Dr Vera's Formulations summary: Dr Vera's Formulations is one of the product lines of Bio Concepts and it's founder Henry Osiecki.  Bio Concepts is a completely Australian-owned, based and run company that has been formulating high-quality health products for over 20 years specifically for healthcare practitioners to prescribe to patients. As a Practitioner product, Dr Vera's Formulations 5-HTP meets the highest possible manufacturing and clinical standards. Bio Concepts was the first in Australia to offer the following products to health practitioners. 5 Hydroxy Tryptophan Bioflavonoids - quercetin and rutin Acetyl L Carnitine Phosphatidyl Serine Conjugated Linoleic Acid Co-Enzyme Q10 Alpha Lipoic Acid Glucosamine Glutathione Activated B3

 

5HTP FAQs

1)  Do I need a Prescription to buy 5HTP?

Consumers often confuse L-Tryptophan with 5HTP.  Whilst you may have heard that you need a Doctor's Prescription to purchase a medical dosage of L-Tryptophan (which is correct), you only need to have consulted with a Health Care Practitioner OR obtained a Naturopath's Prescription to purchase 5HTP.

Question 5 explains the difference between L-Tryptophan and 5HTP.

2)  Should I take 5-HTP with meals?

No.  5-HTP should be taken on an empty stomach with juice to minimise the risk of it being converted into serotonin in the digestive system. 

5-HTP performs it's therapeutic function for the treatment of depression when converted in the brain to serotonin (not the digestive system).

5-HTP when taken for depression is best taken first thing in the morning upon rising.

When taken for insomnia or appetite suppressant, 5-HTP is best taken about one hour before going to bed.

3)  I'm considering switching my medication from Prozac to 5HTP, what should I do?

You should consult your doctor regarding how to come off a SSRI drug and switch to 5HTP.

Some patients may have experienced degeneration of serotonin-producing neurons and dopamine transmitters. This damage can be long-term.  In some patients,

 SSRI drugs such as Prozac may therefore be a better alternative than 5HTP as their brains are no longer able to produce normal serotonin levels the "natural" 5HTP

 way.  This is the sort of thing you should discuss with your doctor.

4)  I've heard I should take Vitamin B3 with 5-HTP, should I be doing this also?

You only need to take additional Vitamin B3, if you already have a Vitamin B3 (Niacin) deficiency. 

However, if you do have a Vitamin B3 deficiency, all of the 5-HTP you take may be used by your body to create Vitamin B3 - to make up this deficiency. 

In other words, no 5-HTP will be left, after conversion to Vitamin B3, for conversion to serotonin.

More details about the nutritional links between Vitamin B3 and 5-HTP can be found in the article at the following link:

http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/insomnia.html

Activated B3 can be purchased through the following link:

http://www.b2bworld.com.au/hp/prod269.htm

5) Is 5-HTP the same as L-Tryptophan?

No.  5-HTP is sometimes confused with L-Tryptophan.  5-HTP is the next step in the metabolic conversion of  L-Tryptophan to serotonin. 

The conversion chain is as follows:

L-Tryptophan --> 5-Hydroxy Tryptophan (5-HTP) (in the digestive system) --> Serotonin --> N-Acetyl-serotonin --> Melatonin (in the brain)

L-Tryptophan is one of the nine essential amino acids found in protein for human consumption.  L-Tryptophan is found naturally in a range of proteins such as meat and turkey.

L-Tryptophan is called an essential amino acid because the human body is unable to create this amino acid, whereas it can create the other non-essential amino acids that make up the full protein spectrum.

6) Is it safe to take 5-HTP continuously on a long-term basis?

Whilst there is no evidence to suggest long-term use is unsafe, some healthcare professionals recommend taking it for 3 months, then having a two week break before resuming use - just to be on the safe side.

7) Is 5-HTP a natural product?

5-HTP is obtained using the natural method of extraction from the seeds of the African plant, Griffonia simplicifolia.

This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. 

  

Each capsule contains:                                          

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