First, some very light background info that I think may be relevant. I'm a somewhat heavy drinker, a nightly cannabis user for insomnia and I take 3mg of melatonin as well.
L-Tryptophan
Well-documented
Well-documented
Multiple authoritative sources agree on dosing and effects.
- 4 corroborating sources
- 1 ROA with full dose ladder
- duration data present
- 19 combo interactions documented
- PubChem toxicity data
Well-documented
Multiple authoritative sources agree on dosing and effects.
- 4 corroborating sources
- 1 ROA with full dose ladder
- duration data present
- 19 combo interactions documented
- PubChem toxicity data
Aliases: 5-htp, Oxyfan, Telesol, Triptum, Levothym, 5htp, 5-hydroxytryptophan, tryptophan, oxitriptan
Summary
L-Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, meaning the human body does not produce it naturally, but is required for the body's healthy functioning. L-Tryptophan is present in a wide range of foods including beans, nuts, milk, and poultry. L-Tryptophan is a precursor to 5-HTP (which is a precursor to serotonin) and is sold as a sleep aid and mood enhancer.
Dose Information
| ROA | Light | Common | Strong | Heavy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral | 50-100mg | 100-300mg | 300-500mg | 500mg+ |
Light
Common
Strong
Heavy
Onset, Duration & After-effects
| ROA | Onset | Peak | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral | 30-60 min | 4-6 hrs | 4-6 hrs |
Effect Profile
101 reportsScores (1–10) curated from multiple sources:
- Effect keyword matching from PsychonautWiki catalog
- Validated against 101 Erowid trip reports
- Weighted by importance: core (×3), major (×2), minor (×1)
Opioid
3.9
Moderate
4/10
Strong itching/nausea and sedation with moderate euphoria
Euphoria / Warmth
×3
6
cognitive euphoria
Analgesia
×2
0
Sedation / Relaxation
×1
8
sedation
dream potentiation
Itching / Nausea
×1
9
nausea
Based on reports from:
Tolerance
Build-up
develops within days of regular use; analgesic tolerance faster than respiratory depression tolerance
Reset
7–14 days for partial reset; full reset may take weeks — tolerance loss greatly increases overdose risk
Tolerance Decay
Full tolerance
1d
Half tolerance
21d
Baseline
~35d
Acute tolerance: develops within a single session — the reset numbers above apply after sustained heavy use, not after one binge. Within-session tachyphylaxis usually resets largely overnight.
Effects
Aggregated from 101 Erowid experience reports
Positive Effects 12
Anxiety Suppression
38.6%
70%
Stimulation
33.7%
70%
Euphoria
32.7%
70%
Sedation
32.7%
70%
Tactile Enhancement
21.8%
70%
Color Enhancement
19.8%
70%
Empathy
19.8%
70%
Music Enhancement
16.8%
70%
Focus Enhancement
16.8%
70%
Body High
9.9%
70%
Introspection
8.9%
70%
Creativity Enhancement
4.0%
70%
Adverse Effects 10
Nausea
29.7%
70%
Confusion
19.8%
70%
Sweating
11.9%
70%
Headache
7.9%
70%
Increased Heart Rate
7.9%
70%
Memory Suppression
7.9%
70%
Jaw Clenching
6.9%
70%
Muscle Tension
5.9%
70%
Motor Impairment
5.0%
70%
Seizure
3.0%
70%
Combinations
Cross-Check L-Tryptophan with another substanceCommunity Trip Reports
Anecdotal first-person accounts from Reddit, Erowid, and Bluelight. Click a source to expand. Reports are harm-reduction context, not medical guidance.
Erowid 8 reports 1 positive 5 neutral 2 cautionary visit
I bought the bottle for about $20 at Walgreens. The brand is Nature's Bounty, Maximum Strength 5-HTP, Fast Acting, L-5-Hydroxytryptophan, 'Supports a Calm & Relaxed Mood'. The capsules are 200 mg each.
After reading much about it and being able to get 7 pills for free, 5-HTP was going to be my next drug experiment. I'm 6'3, weigh around 177lbs. Day 1: Took it during the night, got kinda drowsy, stomach upset because I hadn't eaten before taking it.
5-HTP daily 100mg first ~10 days 5-HTP daily 200mg next ~20 days 1,4 BDO 1.5ml Beer 330ml Coffee daily 9-15 grams ground I did my homework on 5-HTP. It seemed to be an alternative to antidepressants, and reading how SSRIs arent really selective pure serotonin sounded like a good deal.
My First week at college I went to a pretty cool off-campus party. Lots of beer, negligble weed, and one stoner with a bottle of 5-htp. Backtracking a little. This was the first week of college. I was very involved in mdma especially this last summer.
To get the pharmacalogically important info out of the way, at the time of my first recreational 5-HTP experience, I was 14, about 6' 2' (probably a little shorter), about 200 lbs, and had smoked pot and done vicodin previously. I had previous experience with 5-HTP as a mood lifter, and it worked admirably at that.
My names Dylan, Im a nineteen-year-old male, and live in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I weigh 135lbs, am 58, and my hobbys are: going to the gym a couple times a week, hanging out with friends, beat-boxing, writing, free-styling, and writing poetry. I used to believe depression was a part of my character.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION I am a 19 year old male and have no physical health issues or abnormalities to note other than the fact that I have mild autism (It would now be known as ASD; I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome 13 years ago in 2007, but I hear its pretty much an antiquated diagnosis.) I have insomnia, anxi...
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