5-HTP: Benefits, Side Effects, Best Time to Take It & More

5-HTP

(5-Hydroxytryptophan)

Evidence: Reasonable
Possible Benefits: High
Safety: Reasonable

What is 5-HTP?

5-HTP is a byproduct of L-tryptophan, one of 9 essential amino acids. It directly converts into serotonin, which can further turn into melatonin. As a supplement, 5-HTP is often used for improving sleep quality, mood, and cognition. This article is about the main benefits of 5-HTP, its potential side effects, the best time to take it, and more.

What does 5-HTP do for the body?

5-HTP is synthesized from an essential amino acid called L-tryptophan.

5-HTP acts as a precursor to serotonin in the body. Increased serotonin levels are responsible for most of the effects of the supplement.

Serotonin can convert into melatonin, which is why people often take 5-HTP to enhance sleep quality.

Possible benefits

It is important to note that all of the potential benefits mentioned below are dose-dependent. Generally, the higher the dose, the more pronounced the effects are. However, they do reach a plateau at a certain point. We will discuss the best dosing protocol later in this article.

Major benefits

Improved mood and well-being – The supplement supports emotional processing and healthy functional connectivity between the default mode network and emotion-related brain regions. This results in a calmer mood, improved well-being, and greater life satisfaction.
Improved social cognition – 5-HTP has been shown by multiple studies to support prosocial interactions and increase people’s motivation to socialize. Those who take the supplements also tend to be more empathetic, charitable, and altruistic.

Minor benefits

Reduced appetite – The supplement is fairly effective at suppressing appetite and reducing food cravings. Those who tend to overeat as a coping mechanism tend to eat less when they take 5-HTP.
Weight loss – This benefit is secondary to the reduction of appetite. If you take the supplement but eat the same amount of calories, it will not have a notable impact on your weight.
Improved sleep quality – 5-HTP helps synthesize serotonin, which can turn into melatonin at night. Those who take the supplement often have deeper and more restorative sleep. One study has also found that taking 5-HTP reduces sleep terrors. If you take the supplement to improve sleep quality, take it 30-60 minutes before bedtime.

Possible side effects

These side effects are dose-dependent. The risk for them increases (often linearly but sometimes exponentially) as you increase the dose. Some of the side effects only apply to very high doses.

Drowsiness
Stomach pain
Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Blurry vision
Serotonin syndrome – Fortunately, this effect is uncommon and shouldn’t happen unless you take over 100 mg/kg of body weight or if you combine the supplement with SSRIs or SNRIs.
Toxicity – While acute toxicity has never been reported, taking high amounts of 5-HTP could lead to chronic toxicity over time and cause some health problems. To prevent chronic toxicity, it is best to stay below 500 mg a day unless you have a great reason to take more.
Contamination – Contaminated supplements are uncommon in the USA and other well-regulated countries. However, if you wish to buy products from China, India, or other countries without strict regulations, beware that the supplements may be contaminated. Either way, you need to choose the brand you order from wisely. It is highly recommended to check the certificates or read through some reviews for the specific product before you buy it. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has the power to regulate dietary supplements but can only do so after they have been on the market for a while. That’s because supplement companies are not obligated to announce to the FDA when releasing a new product on the market. The FDA has to discover the product and test it for potential impurities, which can take a lot of time. During that time, the supplement can be sold on the market even if it’s impure. Also, supplement companies can change their manufacturers without announcing it to the FDA.

Who should not take 5-HTP?

You should probably avoid taking the supplement if you:

are willing to take L-tryptophan instead (it is safer and should lead to similar benefits, as well as additional benefits related to increased production of NAD+ molecules)
take SSRIs or SNRIs (the combination can lead to serotonin syndrome)
eat high amounts of protein from food (most whole foods contain at least some amount of each essential amino acid, including L-tryptophan, which means you should produce enough 5-HTP endogenously if you eat high amounts of protein)
experience a severe adverse reaction after taking the supplement
are on a tight supplement budget (since there are more cost-effective supplements on the market for most people)

Who will benefit the most?

You should consider taking the supplement if you:

consume very little protein (less than 0.3 grams/pound of body weight)
suffer from depression or generalized anxiety disorder
have insomnia or other sleep disorder
experience chronic pain
suffer from migraines
wish to reduce appetite and food cravings

How much 5-HTP should you take?

100-300 mg/d appears to be the best daily target for most people. This amount should provide most of the benefits without meaningful side effects.

Some people may benefit from doses higher than 300 mg/d. These include people with depression, chronic pain, migraines, and insomnia. In these cases, 500 mg/d is likely a better target.

The upper safety limit for 5-HTP is not well-established. To stay on the safe side, don’t take more than 500 mg daily unless you have a great reason to do so. Higher amounts may cause problems if you take the supplement for a prolonged period.

Food sources of 5-HTP

5-HTP doesn’t occur in food. However, our bodies can create 5-HTP from L-tryptophan, which is found in all whole foods that contain dietary protein.

The amount of L-tryptophan per gram of protein varies from food to food but a general rule of thumb is that the more protein you eat, the more tryptophan you are getting from food.

The easiest way to find out exactly how much L-tryptophan or other amino acids you are getting from food is with Cronometer.com. This free app allows you to track all vitamins, minerals, and more.

Best time to take 5-HTP

5-HTP is water-soluble, so you don’t have to take it with food to absorb it well. Taking the supplement with food is better if it causes stomach upset when you take it on an empty stomach. You should also take the supplement with food if you are trying to minimize food cravings and overeating.

To maximize cognitive and mood-enhancing benefits, take 5-HTP in the morning. If your goal is to improve sleep quality, take the supplement 30-60 minutes before bedtime.

Unless it feels too impractical, spread the daily dose into 2+ smaller doses throughout the day.

Interactions

Ginger
Ginger can counteract the effects of 5-HTP.
Serotonin-releasing drugs
Most phenethylamines and amphetamines should never be combined with 5-HTP. The combination can lead to serotonin syndrome. The same applies to other classes of drugs and pharmaceuticals that release serotonin.
SSRIs
Taking SSRIs together with 5-HTP may lead to serotonin syndrome. The same applies to some other groups of anti-depressants, such as SNRIs and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs).
Sedatives
5-HTP often acts as a mild sedative and can increase both the pleasant and unwanted effects of sedatives.
MAOIs
The combination can cause acute serotonin syndrome in rats. Whether or not the same can happen in humans is not yet clear.

Where to buy 5-HTP

Amazon is the best option for ordering 5-HTP supplements in most countries. They offer some very affordable products backed by many positive reviews. Also, you can choose from a wide range of brands without having to search through other markets on the internet.

Beware some brands display the dosage per serving instead of per pill or capsule. Therefore, you may accidentally buy something less potent than you intended. Do not fall for this marketing trick.

L-tryptophan vs. 5-HTP

L-tryptophan acts as a precursor to 5-HTP, which further converts into serotonin.

When you take tryptophan, the body gets to regulate how much 5-HTP to create from it. Taking 5-HTP overrides this regulatory process.

L-tryptophan is much safer in the long term. On the other hand, the effects of 5-HTP are usually more pronounced and do not seem to reach a plateau and diminishing returns at any dose.

Some of the tryptophan you take also goes to support other functions in the body, such as the creation of NAD+ molecules. This is especially the case if you take the supplement in the morning.

Unlike L-tryptophan, 5-HTP doesn’t directly improve exercise performance and power output. This effect is mostly due to increased NAD+ levels.

For most people, L-tryptophan is a better long-term strategy. It is wiser to choose this amino acid over 5-HTP unless you have a great reason to go for 5-HTP instead.

FAQ

While you can take the supplement daily, cycling off of it 2 days a week is likely a better strategy because it allows your body to stay sensitive to the supplement without developing notable tolerance.

All of these options are fine. The two most important things to consider are the price and dosing. Powders are almost always the cheapest form. However, you may need a highly accurate scale to dose them correctly (preferably 0.001g). You can get one for as little as $20 from Amazon. Dosing the powders also takes some time that can add up over months or years. The disadvantage of capsules is that they often contain bovine gelatin, which rarely comes from an ethical source.

Yes. If your goal is to enhance mood and cognition, taking this supplement in the morning is superior. However, taking 5-HTP before bed is better if you take it to improve sleep quality. 5-HTP absorbs and digests well if you take it before falling asleep.

This supplement should not become harmful once it exceeds the expiration date but can lose potency over time.

Keep the supplement in a cold, dark, and dry place, and it should remain just as potent for many months or even years.

While toxicity is rare, too much 5-HTP in the system can cause some health problems, often related to too much serotonin in the system. It is best to stay below 500 mg a day to prevent these side effects.

You may need more of this molecule if you:
– eat very little protein (less than 0.3 grams/pound of body weight)
– suffer from depression or generalized anxiety disorder
– have insomnia or other sleep disorder
– experience chronic pain
– suffer from migraines
– wish to reduce appetite and food cravings

5-HTP converts to serotonin very shortly after it enters the body.

You should notice the effects about an hour after you take the supplement.

You can easily find vegan-friendly 5-HTP supplements but always check the label to be sure. If you buy the supplement in a capsulated form, beware that the capsules often contain animal-based gelatin. Instead, find a brand that puts its products into cellulose capsules.

5-HTP is water-soluble, so you don’t have to take it with food to absorb it well.

While low doses may not break a fast, higher doses can. If you practice time-restricted eating, take this supplement during your eating window so it doesn’t break your fast.

References

Most of the information provided in this guide is supported by scientific research that can be found and verified in the PubMed medical library. We highly encourage you to use the library to verify anything said in this article. We excluded from consideration studies that are either confounded or have a high conflict of interest.

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