tryptophan

Flight anxiety with heightened breath, physical tension and also fearing the worst (the role of low GABA and low serotonin)

September 19, 2025 By Trudy Scott Leave a Comment

Do you have suggestions for supplements for flight anxiety, something to make flying bearable without heightened breath, etc, or is that out of the supplement realm?

I also have physical tension and fear the worst. Any kind of turbulence or warnings of turbulence makes me extremely nervous.

K asked this question on one of my blogs and I responded that this is very much in the supplement realm! And what we use depends on the type of anxiety someone is experiencing.

I would first consider serotonin support before and during flying – tryptophan or 5-HTP – because she fears the worst and feels extremely nervous. With low serotonin there may also be worry and fear leading up to the trip, as well as feelings of panic and imagining the worst during the flight.

GABA support – using the amino acid GABA or theanine – should also be considered for the more physical symptoms of heightened breath and physical tension. With low GABA there can be other physical symptoms such as excessive sweating (like the palms), a racing or pounding heart and a dry mouth. These amino acids could also be used leading up to the flight and during the trip if needed.

Read on for more on my insights on using these amino acids in a situation like this, additional information about fear of flying and a success story with GABA.

Serotonin and/or GABA support for fear of flying

In an ideal situation I would want to address both low serotonin and low GABA before flying and have her use extra during the flight, as needed. It’s very likely that many of the low serotonin and low GABA symptoms are present in some way in her day to day life too.

This means she can be methodical about doing a trial of the respective amino acids and figure out the optimal dose of each in familiar surroundings – using powder, capsule opened, sublingual, chewable or liposomal.

As always we trial one at a time so we know which one is working best. Keep in mind some folks do better with tryptophan and some do better with 5-HTP so both may need to be trialed. The same can be said for GABA and theanine.

Once the product and dose of each has been figured out, she’ll need to find a suitable option for use while traveling i.e. a sublingual or chewable tablet

It’s always a comprehensive approach

It’s a comprehensive approach – amino acids AND diet so I recommend eating real whole food, quality animal protein, eating for blood sugar stability, going gluten-free, sugar-free and caffeine-free, eating healthy fats, organic vegetables and fruit and fermented foods. My book “The Antianxiety Food Solution” is a great place to start when you are new to the amino acids and other anxiety nutrition solutions like gluten/sugar/caffeine removal, blood sugar control, gut health, pyroluria etc.

During travel it’s important to be prepared with healthy travel foods and drinks. I share some ideas here.

The definition of a specific phobia such as the fear of flying

The fear of flying is called aviophobia and it’s one of many common phobias about something specific. According to this ebook

Specific phobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by excessive and irrational fear of a particular object, situation, or activity. The anxiety response goes beyond normal apprehension and leads to avoidance behavior. The intensity of the fear is often disproportionate to the actual danger posed by the phobic stimulus.

Common examples of specific phobias include fear of heights (acrophobia), fear of spiders (arachnophobia), fear of flying (aviophobia), and fear of needles (trypanophobia). People with specific phobias may experience intense anxiety or panic attacks when exposed to the feared object or situation.

This Australian article reports that “One in six people have a significant fear that prevents them from flying, and about one in five regular flyers use alcohol or prescription drugs to “help” them through a flight, according to Victoria’s Department of Health.”

Using the amino acids to address low serotonin and/or low GABA addresses the root cause and does away with the need for alcohol and antianxiety meds (and the associated side-effects).

Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and exposure therapy is often recommended for aviophobia but doesn’t always help, and doesn’t address the biochemical imbalances.

A success story with GABA before and during a flight – cool as a cucumber

Melissa started using Source Naturals GABA Calm in anticipation of holiday travel and holiday gatherings and shared this:

I’m glad I saw the post about GABA on your FB page a couple weeks ago. I bought Source Naturals GABA Calm and have been taking 1-3 per day for two weeks.

I’m glad I bought it before travelling home for Christmas – I was cool as a cucumber at the airport and was much calmer when visiting family and friends compared to last year! The true test of its efficacy will be in two weeks when the semester starts. For now, I notice a general calmness and am sleeping well.

Notice that she started using it in the 2 weeks leading up to her trip and not on the flight itself.

Additional resources when you are new to using tryptophan or GABA and other amino acids as supplements

We use the symptoms questionnaire to figure out if low serotonin or low GABA or other neurotransmitter imbalances may be an issue for you.

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 (this is covered in an entire chapter too), sugar cravings, anxiety and mood issues. The importance of quality animal protein and healthy fats is also covered.

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.

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 too). This is a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance and community support.

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.

Have you had success using serotonin and/or GABA support for your fear of flying (or other phobia/s)? If yes, which amino acids have helped you?

Did you have any success with CBT or exposure therapy or other approaches?

Feel free to share and ask your questions below.

How can I help my anxious daughter withdraw from vaping? She wants to quit but gets more anxious when she tries to quit!

September 5, 2025 By Trudy Scott 2 Comments

withdraw from vaping

I have been trying to help my daughter withdraw from vaping but it is proving such a vicious cycle.

She wants to quit but has anxiety and gets health anxiety when she doesn’t use the vape within a certain period – the physical withdrawal signs come thru very quickly for her – rapid heart beat, pain inside etc. which freaks her out and then she vapes…

It’s a hopeless cycle of withdrawals with horrible physical symptoms and then the emotional frustration of using vaping to manage the symptoms and feeling so frustrated with herself.

We tried 5-HTP which did not help. I make sure she gets a great protein, veg, good fat and some carbs for breakfast and she takes home made food to work but she works in hospitality and has really late night / early morning finishes and I feel like we are dealing with a lot more than the addiction here. I’d love to try and find a way to get her use down and hopefully kicked to the kerb.

If we could put her into a deep deep sleep for a few days till the toxin is washed out of her system and have a way to deal with the emotional aspect of withdrawal I think myself and so many other parents in Australia would be grateful.

Vaping is a huge problem in our young people – it’s all thru the schools too. It doesn’t smell, tastes like lollies and parents can’t detect it easily.

Louise is a mom in the community who posted this question on one of the blogs. I feel for her and her daughter and hear her concerns – vaping is a huge problem. However, there is a solution that doesn’t involve putting her daughter into a deep deep sleep – addressing neurotransmitter imbalances as a root cause.

Read on below for information on vaping and the very harmful effects (on the lungs and even bones); how to figure out which emotions are driving the need to use vaping to self-medicate and which amino acids to trial (including my insights for Louise’s daughter); why the amino acids are so powerful when it comes to vaping and other addictions; dietary aspects are foundational and important too, as are really late nights; and additional amino acid resources.

What is vaping and why is it so harmful?

This 2023 Harvard Health Publishing article, Can vaping damage your lungs? What we do (and don’t) know, provides an overview of vaping if you’re not exactly sure what is involved:

Vaping involves heating a liquid and inhaling the aerosol into the lungs. With vaping, a device such as an e-cigarette is used that heats up a liquid (called vape juice or e-liquid) until it turns into a vapor that is inhaled. These devices are commonly called vapes, mods, e-hookahs, sub-ohms, tank systems, and vape pens. They may all look a bit different, but work in similar ways.

These devices heat up various flavorings, nicotine, marijuana, or other potentially harmful substances.

The authors list the potentially harmful substances found in vapes:

nicotine
ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs
flavorings such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to a serious lung disease
volatile organic compounds
cancer-causing chemicals
heavy metals such as nickel, tin, and lead.

And they explain some of the serious lung problems that occur in those who vape: EVALI (e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury) and “popcorn lung” or bronchiolitis obliterans (BO).

One adverse effect that I seldom see mentioned is the potential harms to bone health, including “accelerating bone associated disease progression, impacting skeletal development in younger users and to advise patients following orthopaedic surgery, dental surgery, or injury to maximise bone healing.”

Unfortunately it’s the flavors in nicotine and cannabis vape products – candy/dessert, fruit, and fruit-ice combination vs tobacco flavor – that increased adolescents’ willingness to try them. “Comprehensive bans on flavored vapes would likely reduce adolescent use.”

There is growing awareness of these issues and fortunately rates of vaping are declining, however we do have to address why teens and young adults are seeking something calming or soothing such as vaping (or smoking or drinking) i.e. neurotransmitter imbalances.

How to figure out which emotions are driving the need to use vaping to self-medicate and which amino acids to trial?

This is how I would suggest this mom works with her daughter to help them figure out which emotions are driving the need to use vaping to self-medicate and which amino acids to trial:

How do you feel before vaping?	How do you feel after vaping?	Likely brain chemistry imbalance	Amino acid/s to supplement
Anxious or stressed (physical anxiety)	Calm or relaxed	Low GABA	GABA, pharmaGABA or theanine
Low mood, worried, fearful? (mental anxiety)	Happy or content	Low serotonin	Tryptophan or 5-HTP
Tired, unfocused, low motivation	Energetic, alert, or focused	Low catecholamines, low dopamine	Tyrosine
Desire for a reward or treat, sad (weepy), emotional	Rewarded or comforted	Low endorphins	DPA (d-phenylalanine) or DLPA
Irritable and shaky	Grounded or stable	Low blood sugar	Glutamine

We use this in conjunction with the symptoms questionnaire for each neurotransmitter and trial the respective amino acids one at a time.

I often see low GABA to be a driving reason for vaping, smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol – they are all ways of self-medicating in order to calm down and reduce stress. And research supports this connection with “disturbances to GABA dynamics” “found to play a key role in … substance dependence and addiction.”

Louise mentions her daughter notices “physical withdrawal signs” of “rapid heart beat, pain inside” when trying to quit so it’s very possible there is a low GABA aspect to her addiction. I would consider a trial of GABA to start if she also has other low GABA symptoms.

She also shares that her daughter has “health anxiety” and freaks out when she starts to get withdrawal symptoms. If she resonates with being fearful and worried then it’s possible there is also a low serotonin aspect for her. Louise mentions that 5-HTP didn’t help but not how much they trialed or if they increased to try and find the ideal amount. If her daughter has other low serotonin symptoms I’d revisit this and also consider a trial of tryptophan as some individuals do better on one vs the other. I’d also use both as powder on the tongue in case that makes a difference.

And when I hear “hopeless” and “emotional” I would also be considering low endorphins and a trial of DPA (d-phenylalanine).

Why the amino acids are so powerful when it comes to vaping and other addictions

The amino acids play many roles in addressing a vaping addiction:

They address the root cause of the addiction i.e. the neurotransmitter imbalance/s
They help you to quit vaping with no willpower and without feeling deprived
They help to mitigate many of the adverse effects (like worse sleep issues and feeling more anxious)
They address the emotional aspect so mood and anxiety is improved
They prevent the need to find a replacement like sugar, coffee, Diet soda and alcohol and cigarettes (intake of any of these may increase when vaping is stopped, unless the neurotransmitter imbalances are addressed)

Many individuals with addiction issues have imbalances in all areas. We use a similar approach for vaping as we use for addictions to alcohol, cigarettes and sugar/carb/junk food i.e. we tackle one imbalance at a time so we know which amino acid is helping and how much is needed.

Dietary aspects are foundational and important too, as are really late nights and detox

I love that mom makes sure her daughter is well-nourished with real whole food – it’s foundational, as I explain in my book “The Antianxiety Food Solution.”

Louise mentions she gets a good breakfast. I’d be making sure she has good quality animal protein at breakfast in order to help with blood sugar stability as this helps with addictions too. And I’d want to make sure she takes healthy protein snacks to work too – like a boiled egg, beef jerky/biltong, a grass-fed beef stick etc.

With really late night / early morning finishes we always consider adrenal issues and address that as needed, after doing salivary testing.

And once Louise’s daughter has quit I would be focusing on detoxification of the toxins using sauna, red light, dry skin brushing and other detox approaches. And making a concerted effort to focus on improving antioxidants and other nutritional deficiencies, and assessing and working to improve her bone health.

Additional resources when you are new to using GABA, tryptophan and other amino acids as supplements

As always, I use the symptoms questionnaire to figure out if low GABA or low serotonin or other neurotransmitter imbalances may be an issue.

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.

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. You can sign up to be notified when the next live launch is happening.

Wrapping up and your feedback

I appreciate Louise for asking this question so I could share on this blog and enlighten her and other parents whose teen and young adult children are struggling with vaping.

Does your teen or young adult child struggle with quitting vaping? And have the amino acids helped – if yes, which ones?

Have you personally had a similar issue?

And are you aware how harmful vaping is – for the lungs and even the bones?

Feel free to share and ask your questions below.

The marketing of Risperdal and how atypical antipsychotics became a multi-billion-dollar industry – a shockingly eye-opening article!

August 22, 2025 By Trudy Scott 2 Comments

Even though I’m very aware this happens, this shockingly eye-opening article by Lydia Green is the best explanation I’ve heard….

I didn’t set out to shape the field of psychiatry. I was just a copywriter working in pharmaceutical advertising. But over time, I found myself at the center of a campaign that would help transform how mental illness—and its treatment—are understood in the U.S. This is the story of how we marketed one drug, Risperdal, and how that effort helped turn atypical antipsychotics into a multi-billion-dollar industry.

If you’ve ever wondered how this powerful class of drugs ended up being prescribed for everything from adolescent mood swings to agitated nursing home patients, you’re not alone. The rise of atypical antipsychotics was a business and marketing phenomenon—driven in part by a wave of pharmaceutical mergers in the 1990s. First introduced for schizophrenia, atypical antipsychotics were promoted as more effective and safer than older drugs like Haldol or Thorazine.

While journalists and regulators have addressed this issue, I want to share my memories of marketing Risperdal—the first widely prescribed atypical antipsychotic. This is the story of how we promoted Risperdal not just as a medication, but as a revolution in psychiatric care. It’s also the story of how we redefined schizophrenia, rewrote the safety narrative of antipsychotics, and helped drive one of the most successful (and concerning) pharmaceutical launches in history.

It was also my first realization of the immense power marketers have to shape their version of the truth—and how I eventually came to question the very system I helped build.

This is an excerpt from the excellent article recently published on the Mad in America site. We all need to be aware what happened with this medication and is still happening. It’s so wrong and is just heart-breaking to think how individuals and their families were manipulated and impacted. Unfortunately it’s very likely also happening with many other block-buster medications too – like Ozempic (for weight-loss), Evenity (for osteoporosis) and more.

In this blog, I share stories from social workers and psychologists who were working in the field at time, the overprescribing of atypical antipsychotics to children and teens in the mid-1990s and now, and the powerful effects of tryptophan, GABA, other nutrients and diet for anxiety, agitation, rage and sleep issues in autism, dementia and ADHD.

You can read the full article here – Confessions of an Ad Writer: How I Helped Turn Atypical Antipsychotics into a Billion-Dollar Industry.

Be sure to read some of the many comments from individuals and families who bore the brunt of this. It’s heartbreaking.

Stories from individuals who were working in the trenches at the time

I shared this article on Facebook and here is some of the feedback I received from the community. Laura Ann’s response:

Thank you for sharing this article. I can remember when I was fresh out of my grad social work program and was working in child psychiatry at the University of Maryland, our docs were pushing this drug for young children with ADHD and conduct disorder. Unbelievable! These companies and their executives should be criminally prosecuted.

We tend to think of these scandals as something that happened but aren’t currently happening. I think we will be reading similar articles about GLP-1’s.

I appreciate her for sharing what she was seeing as a social worker at the time. This is so sad and so wrong. I agree that these companies should be prosecuted. Instead they pay massive fines which are part of their marketing and just-doing-business budget, and continue as before.

Unfortunately Laura Ann is spot on, as much of this continues with Risperdal and other psychiatric meds and it’s already happening with GLP-1s. I share more on this below.

Elizabeth Mary’s response:

Just reading your post gave me chills and made my stomach turn. I worked with folks with developmental disabilities during this time period, I had for years! I watched as the antipsychotics and various psych meds infiltrated the group homes and joined a team of co-workers to fight it. We lost. It was disgusting. And I had no idea all this was happening in the background

My heart breaks for these individuals and their families. Bravo to her for trying to fight it and I appreciate her for sharing what she saw happening.

And this feedback from someone else in the community:

This drug was pushed on individuals with ASD (autism spectrum disorder)! Probably still is! Very sad!

I am a retired psychologist who worked primarily with individuals with developmental disabilities. I saw it all the time. The “medical model” was used a lot, meaning many saw psychiatrists and/or PCPs (primary care providers) who prescribed these meds. It has a long history.

Overprescribing of atypical antipsychotics and other psychiatric medications to children and teens – then and now

As mentioned above, I’ve been aware for some time that there is overprescribing of psychiatric medications to children and teens. In one of my interviews on an Anxiety Summit, “Psychiatric Medications in Children and Teens” with Dr. Nicole Beurkens, we discuss these results from this 2019 paper, Current Pattern of Psychiatric Comorbidity and Psychotropic Drug Prescription in Child and Adolescent Patients:

Our study indicates that the rate of presentation to child and adolescent psychiatry outpatient clinics is increasing, and rates of diagnosis and initiation of psychiatry drugs are high among the presented children.
The prevalence of ADHD shows an increase in males and females in our country, and psychiatric polypharmacy (multiple medications) has reached significant rates.

Keep in mind that Lydia Green shared her marketing work began in the mid-1990s, about 25 years before the above paper was published.

Unfortunately not much has changed. This 2025 paper from Swedish authors reports that the “number of prescriptions to children aged 5-17 years has increased” and that “most prescribed drugs were risperidone [Risperdal] and aripiprazole.”

This 2025 paper report that in a group of Australian children with intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder and cerebral palsy, “risperidone was the most prescribed antipsychotic medication” and it was often prescribed off-label.

Similar increases in antipsychotic prescriptions are also reported in children and teens in Israel in 2025. The list of papers goes on and on and there are similar papers for dementia and other conditions.

There are versions of this story about a lot of diseases: osteoporosis is another one

Melissa’s response to the Risperdal article was this: “Makes you wonder about therapies they are pushing today.” It’s creating awareness which is what we need and she is asking a great question. Yes – there are many versions of this story about other medications.

Here is a perfect quote from this 2009 article: How A Bone Disease Grew To Fit The Prescription

There’s a powerful economic incentive for pharmaceutical firms to expand the boundaries of the use of different therapies. So whether you consider treatments for osteoporosis or treatments for depression or treatments for high cholesterol — in all of these settings — pharmaceutical firms stand to benefit if the therapies for these diseases are broadly used, even if they’re used among people who have very mild forms of these diseases.

In this same article, Caleb Alexander, a pharmaco-epidemiologist at the University of Chicago, is writing about the marketing of osteoporosis medications and says “the dynamic is well understood.” But all this applies equally to the marketing of all medications i.e. “There are versions of this story about a lot of diseases.”

Dubious marketing by the makers of Ozempic and Wegovy (GLP-1s for weight loss)

This is happening right now for GLP-1s. There were already reports in 2023 about dubious marketing by Novo Nordisk, the makers of Ozempic and Wegovy:

In Great Britain, the company has paid within three years a total of around 21.7 million pounds (24.7 million euros) to experts and organisations including important opinion leaders who have since touted semaglutide as a “game changer” in obesity in a campaign described as an “orchestrated PR campaign.

Sadly I expect their marketing campaigns to run unchecked and get more and more sophisticated, with unsuspecting consumers being taken advantage of and harmed.

Families are not aware of the powerful effects of tryptophan, GABA, other nutrients and diet

My goal is to try and change this lack of awareness so families and individuals can explore other options when they are faced with decisions about some of these medications.

Instead of using antipsychotics for a family member with dementia or Alzheimer’s who is experiencing agitation, aggression and anxiety, consider tryptophan and melatonin, and GABA:

Instead of using antipsychotics, explore the use of 5-HTP/tryptophan and/or GABA for kids with ADHD:

Instead of antipsychotics and other psychotropic medications in autism, explore tryptophan and GABA:

This is by no means a conclusive approach to addressing these symptoms in dementia/Alzheimer’s, ADHD and autism. We also need to consider and address diet, other nutritional imbalances, infections, gut health, toxins and much more.

Additional resources when you are new to using GABA and tryptophan as supplements

As always, I use the symptoms questionnaire to figure out if low GABA or low serotonin or other neurotransmitter imbalances may be an issue.

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.

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. You can sign up to be notified when the next live launch is happening.

Wrapping up and your feedback

I appreciate Lydia for sharing this and enlightening us, and Mad in Arica for inviting her to do the article. And I appreciate community members for sharing and allowing me to share on this blog

Have you or a family member been the victim of the overprescribing of atypical antipsychotics ?

Have you seen this overprescribing of atypical antipsychotics happening in the work you do as a social worker, psychologist, doctor or other health professional?

Are you surprised to learn about similar strategies being used for marketing osteoporosis and GLP-1 medications?

Feel free to share and ask your questions below.

The correlation between terrible anxiety/panic attacks and collagen

July 25, 2025 By Trudy Scott 14 Comments

Bea shared her collagen experience and insights on one of the collagen blogs:

I discovered the correlation between terrible anxiety and collagen myself several years ago! Couldn’t find any data about it then so just assumed I was a weirdo. But then my 26 yr old daughter started having terrible panic attacks. And bam! She too had started a collagen supplement! So I realized at least 2 ladies have this trouble! Got me to think about how many women seek anti-aging help with collagen and then also end up on prescriptions to help calm terrible anxiety without seeing the connection. Practitioners don’t seem to know about this. But every vitamin shop I visit hears from me on the anxiety/collagen connection. Perhaps grassroots word of mouth will help others eventually.

And yesssss… for me, bone broth is equally horrible!! Even if it is simmered for only 30 mins.

Thank you for explaining, Trudy!! How fascinating to learn it’s the drop in serotonin! I’ve never tried Tryptophan… just a bit nervous. But I think it’s time. I sure need the bone broth for my waning gut health. And I’m weary of ruminating thoughts lately! Thank you immensely for shining a needed light on how these amino acids help! I only wish I could share lunch with you and pass along my grateful hug!

God bless you, Trudy!

I’m so glad Dea found this correlation for herself and her daughter! Collagen use is on the rise and there is little awareness about these effects on serotonin levels in susceptible individuals. Read on for many of the anti-aging benefits of collagen, more information about tryptophan depletion studies, another similar story, other possible causes, and other blog resources on this topic.

Collagen use as we age: for skin, joints and bone health

Her comment about an increase in collagen use for anti-aging is so true. This 2023 paper, Collagen supplementation in skin and orthopedic diseases: A review of the literature, discusses the many age-related benefits of collagen:

hydrolyzed collagen supplementation promotes skin changes, such as decreased wrinkle formation; increased skin elasticity; increased hydration; increased collagen content, density, and synthesis, which are factors closely associated with aging-related skin damage.

Regarding orthopedic changes, collagen supplementation increases bone strength, density, and mass; improves joint stiffness/mobility, and functionality; and reduces pain. These aspects are associated with bone loss due to aging and damage caused by strenuous physical activity.

This paper mentions these aspects about collagen, that it’s low in tryptophan and that it is not a complete protein i.e. it’s a low biological value protein:

Notably, collagen is a low-tryptophan protein, an essential amino acid for humans.
Collagen is a source of conditionally essential amino acids (glycine and proline), which are important in some physiological situations.
Collagen is a low biological value protein, since its amino acid composition is poor in essential amino acids. However, it has a positive intrinsic value because its amino acid composition is equivalent to that of human connective tissue.

This supports what we have learned from acute tryptophan depletion studies causing low serotonin.

Tryptophan-depletion studies to study the relationship between low serotonin and depression

Here is my first blog explaining acute tryptophan depletion studies (published in 2017) – Collagen and gelatin lower serotonin: does this increase your anxiety and depression?.

Tryptophan-depletion studies have been done for years, as a way to study the relationship between low serotonin and depression. Often a tryptophan-deficient amino acid mixture is used for this purpose. More recently, collagen and gelatin are being used.

Collagen and gelatin are an excellent source of these amino acids: proline, glycine, glutamine and arginine, but they do not contain the amino acid tryptophan.

This paper, Pharmacokinetics of acute tryptophan depletion using a gelatin-based protein in male and female Wistar rats summarizes what we find in a number of studies that use gelatin for the purpose of lowering serotonin levels, in order to study the relationship between serotonin and behavior:

The essential amino acid tryptophan is the precursor of the neurotransmitter serotonin. By depleting the body of tryptophan, brain tryptophan and serotonin levels are temporarily reduced. In this paper, several experiments are described in which dose and treatment effects of acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) using a gelatin-based protein-carbohydrate mixture were studied in male and female Wistar rats.

I encourage you to read the above blog to learn about who may be more susceptible to these effects.

I also share my personal experience with collagen consumption and can totally relate to Bea’s story and what clients and those in my community have shared.

Toni used collagen for 8 months – anxiety and panic attacks are off the charts

Toni experienced something similar:

I’ve been using Organic collagen for about 8 months now… love the hair and skin results. My tummy felt better at first but not currently. My anxiety and panic attacks are off the charts: panic attacks, heart racing, sweating, brain fog. I want to escape – like fight or flight. Definitely obsessing and fears. Memory difficulty. I have an upcoming GI appointment to check for Candida /SIBO… but I had no idea this could add to my anxiety. I’ll be looking forward to more information, Seriously.

And a few weeks after stopping the collagen she shared this:

I stopped using collagen. Since then, my anxiety and panic have decreased by less than half. Mild in comparison. I’m definitely taking a long break.

Instead of stopping collagen altogether, my advice is to figure out if low serotonin is the cause and address this with tryptophan or 5-HTP so collagen can be used for its many anti-aging and health benefits.

Is their anxiety due to reduced serotonin or histamine, glutamate or oxalate issues

Keep in mind tryptophan will help and allow collagen, gelatin and broth to be consumed without the increase in anxiety and panic attacks (and sleep issues) only if it is due to low serotonin.

Presumably both Dea and her daughter have other low serotonin symptoms – in addition to anxiety and panic attacks – such as sleep issues, worry, fears, afternoon/evening cravings etc (here is the list of symptoms). As you can see from Toni’s feedback (above), she does have many low serotonin symptoms.

A trial of tryptophan and symptom reduction (initially until the ideal dose is found) will confirm symptoms are related to low serotonin very quickly. This will also help Dea with her nervousness and ruminating thoughts, help her daughter ease the feelings of panic and help Toni too.

It’s also often helpful to also rule out histamine, glutamate and oxalate issues from collagen, gelatin and broth intake – as all of these factors can contribute to an increase in anxiousness too.

Additional blog posts on the topic of collagen

In case you are new to these potential issues, here are additional blog posts on the topic:

If you are new to this topic and are still skeptical about all this, do read the many comments and stories on these blogs. It’s a way more common issue than you’d think!

Additional resources when you are new to using tryptophan and other amino acids as supplements

As always, I use the symptoms questionnaire to figure out if low serotonin or other neurotransmitter imbalances may be an issue.

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.

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. You can sign up to be notified when the next live launch is happening.

Wrapping up and your feedback

I appreciate Dea for sharing her story on the blog and for sharing this information at vitamin stores – we do need more awareness, hence this new blog on the topic to further help create awareness.

It’s very likely that this is one big contributing factor to the rise in anxiety and sleep issues in perimenopause and menopause. And this is probably made worse because so many practitioners are still not aware.

I thanked her for her kind words, and said I’ll take a virtual lunch and a virtual hug from her.

Have you experienced any adverse effects from collagen, gelatin or bone broth?

Have you been able to continue using them by adding tryptophan?

And why do you use collagen/how is it helping?

If you’re a practitioner are you aware of this issue for certain susceptible individuals?

Feel free to share and ask your questions below.

Tryptophan and GABA for relaxation, jaw pain, sleep, anger and mood symptoms

June 13, 2025 By Trudy Scott 10 Comments

I typically start clients on tryptophan if they have signs of low serotonin: stressed, overwhelmed worry, fears, obsessing, feeling anxious, ruminations, low mood, anger issues/rage, sleep problems, pain issues, PMS, low self-esteem, imposter syndrome, and afternoon/evening carb cravings etc. If we don’t get expected results we switch to 5-HTP as some people do better on one vs the other.

With signs of low GABA – a more physical kind of anxiety, with some overwhelm, intrusive thoughts, tension, sleep issues (often lying awake tense), stress-eating and/or drinking and pain – I typically recommend a GABA only product (as a powder or capsule opened) or GABA Calm (a sublingual). In some cases we may consider theanine and pharmaGABA.

The best way to assess low GABA and low serotonin is the symptoms questionnaire and a trial of the respective amino acids – one at a time. But the key is to find the ideal amount for the unique needs of each person. We do that by methodically and systematically increasing the amino acid slowly and tracking improvements for each increase.

In this blog you can read some success stories from women who used tryptophan and GABA for relaxation, jaw pain, sleep, anger and mood symptoms, and my commentary with some additional insights.

Tryptophan and GABA (as powders) – for her stress and pain

Amy uses both tryptophan and GABA for relaxation and jaw pain:

I use both tryptophan and GABA, I just take them separately. When my jaw was really bad the tryptophan really helped. I also do vagus nerve stimulating exercises that make me yawn and it stretches and releases the jaw.

As for the GABA …when I’m very stressed, I need extra to feel the effects. I use a pinch between the fingers of the Now powder and let it dissolve on my tongue. I feel my body relax in about 30 seconds. If nothing then I take a second pinch. Most days 1 pinch is enough.

I also let tryptophan dissolve in my mouth and most days I feel the same physical relaxation after a few moments. It’s not always obvious with the tryptophan though. I use 1/4 tsp of powder but you can use capsules. I mix the powder with pudding powder because it’s very bitter.

Both tryptophan and GABA can help with pain, and also feeling anxious and stressed.

The benefits are via different mechanisms – tryptophan boosts low serotonin and it’s typically more of a mental type of relaxation. This blog illustrates the use of tryptophan for TMJ (temporomandibular joint) – Tryptophan ends TMJ pain, headaches and worry, and improves mood and sleep: a success story.

The amino acid GABA boots low GABA levels and it provides more of a physical type of relaxation and also helps with pain relief.

I like that Amy is using both amino acids as powder and I’m happy for her. GABA powder tastes pleasant and is much more effective used this way (or capsule opened or sublingual).

Tryptophan can be swallowed but many find it more effective as a powder or capsule opened. As Amy says, it’s very bitter as a powder.

Tryptophan or 5-HTP and different forms of GABA – for sleep, anger and mood symptoms

Kerry tried 5-HTP and pharmaGABA but did better with tryptophan and GABA Calm:

My naturopath had me on 5-HTP but I never felt a benefit, and pharmaGaba was a histamine trigger. After reading your book I tried tryptophan and spent many months on 2 x 500mg at bedtime. This helped with sleep and definitely stopped the surges of anger that happened often.

I read a lady say her staple was 2 x Gaba Calm at bedtime and on rising, so I tried this and it helped.

I now take both tryptophan and Gaba Calm only if I feel niggly mood symptoms.

My previous diet was standard vegetarian, then vegan for several years. I now have lots of protein in the form of beef liver capsules, eggs and protein powder. I don’t like meat.

Kerry shared all this in a recent blog comment, describing how tryptophan and GABA Calm were big game-changers for her, in addition to “a long slow mold detox …addressing nutritional deficiencies and implementing dietary changes.”

Mycotoxins caused by mold, nutritional deficiencies and a poor quality diet can impact neurotransmitter production. The good news is that when you find the right combination of amino acids – in this case tryptophan and GABA Calm – you can get relief right away while the other factors are being addressed. It reduces the overwhelm, stress and fears too.

Kerry’s approach of consistent use of both amino acids is the best way to go and I’m so happy for her. And once levels are sufficient they can be used as needed, provided other underlying causes (like toxins, diet etc) are being addressed.

I will add that some individuals do better on 5-HTP and some do better on tryptophan so it’s often a matter of doing a trial of both. I typically recommend tryptophan to start because 5-HTP can be an issue if cortisol is high.

I also always recommend starting with some forms of GABA because of the potential histamine issues with pharmaGABA. That said, some individuals do tolerate pharamGABA so it’s worth doing a trial of both. And we may also consider theanine when we want to support low GABA, low serotonin and low dopamine.

Theanine and tryptophan and diet/lifestyle changes – and feeling her best!

Luna worked with a health practitioner to taper off Prozac (very slowly) and used amino acids during the taper and afterwards:

As someone who took Prozac for years and eventually came off, please pay special attention to Trudy’s advice to come off it SLOWLY. I’d say do it so slowly it may seem ridiculous.

I tried three times to get off Prozac and it was only with the help of an ND/PharmD did I finally get the info needed to come off it without *awful* side effects. To do it well, the process takes MONTHS – not weeks as many doctors recommend.

These days, I take L-Theanine and L-Tryptophan. And I’m preparing to add some GABA soon. Combined with daily 45 minute walks outside, and a low-sugar/low-gluten diet, I’m doing the best I have in my adult life.

A comprehensive approach that includes amino acids, dietary changes, and getting out in nature can make a world of difference. I love it when I hear feedback like this.

Additional resources when you are new to using tryptophan and GABA and other amino acids as supplements

As always, I use the symptoms questionnaire to figure out if low serotonin or low GABA or other neurotransmitter imbalances may be an issue.

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.

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.

Wrapping up and your feedback

Now I’d love to hear from you – how has tryptophan and GABA helped you or a loved one?

If you’d like to get on the notification list for the next Serotonin Quickstart Program (a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance and community support during 5 LIVE Q&A calls), please do so here.

If you’re a practitioner do you use tryptophan and GABA with your clients/patients?

Feel free to share and ask your questions below.

Lidtke tryptophan 100mg chewable is back! It’s great for anxious, worried, raging kids and pixie dust adults who have trouble sleeping too

June 6, 2025 By Trudy Scott 26 Comments

The Lidtke tryptophan 100mg chewable product has been out of stock for close to a year and it’s now back, hence this blog post. This product has been a firm favorite of mine for many years and I’ve used it successfully with children and adults with signs of low serotonin. If you’re new to tryptophan, it’s an amino acid that is a precursor or raw material for the production of your feel-good neurotransmitter called serotonin.

I’ve used this product in the past with children who are anxious, worried, raging, having problems sleeping and craving sugar and carbs. I’ve also used it with “pixie dust” clients who do well with a small dose and prefer a chewable form of tryptophan. And I often recommend clients use it to do the initial one-off trial to figure out if low serotonin is the issue (and before moving on to a typical starting dose of 500mg tryptophan twice a day).

In this blog you’ll see the label of the newly formulated tryptophan 100mg chewable and some of the many advantages of tryptophan as a low-dose chewable. You’ll also see some feedback on the previous formulation, a success story with a young girl and my personal experience too.

The newly formulated Lidtke L-Tryptophan Chewable

Here is the new label for the Lidtke L-Tryptophan 100mg Chewable. This product has been a firm favorite of mine for many years and the formulation has shifted over the years.

This formulation still contains 100mg tryptophan and a different sweetener – luo han guo, also known as monk fruit. It’s a zero-calorie natural sweetener that does not affect blood sugar. Monk fruit does belong to the gourd family and would need to be avoided if there are allergies to these foods (such as cucumbers, melons, zucchini etc). Also, some individuals do not like the aftertaste of monk fruit.

It does contain flavors – maple and vanillin – which may be problematic for sensitive individuals. Acacia gum (or gum arabic) is low FODMAP and typically well tolerated, but may cause bloating for some.

The chewable has not been available for about a year so this is very welcome news.

Chewable tryptophan for a young girl with anxiety, rage, sleep issues and strong cravings

As I mentioned I’ve been using chewable tryptophan with success for many years. I often share the success story of a young girl with anxiety, rage, sleep issues and strong cravings for candies in documentaries and summit interviews and – and how addressing low serotonin with a chewable tryptophan quickly helped:

So sitting in my office with this young girl and her mom, we started to talk about the sweets and the candies and the need to give up the candies. She was fuming with me. She was sitting in a swivel chair. She turned her back on me and didn’t want to talk about having to give up candy at all.

I said, “Look, let’s not even talk about that, but would you take this chewable tryptophan here? And we’ll talk about it in a second.” I gave her 100 mg of the chewable tryptophan and continued discussing things with her mom. She had no idea what it was going to do or how it would make her feel.

Within five minutes she turned her chair back, looked at me and she said, smilingly, “Yes, let’s do it. I can give up the candy.” She was smiling and she was happy.

So long story short, with this young girl, we started her on [chewable] tryptophan [and it turned things around quickly].

You can read her entire story here on the blog – Rage, anxiety, cravings & insomnia in 11-year old girl with RAD/reactive attachment disorder: chewable tryptophan turns things around (she also went gluten-free and addressed low iron levels and the change was transformative.)

Some of the many advantages of tryptophan as a low-dose chewable

Here are some of the many advantages of tryptophan as a low-dose chewable:

The low dose is suitable for sensitive adults and pixie-dust folks (i.e. a small amount goes a long way)
It can be easily broken apart if an even lower dose works well
It’s pleasant tasting
It’s easy to have available to use on the go when traveling or out and about
The dose dose and taste is suitable for children and kids who are picky eaters
The dose dose and taste is suitable for older adults with dementia or Alzheimer’s, adults with special needs or Parkinson’s
One less capsule to swallow and more pleasant that tryptophan powder on the tongue
A good tool for doing the initial one-off trial to confirm low serotonin symptoms before embarking on titrating up to a higher dose of tryptophan

My personal experience with chewable tryptophan

Personally, I have used tryptophan over the years with much success. It’s helped me with sleep issues, the worry type of ruminating anxiety and PMS symptoms.

I also used it when I was grieving after my mom passed away and found it particularly helpful a few months after her passing when I’d start to feel more sad after dinner and go searching for sugar as a pick-up. It worked well because serotonin takes a dip later afternoon/evening.

Most of the time I’ve used 500mg and above – capsules opened and powder.

However I like to try what I recommend (if possible) so I have tried a few bottles of the previous formulation of the chewable tryptophan. It worked well and the taste and texture was pleasant. But because I do better on a higher dose I was needing to chew too many!

I have yet to try this new formulation myself but will report back as soon as I have had a chance to do so – on the taste, the texture and the effectiveness.

Positive feedback on the previous chewable tryptophan product

Until I get feedback on the new formulation, here is some general feedback from individuals in the community.

Jean is a practitioner who uses it herself and with patients:

It works within 15 minutes to stop looping thoughts/anxiety and the dose isn’t too sedating during the day. I never find it too sweet and wouldn’t let the taste keep me from such rapid relief.

I like the 100 mg chewable because it only has tryptophan and I didn’t want the other ingredients in the [Lidtke tryptophan] Complete for my needs.

I’ve had patients do well with tryptophan with the 100 mg chewable and others with the higher dose capsule.

Kelly likes the low 100mg dose compared to the 500mg capsules:

I purchased the adult pills and they were too strong. I was groggy in the morning.

Erin is also a practitioner and mom:

I have used this [the chewable tryptophan 100mg] with my 8 year old when he’s in a rage or showing signs of excessive worry and it works great! So glad it’s coming back. I recommend it to clients all the time.

Ali is also happy the chewable is coming back:

Great news!! I love the chewable and I prefer 100 mg early evening for anxiety and sleep. Sometimes 200mg but not often.

I appreciate them all sharing and hope to get updates from them when they try the new formulation.

Negative feedback on the new tryptophan chewable formulation

Update: June 14, 2025

Unfortunately, since publishing this blog and sharing on Facebook, the negative feedback has been coming in fast and furiously. Here is some of what people are sharing:

Melissa: “Love this company. I like that it’s chewable but it’s a large tablet and flavor is awful. Tastes like when you put maple syrup on a burnt pancake to try and cover up the burnt . I will finish the bottle though. I wish there were other chewable options, like GABA calm’s orange flavor.“
PS: “Revolting. Aftertaste like artificial sweetener. Smoother texture, last longer. Made me suspicious they were fake and I spat it out.“
Tamar: “I recently bought a few bottles of the maple sugar chewable. Taste is quite sweet and artificial, IMO. I don’t like chewing them because the product gets jammed in my teeth and stays there. I’ve been letting them dissolve, which takes a very long time.”

And these are comments from this blog:

Erin: “I was so excited to get this back, especially for my 8 year old son who has symptoms of ADHD rage. However, the new flavor is bitter and gets stuck in our teeth and now I can’t get him to take it!”
Nikki: “I got these about two weeks ago…. Truthfully I think it tastes horrible but that’s just me. Just unpleasant. Kind of sour and stale. They smell amazing but you get one in your mouth and it’s so hard to chew and swallow.”
Tara: “The new formulation of the Lidtke does taste horrible. Initially I thought oh this smells lovely, tried to have my daughter take it and she said ick mom. So I said ok let me try it and ICK was right, the sweetener was gross and it did have a stale taste. So unfortunate as I had hope for this to help my daughter dealing with a lot of fears, worry, upset stomach and negative self talk at 9 yo and rage and sugar cravings.”

As of now I am NOT recommending this product.

The good news is that Nikki emailed Lidtke and shared this: “I just got an email back from Lidtke. Her name was Jessica and she stated: So, I’ve talked to the owner and let him know how many people are complaining about this new formula. He told me he was not aware it was changed and we are having a new batch made using the old formula that everyone loves. Going to take a month maybe a little more but we are definitely having this fixed.”

I appreciate her for emailing them and sharing this update. I’ve been communicating with someone else at the company and was told they have no plans to make any changes so if this is true it’s really good news!

Stay tuned for further updates and please share your own feedback in the comments below.

Additional resources when you are new to using tryptophan and other amino acids as supplements

As always, I use the symptoms questionnaire to figure out if low serotonin or other neurotransmitter imbalances may be an issue.

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.

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.

We are also offering the Serotonin Quickstart Program, a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance and community support during 5 LIVE Q&A calls.

Wrapping up and your feedback

Now I’d love to hear from you – have you used the chewable tryptophan with success in the past? And how has it helped you or a loved one?

(once you try the new formulation I’d love to hear your feedback on taste, texture and effectiveness)

If you’re a practitioner have you used chewable tryptophan with your clients/patients?

Feel free to share and ask your questions below.