[CountrylivinmomtoB]

So I've been reading the mood cure book...and I decided to try 5-HTP. I've been taking GABA, and came across this book recommeneded on here, and went and bought the 5-HTP. I took it yesterday. The first time I took it, it made me feel really weird...hard to explain...but then I took it at 10 o'clock, like the book suggests and it made me feel really weird again- almost wound up and antsy...like I needed to climb up a wall or something... it's hard to explain how I felt... Maybe I don't need it, or maybe the dosage is too high- it's a 100mg capsule. It also has in alfa something...I can't remember, I don't have the bottle with me...but I thought, maybe that could be doing it, instead of the 5-HTP. Just wondering if anyone has had any weird feelings while taking it. I know in the book it says to stop taking it, if you get side effects...

 

[mom0810]

I would not take it. The dosage is either too high, or you don't need it, or it's not working well with your body. You should NOT feel like that, and Julia Ross says so in the book. I would stop it. Maybe it's too much with the GABA, or you are taking fish oil, too? I would get off it and look in another direction. The whole idea of going "natural" is to avoid side effects, and if this is giving you problems, I would kind of be worried about it.

 

[CountrylivinmomtoB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mom0810 I would not take it. The dosage is either too high, or you don't need it, or it's not working well with your body. You should NOT feel like that, and Julia Ross says so in the book. I would stop it. Maybe it's too much with the GABA, or you are taking fish oil, too? I would get off it and look in another direction. The whole idea of going "natural" is to avoid side effects, and if this is giving you problems, I would kind of be worried about it.

Yesterday I did take fish oil in the morning... I take it every couple days because of it being so expensive... I was thinking of maybe opening the capsule and taking half out, to experiment and if that didn't work, definitely not take it- but I don't know...I couldn't fall asleep last night. I was so tired, then all of a sudden about 20 minutes after taking that... I just couldn't sleep and was still so tired...it was really weird.

 

[mom0810]

She talks about too much fish oil making you really ansty and anxious, and that if it does, or if it does combined with other things, that you should not take it.

I have loaned my book out so I am not sure of the specifics, but I do remember that because I took too much fish oil at one time and was bonkers that night. Could not sleep, heart racing... just not good.

I have chosen to take conventional meds because it's not a guessing game like the fish oil and 5 HTP is. I spoke with Julia Ross's clinic, and several other people closer to me that she recommended, and tried the natural route. It did not work for me and left me worse off than I was before.

Of course I commend you for trying to go natural. Perhaps you could find a naturopath or someone to guide you with the dosages, what to take together, etc. Some of the stuff is pretty powerful, and I am concerned about people taking it without guidance since it all seems to react differently in different people, just like ssri's do.

Also if you are nursing, the supplements are NOT recommended. Just an FYI.

 

[AnyMama]

I agree with the others, I wouldn't take it if it made me feel that way. If fish oil is working for you, try taking that every day. Nothing is going to work on an every other day basis, not even the hard stuff. I might try a lower dose of the 5htp though, my bottle is 50 mg, and I'm pretty sure that's what she recommends in the book because I followed her instructions exactly when purchasing supplements.

I humbly disagree about supplements and nursing. I think it's worth checking with your doctor or midwife about them first before discounting them altogether, and even looking in Dr. Hale's book (not sure if they're covered or not). My theory is that they're doing what meds do, only these are chemicals that occur naturally in your body, that you should be getting in your diet. Drugs on the other hand are chemicals that don't occur naturally in your body, you wouldn't normally get, and most of them disrupt the body's natural process. Most supplement makers and book authors warn against use during pregnancy and nursing to avoid law suits, even when things are perfectly safe. I say it's worth looking into, and I personally would choose natural over drugs any day when my baby was involved in the formula.

Fish oil is totally safe, even extra beneficial while nursing because of the omega 3's (good for baby's brain development), and if nothing else, you can also implement her diet, that does a lot by itself.

Good luck to you!

 

[mom0810]

Yes, but if Julia Ross herself says NOT to take the supplements while nursing, I would avoid them. Natural does not always mean safe. Opium is completely natural, yet I would stay away from that while nursing, too.

There are many natural "food" supplements that I would stay away from while pregnant/nursing, and 5 Htp is one of them. But that's just me.

Meds have at least been tested and babies nursing while their mothers are on meds have been tested and the consensus is that they are safe. I just feel way better knowing that than trying to navigate supplements on my own.

There are other things you can try that are natural, like homeopathy, that are given in such small doses as not to even matter. But I would worry about supplements in a book if even the author is warning you about them in pregnancy/nursing. Just my humble opinion.