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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 22 of 22. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dan Perkins on December 15, 2004, at 13:37:45
I had a look at the veterinary grade Tryptophan at buygpdirect.com, but it seems to be only "90% Tryptophan," whereast the pharmaceutical grade trytophan available on some websites claims to be 99.9% pure Tryptophan. I'd be very nervous about taking the 90% stuff 'cause who knows what the other 10% is.
Posted by Larry Hoover on December 15, 2004, at 14:06:40
In reply to Veterinary Tryptophan, posted by Dan Perkins on December 15, 2004, at 13:37:45
> I had a look at the veterinary grade Tryptophan at buygpdirect.com, but it seems to be only "90% Tryptophan," whereast the pharmaceutical grade trytophan available on some websites claims to be 99.9% pure Tryptophan. I'd be very nervous about taking the 90% stuff 'cause who knows what the other 10% is.
It's dextrose, a common sugar.
Lar
Posted by Dan Perkins on December 15, 2004, at 14:51:21
In reply to Re: Veterinary Tryptophan » Dan Perkins, posted by Larry Hoover on December 15, 2004, at 14:06:40
So, you use veterinary tryptophan and would recommend it?
> > I had a look at the veterinary grade Tryptophan at buygpdirect.com, but it seems to be only "90% Tryptophan," whereast the pharmaceutical grade trytophan available on some websites claims to be 99.9% pure Tryptophan. I'd be very nervous about taking the 90% stuff 'cause who knows what the other 10% is.
>
> It's dextrose, a common sugar.
>
> Lar
>
>
Posted by Larry Hoover on December 15, 2004, at 15:51:42
In reply to Re: Veterinary Tryptophan, posted by Dan Perkins on December 15, 2004, at 14:51:21
> So, you use veterinary tryptophan and would recommend it?
Yes I use it. Yes I would recommend it, but not without question. Teasing, a bit. This product is awkward to use. It is loose powder, very very fine powder. It resists dissolving in liquids, though I haven't tried boiling water. A blender will do the job, however.
> > > I had a look at the veterinary grade Tryptophan at buygpdirect.com, but it seems to be only "90% Tryptophan," whereast the pharmaceutical grade trytophan available on some websites claims to be 99.9% pure Tryptophan. I'd be very nervous about taking the 90% stuff 'cause who knows what the other 10% is.
> >
> > It's dextrose, a common sugar.
> >
> > Lar
> >
> >
>
>
Posted by Dan Perkins on December 15, 2004, at 18:55:38
In reply to Re: Veterinary Tryptophan » Dan Perkins, posted by Larry Hoover on December 15, 2004, at 15:51:42
I think I'm a bit less adventerous than you. If I want to go with the pharmaceutical grade stuff, what is a good source for me to use (ie. good product at good price)? And could you give me a short list of the vitamins I need to take with the tryptophan?
Thank you
Posted by MKB on December 15, 2004, at 19:16:07
In reply to Re: Veterinary Tryptophan, posted by Dan Perkins on December 15, 2004, at 18:55:38
The best price I've seen for pharmaceutical grade tryptophan is at www.healthrecovery.com.
Posted by ed_uk on December 16, 2004, at 11:08:26
In reply to Re: Veterinary Tryptophan » Dan Perkins, posted by MKB on December 15, 2004, at 19:16:07
What treatment do you use for your depression at the moment?
Ed.
Posted by yahtzee on December 17, 2004, at 7:55:03
In reply to Re: Veterinary Tryptophan, posted by Dan Perkins on December 15, 2004, at 18:55:38
I've tried two different manufacturers, both claiming 99.9% "Pharmaceutical grade" Tryptophan, the first (whom will remain nameless) contained >30% Calcium carbonate. I now order from iherb (iherb.com), you get 180x500mg capsules for $80, this contains no fillers (had a friend analyse it for me).
Rgds,
Yahtzee
Posted by cherylann on December 17, 2004, at 18:35:06
In reply to Re: Veterinary Tryptophan, posted by yahtzee on December 17, 2004, at 7:55:03
I understand your wanting the company to remain nameless. However, I'm in the market for trytophan and don't want to buy something useless.
Perhaps you could give us the name, or a hint, so I don't make the same mistake?
Thanks,
cherylann
Posted by KaraS on December 17, 2004, at 21:40:00
In reply to Re: Veterinary Tryptophan, posted by yahtzee on December 17, 2004, at 7:55:03
We're allowed on this board to name brands - if that's your hesitation.Kara
Posted by Larry Hoover on December 18, 2004, at 10:22:24
In reply to Re: To Larry, posted by ed_uk on December 16, 2004, at 11:08:26
> What treatment do you use for your depression at the moment?
>
> Ed.I'm too absent-minded to have a formal plan. You know the guy in Back to the Future? I'm worse.
It's a witches brew, honestly. But instead of a pinch of toad's toe, or whatever, it might be a pinch of green tea polyphenols, yada yada.
Pharmacologically, my basic treatment is based on low-dose selegiline, sublingual (to avoid first-pass metabolism). Intuitively, it seems to have a similar effect to supps like NADH or TMG. It's doing something in that realm, possibly stabilizing mitochondrial membranes.
I have a number of health concerns, so strictly speaking, depression is not the biggest issue for me. It is fatigue. My mood is generally stable with fish oil, and I am reactive to stimuli, so I do not consider myself to be depressed. However, the fatigue/insomnia/cognitive problems collectively are somewhat depressing.
Lar
Posted by yahtzee on December 19, 2004, at 15:17:56
In reply to Re: Veterinary Tryptophan » yahtzee, posted by KaraS on December 17, 2004, at 21:40:00
I bought FTH nutraceuticals, had it analysed by a reputable lab, turned out to contain ~30 to 40% CaCO3 (calcium carbonate) + SiO2 (silica), both common fillers. I contacted them anonymously and they basically told me to bu**er off!
I then bought Bios from iherb.com, and had that analysed, it contained no fillers.
...and it works for me.
PS The reason I had the FTH analysed in the first place is because I suffer from bad heartburn and it cured it immediately (it was the CaCO3!)
Rgds,
Yahtzee
> We're allowed on this board to name brands - if that's your hesitation.
>
> Kara
>
>
Posted by KaraS on December 19, 2004, at 17:01:37
In reply to Re: Veterinary Tryptophan, posted by yahtzee on December 19, 2004, at 15:17:56
> I bought FTH nutraceuticals, had it analysed by a reputable lab, turned out to contain ~30 to 40% CaCO3 (calcium carbonate) + SiO2 (silica), both common fillers. I contacted them anonymously and they basically told me to bu**er off!
>
> I then bought Bios from iherb.com, and had that analysed, it contained no fillers.
>
> ...and it works for me.
>
> PS The reason I had the FTH analysed in the first place is because I suffer from bad heartburn and it cured it immediately (it was the CaCO3!)
>
> Rgds,
>
> Yahtzee
Good to know. It's criminal how some companies can get away with making such false claims about their products. Who knows what we're really buying and putting into our systems? As soon as I can afford to, I'm going to join ConsumerLab.com and/or buy their book.Thanks for the info.
Kara
Posted by jerrympls on December 24, 2004, at 0:44:28
In reply to Re: Veterinary Tryptophan » yahtzee, posted by KaraS on December 19, 2004, at 17:01:37
When did Tryptophan become legal in the US again??
Posted by Larry Hoover on December 24, 2004, at 7:40:46
In reply to Re: Veterinary Tryptophan, posted by jerrympls on December 24, 2004, at 0:44:28
> When did Tryptophan become legal in the US again??
As far as I know, 1994. Did you notice the huge publicity surrounding that?
Lar
Posted by Dan Perkins on December 24, 2004, at 8:33:01
In reply to Re: Veterinary Tryptophan » jerrympls, posted by Larry Hoover on December 24, 2004, at 7:40:46
It was a veritable media blitz.
> As far as I know, 1994. Did you notice the huge publicity surrounding that?
>
> Lar
>
Posted by jerrympls on December 24, 2004, at 9:11:28
In reply to Re: Veterinary Tryptophan » jerrympls, posted by Larry Hoover on December 24, 2004, at 7:40:46
> > When did Tryptophan become legal in the US again??
>
> As far as I know, 1994. Did you notice the huge publicity surrounding that?
>
> Lar
>I don't remember which is odd because I was researching the use of it for depression back then. I can remember when 5-HT supplements came out around that time.
But you guys are talking about tryptophan for Veterinary use only. So far I've only seen supplements that say "NOT for human consumption." Am I missing something?
Posted by Larry Hoover on December 24, 2004, at 9:36:27
In reply to Re: Veterinary Tryptophan » Larry Hoover, posted by jerrympls on December 24, 2004, at 9:11:28
> > > When did Tryptophan become legal in the US again??
> >
> > As far as I know, 1994. Did you notice the huge publicity surrounding that?
> >
> > Lar
> >
>
> I don't remember which is odd because I was researching the use of it for depression back then. I can remember when 5-HT supplements came out around that time.
>
> But you guys are talking about tryptophan for Veterinary use only. So far I've only seen supplements that say "NOT for human consumption." Am I missing something?http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20031003/msgs/271979.html
If a manufacturer or supplier of tryptophan labels it for human use, the onus is on the manufacturer to prove it is safe for human use. All I see in that is an opportunity to charge more money for the same commodity.
I use veterinary tryptophan because I cannot find a single reason to believe it is of any *lesser* quality than the tryptophan used in human-intended products. It comes from the same factories. It comes in the same bilk packaging. Blah. Blah. (The main use in North America is pig feed, and pigs got the same disorder that humans did, from that one bad batch of tryptophan. The contaminant has never been found in any other batch of tryptophan.)
I refuse to pay a markup which seems to only represent price gouging (what the market will bear).
Lar
Posted by jerrympls on December 24, 2004, at 9:52:21
In reply to Re: Veterinary Tryptophan » jerrympls, posted by Larry Hoover on December 24, 2004, at 9:36:27
> > > > When did Tryptophan become legal in the US again??
> > >
> > > As far as I know, 1994. Did you notice the huge publicity surrounding that?
> > >
> > > Lar
> > >
> >
> > I don't remember which is odd because I was researching the use of it for depression back then. I can remember when 5-HT supplements came out around that time.
> >
> > But you guys are talking about tryptophan for Veterinary use only. So far I've only seen supplements that say "NOT for human consumption." Am I missing something?
>
> http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20031003/msgs/271979.html
>
> If a manufacturer or supplier of tryptophan labels it for human use, the onus is on the manufacturer to prove it is safe for human use. All I see in that is an opportunity to charge more money for the same commodity.
>
> I use veterinary tryptophan because I cannot find a single reason to believe it is of any *lesser* quality than the tryptophan used in human-intended products. It comes from the same factories. It comes in the same bilk packaging. Blah. Blah. (The main use in North America is pig feed, and pigs got the same disorder that humans did, from that one bad batch of tryptophan. The contaminant has never been found in any other batch of tryptophan.)
>
> I refuse to pay a markup which seems to only represent price gouging (what the market will bear).
>
> Lar
>Huh. I can't believe this snuck under my radar! So - let me get this straight, tryptophan is available for "regualr human" use and for "veterinary use, " the only difference being if a vendor sells it as "vet use" then they avoid red tape and FDA over their shoulders which = a cheaper product but at the same pharmaceutical grade either way? So I assume I won't be able to find this at health food stores but on the internet at places like iherb.com?
Also (and sorry for all the questions) I assume tryptophan helps with depression, anxiety and insomnia?
Thanks for the info!
Jerry
Posted by Dan Perkins on December 24, 2004, at 13:14:03
In reply to Re: Veterinary Tryptophan » Larry Hoover, posted by jerrympls on December 24, 2004, at 9:52:21
what exactly does tryptophan do for the pigs? have I been ignorant all this time to an epidemic of mental illness sweeping our nation's livestock?
Posted by Larry Hoover on December 24, 2004, at 14:43:33
In reply to Re: Veterinary Tryptophan, posted by Dan Perkins on December 24, 2004, at 13:14:03
> what exactly does tryptophan do for the pigs? have I been ignorant all this time to an epidemic of mental illness sweeping our nation's livestock?
If I recall correctly, it reduces biting and aggression.
Lar
Posted by Larry Hoover on December 24, 2004, at 14:46:52
In reply to Re: Veterinary Tryptophan » Larry Hoover, posted by jerrympls on December 24, 2004, at 9:52:21
> Huh. I can't believe this snuck under my radar! So - let me get this straight, tryptophan is available for "regualr human" use and for "veterinary use, " the only difference being if a vendor sells it as "vet use" then they avoid red tape and FDA over their shoulders which = a cheaper product but at the same pharmaceutical grade either way? So I assume I won't be able to find this at health food stores but on the internet at places like iherb.com?
It depends on the health food store. You can certainly get it on the Internet. It is my belief that the veterinary tryptophan and pharmaceutical tryptophan are of equivalent quality. I have not analysed them.
> Also (and sorry for all the questions) I assume tryptophan helps with depression, anxiety and insomnia?
>
> Thanks for the info!
> JerryYes, those are the primary effects. However, I have heard of paradoxical reactions to tryptophan, i.e. excitation and irritability.
Lar
This is the end of the thread.
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