5-HTP Allergic Airway Inflamation

I am 58, non-smoker, with severe COPD from a lifetime of severe allergies and chronic asthma/lung inflammation. I have been going to two of the best hospitals in the United States. University of Colorado Medical Center and National Jewish. After tens of thousands worth of tests to include lung biopsy, antitrypsin....... nothing has really changed in my treatment.
I suspect like most of us, after a lot of money, a lot of tests the basic treatment is the same; albuterol, duelera (or similar), antihistamine and Spiriva. They just do not have many bullets in their allergy/asthma/copd holster. Although they will gladly do a bunch of expensive tests, most will end up on the same treatment plan.

At any rate, I ran across a little study about 5_HTP and allergic airway inflammation being mitigated 70-90 percent in mice. Well, I have been called a rat and even a fink so I thought, close enough.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22842218

I started taking 5-HTP. I kid you not, it was like someone hit the off switch for lung inflammation. I took 200 mg the first night and I could tell a profound difference the next morning. I am doing 100 mg a night now and it is still working. All I can really say is this seems to be working well for me for inflammation. At least as good as a round of prednisone. Actually I started it a few days after a round and it did what the prednisone could not. Your mileage may vary.

I am now looking into th1, th2 and th17 after reading another research article that said reducing th2 and th17 may really help allergic airway inflammation. After reading probably over a 100 hours on the subject now, I believe there is something to it. Although I have read many research articles a good primer can be found on selfhacked.com.

At this point in my life the medical profession has offered me little more than monitoring my slow death. I am literally a few points away from end stage copd at 58. At this point, I think it is time to look elsewhere for help. My life literally depends on it. I hope perhaps I can someone from the same fate.

I might add, up to the last few years I have been an avid health nut, mountain biker, climber, 2 degree black belt, martial arts teacher, x-country skier, runner, hiker.....Most certainly not someone who should be on 24x7 O2 at 58.

I have come to believe there is a big difference between practicing medicine and practicing curing. Practicing medicine is much more profitable.

Hello, it's a year later that I'm running across this site and your post. Thank you for sharing! I'm wondering how the 5htp has worked out for you, hopefully well! My father is in the same boat if not worse. I unfortunately inherited some sort of asthma, and worst of all my barely 6 year old little girl had been to the ER twice for an asthma attack.

My doctor actually recommended 5htp for my anxiety and i was looking up whether it could trigger asthma. Imagine my surprise to read the pubmed article starting the opposite. Here's hoping...

I'll be ordering some soon. Please do reply, I hope sincerely you are better.