Gaba

[Hkyrocks]

Anyone ever try gaba for anxiety? Did you get any side effect?

[Paxiled]

First, if you're on any drug such as benzos or neurontin that target GABA don't take this.  Second, GABA supplements don't usually cross the blood/brain barrier, so they don't usually work.  The best way to supplement for GABA, assuming you're not on medication that targets it, is to take the pseudo amino acid taurine and B6, which together with other co-factors make GABA in the body.  There are also many many relaxant herbs that target GABA at least in part -- a small list is kava, valerian, hops, and passionflower, but there are many more.  Passionflower is more systemic in action, while kava is the most like benzos but watch out for the standardized version if you have any liver problems.  I did try GABA supplements once and it made me more nervous, but everything has been weird for me since Paxil withdrawal.  I don't think it would do you any harm other than possibly wasting your money to try it.  By the way, when you tackle anxiety with natural means, you generally go after the whole body -- you wouldn't just go after GABA, you'd also go after serotonin and the adrenals and even the kidneys in Chinese medicine, do meditation, exercise, do therapy, change your diet, etc. -- the holistic approach.  

[Hkyrocks]

Thanks for the info!

[Twilajo33]

I have a doctor trying to put me in Paxil. I was on 6mg of Xanax daily for 7 years. My brain no longer produces the gaba it needs, hence the anxiety. 6mg made me lose memory but it never made me high. So I started taking neural balance twice daily and AdreCor with SaMe and have been taking some gaba . In In 16 months taking these , I am down to 2.5 of Xanax. So when I’m completely off Xanax I would like to continue you these but not sure what to take naturally for my serotonin issue! Would love some advice. Because My gut tells me not to take Paxil!! Any suggestions? Thank you

[Paxiled]

There are no guarantees with anything.  When you say your brain no longer produces the GABA it needs, how do you know this?  It's very unlikely to be true, in fact, though I'm not a medical expert, I don't think you'd be alive if that were true.  Your pain levels would be off the charts, as GABA also regulates the nerves, and you'd be having seizures constantly, something else GABA regulates.  I'm guessing you have plenty of GABA or the Xanax wouldn't work -- it targets your GABA receptors, after all.  Do know that SamE can be a good antidepressant for some people but it also very energizing, like a stimulating antidepressant, so it might increase anxiety and make sleeping harder.  Take care to see if that's happening.  Your anxiety is not likely due to any chemical causes unless, again, some doctor has found you're a medical anomaly, but in that case you wouldn't have been given Xanax because it needs the GABA in your body for it to work.  You would have been given GABA in some form that actually got to where you needed it, which supplements don't usually do.  You also don't have a serotonin issue.  There is no evidence serotonin has any more to causing anxiety than GABA levels.  Anxiety has no known chemical cause at this point in time, though it is thought to be connected to the amygdyla and the adrenals, but no evidence yet.  You hear a lot in this world, but most of it is from marketing by pharmaceutical companies, not evidence based.  Working on serotonin can make you feel less anxious, but not because it's causing it.  There are natural ways to work on serotonin, but whether it will work for you nobody knows just as nobody knows whether Paxil will work for you or not.  The body makes serotonin by using B6, Vitamin C, and tryptophan.  This in turn makes melatonin, which regulates sleep.  5-HTP is the main supplement used for trying to optimize serotonin production, but some other substances affect it as well, such as passionflower, though in lesser ways.  The best way to avoid meds is to solve the problem, which is hard to do, but therapy is the main way to do that.  If you stop thinking anxious thoughts, the problem is gone, but again, there's no guarantee it will work but it is the main way.  Some do it with spiritual practices, some just get better.  Sometimes it's caused by a physiological condition, such as thyroid problems, that doctors are very bad at looking for or finding, but that's not the majority of people.  I would say if you're functioning okay, try therapy and see if it works.  If you do want to take an ssri, leave Paxil for last.  Leave Effexor for last.  We know most people who take these have a very hard time stopping them, so don't start with them.  Best of luck.

[SassyLassie]

I tried Gaba, or should I say my naturopath had me try it. For me, it was a big mistake, it added to my anxiety attacks and brought them on. I guess everyone is different however. I am sadly one of those that anti-anxiety herbs or supplements work opposite on and drugs.....well forget it, I ended up in the ER when I took Paxil.