5-HTP vs Tryptophan for sleep
Short answer: For sleep, users rate them about the same: 85% report improvement with 5-HTP (102 reports) and 84% with Tryptophan (31 reports).
5-HTP has 15 meta-analyses and 73 randomized trials on PubMed; Tryptophan has 274 and 818.
Based on 767 reports about 5-HTP and 149 about Tryptophan. Not medical advice.
| 5-HTP Supplement | Tryptophan Supplement | |
|---|---|---|
| Users say it helped | 40%helped345 reports · high confidence | 53%helped48 reports · medium confidence |
| Verdict | Mixed | Mixed |
| Research | AResearch: Strong | AResearch: Strong |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | 15 / 73 | 274 / 818 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Mood % reporting improvement | 84% (214) | 79% (19) |
| Sleep % reporting improvement | 85% (102) | 84% (31) |
| Anxiety % reporting improvement | 72% (71) | 56% (9) |
| Energy % reporting improvement | 76% (17) | — |
| Libido % reporting improvement | 33% (12) | — |
| Common side effects | vivid dreams, heart valve, serotonin syndrome, drowsiness | vivid dreams, anxiety, prolonged effects, emotional blunting |
| Typical dose reported | 100 mg / with coffee | 1000-2000 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.”
Trp supplementation, especially at ≥1 g can help improve sleep quality.
Nutr Rev, 2022 ↗“I personally respond to tryptophan better than 5HTP...I take 1000mg of tryptophan...3x a day before meals and it helps me immensely.”
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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