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novapsycheLooking at someone else's interest list, I saw that their entry "marijuana" was not in bold. That's when I realized that somehow, I overlooked putting that on my own interest list. For those who know me... well, they may be as surprised as I was. I've since remedied the situation.
Also, someone else, one other person in the whole LJ microverse, has listed "roche limit" as an interest. This makes me feel less lonely. :)
So... this week I was able to get my hands on a bottle of 5-HTP. I'd done some reading about it (of course, I know much more about its derivative, serotonin--there's a lot more information about that), and I felt comfortable enough to try it. I got mine at Wal-Mart, in the Vitamin/Herbal Supplements aisle, near the dieting aids. (5-HTP is primarily marketed as a diet aid, and only secondarily as a mood enhancer.) It came in a trapezoidal gold box, and cost $8.88.
The pills themselves would be suspicious to, say, a cop: they are simple gelcaps, no inscriptions, with a white substance inside. 5-HTP supplements are made from Griffonia simplicifolia seed extract. These are 50 mgs each, 30 in a bottle, and suggestions are to take one or two daily. (Each also contains 10 mgs of vitamin B6, which helps the body absorb the 5-HTP. However, as I read later, it's better to have just 5-HTP and supplement vitamins on one's own. As it is, these pills supply 500% of one's daily intake of vitamin B6. [The OD level of vitamin B6 is 100 mgs, by the way.])
Okay, so I took one about three days ago, because I've been very depressed, as F could attest. I freely admitted to him that I was interested in self-medicating myself, and he didn't think it was a bad idea. I didn't really notice any specific effects, though I thought it was funny that I ended up staying awake for hours--the bottle says it promotes healthy sleep. (This is because serotonin is the precursor to melatonin, which causes the body to become drowsy.)
But the next day, I woke up without feeling so overwhelmingly depressed, and that was a start. It generally takes a week for the full effects to make themselves known. Also, I'm starting with a basic dose, 50 mgs daily. Many people take twice as much, or more, every day.
Adverse effects? I'm a little more jittery than usual, but that could be from drinking more caffeine lately. (F's mom broke out the coffee machine while I was away in NV, so now there's a quick way to get a lovely cup of joe each day.)
As far as beneficial effects go, I realized that when I've smoked pot recently, it's had a dreamy quality I have not experienced since my earliest days of becoming acquainted with MJ. That, I have to say, is a pleasant unexpected something extra. :)
Also, someone else, one other person in the whole LJ microverse, has listed "roche limit" as an interest. This makes me feel less lonely. :)
So... this week I was able to get my hands on a bottle of 5-HTP. I'd done some reading about it (of course, I know much more about its derivative, serotonin--there's a lot more information about that), and I felt comfortable enough to try it. I got mine at Wal-Mart, in the Vitamin/Herbal Supplements aisle, near the dieting aids. (5-HTP is primarily marketed as a diet aid, and only secondarily as a mood enhancer.) It came in a trapezoidal gold box, and cost $8.88.
The pills themselves would be suspicious to, say, a cop: they are simple gelcaps, no inscriptions, with a white substance inside. 5-HTP supplements are made from Griffonia simplicifolia seed extract. These are 50 mgs each, 30 in a bottle, and suggestions are to take one or two daily. (Each also contains 10 mgs of vitamin B6, which helps the body absorb the 5-HTP. However, as I read later, it's better to have just 5-HTP and supplement vitamins on one's own. As it is, these pills supply 500% of one's daily intake of vitamin B6. [The OD level of vitamin B6 is 100 mgs, by the way.])
Okay, so I took one about three days ago, because I've been very depressed, as F could attest. I freely admitted to him that I was interested in self-medicating myself, and he didn't think it was a bad idea. I didn't really notice any specific effects, though I thought it was funny that I ended up staying awake for hours--the bottle says it promotes healthy sleep. (This is because serotonin is the precursor to melatonin, which causes the body to become drowsy.)
But the next day, I woke up without feeling so overwhelmingly depressed, and that was a start. It generally takes a week for the full effects to make themselves known. Also, I'm starting with a basic dose, 50 mgs daily. Many people take twice as much, or more, every day.
Adverse effects? I'm a little more jittery than usual, but that could be from drinking more caffeine lately. (F's mom broke out the coffee machine while I was away in NV, so now there's a quick way to get a lovely cup of joe each day.)
As far as beneficial effects go, I realized that when I've smoked pot recently, it's had a dreamy quality I have not experienced since my earliest days of becoming acquainted with MJ. That, I have to say, is a pleasant unexpected something extra. :)