← The FormularyAfter hoursL-tryptophan
Also known as TryptophanA serotonin precursor. Read the interactions first.
Tryptophan sits one step further back than 5-HTP on the same road, and it carries the same warning: anything that raises serotonin should not be stacked with anything else that raises serotonin. That means no antidepressants, no tramadol, and not alongside our own 5-HTP product. At 100 mg in a sleep blend it is a supporting ingredient rather than the point, but the interaction rule does not scale down with the dose.
An essential amino acid from protein in food, and the raw material your body uses to make serotonin and then melatonin.
Converted to 5-HTP, then to serotonin, then to melatonin. Whether an oral dose meaningfully increases that output in a healthy adult is unsettled.
Feeds a pathway. Whether supplementing it changes sleep is not established.
Anyone taking nothing else serotonergic. If you are on an antidepressant, this is a hard no without a doctor.
As part of a nightly formula, not on its own.
Nothing perceptible on its own.
Grade B. Trials at 1 g and above show shorter time to sleep and better sleep quality in people who sleep poorly; the 100 mg blend dose sits well below that, which is why it is support rather than the headline. The serotonin syndrome risk from combining serotonergic agents is real and well documented, which is why the warning is written the way it is.
Read the labelSerotonergic. Never with SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs, tramadol or 5-HTP.
Evidence grades describe how well an ingredient is studied — A well-supported, C emerging — not a promise of results. Educational, not medical advice. Doses are typical ranges; follow the label on the product.