An essential amino acid, tryptophan is the least abundant amino acid found in foods. It is used by the brain to produce serotonin; it is a natural relaxer, helps alleviate insomnia, reduces anxiety and depression and helps treat migraine headaches.
The richest dietary sources include fish, meat, dairy, eggs, nuts and wheat germ, but tryptophan tends to be deficient in most dietary proteins. High corn diets have been associated with outright deficiency symptoms. The RDA for tryptophan is 0.2gm per day, while the average daily intake is 1-1.5gm per day. The therapeutic range is up to 4gm per day, and medical supervision of treatment can be helpful.
Tryptophan is often given with vitamin B6 and magnesium away from meals with a small amount of carbohydrate to facilitate uptake by the brain. To aid in sleep, much of the dose is given before going to bed. If more of a daytime action is being sought, the bulk can be given in the morning. Tryptophan is metabolized into niacin, melatonin and serotonin and has relaxing and calming effects.
5HTP (5-hydroxy tryptophan) is considered by many to be more effective than tryptophan for depression. L-Tryptophan (which is the desired form) is converted to 5HTP before becoming serotonin; taking 5HTP bypasses this first step of the process. The effectiveness of 5HTP may be increased with gingko biloba, St. John’s Wort, B-complex vitamins with magnesium, tyrosine, flax seed oil, and ginger. Vitamin B6 and folic acid may assist in the conversion to serotonin. An equivalent dose of 5HTP (compared to 1gm of tryptophan) is about 100mg. Doses of 100mg tid have been used, but it may be best to start at a lower dose and slowly increase as the side-effect of nausea can occur at higher doses. Starting at a lower dose reduces the likelihood of nausea, which usually disappears in less than 2 weeks.
Chromium picolinate helps to promote conversion of tryptophan to serotonin. It accomplishes this by facilitating absorption into muscle tissue of the amino acids that compete with tryptophan for access to the brain.
For depression, 1000-1500mg bid raises serotonin levels but it may take 2 weeks to produce results. If a patient has insomnia along with depression then tryptophan would appear to be even more effective, possibly because both conditions may be due to this deficiency. Care must be taken when using more that one anti-depressant at the same time; a doctor’s supervision should be sought when considering switching or combining depression medications.