GABA

Her mum just passed away and although she is sad, GABA allows her to sit with a feeling of peace and calm most of the time

April 7, 2023 By Trudy Scott 33 Comments

Sandra shared this heartening feedback on how GABA helped right after the passing of her mum. She also voiced her surprise that it could have such a profound effect at a sad time like this, asking me if this was possible:

I recently started taking GABA Calm lozenges. I settled on a small dose of one lozenge at bedtime. Initially I took this for tense neck and shoulder muscles due to years of anxiety.

What I have noticed in the past month is that I seem quite calm although I do still have tense neck muscles.

Last week I experienced a profound bereavement with the passing of my mum who I have been caring for. I am genuinely surprised at how I have handled this stressful situation including the funeral. I have always been quite emotional and I have found myself, although sad, sitting in a feeling of peace and calm most of the time.

Is it possible that the GABA Calm is contributing to this? It was my understanding this product would assist with my tense muscles but I feel like it has helped me tremendously with my mindset, emotions and mood.

I look forward to your reply.

I offered my condolences for the loss of her mum and said how heartened I felt, hearing that she had a feeling of peace and calm most of the time. And the fact that GABA had helped with the stressful events of the funeral and her mindset, emotions and mood. I would expect the feeling of peace and calm, and helping reduce overall stress. The calming amino acid supplement, GABA, has long been recognized to help ease the more physical type of anxiety.

But because the amount of GABA she was taking didn’t help with her tense muscles, some of the benefits may have been as a result of GABA reducing the distressing unwanted thoughts. The emotions and mood are added benefits that we don’t always hear about with GABA but are not unheard of (more on this below).

I thanked Sandra for sharing this wonderful feedback, letting her know I’d share it as a separate blog, so we can offer support to others in similar situations. I’ll also be sharing this blog with her so she understands some of the mechanisms better too. In fact, I only made the unwanted thoughts connection after having responded to her.

GABA helps with inhibition of unwanted thoughts

In the past I’ve blogged about how Scientists identified a mechanism that helps us inhibit unwanted thoughts:

We are sometimes confronted with reminders of unwanted thoughts – thoughts about unpleasant memories, images or worries. When this happens, the thought may be retrieved, making us think about it again even though we prefer not to. While being reminded in this way may not be a problem when our thoughts are positive, if the topic was unpleasant or traumatic, our thoughts may be very negative, worrying or ruminating about what happened, taking us back to the event.

Scientists have identified a key chemical within the ‘memory’ region of the brain that allows us to suppress unwanted thoughts, helping explain why people who suffer from disorders such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and schizophrenia often experience persistent intrusive thoughts when these circuits go awry.

Professor Anderson, Dr. Schmitz and colleagues showed that the ability to inhibit unwanted thoughts relies on a neurotransmitter – a chemical within the brain that allows messages to pass between nerve cells – known as GABA.

GABA is the main ‘inhibitory’ neurotransmitter in the brain, and its release by one nerve cell can suppress activity in other cells to which it is connected.

Anderson and colleagues discovered that GABA concentrations within the hippocampus – a key area of the brain involved in memory – predict people’s ability to block the retrieval process and prevent thoughts and memories from returning.

You can read more on the blog post here: GABA helps with inhibition of unwanted thoughts

If you are using the GABA with success already and experience the loss of a loved one, you may find you need to increase your dose for a period of time.

There is individual variability in the capacity to cope with stress during bereavement

Research supports that there is “individual variability in the capacity to cope with stress” during bereavement and there are differences in symptoms and physiological changes. This paper, Long-term immune-endocrine effects of bereavement: relationships with anxiety levels and mood, identified changes in depression, anxiety, adrenocorticotropin and cortisol plasma concentrations, beta-endorphins, and reduced “functional activity of natural killer cells.” And the two different groups of people in the study had different symptoms and physiological changes.

GABA and glutamate, and the HPA axis in depression/bereavement

The above paper doesn’t mention GABA but growing evidence indicates that glutamate and GABA, and the HPA axis/corticotropin-releasing hormone, plays a role in depression and presumably bereavement too. This may be another mechanism that led to the feelings of calm that Sandra experienced.

You’ll need to figure out your unique biochemical needs

When you experience the loss of a loved one, you’ll need to figure out your unique biochemical needs and address them one by one. You may need GABA support like Sandra and/or may find you need serotonin support (with tryptophan or 5-HTP) and/or may need endorphin support (with the amino acid DPA/d-phenylalanine).

Both GABA and serotonin support also helps to address sleep problems. DPA helps especially with the emotional pain and weepiness, and if you’re self-medicating with comfort foods while grieving.

If you have high cortisol you may benefit from Seriphos or Lactium.

Keep in mind that nutritional support is immensely helpful during caregiving too. Here is just one example: When using the amino acid DPA (d-phenylalanine) I have more resilience and more buffer in the caregiving work I do, and just the oops’s of life

Helping Sandra ease her still tense neck muscles

For her ongoing tense neck and shoulder muscles I suggested a higher amount of GABA may be needed. She reported back that taking it in the morning made her sleepy and a couple of times she noticed a headache.

When GABA in the day causes sleepiness I have clients use less GABA more frequently or to take more at night to carry over the next day. In this case probably a GABA-only product because of her headaches.

She did share that GABA was her starting point with the intention of including tryptophan for ruminating and fearful thoughts which do stop her from participating in various activities. Low serotonin does cause TMJ (temporomandibular joint) pain and it’s possible this is contributing to her ongoing tense neck and shoulder muscles, and tryptophan may be the solution.

We also address low magnesium if applicable. I’d also suggest looking into dietary oxalates too and getting checked for physical issues by a chiropractor and/or osteopath and/or physical therapist.

You can read our discussion on this blog.

Resources if you are new to using GABA or tryptophan or DPA as supplements

If you are new to using GABA or tryptophan or DPA 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 and low endorphins).

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, sugar cravings, anxiety and mood issues (which include rage/anger/irritability/self-harm).

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. You can find them all in my online store. The above oral lavender products are available in my online store too.

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.

Has GABA or tryptophan or DPA helped you after the loss of a loved one? How did each one help?

Were you surprised that they would help so much?

If you were using the aminos with success already did you find you needed to increase your dose for a period of time?

What else has helped you at a time of loss?

If you have questions and other feedback please share it here too.

GABA lessens anxiety, agitation and defiance in 98 year old mother who has been “sundowning” for a couple of years

March 17, 2023 By Trudy Scott 11 Comments

Marsha shared this feedback on one of the blogs, saying that GABA lessens anxiety in her 98 year old mother:

My mother is 98 and has been “sundowning” for a couple of years. It starts around 3pm, sometimes earlier. Some days it’s no big deal. It is on those other days when she starts and then it goes to anxiety, agitation, then she can get sort of defiant which is so not her. She is a gentle soul, friendly, and kind so this is difficult on her as well as our family.

I just started to use my pestle and mortar to crush up a 125 mg GABA CALM supplement (Source Naturals) and I mix a little into her flavored yogurt when I start to see her having difficulty. I give it to her throughout the day. She only gets the 125 mg amount so I feel safe with that.

I believe that I do notice it lessens her anxiety. I pray that this will be helpful for her because that anxiety can be really draining for her. I will keep you posted. I have not noticed any adverse reactions. Thank you Trudy for all your info.

Anxiety, fear and agitation in sundowning syndrome: circadian dysfunction and low GABA

I responded, saying how wonderful to hear that she is noticing supplemental GABA lessens her mother’s anxiety (and presumably her agitation and defiance too). And I shared that GABA may be involved in sundowning syndrome.

This paper describes “sundowning syndrome,” as “a poorly understood (and even controversial) clinical phenomenon in Alzheimer’s and dementia patients that is characterized by agitation, aggression, and delirium during the late afternoon and early evening hours.”

The authors are focusing on potential pathways for circadian rhythm – physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a 24-hour cycle – dysfunction in sundowning. They also mention the presence of fear and anxiety and the fact that there is a circadian aspect of these emotional processes.

What is interesting is that the “master circadian pacemaker” i.e. “the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus” has impacts on both GABA and serotonin, and also dopamine and orexin (involved in sleep-wake processes).

Given the circadian aspect addressed in the above paper, “properly timed light exposure” i.e. early morning sunlight, is also worth exploring.

This paper, Implications of GABAergic Neurotransmission in Alzheimer’s Disease, focuses onGABA and shares that “of the two major types of synapses in the central nervous system (CNS): glutamatergic and GABAergic, which provide excitatory and inhibitory outputs respectively, abundant data implicate an impaired glutamatergic system during disease progression.”

The amino acid GABA helps to ease anxiety symptoms and agitation and restlessness, also helping with disturbed sleep.

GABA Calm dosing in the elderly with sundowning syndrome: my observations

I also expressed how this is a smart way to use the GABA Calm. I’m going to make some assumptions and share my observations:

Marsha uses GABA Calm herself and has a good level of comfort based on personal results. She knows how she feels after using it and is observing her mother’s symptoms. I have guided many family members in doing the same type of thing – mom’s working to help a child and a granddaughter helping a grandparent – and it works well.
Marsha has also started with a low dose of 125 mg. This is a typical starting dose and is a reasonable dose that may suffice for the entire day for someone this age. She may also need more and increasing the dose and observing is the way to go when someone can’t articulate how the amino acid is helping them. For some folks, 125mg may be too much – making them too sleepy or even more agitated/anxious – the dose can be reduced in this case (after using vitamin C as an antidote).
Marsha crushes the GABA Calm chewable/sublingual and mixes it into her mother’s flavored yogurt, since having her suck on the chewable is not an option. This is a great plan but as she continues to help her, she may see better results using a non-protein source to mix it in – like apple sauce or mashed banana.
Finally, she gives it to her mother when she starts to see her having difficulty. Again, it’s wonderful she is observing and helping her at the moment, but this could be a clue that she needs more GABA to provide even better results. We also don’t want to wait for the anxiety and then address it. Instead, we want to get GABA levels up and prevent it.

You can read more about Source Naturals GABA Calm product and why I use it with clients here.

Low serotonin, tryptophan and melatonin in sundowning syndrome

I also told Marsha that when I hear symptoms like agitation and defiance, especially with the 3pm start, I also would also consider low serotonin since it starts to decline afternoon into evening.

Her mother’s anxiety may be a mix of low GABA physical-type anxiety and low serotonin worry-type anxiety. She’ll only really know once she trials the respective amino acids.

I’ve seen low serotonin worry-type anxiety, agitation and defiance symptoms improve with tryptophan and/or melatonin and share more about this in this blog post – Sundowning in Alzheimer’s and dementia: melatonin/tryptophan for the agitation, restlessness, anxiety, disturbed sleep and aggression

Dietary factors and low dose lithium

Marsha says some days it’s no big deal. I would recommend keeping a food-mood log and make sure it’s not something in her diet that may be a trigger: hidden gluten, dietary oxalates or even blood sugar swings.

These are mentioned in the above blog, together with low dose lithium orotate which can help keep moods more even.

Microdose lithium is also capable of halting signs of advanced Alzheimer’s and improving cognition. More on that here.

It’s with much appreciation that Marsha shared this feedback. I’m thrilled for her and her mother. Hopefully, my feedback on this blog means she’ll be able to fine-tune things. And you get to learn and benefit from this feedback too – for your loved one.

A few GABA product options – a sublingual, a powder and a cream

A product I use and recommend is Source Naturals GABA Calm lozenges. This is one Marsha uses for herself and is using with her mother. 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), and could be mixed in water in a situation like this. 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%).

Somnium GABA Cream is another option that could be considered especially for those with Alzheimer’s or dementia who may struggle with using a supplement. 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%.

Resources if you are new to using tryptophan or GABA as supplements

If you are new to using tryptophan or GABA 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).

Have you found GABA to help in a situation like this?

If yes, which symptoms have resolved and how much GABA/which product are you using/did you use?

What time did the symptoms start to ramp up?

And has serotonin support with tryptophan and/or melatonin also helped?

If you have questions and other feedback please share it here too.

GABA and Silexan (an oral lavender product) for anxiety, panic attacks, agoraphobia, insomnia and stressful events like travel/social events

February 24, 2023 By Trudy Scott 29 Comments

When sharing a study on the benefits of Silexan, a proprietary formulation of oral lavender essential oil (used as a supplement), I received this feedback from Kat. She uses both Silexan and GABA with success, depending on the situation:

I used Silexan (CalmAid) here in the USA, for 7 weeks and had wonderful results!!

I was having daily constant panic attacks… agoraphobia and insomnia. They put me on several SSRIs to which I had severe reactions to. The Silexan saved me! I was able to get my life back. I used it nightly and it helped tremendously with sleep and anxiety. I heard about it through The Carlat Report Psych podcast and website after a desperate search to find something to help.

It’s a product that I highly recommend to everyone I know who suffers with anxiety. I now use it only as needed. There are no side effects except a perfume burp but that’s tolerable for me! It can be stopped without any withdrawal effects.

And this is how she responded when I asked if she had previously done a trial of GABA or tryptophan and how Silexan compared to the amino acids.

I use the GABA during times where the panic is increasing (GABA Calm 1/2 tablet, sublingually).

I use the Silexan when I have something stressful planned like travel, social events etc. Silexan works so well without any side effects and can be stopped without any withdrawal effects.

The GABA is an immediate effect vs the Silexan which is slower acting but lasts throughout the day.

What wonderful results for Kat. I thanked her for sharing and voiced my concern with CalmAid and some of the other products that contain Silexan: they contain canola oil. I just wish they stopped making this with canola oil! I share more about this below and another product option that doesn’t use canola oil.

GABA or Silexan? Kat’s sweet spot, serotonin and pyroluria

If you’re wondering where you should start – GABA or Silexan? If you’ve been following my work or even starting to use GABA, you’ll know I always start clients with GABA when they have low GABA symptoms of physical anxiety and tension.

I agree with Kat – it’s very typical for GABA to provide immediate results. I did also share with her that in order to get longer lasting effects GABA does need to be used 3-4 x day, between meals. This means that, for her, GABA may offer similar results to Silexan by slowly building up her GABA levels.

However, Kat has found the sweet spot she needs by using this combination so I would stick with this approach.

If she did decide to stop using Silexan in the future, tryptophan may be needed too – for low serotonin worry-type anxiety symptoms. She did mention that she doesn’t currently use tryptophan and Silexan also affects serotonin levels.

I do love that Kat plans for stressful events and uses Silexan in these situations. She does mention needing it for social events so I’d suggest looking into pyroluria too. More here on this social anxiety condition and how zinc, vitamin B6 and other key nutrients can help.

Kat’s dietary changes, no caffeine, no sugar and cravings?

I also asked if she has also made dietary changes and quit caffeine, alcohol and sugar. Kat shared that she doesn’t drink any caffeine and hasn’t since 2015. Good for her – caffeine is a major anxiety trigger. She does recognize that her anxiety gets worse when she’s eating a lot of processed foods/gluten/dairy/soy and she limits these.

I said it’s best to avoid these trigger foods altogether. This is often easier said than done! The amino acids help so much to break the addiction and eliminate the need to use willpower: GABA for stress-eating, tryptophan or 5-HTP if her cravings happen mostly in the afternoon and evening, and DPA if comfort foods are her reward. More on the amino acids and cravings here.

I thanked Kat for sharing her wonderful results and asked for permission to share as a blog. I always appreciate being able to do this so I can continue to educate and inspire. This also shows how there is no-one size fits all.

Silexan research on anxiety and insomnia

This is the study I shared on Facebook – Prescription of Silexan Is Associated with Less Frequent General Practitioner Repeat Consultations Due to Disturbed Sleep Compared to Benzodiazepine Receptor Agonists: A Retrospective Database Analysis

The prescription of Silexan to adult patients consulting general practitioners (GPs) for disturbed sleep results in less frequent repeat consultations than Z-drugs (including zolpidem, zopiclone, and zaleplon).

This may support Silexan’s role as an efficacious, self-enabling, well-tolerated, and sustained treatment option.

Because Silexan is a proven anxiolytic, its impact in improving undiagnosed anxiety disorders may have had a lasting effect for certain patients.

As explained in this same paper, “Silexan is an active substance with an essential oil produced from Lavandula angustifolia flowers.” It’s a proprietary lavender oil that complies with and exceeds the European Pharmacopoeia quality definition for the monograph lavender oil. “Several studies have shown positive effects of Silexan on symptoms of subsyndromal/mild anxiety or GAD [generalized anxiety disorder] compared to conventional treatment or placebo groups.”

Silexan and other oral lavender products

The proprietary product of Silexan, with 80mg of Lavandula angustifolia essential oil, is found in a number of products:

Nature’s Way CalmAid ® (this is the product Kat used/uses)
Integrative Therapeutics Lavela ™
Seremind ® (in Australia)

This supplement, NFH Lavender SAP, does not use the proprietary Silexan but does contain 80mg of organic lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) essential oil. This product is my preference since it contains olive oil and not canola oil like the others mentioned above.

All of the above are available in my online supplement store (for US purchases only). Nature’s Way CalmAid ® is also available on iherb.

Dosing recommendations for adults is 1 softgel once or twice daily with a full glass of water. There is a caution not to use while pregnant, nursing, or for children under 12 years of age.

GABA for anxiety, insomnia, sugar cravings, sensorimotor skills and immunity

I share case studies and research about GABA all the time so I’ll just share links to some of the past GABA blogs in case you’re new to GABA (a calming amino acid and neurotransmitter):

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.

Have you found that an oral lavender product such as Silexan (used as a supplement) helps with your anxiety, panic attacks and/or sleep?

Have you used the NFH Lavender SAP product with similar success to other Silexan products?

Do you also use the amino acid GABA (sublingually) and in what situations do you use GABA vs oral lavender?

How much of each do you use?

If you have other questions and feedback please share them here too.

GABA Calm is a game changer for husband’s sound and tactile hypersensitivity, significant coordination problems and his anxiety

February 10, 2023 By Trudy Scott 20 Comments

My husband is low in GABA and he had significant coordination problems and sensory sensitivity ….. until GABA Calm. 3 tablets per day work great. If he has none, he gets hyper sensitive again and starts tripping over things in the house.

He has always struggled with anxiety and sound / tactile hypersensitivity. Alongside that he often tripped over things. He made great progress when he started using The Listening Program. I wonder if this sound therapy raises GABA and that was why it helped him (although it only partially helped with anxiety)?

When he stopped The Listening Program then his symptoms came back.

He started taking GABA Calm as I saw it in your blogs years ago. Then he found that he didn’t need to do the Listening Program any more.

GABA Calm is a game changer for him.

Denise shared this feedback about her husband’s great results on a blog post about GABA Calm helping with anxiety and sensorimotor skills in an autistic child.

I thanked her for sharing these wonderful results her husband is experiencing. I am inspired to share this feedback as a blog to give others hope. And also because this illustrates the diversity of how GABA can help i.e. it works for adults and children, males and females, and there is different dosing according to each person’s unique needs.

Music therapy: calming effect and GABA mechanisms

This study, Emotional Inhibitory Effect of Music Therapy on Anxiety Neurosis Based on Neural Content Analysis in Hippocampus, reports that music therapy has a calming effect by adjusting the glutamate/GABA balance. This is likely why Denise’s husband found The Listening Program to be helpful in certain ways – glutamate is the main excitatory neurotransmitter and GABA is the main calming neurotransmitter.

GABA, the GABA Calm supplement, hypersensitivity and sensorimotor difficulties (research)

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is your main inhibitory neurotransmitter and the amino acid GABA can be used as a supplement to raise GABA levels and ease physical anxiety symptoms, help with insomnia, stress eating, intrusive thoughts and stiff/tense muscles.

GABA Calm is one of many different GABA supplements that I recommend to my clients. This particular one is a sublingual/chewable offered as a 125mg dose, which is where I have most of my clients start. Denise’s husband finds that 3 GABA Calm used throughout the day are enough for his needs. These alleviate his anxiety and also stop his sound and tactile hypersensitivity, and significant coordination problems such as tripping.

This paper reports that“Sensory over-responsivity (SOR), extreme sensitivity to or avoidance of sensory stimuli (e.g., scratchy fabrics, loud sounds)… is present in 5–15% of the general population and is even more common (rates over 50%) in individuals with both genetic and environmentally-based psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders such as anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, early life adversity, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).”

The authors discuss altered thalamic sensory gating and an excitatory (glutamate) / inhibitory (GABA) neurochemical imbalance in ASD youth. Most of the research on sensory issues and GABA has been done in ASD children but it clearly applies to adults with anxiety too.

I highlight the motor issues with GABA/glutamate imbalances in the above GABA sensorimotor skills blog. This research is also looking at ASD populations but these mechanisms may account for her husband’s significant coordination problems/tripping.

You can read the current list of low GABA symptoms here. This list will be updated with sound and tactile hypersensitivity, and coordination problems/tripping (and a few others like asthma and laryngospasm).

An occupational therapist who is training as a nutritional therapist

Denise is an occupational therapist (OT) who is training as a nutritional therapist so she can recommend supplements for the kids she works with, alongside the other therapies she uses as an OT. I love this. I’m a big believer in using everything we have at our disposal and am a huge advocate of OT. I would love to see more OTs and other practitioners using the amino acids and nutritional therapy.

Denise shared that she actually started her journey in nutritional therapy 20 years ago due to the impact she was seeing in diet and autism. She took a very long break and had her own children and has now restarted her training. She shared this:

I plan to integrate nutritional advice into my work with families. As I am currently a NT student I haven’t been able to advise families even regarding the GABA Oolong tea [more on that below]. I am excited to qualify as I see various sensory, motor and attention issues that can be easily treated through nutritional adjustments and supplements.

Denise is already using the amino acids personally and with her family, sharing: “I love using aminos e.g. 5-HTP and L-theanine for myself and my daughters and GABA for my husband, tyrosine occasionally for my son.”

She has my book “The Antianxiety Food Solution”, a great resource that is practical and fully referenced, for both consumers and practitioners.

I encouraged her to also look into the amino acid training I offer for practitioners once she has completed her training as a nutritional therapist, so she can confidently use them with her clients too.

Having her in the program is also an opportunity for me and others in the group to learn from Denise about her expertise on integrating amino acids, nutrition and OT.

Her feedback on GABA oolong tea or GABA Calm for children with autism?

She also commented that she loved reading the GABA Oolong research – GABA Oolong tea in children with autism: improvements in sensorimotor skills, autism profiles, anxiety and sleep (new research)

I asked for her feedback and if she has kids in her practice, see any benefits when drinking this GABA Oolong tea. And what their responses are to the taste. Since she is still a student she can’t yet advise families regarding the GABA Oolong tea but she did say this:

To be honest I think the Source Naturals GABA Calm sublingual will be easier to tolerate for lots of children compared with tea.

As fascinating as the GABA Oolong tea research is, I feel the same way and I really appreciate this feedback from an OT. I have actually received similar feedback from a number of other practitioners too. Stay tuned as I continue to gather feedback.

Autism: diet, GABA and working with an OT

It’s amazing that 20 years ago Denise was seeing the impact of diet in kids with autism. If you would like to learn more, this blog – Nutritional and Dietary Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder – summarizes a 2018 study and offers many insights into to the progress since then.

As I mentioned above, her husband’s success with 3 GABA Calm illustrates the diversity of how GABA can help i.e. adults and children, males and females, and different dosing according to each person’s unique needs.

This is the blog Denise commented on – Half a crushed GABA Calm for my autistic child: sleep, anxiety and sensorimotor skills (writing, horse riding and swimming) improve.

In the above blog, I share Vic’s feedback about just half a GABA Calm improving her daughter’s sleep, social skills and sensorimotor skills such as pen and pencil use, horse riding and swimming. Her daughter is also working with an OT and getting those added benefits too.

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

If you are new to using tryptophan, 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).

Have you or a family member had GABA help with sound and tactile hypersensitivity, coordination problems and anxiety?

Which GABA product and how much?

And is the GABA product used sublingually or the capsule opened?

Are you an OT using amino acids and nutritional approaches with your clients, in addition to other approaches?

Do you find music therapy to be calming, in a similar way to the calming effects of GABA?

If you have other questions and feedback please share them here too.

My 6 year old was having panic attacks getting out of the car for Kindergarten: GABA has completely relieved him of his fears

January 27, 2023 By Trudy Scott 12 Comments

My 6 year old son was having panic attacks getting out of the car going to Kindergarten and taking two GABA Calm has completely relieved him of his fears. He has been going for 3 straight weeks in a row.

I thought it may be low serotonin since this happened last winter as well but I gave him 5-HTP for a couple months and it didn’t seem to affect him and his anxiety. We had to have him repeat Kinder this year.

But wow, the GABA has been fabulous and Kindergarten is in full swing because of your help.

This is from Lisa, a mom in the community. I never get tired of getting feedback like this – how wonderful for this young boy and his family. She shared this very positive outcome on one of the GABA blogs, asking this question (which I address below):

Quick question…does the GABA have to be taken on an empty stomach to work? We try to give it as soon as he is awake and wait to eat for 15-20 mins but sometimes it’s not possible.

The timing of GABA and tracking symptoms

I share that GABA is best taken on an empty stomach and ideally 30 minutes away from protein-containing food. But I also say that the way she is having him use it is clearly working for him. In a situation like this it’s simple enough to track the outcome on days they do wait 15-20 mins and on days when it’s not possible to wait the 15-20 mins (and make a note of how close to food he does take GABA). How is his anxiety, fears and panic attacks in these two situations?

Lisa shared that GABA works well in both instances:

We will keep doing the no food for 15-20 minutes after taking it because it is obviously working. We’ve only had it happen where he eats after about 5 mins and it seems to still do the job.

This sounds like a great plan. If they can, I would also do a trial waiting the full 30 minutes and see how he does on those days. She may find with the longer duration he only needs one GABA Calm.

It may also be that because GABA is being used in a sublingual manner like this, it can be used closer to food. Perhaps a trial right after food is worthwhile. I’m sure it will reduce some of the early morning stress and rush getting ready for Kindergarten.

I also confirmed with her that he is using the Source Naturals GABA Calm product. This is the sublingual product (with just 125mg of GABA and a few other ingredients) that I have so much success with. You can read more about it here – Source Naturals GABA Calm™: Why I recommend it for anxiety.

The school is in shock at how well carpooling is going for him

I love that the school is now in shock and that this mom went with her instinct and pulled him out of school the first year his fears showed up:

We just got a call from the school today and they are in shock at how well carpooling is going for him. They wanted to know what I was doing, ha! He had been a star student so they were shocked when he started to have meltdowns and panic attacks, running away and into traffic about 3 months into school. We deal with a bit of ADHD at home (it’s manageable with the diet) but anxiety is what most see on the outside.

We are repeating Kindergarten because half way through last year he started to panic getting out of the car. The previous school wanted to grab him out of the car and have me drive off. They said he would calm down better without me. What? Just what I want to do is traumatize my child at the start of his academic life. I pulled him and we waited since he was on the younger side and put him in a fabulous charter school this year.

The GABA has taken all those fears out and has been a huge bridge for him to get to school.

I do hope Lisa told the school exactly what he’s doing with GABA and how quickly it’s helped him. So many children are struggling with anxiety and mental health issues and could do with nutritional support like GABA and some of the dietary changes he had made before using GABA (more on that below).

5-HTP didn’t help and why a switch to tryptophan may have helped

You’ll notice she mentioned that 5-HTP had not helped the previous year:

I thought it may be low serotonin since this happened last winter as well but I gave him 5-HTP for a couple months and it didn’t seem to affect him and his anxiety.

Fear and panic attacks are common with low serotonin so it’s good that she did a trial of 5-HTP. Here are some of my insights:

I would not have someone use 5-HTP for a couple of months – the amino acids work quickly so a week or possibly two should be enough to decide whether to continue or stop
You always want to increase until you find the ideal dose. I’m not sure how Lisa approached this aspect.
When there are low serotonin symptoms and 5-HTP doesn’t work, we switch to tryptophan. 5-HTP works well for some and tryptophan works better for others. You can see all the low serotonin symptoms here

It’s possible her son may still benefit from additional serotonin support. Or it may be that the GABA is all he needs. With ADHD it may be worth investigating tyrosine too.

Dietary changes: gluten, dairy, phenols and high histamine foods

It’s important to always address the foundational diet so I checked with Lisa about dietary changes. This is key to not needing long-term GABA supplementation (once other causes of low GABA are addressed – such as Lyme disease, phthalates, aspartame, gut health etc). She shared this about his diet:

He has always been gluten free and dairy free (only goats milk as a baby). We follow the Feingold Diet and try to stay away from high histamine foods as it causes his anger and anxiety to be worse.

It’s great she has made these foundational dietary changes with gluten and dairy – both can exacerbate mood issues. The Feingold diet eliminates phenols. Both phenols and high histamine foods can be problematic for many children too, as she reports.

All these dietary factors are so key but even then additional neurotransmitter support is often needed and in this instance it’s GABA that he clearly needs. Because of his issue with histamines it’s possible he may not have tolerated pharmaGABA (a fermented GABA) so GABA Calm was a good first choice for the initial trial.

Pyroluria testing – why I often don’t use this urine test

I know he has some imbalances so we need to do an OAT test and pyroluria test (I have pyroluria so I know he is bound to have it). Money is the issue at the moment so the GABA chewables have been a true lifesaver. I can’t thank you enough!

I let her know that I don’t often have clients do the urine test for pyroluria because of the false negatives. He’s doing really well but children with pyroluria are really good at masking and pushing through (and so are adults, as I’m sure Lisa already knows). The pyroluria protocol (zinc, vitamin B6 and evening primrose oil) provide raw materials for neurotransmitter production and can help with ADHD symptoms too. We simply do a trial of the protocol when symptoms exist and determine if they are helping.

I love her comment: “the GABA chewables have been a true lifesaver.” This and the outcome for this 6 year old is the reason I love the amino acids. They offer incredible results and relief from anxiety, fears and panic attacks, while you are working through testing (like the OAT and others) and other contributing root causes.

I said her feedback is really inspiring and I’d love to share it as a blog post for other families. She kindly responded with this:

You can definitely write up a blog post about it. If I can help other families going through the same thing it was all worth it. If you have any other questions don’t hesitate to ask. Thank you again for sharing all your knowledge.

I appreciate her willingness to post their success and her permission to share as a blog post.

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

Have one of your children experienced similar results with GABA offering relief for anxiety, fears and panic attacks? Which GABA product helped your child and how much helped?

When using sublingual or chewable GABA products like GABA Calm, have you found the timing in relation to foods being important?

What dietary changes has your child also made and how have they helped?

If you have questions and feedback please share them here too.

Transgenerational transmission of aspartame-induced anxiety and changes in glutamate-GABA signaling: a new study and solutions

January 13, 2023 By Trudy Scott 9 Comments

Do you drink diet sodas or use other sugar free products that contain aspartame? Or did you when you were younger? New research has found aspartame induces anxiety and fear via changes in glutamate-GABA signaling. What is even more concerning is that these effects are transgenerational, meaning you could be living with the anxiety-provoking effects of aspartame via the diet soda habits from your father and his father/your grandfather. This study found it impacts 2 generations via the paternal line but I suspect ongoing research may yet find impacts via your mother and grandmother too. Also, keep in mind, your current or prior use of aspartame is very likely going to impact your children and grandchildren. It’s an animal study but we don’t want to ignore yet another issue with artificial sweeteners.

The good news is that we can use the amino acid GABA to help counter the high glutamate and low GABA, and ease this physical anxiety this imbalance causes. And we can use GABA and glutamine and other amino acids to break the addiction to aspartame and other artificial sweeteners.

Here is the abstract of the paper – Transgenerational transmission of aspartame-induced anxiety and changes in glutamate-GABA signaling and gene expression in the amygdala

We report the effects of aspartame on anxiety-like behavior, neurotransmitter signaling and gene expression in the amygdala, a brain region associated with the regulation of anxiety and fear responses. C57BL/6 mice consumed drinking water containing 0.015% or 0.03% aspartame, a dose equivalent of 8 to 15% of the FDA recommended maximum human daily intake, or plain drinking water. Robust anxiety-like behavior (evaluated using open field test and elevated zero maze) was observed in male and female mice consuming the aspartame-containing water. Diazepam, an allosteric modulator of the GABA-A receptor, alleviated the anxiety-like behavior. RNA sequencing of the amygdala followed by KEGG biological pathway analysis of differentially expressed genes showed glutamatergic and GABAergic synapse pathways as significantly enriched. Quantitative PCR showed upregulation of mRNA for the glutamate NMDA receptor subunit 2D (Grin2d) and metabotropic receptor 4 (Grm4) and downregulation of the GABA-A receptor associated protein (Gabarap) mRNA. Thus, taken together, our diazepam and gene expression data show that aspartame consumption shifted the excitation-inhibition equilibrium in the amygdala toward excitation. Even more strikingly, the anxiety-like behavior, its response to diazepam, and changes in amygdala gene expression were transmitted to male and female offspring in two generations descending from the aspartame-exposed males. Extrapolation of the findings to humans suggests that aspartame consumption at doses below the FDA recommended maximum daily intake may produce neurobehavioral changes in aspartame-consuming individuals and their descendants. Thus, human population at risk of aspartame’s potential mental health effects may be larger than current expectations, which only include aspartame-consuming individuals.

A few notes to highlight:

Aspartame caused anxiety in both male and female mice but the intergenerational effects were along the paternal line i.e.“the anxiety phenotype, its response to diazepam, and changes in amygdala gene expression were transmitted from the aspartame-exposed male founders to their descendants.”
These effects were caused by the equivalent to 2–4 small /8 oz/ 240 ml cans of aspartame-sweetened diet soda.
The anxiety-inducing effects of aspartame in humans are potentially far more widespread than what is currently known

There is still no consensus on adverse effects

The paper also highlights a very concerning aspect: there is still no consensus on aspartame’s effects on brain monoamine content (serotonin and the catecholamines dopamine, adrenaline, and noradrenaline) or behaviors such as memory, depression and anxiety. Despite much research, consensus is also still lacking on aspartame’s carcinogenic or cancer-causing effects and the impacts on weight-gain and obesity, and the bad effects on the microbiome.

In fact, “the US government policy and publications indicate that aspartame is safe when consumed within FDA recommended maximum daily intake value of 50 mg/kg.” In this study it was much less than the maximum i.e. the equivalence of just “8 to 15% of the FDA recommended maximum human daily intake” caused the above anxiety and intergenerational effects.

This paper is adding to the body of knowledge but if you’re still consuming aspartame it is time to make your own decisions and quit. This is often easier said than done and I address this below.

GABA and other amino acids as a solution for your diet soda addiction

I address the addictive nature of diet soda in this blog: I need help with my Diet Coke addiction – when I stop, my fatigue, brain fog, anxiety/depression increase big time!

I need help with my Diet Coke addiction. I have been using it for 35 years and I am too appalled to tell you how much I drink.

I have tried to quit many times and ended up in utter failure. When I stop, my fatigue, brain fog, anxiety/depression increase big time. I know this drink is literally killing my health and I am desperate for some answers, suggestions….or a miracle.

Kevin shares this in the comments: “I was VERY addicted to diet coke and Pepsi. I found oxycontin and morphine easier to quit.” And Karen shares this: “I can relate to a Coke/Pepsi (diet and/or regular) addiction because I drank 3 every day, Monday-Friday for years. For me, that first sip in the morning was my “hit” in the morning for this teetotaler.”

When it comes to using amino acids to help break the addiction, pretty much everything I write about in relation to sugar addiction or cravings would also apply to quitting Diet Coke or other diet sodas. You need to figure out what emotions are driving your addiction and use the respective amino acid supplement/s (one or more of them) to help break the addiction and improve your anxiety and mood symptoms at the same time.

This could be glutamine if you drink it when your blood sugar is low and crave the sweet taste, GABA if you drink it when stressed, tryptophan or 5-HTP if you drink it later in the day in order to feel happy, DPA if it’s your reward and tyrosine if it gives you a mood and energy boost. It’s all explained in the above blog post.

The amino acids ease alcohol withdrawal symptoms too. I share a study in this blog – An amino acid supplement with DLPA, glutamine and 5-HTP eases alcohol withdrawal symptoms at an inpatient detoxification program – and practical solutions using these amino acids. Read this and simply substitute alcohol with diet soda. And keep in mind it’s always an individualized approach based on each person’s needs, for endorphin and dopamine support (from the DLPA), blood sugar support (from glutamine) and serotonin support (from 5-HTP).

GABA as a solution for the physical anxiety symptoms

In this study the mice responded well to diazepam, a benzodiazepine prescribed for anxiety. However, given the many issues with long-term benzo use, the amino acid GABA, used as a supplement is a safer choice. It also addresses the root cause of low GABA and high glutamate.

The FDA approved aspartame as a nutritive sweetener in 1981 and for use in carbonated beverages in 1983 so I don’t have the intergenerational impacts. I drank Tab in my early 20s and it contained aspartame for a short time. It was very likely part of the perfect storm of factors that contributed to my anxiety. GABA was a life-saver for me.

Here are a few blog posts on using GABA for easing physical anxiety and fears:

Be sure to use the search feature to find other similar articles on the blog.

Resources if you are new to using amino acids as supplements

Did you drink diet sodas in the past or do you still consume them or other products that contain aspartame?

Do you suspect they may be one root cause of your anxiety? And has stopping helped?

Did GABA help ease your anxiety and fear? And help with breaking the addiction and quitting? What about other amino acids like tyrosine, glutamine, tryptophan/5-HTP or DPA (d-phenylalanine)?

What about suspected intergenerational impacts from your parents and grandparents?

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