I have had RLS for several years now. It seems it is intermittent. Most nights I am able to fall asleep just fine, and then it seems like there are weeks of restless night because of RLS. Has anyone tried L-tryptophan? L-Tryptophan is the only substance that can be converted into serotonin. Studies suggest that L-Tryptophan plays a significant role in balancing mood and sleep patterns.
I have an Alpha-Stim that I haven't used in years now, but am contemplating if I should start again. The Alpha-Stim brings serotonin levels to homeostasis in the brain.
L-triptophan is a precursor for Serotonin.
Any thoughts would be most appreciated
Could we benefit from taking L-Tryptophan?
Hello, Laurie and welcome--
Interesting question. We've discussed aminos and the brain chemistry changes they can produce here in the past. Most attention was given to L-tyrosine, because of it's connection to dopamine, which is thought to be the main brain chemical involved in RLS. One member here advocates tyrosine, though when I personally have tried taking it for RLS and for hypothyroid symptoms, I experienced all negative effects and no positive ones.
I think it's hard to say if L-tryptophan or the synthetic 5-HTP would help your RLS or not. Sounds like you have a milder case, like mine, than some here, so people like us, I think, are more likely to see positive results from dietary or lifestyle changes. You're absolutely right, tryptophan is good for sleep patterns. Melatonin is another supplement that is good for sleep disturbances. But I am not sure that either would help RLS, because although it disturbs our sleep, I wouldn't say it was specifically a 'sleep problem' (unless you also have PLMD).
The good news with amino acids is that if they don't work right away, they probably will not help. You could certainly try it and see if it helped you or not. If you have any negative side effects like headaches, that's your body's way of telling you you don't need to supplement that substance. If you feel any improvement, keep taking it!
Oh, and definitely post back here to let us all know.
I've tried 5-HTP for my chronic anxiety disorder, and it doesn't seem to agree with me too well (never thought to notice if it helped my RLS, though, when I was on it!
) I do take L-glutamine for my anxiety, and that's very useful and seems to have no negative... so I personally believe that if you listen to your body, and reduce or discontinue their use when you have any negative side effects, amino acid supplementation CAN be beneficial for a number of health issues. (A higher protein diet can also help with serotonin and other brain chemistry levels. )
Let us know if you test it out. Oh, and you can find the other discussions about tyrosine over in the Non-Pharmaceutical area, under something about "dopamine and nutrition" and "tyrosine experiment".
Sara
Interesting question. We've discussed aminos and the brain chemistry changes they can produce here in the past. Most attention was given to L-tyrosine, because of it's connection to dopamine, which is thought to be the main brain chemical involved in RLS. One member here advocates tyrosine, though when I personally have tried taking it for RLS and for hypothyroid symptoms, I experienced all negative effects and no positive ones.
I think it's hard to say if L-tryptophan or the synthetic 5-HTP would help your RLS or not. Sounds like you have a milder case, like mine, than some here, so people like us, I think, are more likely to see positive results from dietary or lifestyle changes. You're absolutely right, tryptophan is good for sleep patterns. Melatonin is another supplement that is good for sleep disturbances. But I am not sure that either would help RLS, because although it disturbs our sleep, I wouldn't say it was specifically a 'sleep problem' (unless you also have PLMD).
The good news with amino acids is that if they don't work right away, they probably will not help. You could certainly try it and see if it helped you or not. If you have any negative side effects like headaches, that's your body's way of telling you you don't need to supplement that substance. If you feel any improvement, keep taking it!
Oh, and definitely post back here to let us all know.
I've tried 5-HTP for my chronic anxiety disorder, and it doesn't seem to agree with me too well (never thought to notice if it helped my RLS, though, when I was on it!
) I do take L-glutamine for my anxiety, and that's very useful and seems to have no negative... so I personally believe that if you listen to your body, and reduce or discontinue their use when you have any negative side effects, amino acid supplementation CAN be beneficial for a number of health issues. (A higher protein diet can also help with serotonin and other brain chemistry levels. )
Let us know if you test it out. Oh, and you can find the other discussions about tyrosine over in the Non-Pharmaceutical area, under something about "dopamine and nutrition" and "tyrosine experiment".
Sara
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Hi Laurie,
I think Sara's right on. There seems to be a much greater 'helpfulness' of alternative therapies for people with intermittant or mild RLS than those with moderate and severe RLS. As someone with severe (after many years of mild), I've tried 5-htp, melatonin, valerian and other natural sleep helpers. Valerian and melatonin definitely make things worse - very distrubed sleep, more RLS, more awakenings. 5-HTP seems to be neutral - I don't notice an improvement but there are no side-effects.
When mine was mild, I found I had the greatest success with:
wearing loose clothes (restriction sets it off for me)
keeping lotion on at all times (dry skin sets it off for me)
complete avoidance of caffeine
keeping to a regular bed time (over tired is very bad!)
doing regular exercise (anytime I overdid it or started out new it was worse)
Going to bed immediately when I felt it coming on
Ann
I think Sara's right on. There seems to be a much greater 'helpfulness' of alternative therapies for people with intermittant or mild RLS than those with moderate and severe RLS. As someone with severe (after many years of mild), I've tried 5-htp, melatonin, valerian and other natural sleep helpers. Valerian and melatonin definitely make things worse - very distrubed sleep, more RLS, more awakenings. 5-HTP seems to be neutral - I don't notice an improvement but there are no side-effects.
When mine was mild, I found I had the greatest success with:
wearing loose clothes (restriction sets it off for me)
keeping lotion on at all times (dry skin sets it off for me)
complete avoidance of caffeine
keeping to a regular bed time (over tired is very bad!)
doing regular exercise (anytime I overdid it or started out new it was worse)
Going to bed immediately when I felt it coming on
Ann