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Tryptophan for the worry-in-your-head and ruminating type of anxiety

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Today I’m going to review some tryptophan products for the worry-in-your-head and ruminating type of anxiety, and share some additional resources for you.

The other symptoms we see with low serotonin are: panic attacks and phobias, lack of confidence, depression, negativity, imposter syndrome, PMS, irritability, anger issues, insomnia and afternoon/evening cravings.

This blog covers how to do an amino acid trial and has the low serotonin questionnaire, the precautions and what I mean by targeted individual amino acids.

Lidtke is the only brand of tryptophan that I recommend simply because I see it work so well and because of quality issues with tryptophan in the past. Here are the Lidtke tryptophan products I recommend:

  • Lidtke Tryptophan 500mg (this is ideal for doing a targeted trial, opened; it doesn’t taste very good and if a client needs to continue taking it this way we have them mix it with inositol or even glutamine powder)
  • Lidtke Tryptophan Complete (see below for when this one may work well)
  • Lidtke Chewable Tryptophan (this is also good for doing a trial and if lower doses are better; it’s also wonderful for children)

Here are some additional resources for you:

Anxiety: when to use GABA and tryptophan and how much to use

When you have anxiety it can be confusing trying to figure out the root cause. I like to start by assessing for low GABA and low serotonin because when you address these with targeted individual amino acids you typically see results right away and feel hopeful (and now have time to look for other root causes like gluten issues, high cortisol, gut issues, dietary changes etc).

But there may still be some confusion about when to use GABA and when to use tryptophan and how much of each of these amino acids to use. Read more here.

Tryptophan for PMS: premenstrual dysphoria, mood swings, tension, and irritability

In a study published in 1999, A placebo-controlled clinical trial of L-tryptophan in premenstrual dysphoria, tryptophan was found to reduce symptoms of PMS when used in the luteal phase or second half of the cycle (i.e. after ovulation)

This is very typical when I’m working with someone with PMS and anxiety and other mood symptoms. It typically takes 2 to 3 cycles for an amino acid like tryptophan to have an impact on PMS itself. But it does typically start to work right away on the less severe anxiety and mood symptoms that may also be a factor during the rest of the month. Read more here.

Tryptophan 500mg or Tryptophan Complete (by Lidtke)?

I like to have my clients do a trial of the amino acids so they can find the ideal dose for their needs and right now I still feel this would still be the best approach to take – using 500mg tryptophan. Once you have figured out you do well with tryptophan-only product and have your dose, then consider reducing it slightly after about 2-3 weeks and adding in additional Tryptophan Complete. Read more here.

The blog has many other posts on tryptophan and serotonin and simply use the “search” function to find them.

This blog post is part of the series of amino acid product reviews:

The resources in this blog and my other articles are intended to be used in conjunction with my book: The Antianxiety Food Solution – How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood, and End Cravings. If you do not have my book I highly recommend getting it and reading it before jumping in and taking the amino acid supplements:

There is a complete chapter on the amino acids and one for pyroluria, plus information on real whole food, sugar and blood sugar, gluten, digestion and much more.

You can find the tryptophan products and the others I recommend here on this blog: The Antianxiety Food Solution Amino Acid and Pyroluria Supplements

If you have questions please post them below or on the supplements blog

Tryptophan 500mg or Tryptophan Complete (by Lidtke)?

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Lidtke Tryptophan 500mg and Lidtke Tryptophan Complete (credit: Lidtke)

If you’ve been following me and have read my book The Antianxiety Food Solution and heard me speak at conferences and on summits, you know I have been an avid fan of the Lidtke tryptophan 500mg for years and years because of the quality and because it works SO well for my anxious clients. The Lidtke brand is the ONLY tryptophan I recommend (and I’m not paid to say this) for boosting serotonin levels. You can find it and the other amino acids I use on the supplements blog.

This week I had a great conversation with Ron Sturtz, Owner and product formulator of the products at Lidtke Technologies. We discussed tryptophan in general and concerns about it not going down the serotonin pathway and instead converting to quinolinic acid.

We talked extensively about the Lidtke Tryptophan Complete and why they include vitamin C, niacinaminde, P5P (the active form of vitamin B6), curcumin, lysine, magnesium glycinate, magnesium taurinate and folate (from lemon peel) in the product. As a result of that discussion I now want to learn more about the Lidtke Tryptophan Complete product for you and for my clients.

I’ll be sharing more information with links to the research as to why these ingredients are important in the serotonin pathway but here is the short version: with these ingredients and co-factors less tryptophan is reportedly needed and there is less chance of it going down the wrong pathway to produce neurotoxic quinolinic acid instead of going down the pathway to make serotonin. We obviously want the latter to happen.

I’ve also decided I want to interview Ron on the next Anxiety Summit. The biochemistry is too important not to share. Hearing him say “we are fanatical about safety!” makes me even more of a fan of this company and their products!

Anyway, according to Ron, you should need less of the Lidtke Tryptophan Complete. He shared that 500mg Lidtke Tryptophan is approximately equivalent to 350mg Lidtke Tryptophan Complete, since it has all the co-factors.

I asked for feedback in some Facebook groups I host and got this:

I’ve used the Tryptophan Complete product and actually like it a lot better than the 500mg version. The Tryptophan Complete gave a much deeper state of relaxation and a way more solid sleep than the 500 mg version. I thought I would try the latter [the 500mg] and although it is good, once it is done, I’m going to go back to the Lidke Tryptophan Complete. For me, it seems that the addition of the other ingredients really worked well for my body chemistry, leaving me feeling grounded, focused and well rested. 🙂

With the Tryptophan Complete she needed just 1 tablet (350mg) an hour before bed and with the Tryptophan 500 mg, she took 2 tabs (1000mg) an hour before bed.

My concerns right now would be individual reactions to any or all the other ingredients, since we all have very individualized needs. Someone did share this on one of my Facebook posts:

Can’t do the p5p! Makes me agitated.

I’m not yet sure what my final recommendations will be but these are my initial thoughts (which may be revised in the future):

  • I like to have my clients do a trial of the amino acids so they can find the ideal dose for their needs and right now I still feel this would still be the best approach to take – using 500mg tryptophan. Once you have figured out you do well with tryptophan-only product and have your dose, then consider reducing it slightly after about 2-3 weeks and adding in additional Tryptophan Complete.
  • The other option is this: if you don’t get the expected results with Tryptophan 500mg, then try the Tryptophan Complete. You may need the other ingredients for it to work well for you.
  • Don’t use the Tryptophan Complete if you know you react to any of the other ingredients
  • If you do better with higher doses of tryptophan don’t use more than the recommended 3x Tryptophan Complete because you’ll end up with too much of the other ingredients. Rather make up the difference with extra capsules of the 500mg Tryptophan

So for now, since I’m in learning mode/discovery mode I’d love your feedback.

I’d love to hear if you’ve used the Lidtke Tryptophan Complete product (personally or with clients/patients)? And what you’ve observed? Better or worse?

Have you also tried the Lidtke 500mg tryptophan in the past and noticed any difference when using the Lidtke Tryptophan Complete?

And how much of each did you find you needed?

So is it Tryptophan 500mg or Tryptophan Complete or a combination for you?