Thread: 5-HTP for dreams?

I have galantamine+choline and I just bought some 5-HTP yesterday. My purposes for 5-HTP is to make sleeping easier after doing WBTB, I really don't intend to use it for anything else, I'm going to give it a shot tonight probably, I'll let you know on the results tomorrow.

Batch, I checked out your dream journal. Frankly, your dream recall appears to be outstanding already! Since you started this thread looking to improve your dream recall, I won't embarrass myself by asking you for dream recall tips.

Anyhow, I have employed both of these substances and can tell you a bit about their effects.

5-HTP is the direct precursor to serotonin. During a typical night's sleep, serotonin levels rise as you move through deep sleep and fall as you enter REM sleep. So the effect of raising your serotonin levels before bedtime is to suppress REM in the first few hours of sleep. This leads to a rebound of vivid dreaming in the early morning hours. It definitely increased dream vividness for me, but I couldn't say one way or the other on recall of that vividness. You wouldn't want to overdo 5-HTP since the effects of highly elevated serum levels of serotonin just aren't that well understood. Also, never combine it with anti-depressants, MAOIs, SSRIs, or anything else that interacts with the serotonin system. At the extremes, this could lead to serotonin syndrome, which is a very dangerous condition.

Melatonin could be worth a look as an alternative. Serotonin is ultimately converted into melatonin, so its effects overlap with what you might expect from 5-HTP. It does skip the step of producing N-acetyl serotonin and has a shorter half-life than 5-HTP, so you might find the effects different. It has the advantage of being extremely cheap and readily available in most grocery stores.

Galantamine + Choline is a powerful tool for achieving lucid dreams since it allows acetylcholine levels in the brain to rise greatly. The great majority of dreams that I've had on G+C have been lucid, but the theory is that non-lucids on G+C ought to be better remembered thanks to high acetylcholine levels. G+C is an amazing combo, but there are potential issues with desensitization that you should be aware of. I'd highly recommend checking out Thomas Yuschak's book "Advanced Lucid Dreaming". It's essential reading for this combo. (IMO.)

Good luck, and be sure to really do your homework on any lucid aids you decide to try! A good rule of thumb is to stay comfortably below the therapeutic doses for these supplements, use them infrequently, and always do your own due dilligence. Try to cut off all routes by which you might experience side effects, develop tolerances, or otherwise screw yourself over. As far as dream recall's concerned, you seem to have a pretty good thing going, so good luck on taking it to the next level in whatever way you ultimately choose.

Well, I did a fair bit of reading, and learned that two to three tabs through the day was not uncommon, so I figured my single tab daily wouldn't be likely to cause any difficulties. Like I say, I'm not trying for huge differences, just slight boosts to vividness, which might make it easier for recall. (The more vivid, the more likely it would seem that you could remember it.) Believe me, I plan to keep doses low.

And on the G & C, again, I did some reading, which is why I was figuring only once or twice a week, no more frequently. And again, that is a bit in the future.

Bossman: Good luck on your experiment, and yes, let us know how it goes, but if you are planning what it sounds like you are planning, it may backfire on you (unless I don't understand WBTB at all, which is possible.) I would imagine the idea is to go back to sleep quickly and somehow influence the dreams ... but what the 5-HTP does is -block- REM sleep for several hours, after which there is a rebound effect. But again, I may be completely remembering WBTB wrong, and this may not apply at all.

Yeah I caught that mistake and took the 5-HTP before going to bed then WBTB+4 hours with galantamine and choline before going back to sleep again. I have to say it was incredibly successful. The 5-HTP definitely increases dream vividness. I had a lucid dream that lasted roughly 90 minutes. I don't remember 100% of it but I remember at least 80% of it.

Heres the experience if your interested, its kind of long: Endless Chain - Dream Journals - Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views