The short answer
L-tryptophan can increase subjective fatigue, but added sedation with clorazepate has not been established in people. Review concentrated supplements before combining them.
What this answer covers
Oral L-tryptophan supplements; normal protein-containing foods and L-5-HTP are different exposures.
- Supplement or preparation
- L-Tryptophan
- Medication ingredient
- clorazepate
What the human study found
In twenty men, a single tryptophan dose increased subjective fatigue and reduced self-rated alertness, while measured performance was not impaired. Clorazepate was not coadministered.
The albumin experiment was not a patient study
A laboratory experiment showed that tryptophan and dipotassium clorazepate compete for binding to human albumin. It did not measure sleepiness or drug effects in treated people.
The active metabolite changes the interpretation
Oral clorazepate rapidly becomes nordiazepam, leaving essentially no circulating parent drug. A binding experiment on the swallowed parent cannot establish an interaction with the active metabolite.
Review supplements without restricting ordinary food
Bring the supplement dose and other sleep ingredients for review. These studies do not justify restricting ordinary protein foods or promise protection from a fixed timing gap.
Evidence and practical considerations
Side effects & toxicity
Separate-dose fatigue findings and in vitro albumin binding do not establish exact-pair CNS depression.
- Exact scope
- Oral L-tryptophan supplements; normal protein-containing foods and L-5-HTP are different exposures. with Exact oral clorazepate dipotassium tablets. Rapid oral decarboxylation forms nordiazepam, with essentially no circulating parent; nordiazepam half-life about 40-50 hours. Human-serum-albumin binding of the swallowed parent is not an in vivo metabolite study. RxNorm IN 2353 relates to PIN 2607 dipotassium, matching the label.
- Medication form and route
- oral
- Timing or duration
- Source-specific single-dose, repeated-dose and observational exposures distinguished.
What remains uncertain
- No human co-use trial. The binding experiment tested parent clorazepate while oral treatment produces mainly circulating nordiazepam.
Factors that may matter: preparation and plant part; clinical indication; dose; other medicines; baseline alertness.
Read the supporting source summaries
Source 1: current product label
dailymed.nlm.nih.gov · Source check Sep 10, 2026
Population: Patients prescribed oral clorazepate.
Can impair alertness and coordination; other CNS depressants can increase impairment. Opioid combinations have a specific respiratory-depression warning. Dependence and withdrawal require supervised changes. Rapid oral decarboxylation forms nordiazepam, with essentially no circulating parent; nordiazepam half-life about 40-50 hours. Human-serum-albumin binding of the swallowed parent is not an in vivo metabolite study. RxNorm IN 2353 relates to PIN 2607 dipotassium, matching the label.
How this applies: Exact IN and labeled oral formulation; route, salt and metabolite distinctions retained.
No quantified risk for every herb or universal protective spacing interval. Opioid-specific evidence does not prove equal botanical respiratory risk.
Source 2: original human study
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov · Source check Sep 10, 2026
Population: Twenty men in a double-blind crossover study.
Tryptophan increased subjective fatigue and lowered self-rated vigor/alertness but did not impair measured performance.
How this applies: Exact exposures and preparation limitations apply; no untested dose or route equivalence.
No clorazepate coadministration; food-precursor biology does not establish dietary protein restrictions.
Source 3: original in vitro study
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov · Source check Sep 10, 2026
Population: Laboratory human-serum-albumin preparation, not treated people.
Competitive albumin binding demonstrated in vitro.
How this applies: Exact exposures and preparation limitations apply; no untested dose or route equivalence.
No sedation, circulating nordiazepam, oral pharmacokinetics or clinical outcome measured. Human albumin does not make this a human co-use trial.
Research assessment: · Open full citations ↗
Review and change history
- Publication status
- Published research summary
- Clinical review
- Not yet recorded
| Date | Update |
|---|---|
| Article prepared | |
| Current exact available claims adjudicated using original captures and explicit identity and comparator limits. | |
| Research summary published |
Article revision: bbb344cd24c1f72f
This guide brings together the evidence records used by our interaction checker. Each finding retains its own preparation limits, research date, and source summaries.
Full citations require verification. Reading this answer and the source summaries does not.
Taking other supplements or medications?
Use the checker to explore your other combinations. Ask a pharmacist to review the exact products, amounts and medical conditions in your complete list.
Open the interaction checkerInformation, not medical advice. Do not change prescribed treatment based on this guide.