# Lucid Dreaming > Attaining Lucidity > Lucid Aids >  >  5-htp

## Zimmerman

Has anyone experimented with taking 5-HTP, the precursor to serotonin?  I first heard of it in Thomas Yuschak's book and that's where I got most of the information in this post.  If taken at the beginning of the night it will suppress REM in the first few hours of the night and give you REM rebound and vivid dreams for the last hours of your sleep.  It has a short elimination half-life and also works well if you do WBTB or WBTB with supplements.

I've personally taken a few times and ended up with very vivid, long dreams at the end of the night.  I would recommend giving it a try as it's not expensive and I just got it off the shelf at my local Rite-Aid ::D: .  Another thing I've noticed, and this isn't so much for dreaming as sleeping in general, is that on nights where I can only get a few hours of sleep (have to work early the next morning, etc) I can take the 5-HTP and feel very rested the next day due to extra deep, restorative sleep ::dreaming:: .

Also, don't take this with B6 because it won't cross the blood brain barrier, just catalyzing in your stomach instead.

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## Astrius

I purchased some 5-htp recently, but have only tried it a couple of times (with no obvious effect), as I'm currently experimenting with the DreamBoost product (which already contains 5-htp).

I have to say, I'm a little confused about the B6 issue. Thomas Yuschak is the only expert I'm aware of who advises against taking B6 with 5-htp. Most of the 5-htp supplements I've seen actually include B6.  ::?:

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## Zimmerman

hmm... interesting, I just read up more in the Yuschak book about it and he says that unless it's a really large dose of B6 it shouldn't matter if you take it.  How much B6 is in the supplements you've been taking Astrius?

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## Astrius

Here's what it says on the box: "Each tablet provides 100mg of 5-HTP along with other important nutrients to help 5-HTP conversion into serotonin."

5-HTP............ 100mg
Vitamin B3...... 30mg
Vitamin B6...... 10mg
Vitamin C....... 100mg
D-Biotin......... 50mcg
Folic Acid....... 100mcg

It's not a large amount of B6, and it would be impossible to avoid it entirely (even if taking pure 5-HTP) due to the fact that B6 is obviously in our food and, therefore, our bodies. I really don't know who to believe on this issue.

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## Zimmerman

The 5-HTP supplement I have is only 100mg of 5-HTP and nothing else.  I haven't tried supplementing B6 with it (although, like you mentioned Astrius, I do have it in my body from the foods I eat), but so far just taking 5-HTP alone has made a noticable difference in my final REM periods and the vividness of the dreams during that time...

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## Thor

> I have to say, I'm a little confused about the B6 issue. Thomas Yuschak is the only expert I'm aware of who advises against taking B6 with 5-htp. Most of the 5-htp supplements I've seen actually include B6.



Yuschak warns against taking 5-HTP with B6 because there has been speculation that doing so may lead to heart damage. However, speculation is all it is since there are no scientific studies that support it. You can find more information on the 5-HTP Facts and Fiction page.

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## ChrissyMaria

i take 5htp everyday during the day and before bed and i dont notice much of a difference, i guess my dreams are more vivid thats all though

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## phoenelai

I tell you..I've been taking it this last week. I've seen such a major improvement in my dream recall due to the rebound effect. Its amazing how much its changed but I hope it doesnt loose its effect. I think I'll take a week on and off due to I dont want that to happen.

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## Firewalker

I take 5-HTP, 100mg, two or three times a week, it gives me great recall of dreams. It hasn't triggered a lucid dream for me by itself, but this may possibly be because I haven't given it much of a chance. When I first started taking it I would sleep soundly all night, and recall vivid non lucid dreams. Now a few months later when I take it I usually will wake up after 4 or 5 hours, I believe as it is wearing off. This makes it great for the WBTB method, however the last several times I have taken it I have woke up, then taken Galantamine, or L-Glutamine and Green Tea, or other supplements, I am wondering if I should have just tried the WBTB without taking anything else. Another experiement to try.

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## phoenelai

Yeah I tried to WILD after I woke up from it (4-5 hours) no luck. But I think its a good possible way to WILD. The dream I woke up from was so vivid and fresh in my mind I'm usually able to re-enter the dream when it's that fresh and clear!

cheers! ::banana::

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## BenQ

This is weird to me. I've seen 5-HTP come up repeatedly in regards to inducing dream vividness, etc. I took it for quite some time as a natural anti-depressant -b/c supposedly it can be used for that - without knowing it was supposed to increase dream vividness, recall, etc. In the meantime, I did not notice any difference in my dreams, which leads me to wonder - is the effect people experience with 5-HTP on the dreams a real effect or a placebo effect?

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## spaceexplorer

I very much doubt that it's a placebo effect.
At what time were you taking 5-HTP?
For it to work successfully then you'd be taking it before bedtime, as it has a reasonably quick peak plasma time and half life. 
If you're taking it during the day, the effects will have all but worn off by the time you get to bed. Whilst if you take it prior to sleep, you'll find that it will supress your REM for the first 3-4 hours of the night, and you'll have a nice long intense period of REM in the morning, due to REM rebound.

Look at it this way, if you have a few strong drinks in the morning, would you still expect to be feeling the effects by midnight?
Obviously not. It's the same with many supplements. It's just as important to research the peak plasma times and half life of what you are taking. That way you can focus the effects of the supplements in the timescale that will be benificial for your dreaming practices.

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## nightflyer

I thought it was suppose to be taken with B6 b/c B6 help to convert it to Serotonin and then Melatonin faster.  That's why you get the restorative sleep and vivid dream.

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## Thor

> I thought it was suppose to be taken with B6 b/c B6 help to convert it to Serotonin and then Melatonin faster.  That's why you get the restorative sleep and vivid dream.



At least you should ensure that you have sufficient levels of B6.  And you can get even higher serotonin levels out of the same dose of 5-HTP by taking extra B6.

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## Lyikos

I might try 5-HTP over the weekend, is it possible to overdose?

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## Thor

> I might try 5-HTP over the weekend, is it possible to overdose?



Of course. It is possible to overdose on any substance, including water. However, the 5-HTP dose recommended by Thomas Yuschak for lucid dreaming is 100-150mg, which is relatively low.  By comparison, clinical studies (for treating depression and obesity) have used doses of 300mg and even 900mg with minimal side effects. Some important caveats apply (these are usually listed on the canister). In particular, 5-HTP must not be taken with certain antidepressants such as SSRIs and MAOIs.

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## neuf08

From what I've read your 5 HTP should have some B-6 in it. The B6 helps the enzymes that convert the tryptophan into serotonin. I've also come across a list of other drugs/supplements that shouldn't be taken in conjunction with 5 HTP, so that might help a bit as well. You don't want to take more than 300 mg I don't think, because you can have too much serotonin, which leads to serotonin syndrome. And from what I've read, you do need to take it right before bed if you're looking for it to affect your sleep.

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## moonshine

well i just looked at my 5htp. 100mg pill has 10mg b6.
Bought them for Lucid Dreaming REM Bounce.
I had one last night. About 10pm. Had a nice sleep (after a restless week).
But didn't recall any dreams at all  :Sad:

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## That Kid

Which should I buy? :

http://www.walgreens.com/search/sear...=5-htp&x=0&y=0

I personally think the second one is the best deal.

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## Lizard King

I've been taking 5-HTP for a while now, and it has interesting effects.

Every morning I have dreams that seem to last for days, and they are overwhelmingly vivid.  So in that respect it is great.

However, due to how vivid the dreams are, it's nearly impossible to realize you are dreaming.

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## Clairity

> However, due to how vivid the dreams are, it's nearly impossible to realize you are dreaming.



I suffer from this problem as well tho I don't take 5-htp (it seemed to kill my recall instead of help it).  :tongue2: 

.

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## kiracle

The issue with the B6 is that it causes the 5HTP to be converted to serotonin in the body but not the brain, which is where you need to see the effects on sleeping.

5HTP crosses the blood-brain barrier, but serotonin does not.  If you take B6 with the 5HTP, it will facilitate the conversion to serotonin in the blood instead of in the brain.

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## Parakonstantius

> Has anyone experimented with taking 5-HTP, the precursor to serotonin?  I first heard of it in Thomas Yuschak's book and that's where I got most of the information in this post.  If taken at the beginning of the night it will suppress REM in the first few hours of the night and give you REM rebound and vivid dreams for the last hours of your sleep.  It has a short elimination half-life and also works well if you do WBTB or WBTB with supplements.
> 
> I've personally taken a few times and ended up with very vivid, long dreams at the end of the night.  I would recommend giving it a try as it's not expensive and I just got it off the shelf at my local Rite-Aid.  Another thing I've noticed, and this isn't so much for dreaming as sleeping in general, is that on nights where I can only get a few hours of sleep (have to work early the next morning, etc) I can take the 5-HTP and feel very rested the next day due to extra deep, restorative sleep.
> 
> Also, don't take this with B6 because it won't cross the blood brain barrier, just catalyzing in your stomach instead.



Not expensive? The stuff is incredibly costly!

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## Integral

I really like 5HTP. I started taking it about two weeks ago and tried a 100mg tablet before going to sleep. After about 90 minutes I would wake up with my heart pounding in my ears and a firework display behind my eyelids. I felt like I had drunk about six Red Bulls which was odd as I thought 5HTP was supposed to give you a good nights sleep! I cut the dose back until I was taking a quarter of a tab (25mg) and found that indeed I got a nice deep sleep during the first four hours followed by some long, vivid non-lucids and some short lucid dreams during the REM period.

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