[FanofPhen]

I am on Phen-Pro (just over a week now) and I take 50 mgs of 5HTP in the late afternoon. I emailed my doctor to ask him about it but I have not gotten a response yet. Here is what I found on Dr. Anchors' website. It talks mostly about being on Phen-Pro for a while and then getting stuck.

"How 5-HTP Restores Phen-Pro
Although 1/3 of patients lose weight well with simple phen-pro, 2/3 of them lose only some of their excess weight and then get "stuck". These patients that phen-pro suppressed their appetite well in the beginning, but after a few weeks or months, their excess appetite partially returned. If one adds 5-HTP to the mix at that point, the extra hunger goes away again and the patients resume their weight loss.

There are two theories about this. The most common idea is that when patients are on Prozac or other SSRI drug for a prolonged period, the brain may be depleted in serotonin. SSRI drugs cause serotonin to spend more time in the synapse where it is more easily lost. When the serotonin level falls low enough, release into the synapse is reduced and Prozac has less effect since it is only a re-uptake inhibitor. When Prozac starts to falter, phentermine loses its effect also just as it does when taken alone (see the graph from the Eli Lilly study on this website).

5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) is the material from which serotonin is made. Taking 5-HTP orally causes an increase in serotonin in the brain. When the serotonin level is restored, Prozac resumes its action on phentermine.

The second theory is based on research by Japanese researchers (Yamada, Sugimoto and Ujikawa, European Journal of Pharmacology 1999; 383: 49-51). They gave 5-HTP to mice and showed that it considerably raised their levels of leptin. Leptin is the hormone produced by adipose tissue that signals to the brain the total body fat content. It reduces hunger. Therefore, 5-HTP may reduce hunger through leptin without ever itself entering the brain.

Dr. Richard Rothman gives 5-HTP only with carbidopa to inhibit breakdown of 5-HTP in the periphery so that more 5-HTP can reach the brain. Dr. Rothman also gives a very low dose of 5-HTP, 10 mg. I haven't found this subterfuge to be necessary. A daily dose of 100 mg of 5-HTP has been sufficient to restore the efficacy of phen-pro, and I believe there has been less nausea and stomach upset in my patients."

That said, KVAZ has a good point about the serotonin. I would mention it to your doctor and see what he says.