L-theanine and Depression: What Users Say

• lif...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 24, 2020

For Dietary Supplementation "I write this as I was searching for adverse effects from l-theanine. Well, lo and behold, I see others on there have also experienced dizziness and strange symptoms. I currently take 1 mg of Klonopin and 50 mg of Zoloft daily. I decided to try 200 mg of l-theanine last night. My hands are still shaky as I type this almost 24 hours later. I was unable to leave my house today due to dizziness, exhaustion, depression, and anxiety. When I woke up last night to go to the bathroom, I felt like the room was spinning, and I awoke from a coma. I can only conclude that the l-theanine reduced my blood pressure to near zero. There were no indications that I could not take it with the medications I am on. Well, guess what? IT HAD A VERY BAD ONE! Those of you on medications, be very cautious!"

• Str...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 29, 2019

For Dietary Supplementation "At first, I noticed that my anxiety was decreasing while taking this, but as I continued to take it, I got extremely depressed and felt weird (my anxiety came back). My emotions were very scattered, and I don’t know if it was because of this supplement because I heard there’s not supposed to be any side effects. Regardless, I think I’m going to stop taking it."

• Pao...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 16, 2021

For Dietary Supplementation "Well, I tried l-theanine because I was taking ashwagandha, but I was still getting a little anxiety. The first day I started, I felt tingly and a little weak, but I thought maybe because it’s the first time, so I kept on taking it. By the third time, I started feeling a little sad for no reason, and then the fourth day I didn’t feel like that, but then the fifth day I felt negative again, and I wasn’t feeling like this with ashwagandha at all. So yeah, it’s not for everybody, so be careful."

• Joh...
• January 29, 2022

For Dietary Supplementation "Let’s be clear here: supplements like this have clearly helped some folks. I just happened to fall on the other side of things, and it needs to be shared. As with others, I had a good first few days, and then days 4 and 5 were something entirely different, with heightened anxiety and depression deeper than I have felt before (worsened existing depression). I only took 200 mg in the morning and 200 mg at night. The moral of the story is to start low and start slow and write down what is happening. Talk to someone before taking this, because it can sincerely mess you up. I am a slow metabolizer, and that may play a role in my experience, just not sure."

• Jen...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 5, 2019

"I also struggle with generalized anxiety disorder. It doesn’t usually disrupt my life in such a forceful way, luckily, but it does cause me issues with falling asleep and focusing at work. I tried taking 200 mgs at night and 100 mg in the morning, as suggested by several websites. I did this for almost two months, and I started feeling VERY depressed and had some really dark thoughts. While this does happen occasionally, it’s really usually only anxiety I struggle with. I decided to stop taking it to see what would happen; how could a supplement make me feel this way? Well, within a few days, this depression, borderline crippling dark feeling I had, totally disappeared. I took a month and tried again; smaller dose and tried a tea that also had it and experienced the same thing. Super strange... I think it’s worth a try, but monitor your moods."

• Syl...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 26, 2024

For Dietary Supplementation "I started taking L-Theanine for sleep. It worked well, associated with magnesium glycinate and chelate. I could sleep very well, but I started to be depressed and very anxious as soon as I woke up and during the day. I am normally a very happy and active person. So I had to stop taking it, and I went back to my happy mood."

• Rut...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 15, 2020

For Dietary Supplementation "This drug increased heart rate, felt sedative, and at the same time, more depressed and stressed."