5-HTP vs Melatonin for sleep
Short answer: For sleep, more users report improvement with 5-HTP — 85% of 102 reports, versus 78% of 915 for Melatonin.
5-HTP has 15 meta-analyses and 73 randomized trials on PubMed; Melatonin has 688 and 1,128.
Based on 767 reports about 5-HTP and 1,370 about Melatonin. Not medical advice.
| 5-HTP Supplement | Melatonin Supplement | |
|---|---|---|
| Users say it helped | 40%helped345 reports · high confidence | 42%helped726 reports · high confidence |
| Verdict | Mixed | Mixed |
| Research | AResearch: Strong | AResearch: Strong |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | 15 / 73 | 688 / 1,128 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Sleep % reporting improvement | 85% (102) | 78% (915) |
| Mood % reporting improvement | 84% (214) | 32% (37) |
| Anxiety % reporting improvement | 72% (71) | 44% (16) |
| Energy % reporting improvement | 76% (17) | 32% (25) |
| Libido % reporting improvement | 33% (12) | 38% (8) |
| Common side effects | vivid dreams, heart valve, serotonin syndrome, drowsiness | drowsiness, vivid dreams, fatigue, depression |
| Typical dose reported | 100 mg / with coffee | 0.5 mg / bedtime |
There are few, large, high-quality trials comparing combination pharmacotherapy with monotherapy for fibromyalgia, consequently limiting evidence to support or refute the use of combination pharmacotherapy for fibromyalgia.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2018 ↗“I just one day randomly decided to take 5-HTP an hour after finishing my workout, and I felt WIRED 15 minutes after taking it, and that lasted for 5–6 hours.”
Overall, eszopiclone and lemborexant had a favorable profile, but eszopiclone might cause substantial adverse events and safety data on lemborexant were inconclusive. Doxepin, seltorexant, and zaleplon were well tolerated, but data on efficacy and other important outcomes were scarce and do not allow firm conclusions. Many licensed drugs (including benzodiazepines, daridorexant, suvorexant, and trazodone) can be effective in the acute treatment of insomnia but are associated with poor tolerability, or information about long-term effects is not available. Melatonin, ramelteon, and non-licensed
Lancet, 2022 ↗“I have taken it nightly for 19 years. Doses ranging from .1 to 10mg. Right now I take 3mg per night. It helps me sleep.”
Related comparisons
Percentages come from first-hand user reports and are not clinical outcomes. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. How we rate