# 5htp for depression **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 17, 2012, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5htp-for-depression/616036 "2012-03-17T06:20:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drdrizzy13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@drdrizzy13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drdrizzy13)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5htp-for-depression/616036/1 "2012-03-17T06:20:22Z")
Has anyone here tried 5htp for depression? I’m very interested in this. I would like to hear if anyone has any personal anecdotes. (not sure if this is the correct forum?) ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5htp-for-depression/616036/2 "2012-03-17T06:23:43Z")
I took it once, for stress, not depression. [This is what happened](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14798592&postcount=12). ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5htp-for-depression/616036/3 "2012-03-17T06:33:52Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > I took it once, for stress, not depression. [This is what happened](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14798592&postcount=12). Ummm… so it was a bad trip? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5htp-for-depression/616036/4 "2012-03-17T06:36:07Z")
> [@brittekland](#): > > Ummm… so it was a bad trip? Not the best… I suspect I’m unusual in my response to SSRIs, however. ---
**Author:** ![drdrizzy13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@drdrizzy13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drdrizzy13)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5htp-for-depression/616036/5 "2012-03-17T06:36:34Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > I took it once, for stress, not depression. [This is what happened](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14798592&postcount=12). Jeez!! I didn’t know it could do that. How much did you take?? ---
**Author:** ![drdrizzy13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@drdrizzy13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drdrizzy13)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5htp-for-depression/616036/6 "2012-03-17T06:39:12Z")
I’ve taken prozac and celexa before and I didn’t like either of them. ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5htp-for-depression/616036/7 "2012-03-17T06:43:52Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Not the best… > > I suspect I’m unusual in my response to SSRIs, however. 5htp is not SSRI, right? I have massive tolerance for SSRIs, ie, I unusually need massive dose to feel anything at all. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5htp-for-depression/616036/8 "2012-03-17T06:44:20Z")
Either 50mg or 100mg. Like I say, I don’t think I’m normal. ETA: my apologies, Wikipedia says it’s a serotonin precursor not an SSRI. ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5htp-for-depression/616036/9 "2012-03-17T06:59:30Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > I don’t think I’m normal. We already know you are not normal… but then again who is? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5htp-for-depression/616036/10 "2012-03-17T06:59:38Z")
Close. Moving this one forum up (to IMHO). ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5htp-for-depression/616036/11 "2012-03-17T07:04:03Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > I took it once, for stress, not depression. [This is what happened](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14798592&postcount=12). But did you get the contract? ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5htp-for-depression/616036/12 "2012-03-17T12:26:34Z")
> [@drdrizzy13](#): > > Has anyone here tried 5htp for depression? I’m very interested in this. I would like to hear if anyone has any personal anecdotes. (not sure if this is the correct forum?) I’ve posted my opinion on this before, but you won’t ever truly get over your depression until you are willing to rethink, re-evaluate, and then unconditionally and unmercifully nuke every single belief that you have about yourself. Until that happens you will just be going from therapy to drug to therapy and around again. I am living proof, and have never been as joyful as I am right now-if an idiot like me can pull it off you can too.