6 ms·

interesting. theanine makes me very frustrated when i take it. ive dialed down the dose a few times, but stil get irritated. your explanation if helpful.

pasbesoin 8y ago
And this reminds me of trying Zoloft and a couple of other things. 15 - 30 minutes into one starter dose, and I felt terribly worse. No professional explanation. It was only years later, when I ran across reporting about serotonin poisoning, that I had a possible explanation. The symptoms certainly fit. A friend has used Zoloft for years, to what she feels is positive effect. And in many ways, we are fairly similar -- certainly, our psychological profiles align substantially. Nonetheless, what works for her, does not for me at all.
- bloopernova 8y ago
  Serotonin syndrome is nasty, nasty, and more nasty. I've experienced it once, after a particularly incompetent new pain management doctor made me try a cocktail of anti-depressants for pain relief. (their reasoning being that "it's all in your head"). I felt utterly awful, pulse racing, severe anxiety and horrible mixing of panic and terror. It's imperative that people on multiple medications take Serotonin Syndrome very, very seriously. I'm very sorry you experienced it, I wouldn't wish it upon anyone. (The pain management doctor was fired a couple of months later by the university hospital. Complaints from patients, nurses, pharmacists and insurers had been mounting.)
ceedan 8y ago
I occasionally have the same experience when taking melatonin. It's bizarre. I'd say 10-20% of the time that I take it, I am unable to fall asleep and don't become tired. The longer I stay away, I feel incredibly restless and twitchy to the point of actual anger. I'll lie awake in bed until 5 or 6 AM (after taking melatonin at 11pm or midnight). It gets to the point where I feel like I need to do some kind of physical activity in order to relax. My eyes and chest often feel heavy but my legs are tense, restless and twitch. Sure seems like Restless Leg Syndrome just from proof reading this. Based on my first look into RLS just now, there could be a link to low Vitamin B, which could be triggered from a Saturday of drinking and then expecting melatonin on Sunday to set me up for a productive Monday.
- godelski 8y ago
  How much are you taking? Melatonin actually is better in small dosages, at least for sleep. I get the 5mg tablets and then nibble on them. I don't take it every night, but one of those tablets will last me like 4 or 5 nights. High dosages (like 2+mg) are supposed to have nootropic effects that don't make you tired. I know I've never fallen asleep with a 5mg dose. Also, light really kills the effectiveness too. If you need to watch TV or be on your computer then turn all your other lights off and turn the brightness way down.
  - tempestn 8y ago
    See if you can get it in liquid form. I have a bottle with a dropper; each drop contains 120 micrograms. (So 8.5 drops is 1mg.) I don't use it very often, but if I have to wake up unusually early I'll take 2-3 drops around 20 minutes before bed, and it definitely helps make me sleepy when I'd normally still be awake.
    - ceedan 8y ago
      Didn't know it came in liquid & at doses that low, thanks
    - godelski 8y ago
      That sounds great. I usually use it when my sleeping schedule gets messed up, either from travel or my natural drift. So that sounds perfect. Thanks!
  - ceedan 8y ago
    5mg, sometimes I take a whole one, break in half or nibble. I'm not sure which amount I've taken when I get restless. That could play into it
- PascLeRasc 8y ago
  This happens to me if I take my melatonin gummies and then try to do something like laundry or dishes, instead of going right to bed after. It's a lot harder to get to sleep so I just take them right before I know I'm going to bed and that helps my sleep quality quite a bit.
mirimir 8y ago
I'm not sure that "frustrated" is quite it for me. But I much prefer coffee to tea. After enough sleep, I feel sharp and energetic after coffee. However, with too much coffee, or after poor sleep, I get nervous and unproductive. But with tea, I just get nervous and irritable. Maybe weaker tea would be better. Or green tea, rather than fermented. Yes? For what it's worth, I've been diagnosed bipolar, and take modafinil. So perhaps I respond atypically to caffeine vs L-theanine.

pasbesoin 8y ago

And this reminds me of trying Zoloft and a couple of other things. 15 - 30 minutes into one starter dose, and I felt terribly worse. No professional explanation. It was only years later, when I ran across reporting about serotonin poisoning, that I had a possible explanation. The symptoms certainly fit. A friend has used Zoloft for years, to what she feels is positive effect. And in many ways, we are fairly similar -- certainly, our psychological profiles align substantially. Nonetheless, what works for her, does not for me at all.

bloopernova 8y ago
Serotonin syndrome is nasty, nasty, and more nasty. I've experienced it once, after a particularly incompetent new pain management doctor made me try a cocktail of anti-depressants for pain relief. (their reasoning being that "it's all in your head"). I felt utterly awful, pulse racing, severe anxiety and horrible mixing of panic and terror. It's imperative that people on multiple medications take Serotonin Syndrome very, very seriously. I'm very sorry you experienced it, I wouldn't wish it upon anyone. (The pain management doctor was fired a couple of months later by the university hospital. Complaints from patients, nurses, pharmacists and insurers had been mounting.)

ceedan 8y ago

I occasionally have the same experience when taking melatonin. It's bizarre. I'd say 10-20% of the time that I take it, I am unable to fall asleep and don't become tired. The longer I stay away, I feel incredibly restless and twitchy to the point of actual anger. I'll lie awake in bed until 5 or 6 AM (after taking melatonin at 11pm or midnight). It gets to the point where I feel like I need to do some kind of physical activity in order to relax. My eyes and chest often feel heavy but my legs are tense, restless and twitch. Sure seems like Restless Leg Syndrome just from proof reading this. Based on my first look into RLS just now, there could be a link to low Vitamin B, which could be triggered from a Saturday of drinking and then expecting melatonin on Sunday to set me up for a productive Monday.

godelski 8y ago
How much are you taking? Melatonin actually is better in small dosages, at least for sleep. I get the 5mg tablets and then nibble on them. I don't take it every night, but one of those tablets will last me like 4 or 5 nights. High dosages (like 2+mg) are supposed to have nootropic effects that don't make you tired. I know I've never fallen asleep with a 5mg dose. Also, light really kills the effectiveness too. If you need to watch TV or be on your computer then turn all your other lights off and turn the brightness way down.
- tempestn 8y ago
  See if you can get it in liquid form. I have a bottle with a dropper; each drop contains 120 micrograms. (So 8.5 drops is 1mg.) I don't use it very often, but if I have to wake up unusually early I'll take 2-3 drops around 20 minutes before bed, and it definitely helps make me sleepy when I'd normally still be awake.
  - ceedan 8y ago
    Didn't know it came in liquid & at doses that low, thanks
  - godelski 8y ago
    That sounds great. I usually use it when my sleeping schedule gets messed up, either from travel or my natural drift. So that sounds perfect. Thanks!
- ceedan 8y ago
  5mg, sometimes I take a whole one, break in half or nibble. I'm not sure which amount I've taken when I get restless. That could play into it
PascLeRasc 8y ago
This happens to me if I take my melatonin gummies and then try to do something like laundry or dishes, instead of going right to bed after. It's a lot harder to get to sleep so I just take them right before I know I'm going to bed and that helps my sleep quality quite a bit.

mirimir 8y ago

I'm not sure that "frustrated" is quite it for me. But I much prefer coffee to tea. After enough sleep, I feel sharp and energetic after coffee. However, with too much coffee, or after poor sleep, I get nervous and unproductive. But with tea, I just get nervous and irritable. Maybe weaker tea would be better. Or green tea, rather than fermented. Yes? For what it's worth, I've been diagnosed bipolar, and take modafinil. So perhaps I respond atypically to caffeine vs L-theanine.