Do tryptophan supplements increases serotonin levels in the brain? Should I consume them and will they help in case of anxiety disorder?

Question

Hi! tryptophan is not necessary to increase your serotonin level since you are too young there would be mood swings, which is quite normal to everyone at this age to experience the same, there are various other ways to stabilize your mood like physical activity, yoga including meditation and music which will naturally help to increase your serotonin level and also intake of mood booster vegetables and fruits such as bananas and chocolates will help to increase the same, and still if you want to take trytophan do consult with the psychiatrist for the same. Take care .be safe.

M Sri Vidhya Venkatesan · Accepted Answer

Hi! tryptophan is not necessary to increase your serotonin level since you are too young there would be mood swings, which is quite normal to everyone at this age to experience the same, there are various other ways to stabilize your mood like physical activity, yoga including meditation and music which will naturally help to increase your serotonin level and also intake of mood booster vegetables and fruits such as bananas and chocolates will help to increase the same, and still if you want to take trytophan do consult with the psychiatrist for the same. Take care .be safe.

P K Sukumaran · Answer

Yes.

Nisheet M Patel · Answer

Yes. They can help you for reduction of anxiety.

Gaurav Aggarwal · Answer

There are 2 possible scenarios. 1 is you have low tryptophan level in brain. In that case taking tryptophan will help. But along with that you would also have to take ssri to work. Because just tryptophan depletion is not the only cause for anxiety or depressive symptoms 2 is you have normal amount of tryptophan. In that case only antidepressant is needed as there is no routine test for calculating tryptophan concentration in brain. It is advised to every patient whose diet is not up to the mark to take foods which are rich in tryptophan like milk, dry fruits, banana, fish etc. Hope I answered your question.

Sabir Hasan Farooqui · Answer

Milk. Whole milk is one of the largest sources of�tryptophan, including 732 milligrams per quart. Canned tuna. Canned tuna is another good source of�tryptophan, including 472 milligrams per ounce. Turkey and chicken. Oats..cheese. Nuts and seeds.