Pharmaceutical antidepressants called "Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors," (SSRIs) recycle serotonin in the body to trick the body into thinking it has more. Serotonin is a chemical called a “neurotransmitter," 90% of serotonin is produced in the digestive tract. It is serotonin deficiency that causes low mood, anxiety and insomnia. Serotonin is made from the essential Amino Acid, L-Tryptophan. Some people lack it in their diet or some can't convert L-tryptophan efficiently in their body. Many people are depleted of serotonin through stress, lack of light and no exercise.
Increasing L-tryptophan/serotonin will elevate your mood & help with cravings. It can be taken as a supplement. L-tryptophan became popular in the 1980s. It helped millions with suicidal ideation, depression & sleep problems, it was literally a lifesaver.
On March 22 1990, L-Tryptophan was banned due to a batch in Japan linked to Eosinophiolia Myalgia Syndrome, it was linked to 37 deaths & 1,500 illnesses. Eventually it turned out that it was actually a contaminant, not the L-Tryptophan, that caused this. After all L-Tryptophan is naturally found in food, eg turkey, tuna & oats. There's been no cases of this illness linked to any other batch. There's no side effects from this natural essential amino acid. The clue is in the name “ESSENTIAL," we need it to live.
L-Tryptophan users had to find something else. Prozac (Fluoxetine), an SSRI was released in 1988. Four days after the ban of L-Tryptophan, an article was published in Newsweek called “The Promise of Prozac.” There was a lot of propaganda surrounding the new drug. Coincidence?
Prozac took over, it made billions of money for Big Pharma. Prozac has helped many but it has also made things worse for some, it has many bad side effects & some never get off it. The Prozac patent expired in 2000 and the manufacturers (Eli Lilly) can no longer make vast sums of money from it. The same year the L-Tryptophan ban was lifted. You can now buy L-Tryptophan as a supplement but it should not be mixed with unnatural SSRI drugs
Coincidences like this continue to take place in the health world, often it is not about health. For example, some big pharma drugs are prescribed for the same symptoms that for centuries herbs have treated. For safety, the herbs are banned. I work with natural herbs and plants, many healing products are no longer available but drugs are given out like candy, despite side effects.