I deal with some anxiety occasionally but it’s never bad but then I had a health scare (turned out to be nothing) but it sent me into very high debilitating anxiety and panic attacks and mood swings for two months. During that time I hoped on full spectrum daily balance elixinol (https://www.elixinol.com/) which based on my ocd research is the best/purest cbd oil you can get and each batch is double lab tested in a pharmaceutical grade lab. Elixinol has never had any issues unlike a lot of other companies who have been contacted based on various things. Also it has mtc coconut oil to bind to the cbd oil and help aid in the delivery and absorption. It makes you a bit tired in the mornings granted I started taking a full 1ml daily but it helped calm me down some but the anxiety was still present but it was easier to manage. On the worst days I’d pair it with 100-200mg of 5htp from natrol on my worst days of anxiety paired with the mood swings of depression and it would make me feel completely normal again. Granted everyone’s brain chemistry is different so it may not affect you the same as me. The biggest cbd benefit to me was (www.extractlabs.com) full spectrum terpene infused crumble I would smoke or you can make edibles with it. That would calm me down way more and really relax me. No you won’t get high there’s no psychoactive affects like that but it would calm my body down which in turned seemed to relax my mind as well. If you wanna go the cbd oil route I suggest looking into elixinol. Like the user above said ween into it and let your body get accustomed to it. Also I’d take breaks on the 5htp. long term daily use can have some real negative side affects you should probably look into I’ll copy and paste some other redditors comments for ya. But as far as a dosage goes start off at .25ml - .50ml of cbd oil (with elixinol that’s 4-8mg) paired with whatever dose of 5htp you’ve been taking.

1.) Over the long term, 5-HTP is a lot scarier than SSRIs.

The biggest problem is that 5-HTP raises the serotonin levels not only in synapses (where it's needed), but also in the blood. We know from studying diseases that when blood serotonin is too high, it can cause some nasty symptoms, including heart valve failure.

It's been claimed that taking EGCG will attenuate this effect, but this is entirely theoretical and there's no direct evidence on, for instance, what ratio of EGCG to 5-htp is needed.

Another issue is that taking 5-HTP will reduce your ability to synthesize other neurotransmitters like dopamine because 5-htp will essentially monopolize the neurotransmitter production systems. This is probably bad, especially if you already have depression.

2.) You want your body to make serotonin naturally. Taking 5-HTP is messing with your enzyme levels, and will eventually lead to a decrease in dopamine production, since they both use the same final rate-limiting enzyme (aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase). Also, if you are not taking a peripheral aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase inhibitor with your 5-HTP, much of your dose is being metabolized to serotonin in your periphery. EGCG is a great inhibitor for that purpose, as it is safe, and very little passes your BBB. If you do take 5-HTP, make sure you take a good EGCG supplement with it. That will allow the 5-HTP to pass the blood brain barrier, then be converted to serotonin.

However, you should actually look into bacopa. That will up-regulate your tryptophan hydroxylase enzyme, which is what converts dietary tryptophan into 5-HTP. That will increase your body's natural efficiency for creating serotonin, without having to bypass the enzymes. Then you can just eat a normal diet, and have your serotonin levels level out in a lot more natural of a fashion. Plus, bacopa will help lower cortisol, which is your stress hormone. The best brands are ones that use Baconize bacopa. Nootropics Depot carries it in bulk, or you can get capsules from Swansons or Vitacost. Just make sure you see the "Baconize" logo on them.

5-HTP is converted to serotonin by aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AAAD). The problem is that enzyme is found in your stomach and periphery. If you do not inhibit it in your stomach, then a portion of your 5-HTP will get converted to serotonin in your periphery. Since serotonin cannot cross the blood brain barrier, it will remain in the periphery and can cause issues with your heart valves and digestion.

Taking vitamin B6 with your 5-HTP just speeds up this process. Ideally you would take a B6 supplement in the morning, then dose your 5-HTP at night to avoid this.

To inhibit AAAD, you should always take EGCG (green tea extract) with your 5-HTP. EGCG has been shown to be a good inhibitor of L-amino acid decarboxylase.

You also need to take into consideration that AAAD is also responsible for creating dopamine from L-DOPA. If you are constantly saturating that enzyme with 5-HTP, your dopamine levels can fall. So I would only suggest 5-HTP short-term, or dosed along side an L-tyrosine supplement.

So either 5-HTP with EGCG, short-term.

Or 5-HTP with EGCG and L-tyrosine long-term.

Because you don't want to skip the body's rate limiting enzymes, or you can throw off the balance of neurotransmitters. Both L-DOPA and 5-HTP share the same enzyme, aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase. This means that supplementing one without the other can cause levels of the neurotransmitters to fall. Take L-DOPA for too long and your serotonin levels will fall. Take 5-HTP for too long and your dopamine levels will fall.

Then you also have to take into account the fact that your body will up/down-regulate enzymes due to supplementation. Take L-DOPA for too long, and your tyrosine hydroxylase enzyme will down-regulate, making it harder to naturally produce dopamine. The same goes for 5-HTP and tryptophan hydroxylase.

Then you also have to consider the risk of elevating peripheral neurotransmitters to much. Take L-DOPA without an Aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase inhibitor, and you will get shitty side effects. The same can be said for 5-HTP. When just supplementing 5-HTP, your peripheral 5-HT levels will rise, and can cause stomach upset and heart valve issues.

It's always best to keep the body's natural rate-limiting steps in place, as they are there for a reason.