Serotonin increase - Serotonin levels are increased by hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP)

Serotonin happens to be the most widely studied neurotransmitter since it helps regulate a vast range of psychological and biological functions. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine or 5-HT) was first identified in 1948. The wide extent of psychological functions regulated by serotonin involves mood, anxiety, arousal, aggression, and thinking abilities. You may recall that other brain chemicals, such as dopamine and norepinephrine, also influence mood and arousal. However, serotonin generally has different effects. For instance, excess amounts of serotonin cause relaxation, sedation, and a decrease in sexual drive.
   Prozac, a common antidepressant, elevates serotonin levels, and perhaps influences the levels of other brain chemicals. There is an over-the-counter nutrient called 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) that is the immediate precursor to serotonin and can, in some cases, temporarily substitute for serotonin-influencing drugs (see chapter 13). Some research suggests that perhaps the herbal antidepressant St. John’s wort also works by elevating levels of serotonin in the brain.
   Disruption of the normal functioning of the serotonergic system leads to a number of psychiatric conditions, which include anxiety disorders, depression, improper social behavior, and sexual aberrations. Common medical conditions associated with disruption of the serotonergic system include disturbance in the sleep-wake cycle, obesity or eating disorders, and chronic pain.

Suppliers of 5-HTP and natural supplements
5-HTP is available online at low prices and you can purchase 5-HTP at Physician Formulas. We don't suggest using 5-HTP the same day as fluoxetine, also known as Prozac, or the other SSRIs.

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Side effects of Serotonin
One of the side effects of excess serotonin is reduced sex drive. However, there are many natural herbs that can reverse this process.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake drugs may lead to more bone fractures in older adults
The daily use of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressant drugs such as Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, and others increases the risk of fractures in adults 50 years of age or older. Doctors who prescribe these serotonin drugs to older patients should let them know of the risk and consider whether the benefits outweigh the risks in cases of mild depression. The most common site of fracture is the forearm, followed by ankle and foot.
   Many people have benefited from the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor drugs. However these serotonin enhancing medications do have several side effects and doctors have to balance the benefit versus the risks. Natural antidepressants are a good option for those with mild or moderate depression. They also have side effects but they are less serious.

The promise of serotonin drugs in appetite suppression and weigh loss
Serotonin drugs : effects on appetite expression and use for the treatment of obesity.
Drugs. 2007;67(1):27-55. Kissileff Laboratory for the Study of Human Ingestive Behaviour, School of Psychology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UKInstitute of Psychology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Endogenous hypothalamic serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) plays an important part in within-meal satiation and post-meal satiety processes. Thus, the serotonin system has provided a viable target for weight control, critical to the action of at least two effective anti-obesity treatments, both producing clinically significant weight loss over a year or more. Numerous serotonin receptor subtypes have been identified; of these, serotonin 5-HT(1B) and 5-HT(2C) receptors have been specifically recognised as mediators of serotonin -induced satiety. A number of serotonin drugs, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), dexfenfluramine and 5-HT(2C) receptor agonists, have been shown to significantly attenuate rodent bodyweight gain. This effect is strongly associated with marked hypophagia and is probably mediated by the hypothalamic melanocortin system. Additionally, sibutramine, dexfenfluramine, fluoxetine and the 5-HT(2C) receptor agonist chlorophenylpiperazine (mCPP) have all been shown to modify appetite in both lean and obese humans, resulting in reduced caloric intake. Clinical studies demonstrate serotonin drugs specifically reduce appetite prior to and following the consumption of fixed caloric loads, and cause a reduction in pre-meal appetite and caloric intake at ad libitum meals. Weight loss in the obese has also been produced by treatment with both the serotonin precursor 5-hydroxytryptophan 5-HTP and the preferential 5-HT(2C) receptor agonist mCPP.

Email Questions about Serotonin
Q. Is it possible to measure the brain’s serotonin levels via blood tests and if so, how accurate are the results?
   A. Most researchers find that levels of serotonin and other brain chemicals are more accurately measured in spinal fluid as opposed to blood.

Q. Serotonin so far is helping me to sleep better for a while. But I ve been seeing some nightmares. Should I take any other formula, and it should not has a counter act with serotonin 5hp. Does serotonin gives this effect of nightmare. But serotonin is helping me know about my eating sleep disorder. Please advise me.
   A. You mean 5HTP or 5-HTP, right, not serotonin.