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GABA

GABA protects against hypothyroidism caused by fluoride and reduces anxiety

By Trudy Scott 39 Comments

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is a calming amino acid that when taken as a supplement (ideally sublingually) works to relax, calm, ease anxiety and social anxiety, quiet the mind, help with sleeping challenges, reduce neck and other body tension, remove uneasiness and worry, and give hope.

It’s one of the main amino acids I use with my anxious clients and they see great results. We are seeing more and more research that this amino acid does work and yet I still get weekly questions about GABA: “I’ve been told it won’t work unless I have a leaky blood brain barrier.” This is a myth I’m trying to dispel and cover this topic in great detail in my GABA talk on the last Anxiety Summit.

GABA also protects against hypothyroidism caused by fluoride

Because of all this I’m always excited to see new research on the benefits of GABA and this recent study is no exception. It was an animal study and the authors report that GABA also protects against hypothyroidism caused by fluoride: γ-Aminobutyric acid ameliorates fluoride-induced hypothyroidism in male Kunming mice.

The mice that were injected with sodium fluoride were found to have decreased blood levels of T4, T3 and thyroid hormone-binding globulin (TBG) and damage to the thyroid:

fluoride intoxication induced structural abnormalities in thyroid follicles.

The fluoride-exposed mice that were subsequently treated with GABA were found to have improved results for T4, T3 and thyroid hormone-binding globulin (TBG levels) and healing of the structural abnormalities in thyroid follicles that were observed after fluoride exposure.

The authors conclude with this statement, reporting that GABA acted as a natural antioxidant:

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to establish the therapeutic efficacy of GABA as a natural antioxidant in inducing thyroprotection against fluoride-induced toxicity.

If you can’t get access to GABA, a paper published earlier this year reports similar results with taurine, an amino acid that promotes GABA production: Taurine Ameliorates Renal Oxidative Damage and Thyroid Dysfunction in Rats Chronically Exposed to Fluoride.

Added to our water supplies, fluoride affects the thyroid

Although this post is about GABA I recognize that I also have to address the fluoride aspect which I know is a controversial topic! We all know that fluoride has been added to our water supplies in an attempt to try and prevent tooth decay. Izabella Wentz, author of the new book Hashimoto’s Protocol, writes about what she calls the Fluoride Conspiracy:

However, most people don’t know that fluoride was used as an antithyroid drug that suppressed thyroid activity in people with overactive thyroids before the invention of antithyroid drugs.

A dose of 2 to 5 mg per day was typically found to be effective for suppressing an overactive thyroid. If you’re following directions and drinking your eight cups of water each day, chances are, you are taking in enough fluoride to suppress your thyroid if you live in the typical fluoridated community!

While most Westernized countries have rightfully rejected fluoridation without any apparent consequences on tooth decay, the United States, Canada, and parts of the UK continue to fluoridate their water.

In research that was way overdue, a 2015 British study reported that medical practices in a fluoridated area of the UK (West Midlands vs. those in a nonfluoridated area, Greater Manchester) were twice as likely to report a high prevalence of hypothyroidism in their patients! Furthermore, analysis of different parts of the UK found that the rates of hypothyroidism were statistically matched to the rates of fluoride in the local water supply!

Medications and other sources of fluoride

Izabella also lists some of the most commonly used medications that contain fluoride in this blog post: Fluoride And Your Thyroid

  • Prozac®, Lexapro®, Celexa®, Paxil®: used for depression, anxiety, or OCD
  • Prevacid®: used for acid reflux
  • Diflucan®: an antifungal used for yeast infections.
  • Fluoroquinolone antibiotics (Cipro®, Levaquin®, Avelox®): used for UTIs and other infections
  • Celebrex®: used for pain
  • Lipitor®, Zetia®: used to lower cholesterol

Other common sources of fluoride are fluoridated toothpastes and dental preparations, processed beverages and foods, pesticides, tea, mechanically deboned meat, Teflon pans and exposure in the workplace. You can read more about these sources from The Fluoride Action Network (FAN), an organization that seeks to broaden awareness about the toxicity of fluoride compounds among citizens, scientists, and policymakers alike.

The GABA and taurine hypothyroid-fluoride research is too new to have made it into Izabella’s book but since anxiety is a common symptom in hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and based on this research, using either GABA or taurine shows promise for helping both the thyroid to heal after fluoride exposure (via water, medications, diet or workplace exposure) AND to help reduce the physical anxiety symptoms.

It seems to be a two-way street because we’ve always known that the amino acids will be effective for addressing low GABA and low serotonin levels ONLY when thyroid health is optimal (and not many people are aware of this).

I also can’t help but wonder if a small amount of GABA (or taurine) wouldn’t be helpful after known exposure to fluoride sources and certainly while you are working to reduce fluoride exposure – even if hypothyroidism is not a problem. I look forward to future research in this area.

If you’d like an overview of how I use GABA and the other amino acids with my clients you can read all about it here.

I’d love to hear if you have observed an improvement in thyroid health since using GABA for your anxiety? And how dedicated you are to avoid fluoride?

Anxiety, depression, GABA and cortisol: effects of Lactobacillus ingestion

By Trudy Scott 23 Comments

We now know that good bacteria or probiotics have the potential to alter brain chemistry and have an impact on anxiety and depression. You may recall my interview with Professor Ted Dinan on a prior Anxiety Summit – Microbes in the gut and psychobiotics as a potential treatment for anxiety and depression. He shared his paper and this definition of Psychobiotics: a novel class of psychotropic.

…we define a psychobiotic as a live organism that, when ingested in adequate amounts, produces a health benefit in patients suffering from psychiatric illness. As a class of probiotic, these bacteria are capable of producing and delivering neuroactive substances such as gamma-aminobutyric acid and serotonin, which act on the brain-gut axis.

Research published by Dinan, Cryan and their teams also found benefits of Lactobacillus rhamnosus on stress, anxiety and depression type behaviors in mice. This is older research (published in 2011) but it’s the first time I’ve shared it on the blog. I talk about this paper in the upcoming Microbiome Medicine 2 Summit so I like to share study excerpts and links to the study.

The write up in Science Daily is a good one – Mind-Altering Microbes: Probiotic Bacteria May Lessen Anxiety and Depression

…mice fed with Lactobacillus rhamnosus JB-1 showed significantly fewer stress, anxiety and depression-related behaviours than those fed with just broth. Moreover, ingestion of the bacteria resulted in significantly lower levels of the stress-induced hormone, corticosterone.

The part that I find fascinating is the effects of Lactobacillus on GABA receptors in the brain (GABA is your main calming neurotransmitter):

The researchers also showed that regular feeding with the Lactobacillus strain caused changes in the expression of receptors for the neurotransmitter GABA in the mouse brain, which is the first time that it has been demonstrated that potential probiotics have a direct effect on brain chemistry in normal situations.

In this paper the authors discuss the vagus nerve and the three-way communication:

…the vagus nerve is the main relay between the microbiome (bacteria in the gut) and the brain. This three way communication system is known as the microbiome-gut-brain axis and these findings highlight the important role of bacteria in the communication between the gut and the brain, and suggest that certain probiotic organisms may prove to be useful adjunct therapies in stress-related psychiatric disorders.

What is even more fascinating is this:

the neurochemical and behavioral effects were not found in vagotomized mice

What does this mean? When the researchers severed the vagus nerve in the test mice – removing the communication between the gut and the brain – they found that the behaviors and stress hormone levels reverted back to the way they had been i.e. the vagotomized mice were more anxious, more stressed, more depressed and had higher corticosterone levels.

You can find the abstract of the paper here: Ingestion of Lactobacillus strain regulates emotional behavior and central GABA receptor expression in a mouse via the vagus nerve.

What does this mean for you? It means that good bacteria in your diet could well improve your anxiety and depression symptoms and even have an impact on your adrenals and cortisol levels. This could be in the form of a good probiotic and should always include fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, yogurt and kefir (if dairy is tolerated), water kefir (if dairy is not tolerated).

Have you observed an improvement in your anxiety and stress levels since adding a probiotic or fermented foods into your diet?

GABA for children: ADHD, focus issues, irritability, anxiety and tantrums

By Trudy Scott 117 Comments

Is GABA safe for children with symptoms of ADHD? I was asked this question after my interview on anxiety on the Diabetes Summit. I shared the question and my answer on facebook:

I’ve used GABA (and theanine) very successfully with children with physical anxiety symptoms and ADHD. I’ve also used tyrosine for the attention/focus issues. Plus I always consider gluten, blood sugar control (animal protein at breakfast often makes the biggest difference), colors/additives, low iron, low zinc and candida (this list is not inclusive but is a good starting point)

Jenny is a mom in my facebook community and responded to the above post, sharing that a friend of hers recommended GABA for her daughter after reading some of my posts. She shared this wonderful feedback:

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). I did some research and went to the health food store and bought a bottle. At this point I was mentally exhausted from all the fighting and drama at home and at school. I was desperate and didn’t want to put her on any hard medication.

She has had amazing behavior at school and at home since giving it to her. She’s almost like different child. GABA has truly changed our life. She’s been taking it for almost 2 months.

What wonderful results! I’m thrilled for Jenny and her daughter. I asked Jenny to share what her daughter’s symptoms/behaviors were before they used the GABA and which symptoms improved. This is what Jenny shared:

…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.

I love hearing this feedback and it’s not unusual for children to act out when they have low GABA levels. Adults may identify with being anxious, but children may appear irritable, unfocused and distracted, may have tantrums and meltdowns, and all the while not be able to articulate how they are feeling.

Long–term use of GABA and root causes of low GABA

Jenny also posed some additional questions about GABA:

I do have some questions – I can’t really find anything online saying that it’s OK to give to kids. I mean, I’ve seen the results but it still worries me. She takes one 25 mg pill a day – do you think that’s OK?? Should I give her more or less or keep it the same? Just wondering your opinion?

I shared some of this feedback on the facebook thread and have elaborated on it here on the blog.

There is no research on children and the long-term use of amino acids but plenty of clinical evidence showing they can be used safely for 3-12 months. But I am also always working with my clients to find out why there is the deficiency in the first place and addressing that. This could include any or all of the following:

  • low zinc/vitamin B6/low iron which are all co-factors needed to make GABA (and then I’d want to know why are these low)
  • dysbiosis, parasites and/or candida (we make GABA in the gut and we may have GABA-eating bacteria in the gut – such as gabavorous)
  • too much stress at school, playing sports and/or at home
  • not getting enough sleep
  • not eating animal protein at breakfast (this affects blood sugar control and can stress the adrenals and impact cortisol, sex hormones and brain chemicals)
  • gluten sensitivity (gluteomorphins in gluten can impact mood and gluten can damage the gut leading to nutritional deficiencies)
  • low animal protein intake and/or eating a low-fat diet
  • low stomach acid (so you can’t digest the protein you’re eating)
  • toxin exposure (like pesticides or BPA)
  • low total cholesterol (caused in part by low levels of enzymes for fat digestion or a low-fat diet)

I shared these 60+ Nutritional and Biochemical Causes of Anxiety on my closing call of the The Anxiety Summit season 3.   I use this to help put the puzzle pieces together for my clients to resolve their anxiety and related issues like ADHD, insomnia, sadness, irritability etc.

When Jenny saw some of the root causes for low GABA she shared that she’s going to be making an appointment with her doctor. Keep in mind that in this instance it will need to be a functional medicine doctor or nutritionally trained doctor or a doctor who is open to learning about all this. I always also suggest taking a copy of my book The Antianxiety Food Solution to share with the doctor too!

What GABA product?

I typically have clients start with Source Naturals GABA Calm which contains 125mg of GABA. I was curious to know which 25mg GABA product she was using. It turns out to be a sublingual product by KAL.

  

 

You can find the other GABA products I use and recommend here and the precautions with using GABA here. Typically it’s an amino acid that has the least issues, unless too high an amount is used.   I often hear that 500mg or 1000mg was used and caused dizziness or breathlessness – these are clues it’s too much!

As mentioned, one product I use and recommend is Source Naturals GABA Calm lozenges. 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 or less (as needed). 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:

Somnium GABA Cream is another option that could be considered especially for children and those with special needs. It is available in the US and elsewhere with international shipping. Read more about the product and who else may benefit from using a cream, and grab my coupon code to save 15%.

Why does GABA help in a situation like this?

These results are exceptional and it’s seldom just low GABA that needs to be addressed but in this instance it was. The low GABA type of ADHD is a bit different than low dopamine or low ferritin ADHD. With low GABA, it’s the anxiety that is causing the spinning, lack of focus, irritability and tantrums.

This blog post and study explains some of it – Oral GABA supplementation allows better prioritizing of planned actions: new research. GABA provides a better ability to handle tasks (complex and/or planned tasks) with less spinning and feelings of overwhelm, and prioritization of tasks is improved.

In addition to addressing low GABA, we also typically address the diet, gut health, toxin exposures (cosmetics are a big issue at this age), screen-time/EMFs (also a big issue at this age), and any other nutritional deficiencies.

Resources if you are new to using GABA as a supplement

If you are new to using GABA as a supplement, here is the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution (you can see all the low GABA symptoms).

If you suspect low levels of GABA or 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 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, blood sugar control, sugar cravings, self-medicating with alcohol and more.

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. This is a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance and community support. There are many moms in the program who are having much success with their kids.

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.

Have you noticed that your child (or even you personally) has seen improvements in these symptoms after using GABA: ADHD, focus issues, irritability, anxiety and tantrums?

Does it seem like it gives them (or you) a better ability to handle tasks (complex and/or planned tasks) with less spinning and feelings of overwhelm? Is prioritization improved?

If you are a practitioner are you seeing results like this with your clients/patients?

If you have questions please share them here too.

I asked Jenny if I could share here to give other mom’s hope and inspiration and practical results so they can help their children – and I really appreciate her being willing to do so.

Thanks for sharing Jenny! Happy mama and happy daughter – it warms my heart to hear stories like this!

Anxiety: when to use GABA and tryptophan and how much to use

By Trudy Scott 116 Comments

When you have anxiety it can be confusing trying to figure out the root cause. I like to start by assessing for low GABA and low serotonin because when you address these with targeted individual amino acids you typically see results right away and feel hopeful (and now have time to look for other root causes like gluten issues, high cortisol, gut issues, dietary changes etc).

But there may still be some confusion about when to use GABA and when to use tryptophan and how much of each of these amino acids to use.

I’d like to share a question I received on this blog: I am on 5-HTP for anxiety and I am wondering about trying tryptophan instead and my response so you have a clearer understanding of this:

I have started with Source Naturals GABA Calm 125 mg, 2 on awakening and two in mid-afternoon, and 2 GABA Relaxer at bedtime. It has taken some anxiety edge away from me, but I still feel some anxiety on and off, not so severe as before. I used to feel very anxious on awakening. I want to improve more.

Today, I ordered Lidtke L-trytophan 500mg and am expecting to receive it in a week. I plan to take 2 Gaba Calm on awakening and 2 in mid-afternoon, then add one 500mg Trytophan mid-afternoon and one 500 mg trytophan at bed time.

Is this a good plan? Or shall I have 2 GABA Calm on awakening, 2 trytophan mid-afternoon and 2 trytophan at bedtime.

It’s an excellent question and this is my feedback (with some additional information here for this blog post)

Firstly I’m so pleased to hear the GABA products has taken some of the anxiety edge away.

I would expect this when someone has the low GABA type of anxiety and hear this all the time despite the fact I continue to be asked the blood brain barrier question and does GABA really work as a supplement.

There is also no specific formula to be followed because each person is different and when I’m working with someone we’re figuring out what is working and why and adjusting accordingly. If something is working we continue with that until no additional benefits are seen.

Ask yourself what low GABA anxiety symptoms (this is the physical anxiety) have improved with the GABA and how much (rate each one before – out of 10; and what are they now – out of 10).

From your question it sounds like they could improve more – so if we were working together I’d continue to increase GABA before adding something new. I’d do this until the low GABA symptoms are resolved or until no additional benefits are observed.

Remember when it comes to brain chemical imbalances and anxiety we have 3 anxiety types

  1. Low GABA anxiety type (physical anxiety, more stiff and tense muscles)
  2. Low serotonin anxiety type (mental anxiety, ruminations, negative self-talk, worry)
  3. Low blood sugar anxiety type (physical anxiety, but more shaky)

You need to figure out which type of anxiety you are experiencing and address that. It can be different for each person but it’s not uncommon to experience all of the above.

Once that has been done and we have the ideal amount of GABA and no more low GABA anxiety symptoms I’d then check what low serotonin symptoms my client has (these are the busy mind, ruminations type or worry anxiety).

If she does have some of these symptoms, we pick one or two symptoms and do a trial with 1 x 500mg tryptophan opened on to the tongue (or less if she’s super sensitive). She rates the symptoms out of 10 before the tryptophan trial and then after the trial. Depending on how she responds on the trial, we’ll decide if she needs 1 or 2 x 500mg mid-afternoon and evening. The bedtime dose also depends on how bad the insomnia is. We continue to increase as needed based on symptoms until she has no more low serotonin type symptoms or until no additional benefits are observed.

All the while we are starting to make other changes – like diet, eating for blood sugar balance (this and using glutamine helps with the low blood sugar anxiety type), no caffeine, no sugar, looking for high cortisol, no gluten, looking at gut health and for other nutritional deficiencies.

Here are some links to additional resources related to the above:

I’d love to hear your feedback – do you/did you have the low GABA type of anxiety or the low serotonin type of anxiety or the low blood sugar type of anxiety or all three?

And feel free to share the before rating (from 1 to 10) and the after rating (from 1 to 10) once you’re taking the corresponding amino acid.

Diabetes, anxiety and GABA

By Trudy Scott 21 Comments

 

Anxiety and depression are common in patients with diabetes. In this 2016 paper: Prevalence and predictors of depression and anxiety in patients of diabetes mellitus in a tertiary care center, it was found that a significantly larger proportion of diabetic patients had

  • Anxiety: 27.6% vs. 12.7% as compared to healthy controls and
  • Depression: 26.3% vs. 11.2% as compared to healthy controls
  • Both depression andanxiety: 21.0% vs. 7.3% as compared to healthy controls

The paper also reports that diabetic women had higher rates of anxiety than men (17.6% vs. 10.0%) and higher rates of depression than men (17.1% vs. 9.3%).

GABA is one of the calming amino acids I used with much success with my clients who have the physical type of anxiety (with stiff and tense muscles). As well as addressing this type of anxiety it also helps them to end their sugar addiction, reducing cravings dramatically. Melissa shares her results after using GABA on this blog: GABA for ending sugar cravings (and anxiety and insomnia)

I was cool as a cucumber at the airport and was much calmer when visiting family and friends compared to last year! The true test of its efficacy will be in two weeks when the semester starts. For now, I notice a general calmness and am sleeping well.

An unexpected result was that I stopped craving sweets after about a week of taking it! I didn’t even realize this until I was grocery shopping and out of habit walked towards the ice cream – I stopped and realized I didn’t want ice cream. So I walked toward the chocolate – same reaction. For once in my life, I was not craving sweets.

Now there is some interesting recent research showing how GABA may play a role in diabetes treatment too.

This February 2015 paper, GABAergic system in the endocrine pancreas: a new target for diabetes treatment explains the role of GABA in regulating islet-cell secretion and that it exerts β-cell regenerative effects:

Excessive loss of functional pancreatic β-cell mass, mainly due to apoptosis, is a major factor in the development of hyperglycemia in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes (T1D and T2D).

In T1D, β-cells are destroyed by immunological mechanisms. In T2D, while metabolic factors are known to contribute to β-cell failure and subsequent apoptosis, mounting evidence suggests that islet inflammation also plays an important role in the loss of β-cell mass. Therefore, it is of great importance for clinical intervention to develop new therapies.

γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), a major neurotransmitter, is also produced by islet β-cells, where it functions as an important intraislet transmitter in regulating islet-cell secretion and function. Importantly, recent studies performed in rodents, including in vivo studies of xenotransplanted human islets, reveal that GABA exerts β-cell regenerative effects. Moreover, it protects β-cells against apoptosis induced by cytokines, drugs, and other stresses, and has anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory activities. It ameliorates the manifestations of diabetes in preclinical models, suggesting potential applications for the treatment of diabetic patients.

This paper published in November 2015: Study of GABA in Healthy Volunteers: Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics also reports potential therapeutic benefits for those with diabetes:

Our data show that GABA is rapidly absorbed and tolerated in human beings; its endocrine effects, exemplified by increasing islet hormonal secretion, suggest potential therapeutic benefits for diabetes.

You can read more about this in the blog post: GABA rapidly absorbed and tolerated – benefits for anxiety and diabetes

A paper published in December 2016 on GABA and diabetes: Long-Term GABA Administration Induces Alpha Cell-Mediated Beta-like Cell Neogenesis states that

This newly discovered GABA-induced α cell-mediated β-like cell neogenesis [or the regeneration of tissue] could therefore represent an unprecedented hope toward improved therapies for diabetes.

So here we have the amino amazing acid GABA that when used as a targeted supplement:

  • we know reduces and often eliminates sugar cravings completely
  • calms the anxious mind and reduces physical tension and stress within 5 to 30 minutes
  • has much potential in offering therapeutic benefits for diabetes

I’m proposing oral GABA as a much better option for diabetic patients with anxiety – better than benzodiazepines which have been shown to contribute to cognitive impairment. Using GABA sublingually seems to be most effective.

Do you have diabetes and has GABA helped you with your cravings and anxiety? And enabled you to reduce your diabetes medication?

If you’re a practitioner I’m curious if you commonly see anxiety and depression in your diabetes patients/clients? And do you currently use GABA (and other amino acids like tryptophan and glutamine) to help reduce their anxiety and sugar cravings? And reduce their diabetes medication?

 

Why I recommend GABA for anxiety instead of phenibut

By Trudy Scott 68 Comments

gaba-instead-of-phanibut

I have concerns with phenibut and I don’t feel anyone should be using it. It is widely used in Russia as a medication for anxiety and it’s only available by prescription in that country. It’s available over-the-counter in the USA, Australia and the UK and it’s very effective for anxiety and insomnia. It’s for this reason that many anxious individuals really love it and practitioners recommend it.

Here is some information about phenibut from this 2001 paper – Phenibut (beta-phenyl-GABA): a tranquilizer and nootropic drug:

Phenibut (beta-phenyl-gamma-aminobutyric acid HCl) is a neuropsychotropic drug that was discovered and introduced into clinical practice in Russia in the 1960s. It has anxiolytic and nootropic (cognition enhancing) effects. It acts as a GABA-mimetic, primarily at GABA(B) and, to some extent, at GABA(A) receptors. It also stimulates dopamine receptors and antagonizes beta-phenethylamine (PEA), a putative endogenous anxiogenic. The psychopharmacological activity of phenibut is similar to that of baclofen, a p-Cl-derivative of phenibut.

Phenibut is widely used in Russia to relieve tension, anxiety, and fear, to improve sleep in psychosomatic or neurotic patients; as well as a pre- or post-operative medication. It is also used in the therapy of disorders characterized by asthenia [abnormal physical weakness or lack of energy] and depression, as well as in post-traumatic stress, stuttering and vestibular disorders.

One of the reasons phenibut seems to work so well is because it is so similar to benzodiazepines. The above paper goes on to state:

Comparison of phenibut with piracetam and diazepam reveals similarities and differences in their pharmacological and clinical effects.

There is research showing that physical dependence can develop, including tolerance and withdrawal, and adverse symptoms can be similar to benzodiazepines: Phenibut Dependence

We present a case of a patient who used phenibut to self-medicate anxiety, insomnia and cravings for alcohol. While phenibut was helpful initially, the patient developed dependence including tolerance, significant withdrawal symptoms within 3-4 h of last use and failure to fulfil his roles at work and at home. He finally sought medical assistance in our addictions clinic. We have gradually, over the course of 9 weeks, substituted phenibut with baclofen, which has similar pharmacological properties, and then successfully tapered the patient off baclofen. This required approximately 10 mg of baclofen for each gram of phenibut.

I talk about my concerns about phenibut and cover the best forms of GABA in my Anxiety Summit season 4 presentation – GABA: Blood Brain Barrier Controversy Concerns, Best Forms and How to Do a Trial for Eliminating Anxiety, and share what other practitioners share:

…practitioners will say well they use it cautiously. They only use it if really needed. And some practitioners will say they pulse. So they’ll have a client or a patient take it for a certain number of days and then stop for a certain number of days.

I just think let’s err on the side of caution and let’s not even go there. Let’s use these other nutrients [like GABA].

Why mess with something when you’ve got something else that can be used. I’ve had practitioners say to me “Well, phenibut works so well. That’s why I use it. GABA doesn’t seem to work as well.” And maybe it’s because they are not doing it sublingually. So if you’ve been using phenibut or you’re a practitioner I’d love to hear from you if you switch your patients or your clients to GABA and have them open up the capsules. Let us know if you’re finding better results with that method rather than having them swallow the GABA capsules.

During this same GABA presentation on the Anxiety Summit I share some of my other concerns about phenibut:

It’s used in high doses for performance enhancement and what really horrified me is that there are these dedicated forums with information on how to taper safely. So there are these forums that talk about phenibut like it’s a drug and tell people how they can safely go this high [on the phenibut] and if they get these [bad] effects, what they need to do and how they can taper. When I read all that I was just horrified.

Why mess with something like phenibut when we’ve got GABA that does work so well when used in the right way (sublingually appears to be most effective) and when trialed to find the ideal targeted dose for your particular needs.

If you’d like a refresher or want to learn more about the following topics, be sure to listen (or re-listen if you tuned in during the summit) to my season 4 Anxiety Summit presentation on GABA:

Please share your phenibut and GABA experiences so we can all learn.