I just bought NOW enteric coated P5P 50 mg. The instructions say to take it before a meal, but I find it hard to follow that for my teenage son with tics during the school week. Within 10 minutes of waking up for school, he's ready for breakfast. As soon as he comes home, he's ready to eat...and I would be nuts to think he would wake up earlier to swallow a pill. I might be able to give it to him in the evenings, but again, it seems like he's snacking after dinner till bedtime.

How bad is it to take P5P with food?

This is what I give my son.

15 minutes after waking up (with breakfast):
1 tsp natural calm
1/4 tsp NOW taurine powder 1000mg (just started today)
1/4 tsp Jarrows inositol powder (may discontinue when I run out)
1 capsule CVR magnesium taurate
1/4 tablet Natrol 5htp (25mg 12 hour release)
1/4 cup raw and roasted shelled pumpkin seeds from trader joes for mag.
1 gummy multi vitamin and gummy omega
1 p5p (haven't started this yet-hope to boost the magnesium effectiveness)

Evenings:
1 tsp natural calm
gummy omega
1/4 tablet 5htp
more pumpkin seeds

Our hope is to alleviate the tics during 8am-4pm, when he's at school. He doesn't tic much when he's at home.

Should he take more supplements in the evening, in hopes that it gets absorbed and works then during 8-4pm. Or is it best to give to him at 7am?

I was hoping to split the P5P am/pm, but with the enteric coating, I thought that would defeat the purpose.

My son doesn't even know that I put the 3 powders in his OJ in the mornings. He is willing to take some supplements and eat pumpkin seeds to reduce his tics, but still laments about taking "pills like an old man". He was on vitamin shoppe mag citrate for a while, but I had to cut the pills into 3, so switched to the Calm and Mag Taurate recently.

I would love feedback on how to best give the supplements for optimal absorption and effectiveness during the school hours.

I'm considering stopping the 5htp and trying SAM-e 200mg. My son isn't outright depressed, but he's a quiet kid and doesn't display much enthusiasm/happiness. When he saw the bottle of 5htp for "mood enhancement", he was very willing to take it, so I know he considers himself a bit down too. But I read SAM-e also needs to be taken on an empty stomach, so that may be an issue too.

I could give him the P5P on weekends before breakfast, and maybe again just on Wednesday. Does P5P stay in your body, or does it flush out? Sorry I'm just thinking outload.

Thanks so much for any help and advice.