tryptophan for anxiety

I have always been an anxious person but recently had some strong anxiety moments and did a bunch of research on the web and found that tryptophan supplements can help. I went to the food store and got some and have taken it for a few days and I am not sure but I think it helps.

Is it ok to take this for some time until I get settled ? Can you not take it long term - what the cons?
thanks

[JSGeare]

Here's the deal: trypto, found in poultry, cheese, and as a purified drug in finer department stores everywhere, acts to help your body produce more seratonin, which is a kind of "brain juice" that may induce or support a calmer feeling about things. It also helps you make niacin, of all things. You can google it and get all the details, just as you've done.

But what you need to keep in mind is that, as an amino acid, it is in competition with everything else to get plugged into your bodily processes. And that is why the actual delivery of the stuff from a turkey sub of Thanksgiving dinner may not be all it is cracked up to be.

The pros are that it might work. The cons are you won't know if it was the trypto or something else, and it could hurt you, maybe.

Spend the lousy $75 and run it by someone with a professional medical background like an actual doctor. Whether good news or bad, at least you'll know it is from someone who has reason to actually know what he's talking about. What outs him or her way above me and you.

Right?

Right!

[cnote]

I believe getting it from turkey is fine, but I've heard some wishy washy things about the pill form. I don't believe that the body knows how to properly break it down? They do say it makes you sleepy (the turkey that is)... but so does filling your stomach full on Thanksgiving.

I especially wouldn't take straight tryptophan if you are any antidepressants either.

[panicpete]

I found tryptophan supplements cured my depression, and helped my anxiety somewhat, but didn't 'cure' my anxiety. I would say it's worth trying.   I'm going to try taking Inositol also, see if that helps.

[Jennifer375]

Tryptophan might help,, i tried that and 5-htp,, both of them made me feel kinda too hyper/sensative after just a week though so Iv just come to accept that there is no pill thats going to help me get over this feeling.,, I pretty much left no stone unturned even considered even diving into different religions and such. I figured out who I was inside and that helped the most.. but Im not on anything now. I still have rough days which is why I hang out here. Helping others helps ourselves.

*bows in apprication*