• Mood related symptoms: low mood, irritability or emotional fluctuations.
• Anxiety or stress symptoms: persistent worry, tension or restlessness.
• Sleep disturbances: difficulty falling asleep, poor sleep quality or early waking.
• Fatigue patterns: persistent tiredness, low stamina or reduced motivation.
• Cognitive changes: reduced focus, memory issues or mental fog.
• Attention related concerns: challenges with concentration or hyperactivity traits.
• Appetite or craving patterns: loss of appetite, increased cravings or difficulty regulating intake.
• Impulse or behaviour concerns: compulsive tendencies or difficulty managing urges.
• Libido or sexual function concerns: reduced desire or performance difficulties.
• Symptoms linked with adrenal function: feeling overwhelmed or experiencing variable stress tolerance.

Overview

The Comprehensive Neurotransmitter Profile measures an extensive range of neurotransmitters and their metabolites through a urine sample, offering practitioners a detailed view of multiple neurochemical pathways. The panel includes markers associated with excitatory and inhibitory balance, catecholamine metabolism, serotonin turnover and key amino acid precursors. By combining neurotransmitters with their downstream metabolites, the profile highlights both production and breakdown patterns across several interconnected pathways.

Clinically, this assessment may be relevant when exploring symptoms related to mood regulation, stress responses, sleep quality, cognitive function, energy patterns, attention difficulties, appetite regulation or behavioural tendencies. The breadth of markers can help practitioners identify whether particular pathways appear overactive, underactive or imbalanced, and provide additional context when symptoms are complex or multifactorial.

Practitioners often interpret these findings alongside hormone profiles, lifestyle factors, nutritional intake and health history to build a fuller picture of neurochemical influences. Used this way, the Comprehensive Neurotransmitter Profile can support personalised discussions and guide strategies that align with a client’s wider functional assessment.

Practical

Sample required:

Urine

Average processing time:

21 days

Best Practices for Specimen Collection

2 days before and during collection: Avoid avocados, eggplant, tomatoes, bananas, melons, pineapple, grapefruit, plums, fruit juice, nuts, nut butters, wine, cheese, rice, and chocolate

1 day before and during collection: Avoid strenuous exercise, alcohol, caffeinated beverages, and nicotine products. On the day before and during testing, it is recommended to avoid all supplements and medications until after all samples have been collected (including those that regulate allergy, mood, sleep, pain and inflammation.) Never discontinue prescription medications without consulting your physician.

For patients on psychoactive medications (i.e., SSRIs, benzodiazepines, etc.):

• Many medications can be stopped for the purposes of testing, but psychoactive medications are handled differently. Psychoactive medications should not be stopped suddenly and should be continued as usual the day before collection to ensure results reflect neurotransmitter levels under the influence of these medications. On the day of collection, be sure to take any morning medication doses after the first morning urine collection. (Timing of medication dosing does not need to be adjusted if collecting a 24-hour urine sample.)

• For medications prescribed on an as-needed (prn) basis (i.e., certain anxiety medications): Try to collect urine as far from the last dose of prn prescriptions as possible.

• If tapering off psychoactive medications: Testing can be done during this process to help guide amino acid and co-factor therapy to assist with this transition. Please collect urine between tapered doses - i.e., if one takes medication every other day, test on the day following medication use.

• To test endogenous (levels without the influence of supplements) neurotransmitter levels: It is recommended to wait 6-8 weeks after discontinuing psychoactive meds to test endogenous neurotransmitter levels.

For patients on amino acid or melatonin supplementation:

To test endogenous levels away from the influence of supplements: 

• Because amino acids metabolize at different rates and melatonin can convert into serotonin, both amino acid and melatonin supplementation need to be avoided for at least one week prior to spot urine collection. It is also recommended to avoid supplements throughout the day when performing a 24-hour urine collection.

To test therapeutic levels (to see how supplementation is impacting neurotransmitters):

• Make sure you have been taking supplements daily leading up to collection.

• Ensure at least a 24-hour dosage interval between last dose and time of urine collection. Supplementation can be resumed after AM collection. For a 24-hour urine collection, supplementation should be paused until the collection is completed. 

• Note: It may take 6 months or longer to see improvements in neurotransmitter levels with amino acid and cofactor treatment, whereas symptoms may start to improve as soon as weeks into therapy. Lifestyle and dietary changes are often necessary, along with amino acid and cofactor support, to establish and maintain optimal neurotransmitter balance.

For patients who use recreational substances:

To test endogenous levels away from the influence of substances:

• Ask your provider how long to avoid recreational substances prior to urine collection. Typically, it takes 5 to 7 half-lives for a substance to be eliminated from the blood. 

To test neurotransmitters with current substance use:

• It is recommended to test neurotransmitters as far from the last use as possible. If recreational substance use is infrequent, please check with your provider to determine the best day to test.