Just bought some 5-HTP pills...

**Reza21** · 07-15-2012 09:34 PM

looking forward to taking them tonight and seeing how they influenece my dreams/LD...will report back tomorrow morning with results

**melanieb** · 07-15-2012 09:45 PM

Moved to Lucid Aids.

Let us know how it goes!

**Reza21** · 07-16-2012 11:57 AM

Took 100mg 1 hour before bed...felt very sleepy and relaxed, but think I got too anxious about falling asleep and actually lay awake for quite sometime before I actually fell asleep.

Dreams weren't vivid....can only remember 2-3 fragments. No LD.

-I've read that the first time you take them you don't feel the effects, so hopefully tonight will be more successful.

Anyone else had experience with them?

**Queen Zukin** · 07-16-2012 08:15 PM

Yeah. I found they worked pretty well. Don't give up on the first night! My most vivid dreams from them actually occurred when I was taking them nightly for about one or two weeks.

**Reza21** · 07-17-2012 05:46 PM

Night 2 - again, took me ages to fall asleep....only dream fragments...not much sleep overall

**Reza21** · 07-18-2012 07:17 PM

night 3 = slept slightly better....again only dream fragments...no LD...has been about 3 weeks since my last LD...worst dry spell ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**~~Alyzarin~~** · 07-23-2012 04:00 AM

5-HTP doesn't always have an immediate effect, it depends on how much 5-HTP or L-tryptophan has been in your diet (like... ever), whether or not and if so what recreational or prescription serotonergic drugs or supplements you've taken before, natural differences in body and brain chemistry, etc.... Generally, once you've taken it for long enough the amount of 5-HTP that eventually metabolizes into N-acetylserotonin (and subsequently melatonin, but they're both important) should increase and you'll see a more effective dream enhancement. However, I personally wouldn't recommend taking 5-HTP for a long period of time. Long-term supplementation can change the way your body metabolizes and stores various other chemicals in your diet and required for normal brain function, and because much of the 5-HTP is converted to serotonin in the peripheral nervous system (where it is then unable to cross the blood-brain-barrier), you're actually asking for potential side effects the longer you take it. Chronic high serotonergic activity in the peripheral nervous system has been implicated in valvular heart disease. Even though you'll be missing out on the potential boost from N-acetylserotonin, I would recommend using melatonin instead of 5-HTP doesn't work for you within the first few days. The overall effect will be basically the same; they both act through melatonin receptors in the brain.

**madvorak** · 07-23-2012 06:03 AM

to Alyzarin: (about difference between taking 5-HTP and Melatonin)
I know that Melatonin works faster has a shorter elimination half-time. However my question is: If you increase your melatonin level by a melatonin supplement, does is slow down the metabolism of serotonin into melatonin (causing serotonin to rise as well)?

**~~Alyzarin~~** · 07-23-2012 06:26 AM

Originally Posted by madvorak

to Alyzarin: (about difference between taking 5-HTP and Melatonin)
I know that Melatonin works faster has a shorter elimination half-time. However my question is: If you increase your melatonin level by a melatonin supplement, does is slow down the metabolism of serotonin into melatonin (causing serotonin to rise as well)?

It's possible that your body would produce less melatonin than normal as a result, but I don't think it would cause serotonin levels to rise, at least not significantly. Serotonin levels are actually at their lowest during REM sleep, and there's not a lot you can do to change that. The firing of serotonergic neurons is almost completely inhibited; activating them causes you to wake up pretty quickly, and weakened quality of sleep is not a side effect of melatonin. If anything, I'd think it actually might cause levels of N-acetylserotonin to accumulate. This is the chemical in the middle of the biosynthesis of melatonin from serotonin and does have its own important roles in the brain, so you can't just skip over it. I can't imagine that supplementing with melatonin would stop the brain from doing that first step still, and that would actually be beneficial rather than hindering.

**Reza21** · 07-24-2012 12:10 PM

Have been taking them for around 10 days now...sleep vividness has decreased, LD count is non-existent, dream recall is poor....time to stop me thinks

**~~Alyzarin~~** · 07-24-2012 02:28 PM

Bizarre. 5-HTP always makes me dreams insane, but it also gives me tons of side effects that makes it practically unusable (anxiety, nausea, stomach cramps, etc.). Not every lucid aid is for everyone, though.

**Reza21** · 07-25-2012 03:42 PM

Originally Posted by Alyzarin

Bizarre. 5-HTP always makes me dreams insane, but it also gives me tons of side effects that makes it practically unusable (anxiety, nausea, stomach cramps, etc.). Not every lucid aid is for everyone, though.

LOL Last night was the 1st night i came off them and I had an LD...very bizarre

**PlanesWalker** · 07-28-2012 08:23 AM

Anyone here tried Galantamine? I'm trying melatonin right now but I'm gonna add Galantamine too, just wanted some opinions.

**PlanesWalker** · 08-06-2012 07:54 PM

How about GABA? Anyone tried 5-htp and GABA? I'm currently taking 2400 mg lecithin and 1300 mg omega 3 daily. Before I go to bed I take 400mg 5htp. I want to add GABA to this regimen and was wondering what you all had to say about it.