5-HTP, or 5-hydroxytryptophan, is a chemical your body makes from the amino acid tryptophan, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Your body uses 5-HTP to make the brain chemical serotonin, which helps regulate mood and behavior. For this reason, 5-HTP might help sleep and mood disorders, among other conditions. These uses are unproven and 5-HTP does pose some serious risks. Talk to your doctor before taking 5-HTP.
Depression
5-HTP increases the level of serotonin in the brain, just as some antidepressants do, and some small studies have found it just as effective a treatment for mild to moderate depression as those pharmaceutical medications, according to UMMC. However, these studies were not large enough to prove that 5-HTP works for depression. If you are already taking anti-depressants for depression, do not take 5-HTP because the combination could increase the level of serotonin in your brain too much, which can cause dangerous side effects, including mental, blood pressure and heart problems; hot flashes; and even coma.
Fibromyalgia
5-HTP may also benefit some patients with fibromyalgia by easing symptoms like pain, anxiety, tiredness and stiffness in the morning, according to UMMC. But 5-HTP does not work for all fibromyalgia patients and not enough research has been done to understand how effective a treatment it really is. If you are taking antidepressants for your fibromyalgia, you should not take 5-HTP because of the risk of serious side effects.
Other Uses
5-HTP is sometimes used for a variety of conditions for which there is not enough research evidence to know whether there is a benefit or not, according to MedlinePlus. These uses include anxiety disorders, weight loss and obesity, premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder, migraines, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, sleep problems like insomnia and other conditions. Though 5-HTP has been proposed as a potential treatment for tension headaches and Alzheimer's disease, so far research suggests that it does not work for these conditions, according to MedlinePlus.
Cautions
5-HTP is possibly unsafe because it has been linked to a potentially fatal condition called eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome, which causes blood and muscle abnormalities, according to MedlinePlus. Some 5-HTP supplements may have been contaminated with a substance that might have caused the eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome cases, but there is not enough evidence to know for sure that 5-HTP itself was not the cause. There may also be a risk of liver and brain toxicity, according to UMMC. 5-HTP can also cause other side effects, including heartburn, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, drowsiness, gas, sexual and muscle problems.
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