Tryptophan
Brand Names
Tryptophan, L-tryptophanWhat is Tryptophan
Tryptophan is an essential amino acid. People can obtain tryptophan from dietary sources, because the body cannot produce it. You can also get tryptophan through foods (dairy foods, bananas, chocolate and poultry) and dietary supplements. These supplements are beneficial for treating a variety of conditions such as depression, anxiety, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Side effects of Tryptophan
The most common side effects of Tryptophan are:
- Very severe muscle pain
- Fatigue
- Nerve pain
- High eosinophil levels (found using a blood test)
- Nerve pain
- Hair loss
- Rash
- Dry, thickened skin or other skin changes
- Confusion
- Seeing or hearing things that are not really there (hallucinations)
- Fast heartbeat (tachycardia)
- Feeling faint
- Fever
- Sweating
- Muscle spasms
- Difficulty walking
- Diarrhea
- A rash
- Hives
- Itching
- Swelling of the mouth or throat
- Wheezing
- Difficulty breathing
Indication
Tryptophan plays an important role in building proteins. The body also uses it to make serotonin, a neurotransmitter that vital in depression and anxiety. The body also uses it to make niacin (a vitamin) and melatonin (a hormone).
This medicine is used for treating insomnia, sleep apnea, depression, anxiety, facial pain, a severe form of premenstrual syndrome called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), smoking cessation, grinding teeth during sleep (bruxism), attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Tourette's syndrome.
Precautions
Please, do not use this medicine if you:
- are allergic to l-tryptophan
- have certain medical conditions
- have liver disease
- have kidney disease
- have eosinophilia (high levels of a certain type of white blood cells)
- have a muscle disorder (such as fibromyalgia)
Dosage forms
Unfortunately, the safest doses for tryptophan supplementation have not been clearly established. Studies have used a wide range of dosages, too wide to make any recommendations for tryptophan dosing. Because little information is available to guide you in choosing a tryptophan dosage, be sure to follow the directions on your particular supplement.
Studies have used high tryptophan doses for insomnia treatment (1000-2500 mg daily) and premenstrual syndrome treatment (6000 mg per day), while lower dosages (300 mg daily, in combination with antidepressants) were used for depression studies. It is not known if these amounts are either safe or effective.
