Worries about l-tryptophan side effects

[moneakers 3]

Hi all, 

I haven’t posted here in quite a while! A few years ago you all were so helpful when I was going through a really tough time. I ended up going on Zoloft and that really helped me so I kinda fell off the board so as not to focus on anything negative. But I have since weaned off my Zoloft about 3 months ago and here I am again. Struggling and trying to do this without immediately going back on meds. Wanting to do this naturally and wanting to find the root cause. 
 

Anyway, in my frantic-ness to try to find something to feel better, I bought “The Mood Cure” by Julia Ross. It’s a great book and I definitely think it has some great potential treatments for those of us with anxiety. When reading her book, I realized I’m very low in serotonin (or so it seems) and she recommends a few different amino acids or supplements for boosting serotonin. I tried 5-HTP briefly but didn’t have the right dosage she recommended in the book and for some reason I’ve heard mixed reviews about 5-htp. So I went with the second option of taking l-tryptophan, which also coverts to serotonin. So yesterday I took about 2000 mg of l-tryptophan and today I took 3000. And honestly it did help my mood and anxiety some, HOWEVER, last night and then again today I noticed some tingling in my hands. And also I’m getting the occasional PVC tonight. And of course- googling- I notice that some of these symptoms can be from a rare serious side effect. This was mostly prevalent in 1989 after a tainted batch of l-tryptophan came from Japan. I believe about 37 people died. Afterwards, they banned l-tryptophan but it later came back in the market when they relaxed some of the standards  and oversight for natural supplements. But it’s still a possibility. From what I’ve read, it seems like most people who got the condition were taking the supplement for months at high doses and developed some pretty severe symptoms. Way more than my little tingling. But of course now I’m worried a bit even though I don’t plan on taking it anymore. That said, it sucks because I feel like it might have been working for me, especially after another week or two. So I suppose I could try 5-htp or St Johns Wort at some point. If anyone has experience with these please let me know!
 

Anyway, if anyone read that and wants to reassure me that I’m not having a serious rare side effect and that I’ll be fine and that I WILL find a supplement that works for me that would be amazing 😉 But if not, thank you for allowing me this space to get out all of my thoughts. ❤️

[MARC 431]

I would consult with an alternative medicine physician and or pharmacist who could help you more with vitamins, herbs, etc. I would not worry about overdosing on l-tryptophan. PVC's can be caused by anxiety and stress. 

[Debant 0]

I tried St. Johns Wort when I went thru post partum depression because I am unable to take prescription antidepressants due to the side effects.  It really helped me so much.  Although it took longer to get over the depression, I was able to deal with it.  You just have to be careful out in the sun.