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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Is It Safe To Have 20mg Of Prozac Along With 5HTP For Depression?

Hello, My daughter (almost 17) was left by her boyfriend. She is very depressed. She has been taking Prozac 40 mg, but is feeling suicidal. She wants to try 5HTP. She had reduced Prozac to 30mg, and wants to know if it is ok to start on 50 mg of 5HTP. She wants to go for 20 mg of Prozac and 150 mg of 5HTP next month. Thank you. Elena
Tue, 12 May 2015
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Psychiatrist,  's  Response
Hello
Dear Elena, I understand your concerns for your daughter.

5Htp gained popularity when it was introduced. But it is not found to be as effective for yreatment of depression.
The reason being that in depression, not only serotonin, but other neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and dopamine are also implicated.

If your daughter isnot showing response to prozac, I would suggest you to add drugs like bupropion to the treatment. This will broaden the spectrum of antidepressant action.

Kindly discuss this with your doctor.

Thanks.
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Is It Safe To Have 20mg Of Prozac Along With 5HTP For Depression?

Hello Dear Elena, I understand your concerns for your daughter. 5Htp gained popularity when it was introduced. But it is not found to be as effective for yreatment of depression. The reason being that in depression, not only serotonin, but other neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and dopamine are also implicated. If your daughter isnot showing response to prozac, I would suggest you to add drugs like bupropion to the treatment. This will broaden the spectrum of antidepressant action. Kindly discuss this with your doctor. Thanks.