5-HTP and L-Tyrosine for depression

Before you do anything, please check with your oncologist to make sure there won't be any adverse reactions.  Good luck

That's interesting you mentioned those; I just bought some a couple of weeks ago, not for me, but for my husband who takes medication for anxiety (we're hoping to transition him to something natural). How did you hear about those supplements? I found out about them from a book by Julia Ross called The Mood Cure. I didn't think about them in relation to depression (my depression has cleared up now that I'm taking iodine and eating pastured eggs -- I really think one or both those things has made a big difference!).I did take some 5-HTP one night when I was feeling anxious and needed to sleep... it seemed to have helped for that.

edited to add: That is interesting about omega-3's... there are lots of omega-3's in the pastured eggs I eat as well as DHA, another nutrient whose deficiency can cause depression. I also eat flax oil every day as part of my Budwig breakfast. Maybe that's why I'm not depressed, whereas before my cancer diagnosis I was HORRIBLY depressed! 

I tried 5-HTP but got horrible stomach aches so I quit. Did not notice any effect. I did see some improvement with St. John's Wort, but again had side effects (can't remember exactly what, but it's been a while). Interestingly, SSRIs have been way more tolerable for me than the supplements, both side effect and effectiveness-wise.

Wow, Lucy, that's so interesting! I had no idea that iodine supplementation could have that effect (nor did I realize how deficient I was)... really interesting that I'm not the only person it affected that way.

althea-

There is a urine test that can measure your neurotransmitter levels - my son has anxiety and depression issues and his doctor uses a test from Neuroscience to monitor his levels and then adjust his amino acid supplements accordingly.

BTW - Congrats on your5 YR Anniversary. You are an inspiration!

Beth

It's possible that the tyrosine is getting my thyroid to work better.  I've been supplementing with iodine for 18 months now, anywhere from 50-100 mg/day.  Iodine is really the only thing I stick with over the long run.  Whenever I try something new, I give it a minimum of 30 days, usually 60, to see if I feel any better. By that standard, I would've ditched the iodine a long time ago. 

Recent changes I've made include:  drinking herbal infusions every day, rotating through nettles, oatstraw, and red clover (started this in march); started taking tyrosine a few weeks ago; trying new dinner recipes from Dr Cabot's liver cleansing diet book about 6 weeks ago (no dairy, no red meat, lots of veggies, everything from scratch).  I've been steadily cleaning up what I eat and drink since I finished radiation, and at that time I started walking every day 30-40 minutes.  And during the last 4+ years, my weight would go up easy enough, but getting it off seemed to require liposuction.  Until Dr Cabot's recipes.  Or the tyrosine.  Or the iodine finally getting an upper hand on the receptor sites.  I'm finally losing some weight, and I believe that's from the new recipes.  The first 5 pounds came off before I started the tyrosine.  

beth, do you have a link for finding those tests?  I'm too broke to find a new doctor or even order my own tests online, but I'm making a list of what I want.  That sounds like something I definitely want to have tested.

Hello,

 I just completed my radiation for breast cancer, i did not take L-Tyrosine while on radiation, as my doctor instructed me not to.  However, I finished my radiation end of April, and I started back on L-Tyrosine. I take 1000 mg in the morning on an empty stomach then 500 mg after lunch.  It has helped me greatly.