Is there a supplement on the market that has been proven scientifically to raise seratonin levels in the brain? Also, what other ways are there to replenish seratonin? Does anyone know how it works, such that if I were to use up a lot of mine, generally how long does it take to replenish, is it harmful to completely deplete it? Thanks for anything anyone may know on the subject.
Just pulling this out of my arse from what I recall, but I think that ZMA helps raise serotonin levels by providing a precursor to it, or something that helps raise it. I’d suggest reading that article to prove or disprove what I remember. Or someone else can chime in.
merlin - seratonin can be elevated by supplementing with it’s precursor called 5-HTP (this is a ingredient in the new MD6). you can get 5-HTP at just about any supplement store. nutritionally you can elevate it by increasing carb intake. it can also be increased by performing exercise (cardio or resistence training). don’t know exactly how it works, but it is key for maintaining a positive mood and is directly related to carb intake. when low carb dieting and you start to get really grumpy and irritable 5-HTP comes in really handy. hope this helps. kevo
I believe St. Johns Wort is also a herbal supplement that is supposed to help depression, etc by promoting seratonin in the brain. I belive you need to take it for a while to see results. Remember reading its actually used as a prescription drug in Europe for this.
It’s serOtonin everyone.
From experience, my favorite night time snack is turkey, lot’s of it. I have problems with sleep apnea (I was recently diagnosed with it), and whenever I wake up at night from choking, the serotonin from the turkey helps me fall asleep faster. Otherwise I’ll be up for hours at a time.
Gee Merlin, how are you using up all your seratonin? 
5 HTP is a good supplement that is essentially a seratonin precursor. ZMA won’t do shit and St johns wart requires a long period of dosing for any effect (6 weeks)
whatever you do, if you end up going to a shrink, don’t let him perscribe Paxil !!.. that shit will mess your whole life up !!.. yeah, it worked great about getting me out of depression, but it made me totally not give a fuck about anything. i didn’t care that i was late for work, didn’t care if my projects got done on time, i didn’t go to the gym, i ate like crap, i wasn’t sad, but i wasn’t happy. if you want to walk around in your like like Dr. Spock, then this is the drug for you… makes you totally emotionless… on on the lighter side, i took a sublingual form of st. john’s wort about a year ago, and after a couple of weeks, seem to do some good. If clinical depression doesn’t run in your family, and depending on your life, and how is running, and your attitude, you can make yourself a much more peacefull, happy person if you set goals for yourself that are achievable. getting to the gym regularly, and working out good are great acheivements if you really think about it. being proud of yourself is the best therapy. a raised serontonin level is a side effect of being happy.
I’m glad that turkey’s working for you, but I wonder if it is due to the elevation of serotonin. Tryptophan is abundant in turkey, as in all complete proteins, and it supposedly raises serotonin, but it also contains tyrosine, which makes people alert. So, it would appear that turkey is not the optimal “supplement” for relaxing.
My bad about the ZMA, musta got something confused. Like I said though, just pulled’er out of my arse, wasn’t sure about it.
I have been doing some serious searching for alternative medicine for depression, and 5 HTP is definitely the way to go. I agree with the person who ranted about Paxil. I have just broken myself off of it, having been subjected to it for nearly a year. Paxil may have saved my physical life, but its side effects cost me my job, my sex life, and I swear any ounce of sanity I may have had left. From the research I have done, all “traditional” medicines for serotonin reuptake are the same, and should be banned by the FDA if they knew what they were doing. I read studies that they called 5HTP equal to Prozac (a cousin of Paxil and others) but the numbers I saw showed it to be superior. BENEFIT: The only side effect it appears to have is stomach upset–so take it with food, dummy! Screw doctors. 5 HTP is definitely the way to go.