ways to boost SEROTONIN levels...

[Sadhu]

thought this interesting. probably nuttin' y'all mates dont already know...

but this is a small excerpt from an article aimed at boosting serotonin levels...
5. Boost your serotonin levels. Serotonin -- a chemical I fondly call the "feel-good" neurotransmitter -- communicates "happy" messages to your brain. Basically, the more serotonin circulating in your bloodstream, the better your mood. Quick, pass the serotonin! The other side to this coin is that low levels of serotonin can lower mood and increase aggression, according to some studies.
There are several components of food that may influence the serotonin levels in our brains, including:

• Tryptophan. As more of the amino acid tryptophan enters the brain, more mood-improving serotonin is made in the brain. Tryptophan is in almost all protein-rich foods, but the way to get more of it is not necessarily to eat these foods. Other amino acids are better at getting into the brain from the bloodstream. Eating carbohydrates seems to help tryptophan's chances of crossing the blood/brain barrier.
• Carbohydrates. The carbohydrate-serotonin connection can be a double-edged sword. We do need carbs, especially those that come with lots of fiber and other nutrients -- like whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables. But Judith Wurtman, PhD, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology researcher who is an expert on food and mood, suspects many women learn to overeat carbohydrates (particularly snack foods) to make themselves feel better. Of course, this leads to weight gain. Some researchers think carbohydrate-rich meals affect our moods in other ways, perhaps because of comforting feelings and memories we associate with eating these foods as children.
• Folic acid (folate). Too little folic acid in our diets can cause lower levels of serotonin in our brains. Some studies suggest that taking folate supplements (there's a day's supply in most multivitamins) and eating folate-rich foods may help some people who suffer from depression. Folate-rich foods include spinach, green soybeans, lentils, romaine lettuce, pinto beans, black beans, navy beans, kidney beans, broccoli, asparagus, greens, orange juice, beets, papaya, Brussels sprouts, and tofu.
• Alcohol. You don't have to be an expert to deduce that alcohol is probably not a mood stabilizer and that you should avoid excessive amounts in the interest of discouraging low moods. But there is also scientific evidence pointing to a relationship between serotonin dysfunction, negative moods, and excessive alcohol.

link: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/ma...ticlekey=56719

[Sadhu]

also, ive noticed that after setting molly aside (like any love affair, we all need breaks) swim notices that evertime they drink OJ they get these rushes of something in the head/brain....like a boost....spurts of boost for lack of better e.g.

and ive read bananas and real green vegs. too aid in our quest to get that serotonin up...

happy travels....good to be here. best site in the world.

Baba

[Lettish]

Chocolate is supposed to release serotonin. And sex.

[Peppy]

Swim has experimented with many food/vitamin/natural substitutes for a bit, as swim always looks after swims body before and after trips. Swim always has vitamins and a good meal before said evening and the morning after and for the next 3 days always eats 1 banana per day, handful of nuts (or a bit more!) and takes a very high dose vitamin (such as berocca) - this seems to decrease the recovery rate and pain swim usually encounters for a few days after, and swim often doesnt get the mood dip a few days later if this regime is followed.

Swim has also tried dosing with 5-HTP from the health food shop in the days after a trip but Swim found this made swim feel dizzy and a bit sick so stopped that and stuck with the food.

Swim also thinks a good breakfast is essential after the night out even if swim doesnt feel hungry.

[imyourlittlebare]

see, boasting serotonin levels always made me nervous. because only 10 percent is found in your brain. the othrt 90% is all over everywhere else. also, its hard to get levels "back to normal" it seems as though a psuedo science has emerged from which there are old wives tales how to increase a NT. if one is worried, eating inisotol and other pre pre precursors are better.

[FrankenChrist]

How can you keep serotonin levels up if through genetic factors you have a tendency for low levels? You can temporarily relieve the situation, but often you feel twice as bad afterwards.

[Micklemouse]

Originally Posted by Hydroxy

Chocolate is supposed to release serotonin. And sex.

Chocolate releases sex? Cool...

[Paracelsus]

How can you keep serotonin levels up if through genetic factors you have a tendency for low levels? You can temporarily relieve the situation, but often you feel twice as bad afterwards.

Basic precursors such as l-tryptophan are suitable for this. 5-HTP gets converted to serotonin too fast to really keep levels up.

[candy_kid]

@frankenchrist : I suppose that would depend on where the genetic factor lies. If your brain is reuptaking serotonin too quickly then an SSRI would likely help. If your brain has an unnaturally high level of down regulated serotonin receptors, piracetam might help via it's upregulation mechanism. If your brain has unnaturally high levels of MAO, then a MAOI might be in order to slow the breakdown of serotonin. If your body has a low absorption rate then daily supplements of 5-htp (the precursor to serotonin) might be in order. Temporary relief with something like mdma (that cant be taken daily) is a bad call as this like you say would only make things worse in the long run, but a daily regiment of something like what I mentioned above would likely be in order if there is an actual physical issue here.

edit : paracelsus beat me to the precursor part... very interesting though, is this why 5-htp results in such a massive increase in melatonin so quickly if you take it when serotonin levels are already adequate? btw, doesn't l-tryptophan have a lot of medical issues associated with it due to byproducts in the manufacturing process? or has that been taken care of since?

edit edit : wouldn't lowering dopamine levels increase serotonin levels too? they share a yin yang like relationship in the brain afterall right

[FrankenChrist]

One more issue: can anything serotonin boosting make you sleepy?

[Bajeda]

Originally Posted by imyourlittlebare

see, boasting serotonin levels always made me nervous. because only 10 percent is found in your brain. the othrt 90% is all over everywhere else. also, its hard to get levels "back to normal" it seems as though a psuedo science has emerged from which there are old wives tales how to increase a NT. if one is worried, eating inisotol and other pre pre precursors are better.

Thats one of the major problems. SSRIs affect many other areas than mood, oftentimes more so than mood, and we don't really know how to get around it because they inhibit serotonin reuptake all over the body and not just in the brain. I also think the huge amount of faith we have in manipulating neurotransmitter levels for therapeutic gain while not understanding how it all works is misguided, though it works for the pharmaceutical companies pandering to peoples' desire for cures, especially given the medicalization of mental illness this past century. Genetic biology and neurology and related fields are all trapped in the paradigm of reductionism, which doesn't help given that once we get to the smallest units of biological mechanics we still don't understand what exactly they do, why they do it, and how they are doing it. Thats why I appreciate the approach of MAPS, which is to further study of substances that we know to have certain effects and try to use them in the most optimal way therapeutically, as opposed to trying to construct a medication based on how we think major neurotransmitters with effects all over the spectrum work on a certain level.

Just wondering, but how are serotonin supplements supposed to work? They are absorbed by the body but how much gets to the brain? Not sure on the research on this, so if someone could point me to some relevant and clarifying reading please let me know.

[Bajeda]

Originally Posted by FrankenChrist

One more issue: can anything serotonin boosting make you sleepy?

I don't believe that substances which boost serotonin through reuptake inhibition tend towards making you sleepy. It seems like the supplements/precursors are the ones that do that, i.e. tryptophan and 5-HTP. May be wrong though.

[imyourlittlebare]

Originally Posted by Bajeda

I don't believe that substances which boost serotonin through reuptake inhibition tend towards making you sleepy. It seems like the supplements/precursors are the ones that do that, i.e. tryptophan and 5-HTP. May be wrong though.

see they may not even work. they test alot of times using piss tests which show innaccurate levels bc the 5htp stays in the blood. the theory is you take in a shit load and since it can pass the BBB maybe just maybe a tiny bit iwll make it through and maybe your brain will use it.

[candy_kid]

@FrankenChrist : supplements for serotonin increase levels all over, and melatonin (the sleep hormone) is a metabolite of serotonin -- so yea, increasing serotonin that way will make you sleepy.

@imyourlittlebare : one 50mg capsule of 5-htp has a massively pronounced effect on SWIM; he cant stop smiling, feels extremely floaty and then becomes quite tired once the sun sets. After mdma too, swim finds a 50mg capsule will completely destroy any 'come down' feelings -- so whether it crosses the BBB or not, neural levels of serotonin are most definitely increased somehow

[imyourlittlebare]

Originally Posted by candy_kid

@FrankenChrist : supplements for serotonin increase levels all over, and melatonin (the sleep hormone) is a metabolite of serotonin -- so yea, increasing serotonin that way will make you sleepy.

@imyourlittlebare : one 50mg capsule of 5-htp has a massively pronounced effect on SWIM; he cant stop smiling, feels extremely floaty and then becomes quite tired once the sun sets. After mdma too, swim finds a 50mg capsule will completely destroy any 'come down' feelings -- so whether it crosses the BBB or not, neural levels of serotonin are most definitely increased somehow

it could be to its effect on other places,(since its increased in blood it could effect the nerves around your body, maybe stop chronic pain?). it could be the placebo effect too. I dont know. I didnt have time to fully elaborate the theory. Once it reaches the brain, it can be converted to serotonin which im sure it is. Swim took it and would get happy and take care of back pain. once its converted to serotoinin, maybe your brain just uses it where it needed it. however, i believe it was placebo for me because my pet monkey quit opiates, then used 5 htp to help sex because his guy was a real fast runner. Prozac did it. 5htp did not and thats def where swim needed it. you know? Ill look up some articles later.