Is It OK To Give 5-HTP To My 5 Year Old Son?

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5-HTP

Question: Is It OK To Give 5-HTP To My 5 Year Old Son?

I would like to give my 5.5 year old son 5-HTP. He is not on any medication and frequently wakes up at night but has no trouble falling asleep. He has symptoms of ADHD in terms of inability to attend to tasks. He also has a tremendous amount of anxiety and fears for a child of his age. He also is delayed in his speech and language by about 1.5 years. Are there any side effects, long or short term, if he takes 5-HTP and what dosages should he take? Evening or day? Please advise ASAP.

Answer #1

No one knows the long term effects for an adult let alone effects on children in any duration. It appears safe for adults, but why would you want to give this to a child? Your child's brain and nervous system are still developing. 5-HTP is converted into serotonin, which directly effects certain receptor sites. As a result, varying concentrations of serotonins near receptor sites may have effects on mood (i.e. depression) , blood pressure, gastric control (gastric reflux), sleep, appetite and vascular spasms of the brain. What's important is the overall balance of serotonins in the body. I believe there are two major points that you should consider in using 5HTP for a child.

First, 5-HTP is not found anywhere in the bloodstream. It appears harmless to fully developed vascular systems, but why risk the developing blood vessels of your child. For that matter, any organ fed by blood. Fenfluramine, a serotonin releasing agent, was banned because it caused damage to heart valves in adults.

Second, why would you risk upsetting the serotonin balance in your child by adding this drug. Personally, I have been taking a selective serotonin uptake inhibitor for several years. (It works by inhibiting the ability of certain receptor sites to "capture" serotonin thus increasing relative serotonin concentrations) However, after more than two years, I developed a case of esophageal gastric reflux. Propulside, a serotonin receptor agonist, was prescribed. It did not work, so an acid blocker was then prescribed. Within a year, I began experiencing migraines that were treated with Imitrex, a serotonin receptor agonist. Since I was getting migraine episodes too often to use imitrex, prophylactic use of the beta blocker, Inderal, was initiated. Beta blockers also effect serotonins. The upshot of this is that although the medications appear to work at different receptor sites, a prolonged upsetting of my serotonin balance may have triggered other symptoms that are effected by serotonin concentrations at different receptor sites.

My basic fear for you is that altering the serotonin balance by adding a 5- HTP to your child's diet may have unwanted consequences especially for a child whose growth and development WILL be directly effected. Here is a listing of the IDENTIFIED serotonin receptor sites which illustrates in what areas 5-HTP could be a benefit or a detriment. Remember, medication may be very specific for a particular receptor, notwithstanding my personal anecdotal history.

5HT1 receptors

5-HT1A This represents perhaps the most widely studied 5-HT receptor subtype. These receptors are located primarily in the CNS. Agonists facilitate male sexual behavior in rats, hypertension, increase food intake, produce hypothermia, and act as anxiolytics. This receptor has also been widely implicated in depression.

5-HT1B These may serve as autoreceptors; thus, activation causes an inhibition of neurotransmitter release. Agonists inhibit aggressive behavior and food intake in rodents. These receptors, which have been identified only in rodents and are apparently absent in humans, are thus only of theoretical interest at present. These receptors may be the counterpart of the 5-HT1D receptor found in other species.

5-HT1C These receptors belong to the same receptor subfamily as the 5-HT2 receptor and have been recently renamed as 5-HT2C receptors. This receptor is located in high density in the choroid plexus and may regulate cerebrospinal fluid production and cerebral circulation. This subtype is speculated to be involved in the regulation of analgesia, sleep, and cardiovascular function.

5-HT1D Located primarily in the CNS, this receptor may play a role as a presynaptic heteroreceptor or as a terminal autoreceptor, being thus involved in the inhibition of neurotransmitter release by mediating a negative feedback effect on transmitter release. This subtype is the most abundant 5- HT1 receptor in the CNS but is also found in vascular smooth muscle mediating contraction. While the role of activation of this receptor subtype is not fully understood, agonists at this site are effective in treating acute migraine headaches. The development of selective antagonists of this receptor should clarify the functional role of 5-HT1D receptors in the CNS.

5-HT2 receptors

Located primarily in the vascular smooth muscle, platelets, lung, CNS, and the GI tract, these appear to be involved in gastrointestinal and vascular smooth muscle contraction, platelet aggregation, hypertension, migraine, and neuronal depolarization. Antagonists have potential use as antipsychotic agents. Because these receptors belong to the same receptor subfamily as the former 5-HT1C receptors, they have been recently renamed as 5-HT2A receptors.

5-HT3 receptors

Located primarily in peripheral and central neurons, these receptors appear to be involved in the depolarization of peripheral neurons, pain, and the emesis reflex. Potential use of agents acting at this site include migraine, anxiety, and cognitive and psychotic disorders.

5-HT4 receptors

These receptors are found in the CNS, the heart, and the GI tract. Their activation produces an increase in cyclic andenosine monophosphate(AMP) and appears to involve activation of neurotransmitter release. The gastric prokinetic activity of metoclopramide has been attributed, in part, to its ability to activate 5-HT4 receptors.

Answer #2

You should definitely not give this relatively untested drug to your five year old child. Certainly it's understandable that you want to help your child, but he is not a guinea pig. There are safer ways to address your concerns. Please seek out additional information, preferably from a professional, before making a decision.

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