Supplements, L-Tryptophan 500 mg, Encourages Positive Mood*, Supports Relaxation*, 120 Veg Capsules

Great supplement for anyone that struggles with sleep and does not like or want to use prescription sleep medication.

I used to have panic attacks which I controlled, first with Ativan before switching to inositol (a vitamin that is required for the synthesis of serotonin). Eventually, the panic attacks seemed to go away and I stopped the inositol too. That worked for a good long while. But recently, my doctor was forced to take me off my medications for a short period. During this time, my panic attacks came back although in very mild form. Basically, I would find myself tensing up and breathing as if i'd exercised. It was simple to control them simply by lying down and relaxing. Still, I'm stubborn. I tried to supplement again with the inositol but it seemed to have no effect. After a few days, it almost seemed as if the problem might be getting worse. So a little reading: Tryptophan is the precursor amino acid that gets converted to serotonin. The primary organs that produce serotonin are 1) the gut and 2) the brain. In fact, the gut produces more serotonin than the brain. Almost all protein sources have goodly amounts of tryptophan with turkey at the top of this list. However, getting the tryptophan to the brain is a problem. There is a special transporter protein which I dub the train to the brain. The problem is tryptophan is the slowest to get on board. If you eat a high protein meal (turkey), all the other amino acids from the meat crowd on board faster and tryph never makes it on board. In addition, tryptophan absorption is increased if the body releases insulin. So the best way to absorb tryptophan is to eat a vegan meal with some vegetable that is naturally high in tryph (chickpeas or these capsules) along with some carbs. The other strategy if you eat meat is to crank the levels of tryph high, really really high. For this to work, you probably want to buy tryph in bulk and spoon in over your meat until you get a mound equal in size. And yes, supplementing does work. They ran one clinical trial with the vegan meal strategy and documented improvement in symptoms. After about 3 small vegan meals with crackers plus some inositol, my panic attacks subsided. It didn't work if I just did one or the other. Then I just tried supplementing with tryph plus inositol along with my nighttime snack and they haven't come back. After a while, my doctor put me back on my meds, but I keep the tryph because it's clear I'm not getting much into the brain through diet alone.

Love almost everything from Now Foods and this item was no exception. I highly recommend this brand.

Okay, so, I waited 3 weeks before reviewing. I wanted to see if L-Trptophan (I will call it "T" from here on in since it's shorter) worked, or even helped or did anything remotely positive towards helping me sleep better. what has not worked for me (keep in mind they may work for you): Valerian - did nada for me 5 -HTP - nada as well Catnip - supposed to be a sleep enhancer believe it or not - nope Passionflower - nope Kirkland sleeping aids - helped a wee bit but not enough Tylenol PM - ha ha..not a bit Alcohol - I really struggled with not using this to help me sleep - there were times when I would use wine but it became such a habit plus it altered my personality - please just don't...trust me Marijuana - I smoked the indica kind - supposed to help you sleep - all it did is make me think for 3 hours that my bones were uneven (is there such a concept?) anyway, I am open to perhaps the oils, I live in Vegas so it's legal here Worked: Magnesium - helps keep me regular but I don't think it helps me sleep Meditation - Yes, if I do it - esp. right before bed - it helps quiet my mind - I am working on doing it more Melatonin - yes, I take 10 mg at night now that I am on "T" - it's supposed to help with "T" Quitting my job and going back to school for what I love - helped A LOT but I still struggle with anxiety when I wake up during the night Walking - or any kind of exercise that gets you to move Quitting cigs - yes, they bring you comfort but they are a stimulant and we all know are bad for you Eating cleaner - yes, ice cream is fun and so are burgers but it takes a lot to digest and that can keep you awake and or give you a restless sleep Ear plugs/eye mask - cool room - no animals while you sleep (except maybe your absolute best fur baby but if they wake you up often - they go to). Tradazone - wonderful for about 3 months, then at 200 MG - it stopped working. Finally, Seroquel - at a high dose it's an anti-pyschotic but at a low dose it's been prescribed by doctors to help others sleep. This stuff is strong - I do not recommend it unless your (like I was) quality of life is so bad because of lack of sleep - even then - talk with your doctor Back to my insomnia - what's criminal (or should be) is that I do not sleep DEEPLY enough, AND it takes me like 1-3 hours to fall asleep (this is WITH Seroquel). I have spent MANY nights crying - like close to hysterics because I struggled so much with it. Of course my sleep was worse when I had to get up early and coupled withwhen I hated my job. (quit if you can - seriously). So, I have been on "T" for 3 weeks now, I will say the first week, I did not know what I was doing, I was taking "T" 4 or 5 x a day WITH food, without food etc. I think I was thinking more is more...it's not. I finally got the "TAKE WITHOUT FOOD" part and it started to work! When I say work, this does not mean I do not still take the seroquel - because I do but I take the "T" on an empty stomach about 3 X a day (meaning 2 capsules each time) which amounts to 3000 MG. My sleep is not only deeper but I do not wake up as much (I would wake up about 6X at nite...to go to the bathroom or just honestly get up because I was wide awake and was tired of tossing and turning). I slept a little under 7 hours the other day and normally? I'd be feeling really sick - I feel like I have the flu or worse if I don't sleep enough - not this time. I was FINE - not only fine but instead of feeling crummier as the day went on? I actually felt better. I really hope this stuff is the real deal. I left off ONE star because I want to update this (can I make this any longer of a review?) because this is very important to me - and I know it probably is to you - sleep is SO dang important! Most Americans do not get enough of it. Here's hoping this review helped you and that Tryptophan will help you too.

this product is AMAZING-I have purchase different teas and sleep tablets to help me fall asleep and stay asleep well one night the family was over and because of the laughing and playing and recalling old memories I did not take anything and because it was late pass 10 pm I could not drink my tea so the only thing left was the Tryptophan and wow I slept all night and I did not get up until 7 and I felt so good that I was able to get on with my usual activity -I recommend these pills for a good night sleep with few pills

I have suffered from clinical depression for decades and have benefited several years from SSRIs, especially Zoloft. But, I did not want to be on Zoloft if we got pregnant. (FYI, I had extremely horrible withdrawal symptoms when tapering off Zoloft. I wish I would have taken months to wean off instead of weeks.) Anyway, L-Tryptophan has been almost as, if not completely as effective as SSRIs! I am very pleased! My mind/body feel way more balanced on this than on nothing at all! I'm very thankful I gave it a shot! And, since I only need 500mg/day, I feel safe taking it if pregnant, especially knowing it's naturally occurring in many foods. Also, I tried several times taking it at night, as recommended, but I would wake up and have light sleep starting around 4am. So, taking it in the morning around 10am has been much better for me. It is supposedly most effective when taken with food because of the insulin production that aids in processing it. But, you are not supposed to take it with protein, because protein in foods compete with L-Tryptophan for being utilized by the body. The NOW brand is typically a cheaper line, so I was hesitant to use it for such an important supplement, but I'm thankful it seems to work just fine. Also, I highly recommend taking about 1,000mg/day of EPA if you suffer from depression. I love the Carlson Labs - Norwegian Elite Omega-3 Gems Fish Oils. They are a company I trust and have noticed improvement in my mood and sense of well being when I doubled the amount of EPA I was taking. I would rather not have to take meds/supplements to feel normal, but I am so thankful that brilliant people have discovered the benefits of these helpful items that God has provided us!

Very good product

I've tried this a few times, with breaks in between, hoping to get a better result each time. But it's just not working for me. Rather than calm anxiety, it makes me more jittery and nervous the next day -- and caused heart palpitations. Oddly, it kept me awake and didn't help me sleep. I suspect this is something that works if your body actually needs it, or works best in exactly the right doses. I followed the directions on the bottle, and even cut back the dose a couple times to see if that would help. But it didn't. I am usually pleased with NOW products, but this one isn't for me.