Hello everyone, I’m surprised I haven’t posted about this before. I’m one of those people who have taken SSRIs numerous times over the past 15 years with no benefit and a whole lot of side effects. Particularly getting on them. I recently took a biochemistry course in college and made a simple conclusion by connecting a few dots. L-tryptophan is an essential amino acid and is the precursor to the synthesis of serotonin and melatonin in the body. Regular Serotonin or 5HT supplements don’t work like l-tryptophan because serotonin is broken down in the stomach. Perhaps it is the case that some individuals benefit from supplementing this essential amino acid I thought. And so, I am two months into taking L-tryptophan. When i ran out of my first bottle, I only noticed depression worsen weeks later which reminded me to buy more. I believe that L-tryptophan is safe in most cases, but it would be safe to discuss it with your doctor if your on any sort of antidepressant currently.

In these difficult times it is important to utilize all the tools we have available to get through it in one piece. Sadly SSRIs clearly show lack of efficacy in light of the spike in suicides this year. The mantra has been “they work on some people,” but I have a feeling the proscribing practices to only prescribe SSRIs is weighing heavily on the public’s mental health and we need a call for new therapeutic alternatives. So in the mean time I hope this information helps.

I hope you all have as peaceful of a winter as possible and find ways to reduce unnecessary suffering. The failings in the way we practice psychiatry is apparent in the mortality rate increase during viral outbreaks due to suicide. It’s very much like a money hungry blind machine. Doctors are not required to know all the details about how the body works. And we don’t really know a lot -just enough.