Calming GABA, tryptophan to relinquish the evening bottle of red wine, theanine for focus and the pyroluria protocol

I’m 61 years old postmenopausal. 2 GABA Calm under my tongue the second my eyes open in the morning. I keep it at the bedside. So that’s 250mg.

In the beginning I would also use two if I woke up at 2AM with a panic attack. That doesn’t happen as much anymore. I keep a bottle in my purse for panic attacks during the day. I haven’t had one of those in a couple of years. When I have a low stress week ahead, such as no social interaction scheduled, I go several days without any, but then that clutch in my chest reminds me to start back.

I also am diligent in treating my Pyroluria (diagnosed with a urine test)…it makes a difference. Daily zinc, B vitamins (especially 15mg methylfolate/day – check out the research papers on that dose being as effective as most antidepressants, I’m heterozygous not homozygous, MTHFR), Magnesium Threonate.

I am having good results with 1000 mg L-Tryptophan/day. I’ve just started adding another 1000mg/day in a bid to relinquish my evening bottle of red wine.

I keep a bottle of L-theanine on hand if I have a day ahead that I need to focus. ADHD does not improve with age!! I seriously liked it better in my day when my third-grade teacher labeled me a “dreamer”. Fortunately, I live on a farm and the cows don’t seem to mind that it takes me a bit to focus long enough to get the chores done.

I also have a regular yoga practice and I do physical work outside and in the winter use a SAD light.

I will also add that the last 8 months I have been in a very stressful family situation at home and the above regimen is holding.

If anyone has stuck with this wandering post to the end, don’t give up. Keep fighting to find what works for you.

Jennifer responded with the above in response to my question on Facebook about your starting GABA dose and if it’s changed over the years based on stress levels, hormone changes and life events.

I thanked her for sharing and for her encouraging words for others in the community and asked if I could share her feedback as a blog. She said yes saying “I have learned so very much from the stories of others on the page” – so here we are …

Stories offer hope, motivation and inspiration and we do learn so much from them.

I also told her that she is a poster child for how we want to use GABA and share more about that and her desire to relinquish her bottle of wine (and how amino acids make it easier) below.

She is a poster child for how we want to use GABA

Initially a higher dose of GABA may be needed and then as GABA levels increase and we also start to address other underlying root causes, less GABA is needed on a regular basis.

Initially Jennifer needed 4 x GABA Calm (for a total of 400mg/day) and then just 250mg GABA per day once she addressed pyroluria and B vitamin deficiencies. Yoga also supports GABA production.

On some low-stress days she doesn’t need any GABA at all, but she wisely keeps some in her purse for “panic attacks during the day” (but hasn’t had one in a couple of years).

She had struggled with perimenopause: “I must say that postmenopausal is a hell of a lot better, even with the paper thin skin and wrinkles, than the hell that was perimenopause!!!!”

And she did mention her phenyl-GABA mistake/ignorance and the fact that I helped her identify this issue 5 years ago. If you’re not aware, phenyl-GABA or phenibut can cause similar tolerance, dependence and discontinuation issues to benzodiazepines. More on phenibut here.

All of the above very likely contributed to her higher need for GABA initially.

Additional serotonin support to relinquish her evening bottle of red wine

Jennifer is already supporting her serotonin with 1000mg tryptophan per day, a SAD light in winter and physical exercise on the farm.

Afternoon and evening cravings are common when serotonin isn’t optimal – this can be carb/sugar cravings and/or also a need to self-medicate with wine. The first step is to recognize and acknowledge that a bottle of wine each evening is too much.

This amount of alcohol affects the liver, contributes to leaky gut, can cause blood sugar swings and reduces B vitamins, especially thiamine/vitamin B3. And it could also be considered an added “stress” if you have pyroluria.

Most of us are aware of these harmful effects and yet cannot easily quit. Her use of the word relinquish is a clue as to how she feels about this i.e. some common synonyms of relinquish are “abandon, resign, surrender” which “may suggest some regret, reluctance, or weakness.”

But because she understands the power of amino acids, she plans to increase her tryptophan from 1000mg to 2000mg to address this addiction without the need for willpower or with no feelings of regret or surrender.

If you are new to using this tryptophan for this purpose, this blog is worth reading: Tryptophan had the added benefit of turning me completely off alcohol when I took it to improve mood and sleep during perimenopause

Theanine for when she needs additional focus

Theanine provides a feeling of calm focus, offering support for the following neurotransmitters: GABA, serotonin and dopamine.

Jennifer also uses 400mg of theanine (Suntheanine) for her focus issues, using it only on days she needs it. She says “I rarely have a day when I would need more than 3-4 hours of paperwork concentration as my life on the farm and keeping up with grandchildren is more physical than mental focus.”

Now that she has used GABA, tryptophan and theanine with success, she has these amino acids in her toolbox whenever she needs them in the future and when she needs to increase the dose if the situation requires a change.

A few GABA product options  – a sublingual and a powder

Jennifer used Source Naturals GABA Calm lozenges, a product I recommend. It’s a good low dose of 125 mg and is convenient and effective because it’s a sublingual lozenge.

Now GABA Powder is another product I use and recommend. It does need to be measured out to provide a 125 mg typical starting dose. I have clients use a handy mini measuring spoon like this one (my Amazon link) and share more about how to measure out GABA powder on this blog).

For Source Naturals GABA Calm lozenges and Now GABA Powder:

• You can purchase these from my online store (Fullscript – only available to US customers – use this link to set up an account).
• If you’re not in the US, you can purchase these at iherb (use this link to save 5%).

Additional resources when you are new to using GABA, tryptophan and other amino acids as supplements

As always, I use the symptoms questionnaire to figure out if low GABA, low serotonin or other neurotransmitter imbalances may be an issue.

If you suspect low levels of any of the neurotransmitters and do not yet have my book, The Antianxiety Food Solution – How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood, and End Cravings, I highly recommend getting it and reading it before jumping in and using amino acids on your own so you are knowledgeable. And be sure to share it with the practitioner/health team you or your loved one is working with.

There is an entire chapter on the amino acids and they are discussed throughout the book in the sections on gut health, gluten, blood sugar control (this is covered in an entire chapter too), sugar cravings, anxiety and mood issues.

The book doesn’t include product names (per the publisher’s request) so this blog, The Antianxiety Food Solution Amino Acid and Pyroluria Supplements, lists the amino acids that I use with my individual clients and those in my group programs.

If, after reading this blog and my book, you don’t feel comfortable figuring things out on your own (i.e. doing the symptoms questionnaire and respective amino acids trials), a good place to get help is the GABA QuickStart Program (if you have low GABA symptoms). This is a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance and community support.

If you are a practitioner, join us in The Balancing Neurotransmitters: the Fundamentals program. This is also a paid online/virtual program with an opportunity to interact with me and other practitioners who are also using the amino acids.

Wrapping up and your feedback

I appreciate Jennifer for sharing and giving me permission to share her story on the blog. Despite the wine and her very stressful family situation I am thrilled she says she is doing well. I also love that she ends with this: “… don’t give up. Keep fighting to find what works for you.”

I’d love to hear from you – has any of this worked for you?

Feel free to share about your GABA success and how much it helps you and if this has changed over time. And let us know what you feel has contributed to the need for less or more GABA i.e. which other root causes have you addressed?

Feel free to share if tryptophan (or another amino acid) has helped with quitting wine or another alcoholic beverage.

And do share if you use theanine for calm focus.

Feel free to share and ask your questions below.