www.vitacost.com I highly recommend this site for supplements and many other items. They have a large variety of products at very good prices. They have their own brand (NSI), as well as name brands, which usually is a good value.
I've heard of this site, I was turned off though when I saw a bunch of reviews bitching about how they shipped products that were close to expiration or looked like they had been sitting around in a hot warehouse.
I have never had such a problem and doubt the credibility of such claims. Everything has been good with the quality of all my purchases and I have been using them several years.
DL-Phenylalanine is not something new for depression. I remember reading about it and taking it about 9 years ago. At the time it was suggested that it could help some people who did not respond to conventional(serotonin related) antidepressants. In my case, it would make me anxious and I promptly discontinued taking it. L-Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid, however isolated pill form is absorbed/used differently than if you were to get it from food. Phenylalanine is a precursor to other amino acids and neurotransmitters thereafter. D-Phenylalanine is a stereo isomer(same atomic components, different orientation) and as far as I know it does not naturally occur in the body. From personal experience 5-HTP is an excellent amino acid for depression. It is a naturally occurring precursor to serotonin, and is synthesized in the body from an essential amino acid Tryptophan. Some people used Tryptophan for the same purpose, however it has to be taken in much larger doses. It should be taken on an empty stomach at least 3 hours after eating with plenty of water. Some suggest taking extra B-6 vitamin while on 5-HTP. I personally used to take 25mg to 50mg a day It has been suggested that large doses of 5-HTP could cause heart problems because some of it might be converted to serotonin in the bloodstream before it reaches the brain. As far as I know however there is no conclusive research to prove the above. Tryptophan has been used in the 80s for depression, anxiety and sleep, banned by the FDA in 1989 until a few years ago because of a bad batch from a Japanese manufacturer that made 1500 sick including 30 or 40 deaths. Some people claim that outright banning of all tryptophan was a conspiracy between FDA and Pharmaceuticals (Prozac and other antidepressant use exploded soon thereafter). Depression/Anxiety can occasionally be caused by numerous vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Some examples of deficiencies are magnesium or vitamin B-3. For general stress I recommend B vitamin complex and vitamin C broken up into small doses 2 to 3 times a day, and a multivitamin every other day or so. Do not take large and/or continuous doses of any single vitamin, mineral, or amino acid. Doing so usually results in creating imbalances in your body. You will deplete other vitamins/minerals. I am generally not a fan of pharmaceuticals, if you take them and they work for you thats great. I however found very unpleasant side effects with their use. Someone here mentioned citralopram(Celexa in my case) because of its mild side effects. In my personal experience they are terrible. Everything was great while I was taking it, I even quit smoking without feeling too bad. The problems started when I stopped taking it. Terrible headache for 3 weeks, and I felt like I was drunk for those 3 weeks and also started smoking again. Thereafter every time I tried to stop smoking the citralopram withdraws side effects would return, this lasted for about 3 years. I also have taken Zoloft and Wellbutrin/Zyban again unpleasant side effects, however not as bad as Celexa and only present while taking them. Finally, looking into Cognitive Therapy or Rational Emotive Therapy could also help, but in my opinion only after the physical aspect has been somewhat resolved. The idea behind those two therapies is that you create your automatic/semi-conscious thoughts, those thoughts trigger your emotions. The difficult part after years of depression, anxiety, phobias, addiction or just beveling something, is separating facts from you imagination/interpretation both of which are fused can feel very real. If you have not realized this yet, the ideas from those therapies are being used for improving trading performance - don't worry its not a quick or easy process. Good Luck and suplement with caution.
I agree that Vitacost is a good site; however, I do not think they carry D-Phenylalanine. They carry DL-Phenylalanine, which is different. Here is another good site for D-Phenylalanine. http://www.beautynhealth.com/fth-nutraceuticals/fth-nutraceuticals-usp-d-phenylalanine-500-mg-50-cap
St. Johns Wort is decent but if you actually have a real mood disorder outside of depression it will screw things up more, and if you take meds it will cause side effects (not sure of the severity) Mood lights work very well in the winter... but people will still find that in the spring, things require adjustment... maybe a light in the morning again til late april. Exercise should work very well- running skiing, etc... Visit a naturopath, its expensive for their goods, but worth it... you should notice improvement in a week or so. Watch out with meds- it could take 10 different ones to find one that is working. That could take 2-3 years, damage your health, increase your weight by 50lbs.... and this is commondly acknowledged and definitely will happen without exercise. Unless you have a serious medical condition, its just not worth it to take prescription drugs for basic low level depression. But if you have the real thing- it will be worth the efforts. Just start with the things you know you can control and monitor- keep a mood chart, diary, and a schedule...
I am concerned about this 5htp heart issue. If it does occur, might this same phenomenon also happen when other supplements or pills are taken? why would the phenomenon only apply to 5htp?
The 5HTP heart problem is the same as the Phen Phen diet product. A heart valve can uptake a lot of the stuff and become prolapsed. I found one author that ventured that 100mg a day was probably safe but there probably aren't any test results to refer to. My depression was worse in winter and worse due to chronic pain. I took vit D3 all winter, got the pain taken care of by surgery, took D-Phenylalanine and L-Tryptophan and I was not depressed this winter, first time in decades that I did not turn into a Grinch... the L-Tryptophan and 5HTP kind of kept me in a happy fog though, so recently I started taking them on weekends and during the week I get more done. The one that I would not give up would be the D-Phenylalanine, that one does me a world of good, I learned that I have had a lifetime deficiency in Endrophins. The second one to not give up would be the D3 in winter. Next winter I'll make the serotonin raising stuff optional and see how that works out...