Upping my tryptophan dose and also including and upping the dose of lithium orotate has been absolutely profound for me.
I’m off my SSRI/antidepressant (which I was off and on for a number of years). I’ve been depression/anxiety free for over a year. So fantastic.
Everyone is bioindividual, of course, so please avoid using my dosing regime, but it wasn’t until I increased the lithium orotate to 20mg a day – 10mg in the AM and PM.
Life changing
Katrin shared this wonderful feedback on Facebook and I’m sharing this today in order to illustrate how much tryptophan dosing can vary, when you may need to up your dosage of tryptophan, how the addition of lithium orotate may be the missing link, and increasing it may help further and to offer hope (as always). And I share my insights and some additional information on lithium orotate.
Katrin was inspired by a post of mine where I discussed increasing tryptophan over and above 500mg twice a day and only taking it when needed). She shared this:
I was taking 3g tryptophan split up between the hours of 2pm and bedtime. 3 grams was what I increased to after floundering on 500mg afternoon and evening. I don’t take it every day (as per your great suggestion of not taking an amino acid if you feel you don’t need to.) But if I’m having a stressful week etc and my serotonin tanks, I’ll start to take it again.
After the initial increase of lithium orotate, in conjunction with the tryptophan increase, that’s when I started to feel the real difference – the icing on the cake, so to speak (sugar-free, gluten free icing and cake, of course). Lithium orotate was the game changer.
She started with 5mg lithium orotate twice a day and then increased it to 10mg twice a day and has recently reduced this (more on this below).
Is there a role for lithium orotate in psychiatry?
If you’re new to lithium orotate, this editorial, Is there a role for lithium orotate in psychiatry?, is a useful introduction. Here are a few highlights:
- The growing evidence from epidemiological studies mirror the cellular studies that suggest lithium is perhaps a crucial trace element necessary for optimum brain functioning. All these studies imply that adequate lithium intake may be neuroprotective. Conversely, inadequate lithium intake (especially in vulnerable individuals) may predispose and/or perpetuate a range of psychiatric and neurodegenerative conditions.
- If further studies confirm this hypothesis, then a safe and effective lithium mineral supplement will be needed to correct this specific mineral deficiency. Advocates of lithium orotate argue that such a supplement already exists and that it is both safe and effective.
- Lithium orotate has been used worldwide, mainly by non-medical health practitioners for over 30 years
Lithium orotate is used at low doses and the dosing is much lower and in a different form to prescription lithium (carbonate) that is prescribed for bipolar disorder. The above editorial explains some of the differences and standard daily dose:
To further illustrate the differences in the daily doses of elemental lithium between the orotate and carbonate forms, a single 120 mg tablet of lithium orotate contains about 5mg of elemental lithium. This is only 10% of the dose of elemental lithium that you would find in a single 250 mg tablet of lithium carbonate, which would have about 50 mg of elemental lithium.
There are no established (medical) guidelines for the daily dose of lithium orotate. However, the standard dose prescribed by alternative health practitioners is a single tablet of 120 mg of lithium orotate a day (which is equivalent to 5 mg of elemental lithium).
The authors conclude with this: “There have only been a few small trials done in humans, and they showed that lithium orotate was effective, safe and generally well tolerated.” Until we have more human trials we have to rely on what we see clinically. And based on what I’ve seen and the feedback from colleagues, there is most definitely a role for lithium orotate in psychiatry.
Lithium orotate works when there are mood swings and anxiety ups and downs
I’ve used lithium orotate with many clients and use it when folks have mood swings and anxiety ups and downs. It’s harder for the amino acids to work when there is a moving goal post and lithium orotate evens things out. Katrin said she resonates with this and this may be why the lithium orotate works so well for her.
There are not many studies on lithium orotate, although it’s exciting that there has been an increase in the last few years. This small study done in 1994, Effects of nutritional lithium supplementation on mood, mentions the “mood-improving and stabilizing effect.” They used a yeast based lithium supplement of 400 μg (which is just 0.4 mg) for former drug users of mostly heroin and crystal methamphetamine.
The above editorial states the following reported benefits of taking lithium orotate:
feeling calmer; experiencing fewer or less intense depressive, hypomanic or mixed affective symptoms; being less impulsive; experiencing less frequent and less intense suicidal thoughts or aggressive impulses; reduced consumption of alcohol and not getting as easily upset by stressors.
I also use a low lithium questionnaire with clients. A number of symptoms/signs other than mood swings provide a clue that you may have low lithium levels and lithium orotate may need to be trialed.
My insights on Katrin’s approach to increasing her tryptophan and adding/increasing lithium orotate
Katrin increased the tryptophan to 3g and added lithium orotate at the same time. I recommend changing one thing at a time i.e. do a trial or tryptophan, then increase the tryptophan for better results (increasing slowly from 500mg 2 x day to 1000mg 2 x day and then 1500mg 2 x day, and tracking symptom improvements); then add lithium orotate; and then increase lithium orotate for even better results. But if it’s done the way Katrin did it, you simply unwind things so you can figure out what is really working for you.
Keep in mind, the starting dose for tryptophan is 500mg twice a day and lithium orotate is 5mg once a day. I would never recommend that anyone starts on 3g tryptophan or 20mg lithium orotate.
Experimenting with different doses and combinations
Katrin stayed at this dosing and combination of tryptophan and lithium orotate for close to a year. When something is working well, you understandably don’t want to change things. But more recently she has been experimenting with different doses and combinations. She is what is is doing now:
- “currently trying lithium orotate by itself, during the day while only taking 1g tryptophan at night before bed.”
- “now I only take a lithium orotate dose of 5mg twice a day and I do that every second day. It’s working for me.”
This is the perfect way to adjust things and if she finds the new combination doesn’t work over the coming weeks and months she can adjust again.
Also, keep in mind that your needs change as your hormones fluctuate, when you’re under more stress, with seasonal changes (winter time/winter blues and due to seasonal allergies), if you’re exposed to a toxin such as lead (it can impact serotonin levels) or parasites etc.
It goes without saying that diet must be addressed too – gluten-free, sugar-free, caffeine-free, real whole food, quality animal protein, organic vegetables and fruit, fermented foods and healthy fats.
Resources if you are new to using the amino acids as supplements
If you are new to using any of the amino acids as supplements, here is the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution (you can see all the symptoms of neurotransmitter imbalances).
If you suspect low levels of any of the neurotransmitters and do not yet have my book, The Antianxiety Food Solution – How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood, and End Cravings, I highly recommend getting it and reading it before jumping in and using amino acids on your own so you are knowledgeable. And be sure to share it with the practitioner/health team you or your loved one is working with.
There is an entire chapter on the amino acids and they are discussed throughout the book in the sections on gut health, gluten, blood sugar control, sugar cravings, self-medicating with alcohol and more. There is also an entire chapter on gluten and grains if this is new to you.
The book doesn’t include product names (per the publisher’s request) so this blog, The Antianxiety Food Solution Amino Acid and Pyroluria Supplements, lists the amino acids that I use with my individual clients and those in my group programs.
You can find the Lidtke Tryptophan products I use and a number of different lithium orotate products in my online Fullscript store.
If, after reading this blog and my book, you don’t feel comfortable figuring things out on your own (i.e. doing the symptoms questionnaire and respective amino acids trials), a good place to get help is the GABA QuickStart Program (if you have low GABA symptoms). This is a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance and community support. There are many moms in the program who are having much success with their kids.
If you need serotonin support, the Serotonin QuickStart Program is a good place to get help. This is also a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance on using tryptophan and 5-HTP safely, and community support during 5 LIVE Q&A calls. You can sign up to be notified when the next live launch of this program is happening.
If you are a practitioner, join us in The Balancing Neurotransmitters: the Fundamentals program. This is also a paid online/virtual program with an opportunity to interact with me and other practitioners who are also using the amino acids.
Wrapping up and your feedback
With much appreciation for Katrin for sharing her wonderful success story – I’m so thrilled for her! I’d love to get this published as case studies to further add to the evidence. If you are a researcher or have a resource for me please do let me know.
Did you need to adjust your tryptophan dose for easing your anxiety, depression and other low serotonin symptoms? What adjustments did you make?
Have you found the addition of lithium orotate has helped keep things more even so the amino acids are more effective? What dosing works for you?
If you’re a practitioner, do you find the addition of lithium orotate to be helpful for your patients/clients?
If you have questions please share them here too.