ADHD

The marketing of Risperdal and how atypical antipsychotics became a multi-billion-dollar industry – a shockingly eye-opening article!

August 22, 2025 By Trudy Scott 2 Comments

Even though I’m very aware this happens, this shockingly eye-opening article by Lydia Green is the best explanation I’ve heard….

I didn’t set out to shape the field of psychiatry. I was just a copywriter working in pharmaceutical advertising. But over time, I found myself at the center of a campaign that would help transform how mental illness—and its treatment—are understood in the U.S. This is the story of how we marketed one drug, Risperdal, and how that effort helped turn atypical antipsychotics into a multi-billion-dollar industry.

If you’ve ever wondered how this powerful class of drugs ended up being prescribed for everything from adolescent mood swings to agitated nursing home patients, you’re not alone. The rise of atypical antipsychotics was a business and marketing phenomenon—driven in part by a wave of pharmaceutical mergers in the 1990s. First introduced for schizophrenia, atypical antipsychotics were promoted as more effective and safer than older drugs like Haldol or Thorazine.

While journalists and regulators have addressed this issue, I want to share my memories of marketing Risperdal—the first widely prescribed atypical antipsychotic. This is the story of how we promoted Risperdal not just as a medication, but as a revolution in psychiatric care. It’s also the story of how we redefined schizophrenia, rewrote the safety narrative of antipsychotics, and helped drive one of the most successful (and concerning) pharmaceutical launches in history.

It was also my first realization of the immense power marketers have to shape their version of the truth—and how I eventually came to question the very system I helped build.

This is an excerpt from the excellent article recently published on the Mad in America site. We all need to be aware what happened with this medication and is still happening. It’s so wrong and is just heart-breaking to think how individuals and their families were manipulated and impacted. Unfortunately it’s very likely also happening with many other block-buster medications too – like Ozempic (for weight-loss), Evenity (for osteoporosis) and more.

In this blog, I share stories from social workers and psychologists who were working in the field at time, the overprescribing of atypical antipsychotics to children and teens in the mid-1990s and now, and the powerful effects of tryptophan, GABA, other nutrients and diet for anxiety, agitation, rage and sleep issues in autism, dementia and ADHD.

You can read the full article here – Confessions of an Ad Writer: How I Helped Turn Atypical Antipsychotics into a Billion-Dollar Industry.

Be sure to read some of the many comments from individuals and families who bore the brunt of this. It’s heartbreaking.

Stories from individuals who were working in the trenches at the time

I shared this article on Facebook and here is some of the feedback I received from the community. Laura Ann’s response:

Thank you for sharing this article. I can remember when I was fresh out of my grad social work program and was working in child psychiatry at the University of Maryland, our docs were pushing this drug for young children with ADHD and conduct disorder. Unbelievable! These companies and their executives should be criminally prosecuted.

We tend to think of these scandals as something that happened but aren’t currently happening. I think we will be reading similar articles about GLP-1’s.

I appreciate her for sharing what she was seeing as a social worker at the time. This is so sad and so wrong. I agree that these companies should be prosecuted. Instead they pay massive fines which are part of their marketing and just-doing-business budget, and continue as before.

Unfortunately Laura Ann is spot on, as much of this continues with Risperdal and other psychiatric meds and it’s already happening with GLP-1s. I share more on this below.

Elizabeth Mary’s response:

Just reading your post gave me chills and made my stomach turn. I worked with folks with developmental disabilities during this time period, I had for years! I watched as the antipsychotics and various psych meds infiltrated the group homes and joined a team of co-workers to fight it. We lost. It was disgusting. And I had no idea all this was happening in the background

My heart breaks for these individuals and their families. Bravo to her for trying to fight it and I appreciate her for sharing what she saw happening.

And this feedback from someone else in the community:

This drug was pushed on individuals with ASD (autism spectrum disorder)! Probably still is! Very sad!

I am a retired psychologist who worked primarily with individuals with developmental disabilities. I saw it all the time. The “medical model” was used a lot, meaning many saw psychiatrists and/or PCPs (primary care providers) who prescribed these meds. It has a long history.

Overprescribing of atypical antipsychotics and other psychiatric medications to children and teens – then and now

As mentioned above, I’ve been aware for some time that there is overprescribing of psychiatric medications to children and teens. In one of my interviews on an Anxiety Summit, “Psychiatric Medications in Children and Teens” with Dr. Nicole Beurkens, we discuss these results from this 2019 paper, Current Pattern of Psychiatric Comorbidity and Psychotropic Drug Prescription in Child and Adolescent Patients:

Our study indicates that the rate of presentation to child and adolescent psychiatry outpatient clinics is increasing, and rates of diagnosis and initiation of psychiatry drugs are high among the presented children.
The prevalence of ADHD shows an increase in males and females in our country, and psychiatric polypharmacy (multiple medications) has reached significant rates.

Keep in mind that Lydia Green shared her marketing work began in the mid-1990s, about 25 years before the above paper was published.

Unfortunately not much has changed. This 2025 paper from Swedish authors reports that the “number of prescriptions to children aged 5-17 years has increased” and that “most prescribed drugs were risperidone [Risperdal] and aripiprazole.”

This 2025 paper report that in a group of Australian children with intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder and cerebral palsy, “risperidone was the most prescribed antipsychotic medication” and it was often prescribed off-label.

Similar increases in antipsychotic prescriptions are also reported in children and teens in Israel in 2025. The list of papers goes on and on and there are similar papers for dementia and other conditions.

There are versions of this story about a lot of diseases: osteoporosis is another one

Melissa’s response to the Risperdal article was this: “Makes you wonder about therapies they are pushing today.” It’s creating awareness which is what we need and she is asking a great question. Yes – there are many versions of this story about other medications.

Here is a perfect quote from this 2009 article: How A Bone Disease Grew To Fit The Prescription

There’s a powerful economic incentive for pharmaceutical firms to expand the boundaries of the use of different therapies. So whether you consider treatments for osteoporosis or treatments for depression or treatments for high cholesterol — in all of these settings — pharmaceutical firms stand to benefit if the therapies for these diseases are broadly used, even if they’re used among people who have very mild forms of these diseases.

In this same article, Caleb Alexander, a pharmaco-epidemiologist at the University of Chicago, is writing about the marketing of osteoporosis medications and says “the dynamic is well understood.” But all this applies equally to the marketing of all medications i.e. “There are versions of this story about a lot of diseases.”

Dubious marketing by the makers of Ozempic and Wegovy (GLP-1s for weight loss)

This is happening right now for GLP-1s. There were already reports in 2023 about dubious marketing by Novo Nordisk, the makers of Ozempic and Wegovy:

In Great Britain, the company has paid within three years a total of around 21.7 million pounds (24.7 million euros) to experts and organisations including important opinion leaders who have since touted semaglutide as a “game changer” in obesity in a campaign described as an “orchestrated PR campaign.

Sadly I expect their marketing campaigns to run unchecked and get more and more sophisticated, with unsuspecting consumers being taken advantage of and harmed.

Families are not aware of the powerful effects of tryptophan, GABA, other nutrients and diet

My goal is to try and change this lack of awareness so families and individuals can explore other options when they are faced with decisions about some of these medications.

Instead of using antipsychotics for a family member with dementia or Alzheimer’s who is experiencing agitation, aggression and anxiety, consider tryptophan and melatonin, and GABA:

Instead of using antipsychotics, explore the use of 5-HTP/tryptophan and/or GABA for kids with ADHD:

Instead of antipsychotics and other psychotropic medications in autism, explore tryptophan and GABA:

This is by no means a conclusive approach to addressing these symptoms in dementia/Alzheimer’s, ADHD and autism. We also need to consider and address diet, other nutritional imbalances, infections, gut health, toxins and much more.

Additional resources when you are new to using GABA and tryptophan as supplements

As always, I use the symptoms questionnaire to figure out if low GABA or 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. You can sign up to be notified when the next live launch is happening.

If you need serotonin support, the Serotonin QuickStart Program is a good place to get help. This is also a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance on using tryptophan and 5-HTP safely, and community support during 5 LIVE Q&A calls. You can sign up to be notified when the next live launch of this program is happening.

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 Lydia for sharing this and enlightening us, and Mad in Arica for inviting her to do the article. And I appreciate community members for sharing and allowing me to share on this blog

Have you or a family member been the victim of the overprescribing of atypical antipsychotics ?

Have you seen this overprescribing of atypical antipsychotics happening in the work you do as a social worker, psychologist, doctor or other health professional?

Are you surprised to learn about similar strategies being used for marketing osteoporosis and GLP-1 medications?

Feel free to share and ask your questions below.

GABA Calm and 5-HTP twice a day, after struggling with ADD-like symptoms, have made our day-to-day life so much better!

June 14, 2024 By Trudy Scott 16 Comments

Kimberly is a mom in the community and shared this wonderful feedback about her 8-year old son who is using just two amino acids:

I started my son on Gaba Calm and Serotrex (5-htp) twice a day after struggling with ADD-like symptoms for about 9 months. I’m not sure if he really has ADD or if his gut problems are to blame, but the amino acids have made our day-to-day life so much better!

I think we may need to do some work with his nervous system and on helping him learn to regulate his emotions, but he’s much less mouthy and argumentative than he was before. We still have hard days, but the supplements have helped pull me out of being exhausted and discouraged all the time from fighting with him constantly over everything.

I never get tired of hearing feedback like this and it’s not uncommon for young children (and adults) to see benefits like this very quickly.

She doesn’t know if he has ADD (attention deficit disorder) but she used the amino acids based on his symptoms (low GABA and low serotonin). We know it was the right choice because of his results. Could his symptoms improve even further? Absolutely! We typically increase one amino acid at a time watching for further improvement and stop when we reach the ideal dose.

Because she says “we still have hard days” I’d want to see her increase the GABA and 5-HTP (as mentioned above) and also consider a trial of DPA/d-phenylalanine (for low endorphin emotional symptoms) and possibly tyrosine (for low dopamine focus and attention issues). Low blood sugar can also cause an emotional rollercoaster and eating for blood sugar stability and glutamine helps so much.

When I hear “mouthy” and “argumentative” I immediately consider low serotonin but low blood sugar comes to mind too.

These additional amino acid trials would also be done one at a time with careful tracking of symptoms and adjustments up and down as needed.

If you’re not familiar with the symptoms of low serotonin, low GABA, low endorphins, low dopamine and low blood sugar you can see them all here.

Kimberly acknowledges that they may need to do work in other areas too – like learning to regulate his emotions and addressing gut issues. This is good as it’s seldom just one approach that is going to shift things.

Kimberly has also seen benefits with 5-HTP

I also love this feedback from Kimberly because she is less exhausted and no longer discouraged because her son is doing so much better.

By the way, this mom also experiences benefits from amino acids. 5-HTP helps her with sugar cravings. I shared her feedback in a blog post last year: Would using 5-HTP or tryptophan help when you crave sugar (as a sort of antidepressant) late afternoon/evening?

I was taking a break from tryptophan/5-HTP and realized after reading this post that that might be a mistake! So I added 5-HTP back in mid-afternoon and my sugar cravings are almost completely gone.

And 5-HTP also helped her late afternoon sadness and despair:

I took a 50 mg 5-HTP along with my mid-afternoon Endorphigen capsule, and within just a few minutes I felt the sadness and despair that I often feel in the late afternoon, start to lift. I was astonished at how quickly it worked!

I just love it when the amino acids work for mom and then mom helps her child.

It goes without saying that dietary changes are foundational in situations like this – often for the entire family. This means eating real whole foods, quality animal protein (especially at breakfast to help with blood sugar stability), organic veggies and fruit, fermented foods, healthy fats and no sugar/gluten/caffeine (all covered in detail in my book).

Assessing for and addressing nutritional deficiencies (like low zinc, low vitamin B6, low omega-3s, low iron etc.), removing toxins, addressing the gut (more on this below) and addressing infections are all important too. It’s always a comprehensive approach. But the good news is that you start to get results right away with amino acid supplementation, while you are figuring out everything else.

Gut issues and 5-HTP/serotonin and GABA

As mentioned above Kimberly also suspects possible gut problems with her son. These could include dysbiosis (microbiome imbalance), food sensitivities, leaky gut, parasites, candida and or digestive enzyme issues etc. These always need to be investigated and addressed – because they can all contribute to low GABA and low serotonin – but until the issues are resolved, you can start to see some symptom resolution with the amino acids.

The amino acids he is taking offer an added gut benefit too. In an animal study, Effects of Serotonin and Slow-Release 5-Hydroxytryptophan on Gastrointestinal Motility in a Mouse Model of Depression, 5-HTP was shown to normalize gut motility and growth of the enteric epithelium. The paper concludes that slow release 5-HTP “might be used to treat patients with intestinal dysfunction associated with low levels of serotonin.”

Interestingly, an in-vitro (test-tube) study found that: “Serotonin showed antifungal activity towards all isolates of candida.” This was for certain strains, such as albicans, glabrata, tropicalis, and a few others).

This review article published earlier this year, Gamma-aminobutyric acid as a potential postbiotic mediator in the gut-brain axis discusses the role GABA plays in “psychological disorders, including anxiety, depression, and stress” and also attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The authors also share that GABA has an impact on “gut microbiota composition” and confirms what has been reported in other research and what we see clinically: the “possibility that GABA may be a potent mediator of the gut-brain axis.”

Additional resources when you are new to using amino acids as supplements

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

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), if you need serotonin support, the Serotonin QuickStart Program is a good place to start. This is a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance on using tryptophan and 5-HTP safely, and community support during 5 LIVE Q&A calls. You can sign up to be notified when the next live launch of this program is happening. We take a deep dive into product options including Lidtke products and others if you’re not able to access Lidtke.

Low GABA can cause physical tension and overwhelm, affect sleep and cause stress eating. If you also have low GABA symptoms, the next step to get help is the GABA QuickStart Program. This is also a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance and community support. Another option is the budget-friendly GABA QuickStart Homestudy Program.

Wrapping up and your feedback

I’m thrilled Kimberly saw these benefits with 5-HTP and then helped her son with 5-HTP and GABA. I asked if I could share here to inspire other moms and give them hope and she said yes. I do always appreciate feedback from the community and being able to share it on the blog.

Now I’d love to hear from you – Does any of this resonate with you? If yes, which amino acid has helped you and your child and how has it helped?

If you’re a practitioner have you seen GABA and 5-HTP help in situations like this?

Vitamin B6 and magnesium on neurobehavioral status of autism spectrum disorder with hyperactivity and irritability (research)

May 24, 2024 By Trudy Scott 7 Comments

Today I’m sharing new research that supports some of the original findings about vitamin B6 and magnesium published by autism biomedical pioneer Bernie Rimland.

Despite the small population size, this study demonstrated neurobehavioural improvement among children with ASD [autism spectrum disorder] with hyperactivity and irritability. Consequently, it can be expected that future studies conducted on a larger scale might help to establish the beneficial role of Vitamin B6 and Magnesium as a complementary treatment for autism with hyperactivity and irritability.

The above comes from the conclusion of this 2021 paper, Vitamin B6 and Magnesium on Neurobehavioral Status of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo Controlled Study.

There were 50 children in the study, with a random assignment of 27 to the study group (vitamin B6 and magnesium) and 23 to the control group (placebo). All the children were autism patients from a pediatric autism and neurodevelopmental disorder outpatient clinic in India.

One of the primary aims over the 3 month study period was to investigate “any improvement among the six domains of ASD: general observation, cognition, emotion, social behavior, communication, and sensory deficits.”

Read on for learning more about the study outcomes, and dosing and forms of magnesium and vitamin B6 (and how this compares to P5P). I also share more about autism biomedical pioneer Bernie Rimland’s earlier research and the autism/B6/pyroluria connections. And end with some of the many possible mechanisms, GABA and vitamin B6, and other applications for vitamin B6.

More about the study outcomes

The improvement observed in the study/intervention group was 81% compared to only 47% in the placebo group.
Both the study group and control group had a mixture of patients rated as having mild, low moderate, high moderate and severe symptoms of ASD. At the conclusion of the study, there were fewer patients in high moderate and severe categories.
There was “an overall improvement in the symptoms of autism along with improvements in specific domains e.g. Emotion and Cognition.” The Emotion domain includes hyperactivity, aggressiveness, emotional lability (or instability) and stress.

Dosing varied by age and forms of magnesium and vitamin B6

The dosage of magnesium and vitamin B6 for the 27 children in the intervention/study group was pre-determined by the age of the subjects: “Patients aged 2-3 years received 50 mg Magnesium and 25mg Vitamin B6 daily, aged 4-8 years received 100 mg Magnesium and 50mg Vitamin B6 daily, and patients aged 9-12 years were given 200 mg Magnesium and 100mg Vitamin B6 daily.”

Patients in both groups received Risperidone for hyperactivity and irritability.

The form of magnesium used in the study was glycinate and the form of vitamin B6 was pyridoxine.

Vitamin B6 and magnesium research by autism biomedical pioneer Bernie Rimland

The authors share that of the many autism studies with nutrients, studies using vitamin B6 and magnesium “given by parents to ASD children have been observed to produce improvement for about 30 years.”

As I mentioned above, this new research builds on some of the original findings about vitamin B6 and magnesium published by autism biomedical pioneer Bernie Rimland. The study authors share this: “Rimland found significant improvement with the use of high doses of pyridoxine, however high doses of pyridoxine showed side effects which could be negated by co-administering magnesium.”

This 1988 paper by B. Rimland is referenced: Controversies in the treatment of autistic children: vitamin and drug therapy, and states that “Among the biomedical treatments, the use of high-dosage vitamin B6 and magnesium received the highest ratings”

Also referenced is this vitamin B6 paper, co-authored by B. Rimland and published 46 years ago: The effect of high doses of vitamin B6 on autistic children: a double-blind crossover study. It states that “Behavior was rated as deteriorating significantly during the B6 withdrawal.”

Vitamin B6, autism and pyroluria

My experience when it comes to vitamin B6 and P5P is primarily with the many individuals in my community who have pyroluria or suspect they do based on their symptoms (here is the pyroluria symptoms questionnaire). This is about 80% of the anxious folks in my community.

I share this because pyroluria is common in autism spectrum disorder:

children with learning disorders and behavioral disorders: 25% (Abram Hoffer)
autism spectrum disorders: 46% (Woody McGinnis)

(more on prevalence and associated conditions here)

And this study found emotional instability – a key aspect of pyroluria and autism – improved with vitamin B6 and magnesium.

For adults with pyroluria, vitamin B6 is used in the range of 100 mg to 500 mg, starting low and increasing as needed. We use dream recall and increased ability to socialize without feeling anxious as a clue that the correct dose is being used.

Keep in mind that 25 mg P5P (pyridoxal-5-phosphate) or the active form of vitamin B6 is approximately equivalent to 100 mg pyridoxine.

I have found that some folks do better on one form of vitamin B6 than the other i.e. not everyone needs P5P and some folks do better with a combination of P5P and pyridoxine. As with all supplements there is no one–size fits all and so the protocol and form of vitamin B6 used in this study group really only serves as a guideline.

The possible mechanisms

The authors mention this as one possible mechanism under these circumstances: “Magnesium inhibits the excitatory channel glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and reduces hyperactivity – a part of the emotional domain.” They also mention the fact that “magnesium increases presynaptic releases” enhancing “both short term and long term synaptic facilitation and long-term potentiation, improving learning and other memory functions.”

I’m adding these as possible mechanisms to consider too:

Vitamin B6 is a potent anti inflammatory compound
Vitamin B6 and magnesium are co-factors needed to make serotonin (which is calming and helps with emotional stability) and dopamine (which helps with focus and motivation)
“GABA is formed from glutamate via the addition of glutamate decarboxylase and vitamin B6”
Vitamin B6 offers neuroprotection in situations of excess glutamate release (together with vitamin B12 and B2)
Vitamin B6 is key (together with zinc, evening primrose oil and others) for addressing social anxiety/pyroluria which is common in autism (as mentioned above)
Vitamin B6 and magnesium improve hormonal health
Oxalate issues are common in autism, leading to depleted levels of vitamin B6 and magnesium. Supplementation can help counter some of the adverse effects.

Also vitamin B6 (and other B vitamins) and magnesium are depleted by sugar, stress, dysbiosis, food allergies, certain medications and caffeine. And it’s common to find deficiencies of both.

A comprehensive dietary and functional medicine / biomedical approach, targeted individual amino acids such as GABA and tryptophan, in addition to vitamin B6 and magnesium is imperative in ASD.

Many other applications for vitamin B6

It’s wonderful to be able to share yet another application for vitamin B6, which, in some circles, is receiving an unfavorable reputation about causing toxicity.

Here are a few other related vitamin B6 blog posts that may be of interest:

Because of the role of vitamin B6 when it comes to calming GABA, it’s worth sharing this blog too – Half a crushed GABA Calm for my autistic child: sleep, anxiety and sensorimotor skills (writing, horse riding and swimming) improve. Both vitamin B6 and GABA are commonly beneficial.

And sometimes, vitamin B6 on it’s own provides results – Anxiety and vomit phobia in an 8-year-old: within a week of starting vitamin B6 she made a complete turnaround.

Additional resources when you are new to using amino acids as supplements

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

There is also an entire chapter on pyroluria and in-depth sections on vitamin B6 and zinc.

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 too). This is a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance and community support.

Wrapping up and your feedback

I’d love to hear from you – have you had success with vitamin B6 and magnesium – personally or with your child? How much has helped and which products? (feel free to share the diagnosis and what symptoms have improved)

Have dietary changes and/or addressing pyroluria helped too?

If you’re a practitioner have you seen these nutrients to help in situations like this?

I’m also curious to hear if you’re familiar with the vitamin B6 and magnesium research and work done by Bernie Rimland?

Feel free to share and ask your questions below.

My 12 year old son has ADHD, is impulsive, is a loner, craves carbs, and doesn’t do well or care about school – should he be on GABA?

July 21, 2023 By Trudy Scott 17 Comments

I’ve been reading your blogs and I’m trying to decide if my 12 year old son should be on GABA? He has ADHD, is impulsive, is a loner, craves carbs, and doesn’t do well or care about school.

Can you tell me what supplement he could be deficient and where to purchase? He is currently on ADHD medication (Focalin) during the school year.

Janice asked the above question about her 12 year old son. I wish it was as simple as just using the calming amino acid GABA but it’s seldom one amino acid that is the answer. GABA is often one of many supplements that may help and in this instance I suspect a combination of neurotransmitter imbalances (low GABA, low dopamine and low serotonin), pyroluria, other possible nutritional deficiencies and dietary factors are at play. Read on to hear my approach for working through what may help this young man improve his focus, reduce his carbs, actually care about school and doing well, reduce his impulsivity and help him fit in socially – and ultimately lead to him being a happier, calmer and healthier child.

GABA with preteens who have ADHD and spinning-type symptoms

I always start with one of the amino acids because we get quick results and immediate feedback. Since Janice asked about GABA, this is the GABA feedback I shared with her: I’ve had good results with GABA with preteens who have ADHD and spinning-type symptoms. One clue is when the craving of carbs is driven by stress i.e. stress eating. I always start with the symptoms questionnaire and have the parent rate each low GABA symptom on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being most severe, ideally in conjunction with their child.

I then have the child do a one-off trial of GABA and we observe improvements in the next 5-30 minutes. If the child reports any improvement in any of the symptoms – in this case focus and spinning driven by anxiety – the child continues with GABA and increases over the next few weeks to find the ideal dose for their needs.

Sometimes focus issues are so severe that it’s too challenging to rate symptoms before, doing a one-off trial of GABA and then rating symptoms afterwards. In cases like this, mom makes the decision to have their child use GABA before school, when they get home and possibly early evening too. Mom can observe their focus and spinning: like getting dressed and ready for school, settling down to homework in the afternoon and settling down for bed.

Relying on feedback from school is invaluable too. Stress related carb cravings are also assessed i.e. does he seek out sugar when stressed and anxious.

A mom shares how GABA helps her 11 year old daughter – GABA for children: ADHD, focus issues, irritability, anxiety and tantrums

My daughter hasn’t been diagnosed with ADHD but has a lot of ADHD qualities. We were having a huge amount of behavior problems as she is getting older (she’s 11). She has had amazing behavior at school and at home since giving it to her. She’s almost like a different child. GABA has truly changed our life.

…before the GABA she was irritable, she was fighting with her teacher and schoolmates, she couldn’t focus and was distracted by anything and everything, she was constantly disrupting the class and she was throwing major tantrums over ridiculous stuff (like her hair didn’t do what she wanted), she was mouthy and everything was a fight.

We are not seeing 99% of those behaviors at all anymore. She of course is still your typical pre-teen but if I say “no you can’t have that” our “no you can’t go there” her reaction is OK. Before it would have been a major fight or meltdown. Her teacher is reporting to me every day about her wonderful days.

Tyrosine for focus issues, low motivation and low energy type carb cravings

With focus issues I would also consider the role of low dopamine and do a trial of tyrosine. Other clues: are his carb cravings related to low energy and is there also low motivation tied to the fact that he doesn’t care about school? Are there also signs of depression or low mood?

We go back to the symptoms questionnaire and have the parent rate each low dopamine/low catecholamine symptom on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being most severe. Again, do this in conjunction with the child if possible.

We only do a trial of one amino acid at a time so we know what is working. Assuming the GABA has been helping, we’d do a trial of tyrosine next and look for improvements in focus, carb cravings (all neurotransmitter imbalances can lead to carb cravings), motivation and mood.

If the one-off trial approach is not an option, tyrosine is also used before school and right after school but no later than 3pm so as not to affect sleep. Again, the above symptoms are tracked.

In this blog both GABA and tyrosine help this teen: GABA helps 14-year-old with Tourette’s Syndrome (the tics and sleep), and tyrosine makes him happier and his mind sharper

Tryptophan or 5-HTP for ADHD/hyperactivity and afternoon cravings

Hyperactivity can also show up with low serotonin, and so can something like not caring about school i.e. a low mood. A clue here is when his carb cravings are more intense – with low serotonin it’s typically afternoon or evening.

We go back to the symptoms questionnaire and have the parent rate each low serotonin symptom on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being most severe. And again, it’s best to do this in conjunction with the child if possible and do a one-off trial of tryptophan or 5-HTP.

If that’s not possible, tryptophan or 5-HTP is used mid-afternoon and evening and symptoms are tracked. This can be layered in on top of the GABA and tyrosine if they are offering some relief.

Here is a blog post where a mom shares how 5-HTP helps her child – ADHD: 5-HTP melts have been a miracle for one of my adopted kids

5-HTP melts have been a miracle for one of my adopted kids. He had lots of trauma and off the charts ADHD. 5-HTP is better than methylphenidate (Ritalin) and we are now weaning off the non-stimulants.

Just 80 mg 5-HTP in the morning is all he needs. He was super ADHD, he had a para (teacher’s aide) in public school for years to keep him on track and this year at a school for ADHD the teachers were complaining that he was never on task. Now after a week it has changed his life.

Addressing pyroluria, low lithium, low zinc, low blood sugar and diet

Janice mentions her son is a loner so we’d look into pyroluria/social anxiety and add zinc, vitamin B6 and evening primrose oil (and other key nutrients). Keep in mind that zinc deficiency is common and is often low with ADHD.

She also mentions that he is impulsive. Impulsivity and ADHD is common with low levels of lithium. A big clue is a child having a roller-coaster of emotions. I use this low lithium questionnaire to assess for a need for low dose lithium (a nutritional supplement).

I consider low blood sugar with all my clients and with this young man low blood sugar may be contributing to his focus issues, low mood and desire for carbs. The amino acid glutamine helps as does breakfast and meals with quality animal protein and healthy fats.

And it goes without saying that dietary factors must always be addressed. My book is a great resource when are looking for a comprehensive dietary approach, which is needed with ADHD and the symptoms Janice describes – The Antianxiety Food Solution. There is also a chapter on low blood sugar, pyroluria and the amino acids.

If you are an adult and can relate to any of these symptoms and feelings, the same process applies. Just remember this: there is no one-size fits all since we all have unique biochemistry.

Side effects and longer term effects of stimulant medications

I appreciate Janice for reaching out and asking this question. Hopefully, implementing some or all of these changes, will allow her son to stop his stimulant medication, Focalin. This medication is similar to Ritalin (methylphenidate), which can cause the following side-effects: feeling sad or empty, irritability, loss of interest or pleasure, trouble concentrating, trouble sleeping (and many more).

These stimulant medications can also play a role in longer term health effects that include heart disease and the possibility of it being a gateway drug to other stimulants. The research on the latter is hotly debated but it is often seen clinically.

Resources if you are new to using amino acids as supplements

To recap, if you are new to using amino acids as supplements, here is the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution (you can see all the symptoms of neurotransmitter imbalances, including low GABA, low serotonin, low dopamine, low blood sugar and low endorphins).

As mentioned, 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, sugar cravings, anxiety and mood issues.

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 too). This is a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance and community support.

Have any of the above amino acids helped your child or you with the following symptoms: ADHD and poor focus, carb cravings and low mood/low motivation (doesn’t care)?

Has the pyroluria protocol helped your child or you be less of a loner?

Has low dose lithium helped your child or you with impulsivity and focus issues?

Have dietary changes helped too?

If you are a practitioner, are you using amino acids, the pyroluria protocol, low dose lithium and dietary changes with success in cases like this?

Feel free to post your questions and feedback here in the comments.

GABA supplementation may offer a new approach for the prevention and treatment of asthma (and it helps anxiety, ADHD and insomnia)

December 16, 2022 By Trudy Scott 12 Comments

If you’re already taking the amino acid GABA for physical anxiety, have you noticed if it’s also helping to ease your asthma symptoms too? This may sound surprising but research shows GABA may reduce inflammation and spasms and help with asthma symptoms via these mechanisms. What’s encouraging is the fact that GABA supplementation also helps with anxiety, obesity, ADHD and insomnia which commonly occur with asthma and can be associated with inflammation too. It’s so important to be addressing the root causes of asthma because of the many neuropsychiatric side-effects of asthma medications. This blog addresses all of these topics.

We’ll start with the research first. In this study, Effect of gamma-aminobutyric acid treatment on plasma substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide levels in children with asthma, of 75 children with asthma, 36 children were in the GABA treatment group and received oral GABA (25-30 mg/kg per day) in addition to standard asthma medications.

The authors propose that airway inflammation may be a factor in asthma and GABA helps because it reduces SP (substance P) and CGRP (calcitonin gene-related peptide), easing neurogenic inflammation and tracheal spasms.

The conclusion of the study is that oral GABA:

can significantly decrease plasma levels of SP and CGRP in children suffering from acute asthma.

It may offer a new approach for the prevention and treatment of asthma.

(this is my best translation from the Chinese paper).

Dosing of GABA for asthma

The children in the study group received oral GABA of 25-30 mg/kg per day. For a 100 lb /45 kg child this would equate to 1125 mg -1350 mg of GABA per day.

As I always share, I don’t recommend using GABA based on the weight of the person and I consider this a high dose. For adults, 125 mg GABA is a good starting dose with 125 mg often used 2-4 times a day. For a child, ¼ to ⅓ this dose is typically good to start with. All that said, many adults and children with asthma and anxiety need higher doses than what they initially start with.

It’s also worth noting that the oral dose of GABA was swallowed so it’s possible (and very likely) that more was needed than if it was used sublingually or with the capsule opened or a powder or a liposomal form.

GABA is seldom recommended for asthma – more recent research supports this approach

This is not new research – the paper was published in 2013 – but I seldom see it discussed or hear about practitioners recommending GABA for asthma.

A more recent paper, Neuroimmune Pathophysiology in Asthma (published in 2021) supports this and discusses the role of neurotransmitters (including GABA and serotonin) and neuropeptides (including SP, CGRP and others) in asthma. The authors suggest “that regulating the effects of neurotransmitters and neuropeptides represents a potential novel approach for the treatment of asthma.”

Why we need to consider GABA – the neuropsychiatric side effects of asthma medications

Exploring the use of GABA and these approaches is especially important given the neuropsychiatric side effects of asthma medications. In this study (published in March this year), Neuropsychiatric adverse drug reactions induced by montelukast impair the quality of life in children with asthma

Neuropsychiatric ADRs (adverse drug reactions) were reported in 78 (62.4%) of 125 patients, who recovered when the drug was discontinued.

These were children of 3-18 years taking montelukast for the first time. The good news is that they recovered when the drug was stopped.

The bad news is there is no information on how many kids who have been prescribed this class of medication are subsequently prescribed psychiatric medications.

This concern needs to be considered for all asthma medications: there are similar adverse effects with antihistamine and inhaled corticosteroid medications.

GABA helps with other conditions where spasms are common

The study results are very encouraging and support what I see clinically with asthma and other conditions where spasms are common. These include

GABA helps with all of the above and the non-allergic comorbidities seen with asthma.

Asthma in children and non-allergic comorbidities (obesity, depression and anxiety, ADHD and insomnia)

As stated in this paper, Paediatric asthma and non-allergic comorbidities: A review of current risk and proposed mechanisms “It is increasingly recognized that children with asthma are at a higher risk of other non-allergic concurrent diseases than the non-asthma population.” These include obesity, depression and anxiety, neurodevelopmental disorders (such as ADHD), sleep disorders and autoimmune diseases.

This paper looks at mechanisms and inflammation is a common theme except when it comes to anxiety and depression. Given that this paper was published this year and all that we now know about nutritional psychiatry and neuroinflammation and anxiety, it’s clearly lacking in this aspect.

Clinically, we see how GABA can help with obesity (and cravings or stress-eating), depression and anxiety, ADHD and insomnia, as illustrated by these case studies:

I see similar comorbidities (the occurrence of more than one disorder at the same time) in adults and GABA can be used safely with adults and children.

Asthma from a functional medicine approach

There is clearly more to asthma than only GABA. This this article on natural remedies for asthma covers diet (eat real good quality food and avoid junk food), nutrients like vitamin D, zinc and others, and allergens – and all this needs to be investigated and addressed with a functional medicine approach.

Dr. Axe does mention stress and anxiety being a trigger: “It’s well-known that stress increases the severity and frequency of asthmatic attacks because it hinders immune function and raises inflammation.” He mentions stress-reduction techniques and breathing. I say let’s add GABA to the mix too.

Resources if you are new to using GABA and other amino acids as supplements

If you are new to using GABA or any of the other amino acids as supplements, here is the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution (you can see all the symptoms of neurotransmitter imbalances, including low GABA and low serotonin).

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, sugar cravings, self-medicating with alcohol and more.

Has GABA helped ease your physical anxiety and asthma symptoms too?

What about obesity/cravings, ADHD and insomnia as well?

Have you or one of your children been adversely impacted by asthma medications? If yes please share which medications and what symptoms were experienced.

What functional medicine and nutritional approaches have helped your asthma symptoms?

Feel free to post your questions and feedback in the comments below.

GABA helps 14-year-old with Tourette’s Syndrome (the tics and sleep), and tyrosine makes him happier and his mind sharper

January 21, 2022 By Trudy Scott 30 Comments

We typically associate low GABA, a calming neurotransmitter, with a physical-type of tension- anxiety that also often affects sleep. However there is evidence that low GABA is also a factor in other conditions. One of these conditions is Tourette’s Syndrome, which is characterized by the presence of chronic tics which can be motor/movement and vocal. In today’s blog I share some research that suggests a deficit in GABAergic transmission may contribute to symptoms in Tourette’s and a case study where a teenage boy found relief from his tics when using the amino acid GABA as a supplement. GABA also improved his sleep. He also made some dietary changes – no gluten, no sugar and no caffeine – and supplemented with magnesium and melatonin. The amino acid tyrosine, used as a supplement, also improved his low mood and focus, both of which can be issues with Tourette’s.

Kim, a mom in this community, shared this wonderful feedback about her son in response to a Facebook post a few years ago:

Because of your book, I started using GABA for my 14-year-old son with moderate to severe Tourette’s Syndrome, and the results have been significant. Highly recommended for tics, and sleep for these individuals. Thank you.

I asked her how much GABA he used and how often and she shared this:

He used 750mg GABA nightly before bed, and if tics are really active then additional 300mg. Lots of water and a balanced diet with no caffeine…. life-saver.

Keep in mind that 750mg is considered a high dose. We typically start with 125mg GABA and increase based on each person’s unique needs. There is the temptation to think “I have tics and this is a very severe condition so I need a high dose to start.” You don’t want to be thinking like this. Some people may not need this much and others may need this high dose. We always use the trial method to figure out the ideal dose.

She also shared that when he added tyrosine, he saw benefits from that amino acid supplement too:

He recently added 300mg of l-tyrosine, and it promotes happiness and a sharper mind, due to brain fog. He says he really notices a difference. He has read your book as well.

How wonderful is this? GABA helped reduce his tics and improved his sleep, and tyrosine improved his mood and focus.

I love that he’s read my book – good for him and this mom! It’s never too early to have you and your child read this information. It’s empowering for them so they understand the changes they need to make and why these amino acids, dietary changes and elimination of caffeine make such a difference.

I recently checked in to see how he is doing now and asked what other nutritional approaches helped/help other than GABA, a balanced diet and no caffeine. She shared this:

He’s gluten free, magnesium for sure for the muscle tics, and melatonin for good sleep (Touretters need a routine sleep schedule).

He’s 18 now and is doing way better as he matures, but GABA no doubt has improved his life. We promote GABA and educate others as much as possible.

All this is so great to hear and I love that they now help to educate others about GABA too.

I appreciate that she gave me permission to share, hence this post. (The image above is a stock image and not her son.)

Tourette’s Syndrome and reduced GABA function

This paper, Reduced GABAergic inhibition and abnormal sensory symptoms in children with Tourette syndrome, describes the condition and the role of reduced GABA function:

Tourette Syndrome is characterized by the presence of chronic tics. Individuals with Tourette Syndrome often report difficulty with ignoring (habituating to) tactile sensations, and some patients perceive that this contributes to a “premonitory urge” to tic. While common, the physiological basis of impaired tactile processing in Tourette Syndrome, and indeed tics themselves, remain poorly understood.

It has been well established that GABAergic processing plays an important role in shaping the neurophysiological response to tactile stimulation. Furthermore, there are multiple lines of evidence suggesting that a deficit in GABAergic transmission may contribute to symptoms found in Tourette Syndrome.

In this study, the authors used testing (magnetic resonance spectroscopy) and tasks that were vibrotactile (the perception of vibration through touch) to investigate the role of GABA and atypical sensory processing in these 8-12-year old children with Tourette Syndrome.

They found the following:

lower concentration of GABA in the sensorimotor cortex and “impaired performance on tactile detection and adaptation tasks, consistent with altered GABAergic function”
the altered/reduced GABAergic function correlated with the severity of motor tics and sensory impairments, “linking the core feature of Tourette Syndrome directly to … brain neurochemistry.”

The authors conclude that this provides a foundation for novel interventions (i.e. medications) but unfortunately do not offer the use of the amino acid GABA as one of these solutions. This is very unfortunate but not unexpected. I plan to reach out to the authors and share this case study and blog.

This research supports why GABA works so well for Kim’s son and why he needed higher amounts of GABA when his tics were more active/severe. And now I’m curious to find out if her son has/had sensory issues and how they improve/improved with GABA. I’ll report back if I hear from her about this.

It’s no surprise that GABA helps his sleep too. There is much evidence supporting this – like the the sleep promoting effects of combined GABA and 5-HTP (or GABA alone or 5-HTP alone). I’ve also shared many GABA-sleep success stories on the blog. Here is one: Since starting GABA my child sleeps for the first time in years and really notices a difference in his carb cravings. (Use the search feature and “GABA sleep” to find additional blog posts)

Interestingly only 8% of the children in the study had generalized anxiety disorder. Given how common low GABA is in anxiety, and that low serotonin can also be a factor with tics, I would have expected anxiety to be higher.

Evidence supporting the other nutritional changes he made

There is evidence to support the other nutritional changes that Kim’s son made:

There are reports that “an increase in tics has been related to the consumption of caffeine and refined sugar.” The authors acknowledge that there is no one diet for Tourette’s, so as always, it’s a matter of figuring out the ideal diet for each child (or adult) with tics. Oligoantigenic diets have been identified as significantly reducing tics. This involves removing foods that can potentially cause a food sensitivity leading to tics and/or behavioral impacts and/or insomnia.
A gluten-free diet maintained for one year in patients with Tourette’s Syndrome was shown to markedly reduce tics and OCD in children and adults
Magnesium is one of the most used supplements in children with Tourette’s Syndrome. When used with probiotics, omega-3 and multivitamins “Seventy-five per cent of supplement users in the Tourette syndrome group noted improvement, mainly in motor and vocal tics, sleep quality and anxiety reduction.”
Melatonin is listed with a number of medications commonly prescribed for tic disorders where sleep issues are also a factor

Keep in mind that the above is not a protocol for relief from tics for everyone with Tourette’s Syndrome. It’s what worked for the unique biochemical needs of Kim’s son.

That said, this could be a framework to start with and build upon.

Tyrosine improves his mood and focus

Tyrosine helps with low catecholamines, improving the curl-up-in-bed low-energy kind of low mood and poor focus. (You can see all the symptoms here.) The typical dose is 500mg tyrosine a few times a day. Kim’s son found just 300mg to be beneficial.

Interestingly, 48% of the children in this study had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with about half of those on stimulant medication. I wonder how many would have also benefited from tyrosine for improving their focus, as it did for Kim’s son.

Resources if you are new to using GABA or tyrosine as a supplement

If you are new to using the the amino acid GABA or tyrosine as supplements, here is the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution (you can see the low serotonin and other low neurotransmitter symptoms) and a brief overview here: Anxiety and targeted individual amino acid supplements: a summary.

If you suspect low levels of GABA or catecholamines 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 so you are knowledgeable.

And be sure to share it with the team you or your loved one is working with. As I mentioned above, it’s empowering for your teen and also relatively easy reading too.

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 GABA and tyrosine products 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. Another option is the budget-friendly GABA QuickStart Homestudy Program.

If you find you also need serotonin support, the Serotonin QuickStart Program is a good place to get help. This is also a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance on using tryptophan and 5-HTP safely, and community support during 5 LIVE Q&A calls. You can sign up to be notified when the next live launch of this program is happening.

There is no Dopamine QuickStart program (yet!) but be sure to let me know in the comments if you are interested in learning more about the use of tyrosine, DLPA and other nutrients for catecholamine and dopamine support.

Wrapping up and your feedback

Now I’d love to hear from you.

Have you seen results with GABA or any of the above approaches? Or has another approach helped you or your child?

And has GABA also helped ease physical tension and anxiety?

If you suffer from Tourette’s Syndrome, do you also experience ADHD and focus issues, insomnia, low mood and has tyrosine helped?

If you’re a practitioner have you seen GABA or tyrosine help your clients/patients with Tourette’s? What else has helped?

Feel free to ask your questions here too.