*Don't get a choice, I black out anyway, so foe me it's best to get 0.5 or 1 hour in per day if I get the chance.

*Yes all the time,and need them more now my allergies are starting to worsen.

*I sometimes just need to as completely exhausted, but have found last week that if I do I can't sleep at night.

*Can't help it so shattered.

*Yes, I do have a sleep/rest in the afternoon.

*Are you my twin!! It's just you seem to be exactly the same as me. I fall asleep sitting up. Usually when I want to watch a really good programme on the TV!
I also find going back to bed during the day I get better quality sleep, but I sleep the day away and never get anything done.
So sometimes (a lot of the time) I have to settle for the poor quality naps on the sofa to get me through the day! I also have the same pain in my bottom and down my leg! I thought it was due to my Schuermann's disease more than my Fibro, but maybe? I don't know!

*To the lady who warned about Amiltryptiline. I just want to add on the other side. I've been on Amiltryptiline for several years now and apart from a few small side effects, have found it a god send.
I used to suffer with restless legs and severe leg pain at night before going onto it, so I would say your friend was one of the unlucky ones, like all medication it doesn't suit everyone.
I am carefully monitored by my doctor with ALL my meds and have great support from him with the emotional aspects of this illness too, so I guess I'm one of the lucky ones, although it's taken me over 10 years to find him!

*I really do try to but life is too busy sometimes. I figure any sleep is good!

*no

*Sometimes

*I try not to. Sometimes I can't help it.

*Not on purpose! But if I sit in our recliner very long this hammer comes up from behind and konks me on the head! Seriously though I try not to sleep during the day unless I feel really bad.

*I usually don't realize it until I wake up

*Do a lot of driving with my job so trying to stay awake that is rough. I can feel the exhaustion coming on so I make sure I am home when it hits. If I'm out I'm screwed.

*YES only way I survive

*I LOVE sleeping during the day. I obviously can't always do it (you know, since most of the rest of the world operates during the day). I actually feel as though I sleep better, if I am allowed to sleep during the day. I have no idea if that is true, but I can tell you I have had '9-5' jobs and I don't handle those as well as jobs where the hours are more varied.

*Not unless I'm really sleep deprived. Sometimes reading will make me nod off for 5 minutes or so.

*I try not to, but if my body is telling me that I MUST than I will.

*not very often! makes the insomnia worse but sometimes I get so run down even an hour helps, but with Dakota being four I don't get to sometimes when I really could use it!

*yes! I feel so much better if I have a nap during the day. It actually helps me sleep at night as well. I'm not too tired to fall asleep.

*on a rare occasion. Have been on the computer and fell asleep and scared my girls once.

*I try not to, but I take a cat nap of a few minutes once in a while.

*no-would sleep all day and not sleep at all the next few nights.

*yes, could not cope without it.

*yep

*Can't help it some days , but its never more than 20 mins. I cant sleep for longer than that!

*Short naps only, they rejuvenate a little. If I go to long I feel more tired and head achy.

*I sure do! I have no choice.

*When I am seriously sleep deprived I do, on doctor's orders.

*Can't.

*Yes. If I don't I am very sick.

*Sure do can't last the day otherwise!