Clinical effects of tryptophan in chronic schizophrenic patients
Gillin, J.C.; Kaplan, J.A.; Wyatt, R.J.
Biological Psychiatry 11(5): 635-639
1976
ISSN/ISBN: 0006-3223 PMID: 786384 Document Number: 102251
L-trytophan was administered in high doses to 8 chronic undifferentiated schizophrenic mean (age 22-35). All patients had been ill for at least 2 yr and were relatively unresponsive to conventional psychopharmacologic treatment. Tryptophan did not significantly affect overall mean nurses' ratings of psychosis, depression, anxiety, hallucinations, or delusions. Significant changes, however, were observed in 4 of the patients. Tryptophan administration neither improves nor exacerbates the clinical condition of most chronic male schizophrenics. There were individual patients who became better or worse while receiving tryptophan, although the relative importance of tryptophan on long-term clinical trends cannot be determined. Since 5HTP [5-hydroxytryptophan] produced some clinical improvement in an earlier study, while L-tryptophan did not in the present study, 5HTP may not be producing its beneficial effects by increasing serotonergic activity.