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

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gaba tyrosine teenager

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.

You can read more about tyrosine for focus and mood, and motivation and energy here.

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.

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

If you’re a practitioner have you seen GABA and any of the above to help? What else has helped your clients/patients?

If you suffer from Tourette’s Syndrome, do you also experience ADHD, insomnia, low mood and/or anxiety?

Feel free to ask your questions here too.

Does 5-HTP make you “wired-tired” and affect your sleep when cortisol is high? (“yes” and “not sure” and “no, 5-HTP was miraculous!”)

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5-htp and sleep

Both 5-HTP and tryptophan are amino acid supplements that are known to help to boost serotonin levels so you can feel happy, calm, sleep well and not crave carbs in the afternoon/evening. They also help with panic attacks and phobias, lack of confidence, depression, negativity, imposter syndrome, PMS, irritability, anger issues, pain/fibromyalgia, TMJ and anger. I typically have my clients with low serotonin symptoms start with a trial of tryptophan because I see such excellent results with this amino acid. That being said, some people simply do better on one versus the other and you may do better with 5-HTP.

There is one big caveat with 5-HTP. I don’t recommend 5-HTP when a client has elevated cortisol levels because we know that it can raise cortisol levels in certain individuals. This can leave you feeling agitated, cranky, as well as “wired and tired” at the same time. You may be able to relate to this if you’ve ever used 5-HTP to help with anxiety and insomnia and ended up feeling more anxious and more wide-awake despite your exhaustion and need for sleep.

Today you’ll hear actual feedback from members of my community who responded to a past blog post: 5-HTP can raise salivary cortisol: does this cause a “wired-tired” feeling?.

Read on to hear how one woman found that 5-HTP did lead to her feeling wired and tired and how 5-HTP made sleep worse and worse in another; how one woman wasn’t sure if 5-HTP caused her disturbed sleep and waking in the night; and how one man found that 5-HTP was miraculous for his wife.  In each instance I offer input and next steps if necessary.  As you can see their responses were very different and my hope is that you may see yourself in some of these “cases” and learn more about using the amino acids.

And be sure to read the original blog post if you’d like to check out the study and some of my feedback on it and using 5-HTP.

5-HTP did lead to feeling wired and tired and made sleep worse and worse

Gloria shared  how 5-HTP did not help her sleep and made her feel wired and tired. She figured out the tryptophan did work for her:

I so appreciate your blog and have learned so much that is helpful. I tried 5-HTP and it did not help me sleep. I do much better on Lidtke tryptophan. The 5-HTP did make me feel wired and tired. I also have that reaction to GABA Calm because of the taurine and do much better on GABA-T SAP. Thank you for all your research.

I appreciate her sharing and am so pleased she has good results with tryptophan. The Lidtke brand is the one I have the most success with. The GABA-T SAP is a combination of GABA and theanine and is another product I recommend and see good results with.

Alexandra knew she had high night time cortisol and yet has been taking 5-HTP at the recommendation of her psychiatrist and her sleep was getting worse and worse. She shared this on the above blog post:

Your posts do not stop amazing me! I have been diagnosed with HPA axis dysfunction with high cortisol at night, my psychiatrist had me on 200 mg of 5-HTP and my sleep was getting worse and worse! I had to stop taking it because I was going to get the DUTCH test done by Geneva and noticed I slept much better without it…. I am so grateful for your posts!

I appreciate her for sharing and glad she made the connection. Hopefully she shared this information with her doctor too.

The 200mg 5-HTP dose is considered relatively high, certainly as a starting dose. I start clients on 50mg and increase based on symptoms so I assume she worked up to taking 200mg.

When 5-HTP is making things worse we switch to tryptophan, also starting low and increasing based on need. Keep in mind that 50mg 5-HTP is equivalent to 500mg tryptophan but I like to have clients start low when making a switch and increase based on results.

It’s always important to address the high cortisol levels (with Seriphos and other adrenal support). And to consider checking for parasites, changes in sex hormones, SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), gluten issues and other food intolerances, toxin exposure, new EMF exposure, medication side-effects, mold toxicity and infections – all of which can affect sleep and may impact cortisol levels.

Not sure if 5-HTP caused disturbed sleep and waking in the night

Merrily experienced some really good results using 5-HTP, starting low and working up to her ideal dose of 200mg. And then she started experiencing disturbed sleep and wasn’t sure if it was the 5-HTP:

Because of mood issues – dysthymia [low mood], irritability, negative thoughts, and low energy, my doctor recommended 5-HTP. I started on 50mg 5-HTP and have worked up to 200mg daily (which I’ve been taking at bedtime for over 2 years now). On the occasions when I cut back, mood issues returned which does suggest to me it’s working.

Lately I am experiencing problems with disturbed sleep, waking during the night which I had not associated with the 5-HTP. Shall I switch to tryptophan?

Thank you so much for your blogs, your book and lectures. You really make a difference Trudy!

She has a few options. One is to cut back the 5-HTP again and see if her mood issues return. If they don’t return and sleep improves she can stay on the lower dose but may need to increase it temporarily during the winter time

Another option is to space out her dosing and take less at night and some mid-afternoon.

Finally she could switch to tryptophan. As I mentioned above, 50mg 5-HTP is equivalent to 500mg tryptophan but I like to have clients start low when making a switch and increase based on results.

If these approaches don’t work it would be useful to test salivary cortisol levels to see if her cortisol levels are now high and if yes, address this with Seriphos and other adrenal support as I mentioned for Alexandra above. And to consider checking the same root causes that can affect sleep and cause high cortisol levels.

No, 5-HTP was miraculous for his wife!

When serotonin levels are low and cortisol is not high, results with 5-HTP can be miraculous for some individuals. Russell shared how much his wife benefitted from just 50mg 5-HTP twice a day:

I treated my wife with 5-HTP when she suffered from work burn out, depression and menopause. This all hit at once.

I spent hours researching what I could to relieve the night sweats, mood swings etc. and came upon 5-HTP. I used 50 mg 5-HTP, one before bedtime and the other on waking up and it basically fixed everything that was associated with the problems mentioned above.It was miraculous to say the least and my wife was also very happy.

I’m thrilled for his wife and thanked him for sharing the wonderful results she has experienced with 5-HTP.

If her results were not sustained, I’d suggest taking her doses mid-afternoon and before bed as this is when serotonin is lowest. Otherwise, I’d say continue as above.

Keep in mind that 50mg 5-HTP twice a day is a typical starting dose and we increase from there. In her case, this was sufficient and she did not need to increase her dose or take additional doses during the day.

Positive research and positive case studies

My intention is not to scare you away from doing a trial of 5-HTP if you have low serotonin symptoms, but rather to educate. As with all nutritional approaches, there is no one-size-fits-all so we just need to be smart with using amino acids.

There are also many studies supporting the serotonin-boosting effects of 5-HTP:

These blog posts illustrate other positive case studies where 5-HTP was extremely beneficial:

I see wonderful results like this all the time, but always keep the high cortisol and “wired and tired” potential issues in the back of my mind.

Unfortunately many practitioners only ever recommend 5-HTP due to their concerns about tryptophan.

Resources if you are new to using 5-HTP (or tryptophan) as a supplement

If you are new to using the the amino acid 5-HTP (or tryptophan) as a 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 serotonin 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.

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 5-HTP and tryptophan products that I use with my individual clients and those in my group programs.

Have you used 5-HTP with success? Or have you used it and felt “wired-tired” with an impact on your sleep? Have you correlated the success or failure of your 5-HTP use with your salivary cortisol levels?

What approaches have you used to lower your cortisol levels?

If you switched from 5-HTP to tryptophan did you have success with that?

If you’re a practitioner is this something you see with your clients/patients and take into consideration?

Feel free to ask your questions here too.

The seasonality of GABA: worsening anxiety, insomnia and intrusive thoughts in winter (and the need for increased GABA supplementation)

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seasonability of gaba

Seasonal variations in serotonin have long been documented with much research on the winter blues and SAD lamps. There is less awareness about GABA seasonality and I only recently started to look into the research when I wrote about the need to increase tryptophan or 5-HTP temporarily when a winter dip in serotonin causes more severe anxiety, OCD and/or the winter blues.

Following on from my blog post on the seasonality of serotonin, it’s important to be aware of the seasonality of GABA and that GABA levels may also be lower in the winter months. This is also due to shorter days and less light because of more overcast and cloudy/rainy/snowy days.

You may find you need to increase your GABA supplement dosing during this time, in order to get the same benefits for your low GABA physical anxiety, stiff and tense muscles, insomnia (the low GABA lying-awake-tense type), feelings of overwhelm, intrusive thoughts (the low-GABA type), and stress-eating or self-medicating with alcohol.

Read on to learn more about seasonal fluctuations in GABA, an example of how adjusting GABA could look and some of the possible mechanisms.

Intuitively increased GABA without knowing about the seasonality of GABA

A few weeks ago I shared on Facebook that GABA has a seasonal aspect and an increase may be needed in winter when it’s darker earlier and colder. Elicia offered this input:.

I use GABA Calm and usually take 1 or 2 a day. The past two days I’ve taken 4 because I suspected that I needed an increase.

I take it for physical anxiety, insomnia and intrusive thoughts. My symptoms had been worsening recently. The increased GABA seems to be helping.

She also asked what an increase in GABA would look like.

My feedback for her is (you guessed it!) that it depends on each person. If 4 x instead of 1 or 2 x GABA Calm a day helps to ease her symptoms then that’s the right amount for her unique needs at this time. It may be less or more for someone else. And it’s going to change again after the winter season.

I’m so glad to hear she intuitively increased her dose without knowing about the seasonality of GABA and that she saw her worsening symptoms improve.

Other approaches to boost GABA levels may help too: Yoga, meditation, tai chi and essential oils.

Seasonal fluctuations are also found in anxiety disorders and bulimia nervosa

As I mentioned above, SAD or seasonal affective disorder, appears to be relatively common and is well-recognized.

This review paper, An overview of epidemiological studies on seasonal affective disorder mentions anxiety and other conditions too:

  • Seasonal variations in mood, depressive symptoms usually peaking in winter
  • SAD was more prevalent at higher northern latitudes, but the prevalence varied across ethnic groups.
  • SAD has also been identified in children and adolescents.
  • Seasonal exacerbations and remissions are not limited to mood disorders, it has also been found in bulimia nervosa, anxiety disorders and other psychiatric illnesses.

Some of this may be related to low serotonin and as you’ll see below, melatonin and low GABA (and low dopamine too), and the liver, all may play a role too.

GABA is higher in summer/lower in winter and tied to liver function

In this animal study, Effect of the pineal gland on 5-hydroxytryptamine and γ-aminobutyric acid secretion in the hippocampus of male rats during the summer and winter, they report that

GABA secretion in the hippocampus of rats had a seasonal rhythm consisting of increased secretion in summer and decreased secretion in the winter.

Additionally, the liver can regulate the content of active substances, including GABA, and its function is controlled by brain centers, especially in the marginal lobe.

This paper reports similar seasonal changes with respect to serotonin, stating that both fluctuations may be related to the seasonal changes of “regulation by the liver”. The authors remind us that in Chinese Medicine the liver is closely related to emotions, and that the liver functions well in hot weather and is weak in winter.

GABA exhibits seasonal rhythms related to the pineal gland and melatonin

The introduction of this animal study (by the same authors), Molecular mechanisms of seasonal photoperiod effects of the pineal gland on the hippocampus in rats highlights a number of points related to seasonal variations in mood:

Based on the theory of “five Zang-organs corresponding to the seasons” in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), physiological functions including emotions vary with the seasons.

The production of mood-related neurotransmitters such as 5-hydroxytryptamine [serotonin], γ-aminobutyric acid [GABA], dopamine, and norepinephrine exhibits seasonal rhythms, which are related to the regulation of the hippocampus by the pineal gland-MT [melatonin] system.

In other words, GABA (and these other neurotransmitters) exhibit seasonal rhythms related to melatonin secreted by the pineal gland, thereby impacting the hippocampus.

Be sure to read the paper for additional information on depression, seasonal affective disorder and bright light therapy; the seasonal effects of the pineal gland on the hippocampus; the role of melatonin and photoperiod/length of night; the hippocampus and melatonin receptors and more.

The authors were looking for direct evidence of the signalling mechanisms that cause this to happen:

Our findings suggest that the MTR-Gs/Gi-cAMP-PKA-CREB signaling pathway is involved in the seasonal photoperiod [length of night] effects of the pineal gland on the hippocampus and may underpin seasonal changes in emotions.

Feel free to read more about all this in the paper too as it’s beyond the topic of this blog.

Other factors to consider: sugar/alcohol, stress/pyroluria and low serotonin

I’d also consider the following:

  • The increased consumption of sugar at this time can lead to reduced zinc, magnesium and B vitamins (like vitamin B6 and thiamine) and this can further reduce GABA levels, which relies on these nutrients as cofactors for production. By boosting GABA levels with the amino acid GABA (and higher amounts if needed) you can actually reduce some of the cravings and stress-eating.
  • Overindulging in alcoholic holiday beverages can also deplete zinc and B vitamins, further affecting GABA production. Using higher amounts of the amino acid GABA (if needed) can also prevent self-medicating with alcohol. This often happens when trying to fit in and socialize.
  • If you have the social anxiety condition called pyroluria, the added stress of family and holiday gatherings can also contribute to zinc and vitamin B6 being dumped, and further impacting serotonin production.
  • The need to also increase tryptophan or 5-HTP temporarily when a winter dip in serotonin causes more severe anxiety (the low serotonin worry-type), OCD and/or the winter blues.

Resources if you are new to using GABA as a supplement

If you are new to using the the amino acid GABA as a supplements, here is the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution (you can see the low GABA 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 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.

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 products that I use with my individual clients and those in my group programs.

Have you noticed worsening anxiety, insomnia, intrusive thoughts or even bulimia in the winter months?

Have you noticed you need more GABA in the winter? And then you ease off at the end of winter again?

What changes in your dosing have made a difference with your symptoms?

Did you adjust intuitively or were you aware of the GABA seasonality aspect?

And do you notice something similar with serotonin support and needing additional melatonin in winter too (if you already use it)?

If you’re a practitioner, do you have your clients/patients make adjustments too?

Feel free to ask your questions here too.

5-HTP for a calm brain, and a racing mind at night: questions and answers

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5-HTP q and a

5-HTP is an amino acid, made from the seeds of an African plant, Griffonia simplicifolia, and used as a supplement to ease low serotonin symptoms. With low levels of serotonin you’ll experience the worry-type of anxiety with ruminations, obsessing, panic attacks, insomnia (often lying awake worrying). This type of anxiety is different from the low GABA physical/tension type anxiety. Other low serotonin symptoms include low mood/depression, late afternoon and evening carbohydrate cravings, pain, digestive/IBS symptoms, PMS, irritability, rage and anger, TMJ, low confidence, imposter syndrome and perfectionism.

When I share my low serotonin blogs on Facebook I receive so many great questions about 5-HTP. Today I’m going to share some of these questions and my answers so you can get the benefits too.

Gail asks why 5-HTP stopped working for her when it had been working so amazingly well:

I took 5-HTP and it worked amazingly….for about 6 months. Then it did nothing. Any idea why?

I took 100 mg per day. It’s hard to explain, but it calmed my brain down. I wasn’t so quick to blurt things out during the day and at night I was able to sleep because my mind wasn’t racing. Nothing else changed at that time. That was a few years ago, I think I’ll buy more and try again

I would guess that something did shift around the 6 month mark and would try and identify what it was so you know for the future. It could have been accidental gluten exposure (from the diet or even cosmetics), hormonal shifts (perimenopause or menopause), adding collagen or gelatin on a regular basis (this can lower serotonin in susceptible folks) and/or changes in thyroid health.

If you have pyroluria and were exposed to major stresses (life stresses or toxic mold etc.) you’d lose vitamin B6 and this could affect serotonin production. The addition of the birth control pill and antidepressants can also deplete vitamin B6. I share some possible reasons for low serotonin on this blog on imposter syndrome (as mentioned above, imposter syndrome is a common sign of low serotonin).

With these wonderful benefits Gail experienced, trialing 5-HTP again is worth considering. Because 5-HTP works so quickly she’ll feel that sense of calm right away and she won’t blurt things out during the day (possibly caused by lack of confidence and/or irritability and/or anger?). Also, her mind won’t race at night, she’ll fall asleep quickly and will stay asleep, waking rested, calm, happy, confident and optimistic.

And in future if something like this happens again, I’d try to identify the cause and bump up 5-HTP temporarily.

Wendy asks about headaches as an adverse effect:

What do you recommend if 5-HTP gives you headaches?

Headaches are not a common adverse effect with 5-HTP (compared to the amino acid tyrosine which is recognized to cause headaches and migraines in susceptible folks).

Even if you are seeing benefits – for the worry-type anxiety and other low serotonin symptoms – with 5-HTP you don’t ever want to push through with something like headaches and continue to take it. I have clients use less 5-HTP and observe if they still see the benefits with no headaches.

We also make sure low serotonin is the issue. If it’s not then any amount of 5-HTP will either do nothing or cause adverse effects. If the issue is low serotonin then I have clients do a trial of  tryptophan.

If the 5-HTP is being used to ease low mood/depression caused by low catecholamine or low endorphins depression then neither 5-HTP or tryptophan is going to help and may cause adverse effects. And tyrosine and/or DPA are better choices.

Gerry asks this question after my interview on Your Best Sleep Ever Summit:

Great talk Trudy. When you want to increase serotonin, do you take both 5-HTP & tryptophan or just one or the other?

They can be used alone or both can be used together. I like to have clients add one new amino acid supplement at a time so we know what is working before confounding things with another one. I typically start with tryptophan for low serotonin support simply because I have such good results with it and because 5-HTP can raise cortisol in some folks.

We start with tryptophan mid-afternoon and evening (after doing a trial earlier in the day to make sure it helps).  If tryptophan causes adverse effects or doesn’t work then we do a trial of 5-HTP and then use it afternoon and evening (when serotonin levels tend to drop).

If tryptophan is working in the afternoon and evening, and additional support for worry or ruminations or panic or anxiety is needed earlier in the day, we may consider 5-HTP which can often also help improve focus. We may also consider tryptophan earlier in the day too.

It’s very individualized and we may mix and match to find the ideal combination and dosing based on trials and symptom resolution. It’s important to be aware that some folks do better on 5-HTP and some do better on tryptophan.

Here are some useful blogs related to low serotonin and the amino acids:

As always, it’s not only the low serotonin we need to address. 5-HTP offers quick relief but we must always do a full functional workup looking at diet, nutritional deficiencies, digestion, all hormones, toxins and infections (and so on) so we can address all possible root causes – and why serotonin is low in the first place.

Thanks to these folks for asking good questions and for allowing me to share here.

What questions do you have about 5-HTP?

Which low serotonin symptoms can you relate to and has 5-HTP or tryptophan helped? Or have you found success with a combination.

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

Night eating syndrome: is low serotonin a root cause and is tryptophan a solution?

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night eating syndrome

According to this paper, Circadian Rhythm Profiles in Women with Night Eating Syndrome, “Patients with night eating syndrome (NES) – first described in 1955 – demonstrate a phase delay in the circadian pattern of food intake, manifested by evening hyperphagia, nocturnal awakenings with food intake, and morning anorexia.”

I would start by asking this question: is low serotonin a root cause and is tryptophan a possible solution? I’ll share why below and where to start in order to find a solution.

Before I do that let me explain the terminology used in the above quote: Circadian means it happens every 24 hours, hyperphagia is obsessive food-seeking behavior, nocturnal awakenings are waking in the night and anorexia refers to restricted eating in the morning.

There is no research supporting the use of serotonin support with either tryptophan or 5-HTP for night eating syndrome but I would still start here for the following reasons:

  • this behavior happens in the evening and at night and it’s well recognized that serotonin levels are lower later in the day and at night
  • carbohydrate cravings and addictions occur with low serotonin and cravings are most intense later in the day (typically afternoon and evening)
  • obsessive behaviors are common with low serotonin
  • insomnia or night-time waking is a common symptom with low serotonin
  • doing a trial with either of these amino acids will very quickly confirm if low serotonin is a contributing factor or will rule it out

I would also have my client look at other low serotonin symptoms which would help confirm that low serotonin may be a factor for them: worry-type of anxiety, ruminations, PMS, irritability, rage or anger, TMJ, panic attacks, perfectionism, depression, low self-esteem and so on. You can see all the low serotonin symptoms here.

We typically start with a trial of tryptophan simply because so many of my clients do so well with it. The other reason is that 5-HTP can raise cortisol and cause a wired-tired feeling. That being said, some folks do better on one vs the other so if tryptophan doesn’t help then we trial 5-HTP.  You can see the products I use with my clients here on the supplements blog.

I would love to see tryptophan or 5-HTP being more extensively – because it works so effectively and quickly, and is addressing the root cause – but also because there is research that does support the serotonin connection to night eating syndrome:

  • Night eating syndome has been associated with “depression, emotional eating, sleep problems, and food addiction as well as with being overweight or with having obesity (especially as people age)” – all low serotonin symptoms.
  • Night eating patients are “responsive to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment” (antidepressant/SSRI treatment)
  • Bright light therapy may help with night eating because of it’s “serotonergic antidepressant mechanisms of action.” Night eating syndrome also shares features with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and it’s not uncommon to experience both. The winter blues or SAD is common with low serotonin. I write more about SAD and bright light here.

I’d also consider low blood sugar as a contributing factor. We would need to rule out the use of the sleep medication Ambien/Zolpidem which has been shown to cause amnesia and sleep related eating disorders which resolves when the medication is stopped.

As always, it’s not only the low serotonin we need to address. Tryptophan or 5-HTP offer quick relief but we must always do a full functional workup looking at diet, nutritional deficiencies, digestion, all hormones, toxins and infections (and so on) so we can address all possible root causes – and why serotonin is low in the first place.

I share some possible reasons for low serotonin on this blog on imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is another common sign of low serotonin.

Have you been diagnosed with night eating syndrome or do you feel you possibly fit the profile? Does it happen every night and what foods are you drawn to? Which low serotonin symptoms can you relate to and has tryptophan or 5-HTP helped? What about light therapy? And was an  antidepressant prescribed?

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

Thailand cave rescue: yes to calming meditation and GABA, no to antianxiety medication

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The cave rescue of 12 teens and their soccer coach in Thailand is such a beautiful story of hope, courage, resilience, volunteerism and the whole world coming together! I’ve been following the news about this from day 1 (as I’m sure you were) and felt such relief and joy on hearing they had all been safely rescued and appear to be physically and mentally fine.

I’m weighing in on the fact that meditation seems to have played a major role in keeping them calm, using GABA or theanine instead of antianxiety medications and B vitamins for ongoing psychological support.

Meditation seems to have played a role in keeping them calm

Meditation seems to have played a role in keeping them calm, according to this report from the UK

The 12 Thai boys and their football coach who were trapped in a cave in Thailand got through the ordeal by practicing meditation, family members have said.

According to a mother of one of the boys, the team were meditating in the widely shared video of their discovery by two British divers.

Look at how calm they were sitting there waiting. No one was crying or anything. It was astonishing.

The coach who was rescued from the cave on Tuesday, trained as a Buddhist monk for 12 years before he decided to coach the Wild Boars soccer team.

‘He could meditate up to an hour,’ said his aunt, Tham Chanthawong. ‘It has definitely helped him and probably helps the boys to stay calm.’

Here is the video of their lovely smiling calm faces when they were first found.

 

In this paper, Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-Being, they report that

Meditation programs, in particular mindfulness programs, reduce multiple negative dimensions of psychological stress [such as anxiety, depression, stress, distress, well-being, positive mood, attention]

Meditation has also been shown to improve dopamine and serotonin transporter binding, which appears to have reduced fatigue and improved mood in this study, likely because there are higher levels of these neurotransmitters available.

In a study done with young adults, Effects of mindfulness meditation on serum cortisol of medical students, meditation lowered cortisol levels, suggesting reduced feelings of stress.

Meditation and GABA/theanine instead of antianxiety medications

It was clearly an extremely difficult rescue and the Australian doctor, Adelaide anaesthetist Dr Richard Harris, risked his life to go into the cave and stayed with the boys and their coach for several days. He assessed their health and made sure they were ready for the rescue.

He used his medical expertise and rescue diving experience to decide to have each of them use antianxiety medication for the arduous 8-hour plus rescue (I suspect it was Dr. Harris’ decision). It was confirmed by Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha – to help calm their nerves – and it’s likely they were given a benzodiazepine, hopefully only the one time.

Even though very short term acute situations like this, is actually the intended use of benzodiazepines, it concerns me that these young boys were medicated, especially since adverse paradoxical reactions can be caused by benzodiazepines and are difficult to predict and diagnose.

The following adverse reactions can occur: “unanticipated restlessness and agitated episode,” sometimes aggression, hostility, and rage, as well as “an increased state of anxiety.” An adverse reaction during the actual rescue would have been very serious.

There were also reports of elevated white blood cells (WBC) and signs of a lung infection in some of the boys, and one boy had low blood pressure. These are all be side-effects of benzodiazepines. It’s difficult to know what caused any of this – was the medication, the rescue itself and the fact that were under water or spending all that time in the cave?

My intention is not to be critical of the medical decisions that were made in these very dire circumstances. I’ve done caving or spelunking as it was called in England and it’s pretty scary being underground and in the dark, wading through running water – and we were safely in control of things!

I’m sharing about benzodiazepines simply to raise awareness about other options and some of the many risks. And we haven’t even explored the fact that long-term use of benzodiazepines do more harm than good. More than a week to 2 weeks is considered too long, and for some this is even too long.

I really do look forward to the day when benzodiazepines are not the first approach but rather that:

  • meditation is recognized as being as effective, if not a more effective calming approach (I suspect the mediation benefits these boys had been experiencing would likely have carried them through the rescue)
  • the amino acids GABA or theanine are recognized for the calming benefits they offer (especially since the “mechanism of benzodiazepine action is through the gamma-aminobutyric acid [or GABA] receptors.”

B vitamins and other nutrition solutions after psychological stress

Thailand’s Department of Mental Health shared that

People who endure such an intense and dangerous event can go on to suffer lasting anxiety, depression and other symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

I was so pleased to hear that the boys and their coach are being given B vitamins. There is evidence-based research on the psychological benefits of B vitamins after a trauma (like an earthquake or flood), thanks to my colleagues Julia Rucklidge, PhD and Bonnie Kaplan PhD​.

I do hope the B vitamins are continued and is offered to worried family members and all the wonderful rescuers who must be exhausted and stressed too.

Hopefully the boys will also continue to meditate with their soccer coach and share some of the benefits they experienced with family and friends.

How did you feel when you heard the rescue was over? Good news gives us such feel-good warm emotions doesn’t it!?

Do you meditate and have you used calming GABA or theanine?

Let us know if you have questions too.