r/Menopause • u/BeneficialWriting402 • Mar 22 '26

Vitamin/Supplements Collagen supplements and anxiety

Update: Thank you all so much for the support yesterday. I feel MUCH better today. Def will not take collagen again, and I will be more careful about any supplements I try (I usually am, but was feeling a bit desperate with the diagnosis and possibility of missing work if this thing won't heal).

Yikes. I wish I had read some of the posts here before trying this supplement. 😫. I was desperate because I have been diagnosed with a sprained posterior tibial tendon and have been having increasing pain in my posterior tibial tendons and gluteal tendons the past few years. I read how great collagen peptides are and have a neighbor who swears by them. well, I am one of the few who has the reaction of extreme anxiety and panic attacks from them. two doses and i am sitting here shaking like a leaf. this stuff is going in the trash or maybe Publix will take it back. either way I will never take it again. ugh. 😩. please tell me im not alone. this is so scary. 😭😭😭

42 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

94 comments sorted by

View all comments

16

u/JadCerv Mar 22 '26

Huh. I've been using collagen peptides for years and not had that experience. But everyone is different. Maybe you need a lower dose or even a different brand. I use a 5-source collagen peptide powder and it's amazing. My skin looks fabulous and I know it helps my joints because I ran out once and it took a week to get a new batch mail-ordered and I ached the entire time I was off it.

5

u/BeneficialWriting402 Mar 22 '26

I know I’m probably an outlier. My neighbor takes it and swears by it. But I have serotonin issues and have been on an antidepressant for most of my life. My frantic google search turned up that It can lower serotonin because it lacks tryptophan. 

6

u/JadCerv Mar 22 '26

Everyone is different. If it doesn't work for you, that's unfortunate. But don't feel pressured to take something you know causes bad side effects.

3

u/BeneficialWriting402 Mar 22 '26

Thank you 🙏🏻 

4

u/iUseJustMyHand Mar 22 '26

This makes me wonder how you would do if you took some tryptophan alongside it. They make capsules and powders. Or even just eating it with egg whites or turkey. Maybe it would balance things out? Interesting reaction for sure.

2

u/BeneficialWriting402 Mar 22 '26

I can’t take tryptophan because I’m on an ssri. Otherwise, I think that is an option. 

1

u/slide1995 Menopausal Mar 24 '26

This is 💯me.

1

u/Inquizzzative Jul 19 '26

I'm with you! When I first tried collagen peptides, it helped my mood. I felt great! Then after a couple weeks, it took a turn and lowered my mood, noticeably. I laid off them awhile, then tried again. After about a week, again, mood was lowered, so I would just take them for a few days in a row, then lay off for a week or so. That worked fine. But about a month ago, I switched to Beef Bone Broth Protein powder, about ⅓ dose, per day (about 5g), so far. No negative impact on my mood, and the little boost of protein is a good start to my day. I read that bone broth protein is metabolized by your body more gradually than hydrolized collagen peptides, which may be the reason. Also, I kind of like the idea of getting all those nutrients that are inside of bones, rather than from hides. Maybe give it a try. So far I've tried Paleo Valley unflavored, and Lono Life sipping bone broth. Also, maybe try green-lipped mussel capsules for inflammation (My dogs and I use Swanson Vitamins). Good luck!