GABA and tryptophan are both calming amino acids with GABA helping more with physical anxiety, tension-in-the-body type of anxiety and tryptophan with anxiety-in-the-head, worrying and ruminations. Many of my clients do really well with both but I like to have them use one at a time to really make sure they are seeing all the benefits before adding the next one.
I recently received this excellent question on one of the blogs about serotonin support: she’s doing better on the GABA and now wants to add tryptophan:
I have started with Source Naturals Gaba Calm 125 mg, 2 on awakening and two in mid afternoon, and 2 Gaba Relaxer at bedtime. It has taken some anxiety edge away from me, but I still feel some anxiety on and off, not so severe as before. I used to feel very anxious on awakening. I want to improve more. to-day, I ordered Lidtke L-trytophan 500mg and am expecting to receive it in a week. I plan to take 2 Gaba Calm on awakening and 2 in mid afternoon, then add one 500mg trytophan mid afternoon and one 500 mg trytophan at bed time. Is this a good plan? or shall I have 2 Gaba Calm on awakening, 2 trytophan mid afternoon and 2 trytophan bedtime?
I love getting questions on the blog and make sure each one gets answered. However I can’t ever offer specific advice via the blog – you have to be a client for me to be able to do that. But because this is an excellent question I’d like to share some of what I shared with her in the hope it will help you (or your patients/clients) too.
First off I am so pleased to hear the Source Naturals GABA Calm and Country Life GABA Relaxer (a very nice combination of GABA, glycine, taurine, inositol, niacinamide and vitamin B6) has taken some of the anxiety edge away for her!
Here is my answer for her – about what I’d do next if I was working with her one-on-one:
There is also no specific formula to be followed because each person is different and when I’m working with someone we’re figuring out what is working and why and adjusting accordingly. If something is working we continue with that until no more benefits are seen.
I would say this – ask yourself what low GABA anxiety symptoms (this is the physical anxiety) have improved with the GABA and how much (rate each one before – out of 10; and what are they now – out of 10). From your question it sounds like they could improve more – so if we were working together I’d continue to increase GABA before adding something new.
Then once that has been done and we have the ideal amount I’d then check what low serotonin symptoms my client has (these are the busy mind, ruminations type or worry anxiety). If she does have some of these symptoms, pick or two and do a trial with 1 x 500mg tryptophan opened on to the tongue (or less if she’s super sensitive). She rates the symptoms out of 10 before the tryptophan trial and then after the trial. Depending on how she responds on the trial, we’ll decide if she needs 1 or 2 each time. The bedtime dose also depends on how bad the insomnia is. We continue to increase as needed based on symptoms.
All the while we are starting to make other changes – like diet, eating for blood sugar balance, no caffeine, no sugar, looking for high cortisol, no gluten, looking at gut health and for other nutritional deficiencies.
I hope this helps you and makes sense. In summary these are the guidelines I use:
- It’s best to do one amino acid at a time when starting out
- Make sure you’ve increased an amino acid so you can experience it’s full benefits before adding another one
- Start all amino acids based on your unique needs – the best way to determine this is to do a trial first
- Adjust accordingly while keeping a log of symptoms (with before and after ratings) and supplement amounts
Here are some links to additional resources related to the above:
- The amino acid questionnaire to help you figure out which anxiety type you have: low GABA or low serotonin
- How to do an amino acid trial
- Targeted individual amino acids: what do we really mean?
- Anxiety and the amino acids: an overview
- In this blog I make the following recommendation: if you do not have my book The Antianxiety Food Solution, I highly recommend getting it and reading it before jumping in to taking amino acids
- Here are the supplements I use with my clients
I’d love to hear your feedback on your low GABA and/or low serotonin symptoms and the before rating (from 1 to 10) and the after rating (from 1 to 10) once you’re taking the related amino acid.
And please let me know if it’s helpful to read a real life question and my response.
Hi Trudy,
I was taking tryptophan and GABA and it was helping but I stopped them when I got pregnant. My symptoms have worsened partially due to my body’s inability to handle high levels of progesterone. Do you know if gaba and/or tryptophan supplements are safe to take during pregnancy or where I can find these answers? I’ve seen a psychiatrist who wants to re start me on SSRIs which I really really don’t want to expose the child to.
Thanks in advance for any guidance or information.
Best
Michelle
Michelle
I’m sorry to hear this but I can’t recommend the amino acids during pregnancy because they have not been studied.
I would make an educated guess that they are safer than SSRIs which we now know can cause many issues:
– Maternal use of SSRI and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18314924
– “The study of nearly 28,000 women found no increased risk for birth defects linked to citalopram (Celexa, Forest Laboratories, Inc), escitalopram (Lexapro, Forest Laboratories, Inc), and sertraline (Zoloft, Pfizer Inc) but confirmed two previously reported birth defects associated with fluoxetine (multiple brands) ― heart wall defects and craniosynostosis ― and five previously reported birth defects associated with paroxetine (multiple brands), including heart defects, anencephaly, and abdominal wall defects” http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/847955
– “Use of antidepressants, specifically selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, during the second and/or third trimester increases the risk of ASD [autism spectrum disorder] in children, even after considering maternal depression” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26660917
I would ask your psychiatrist if he/she would be willing to write a prescription for tryptophan or approve the use of it.
I’d also consider a good prenatal multi, exercise, yoga, guided imagery, heartmath, meditation and dietary changes (like no gluten, sugar, caffeine) and improving gut health with sauerkraut and yogurt, controlling blood sugar with a good breakfast that includes protein and eating grass-fed read meat and wild fish like salmon/sardines.
Getting tested for MTHFR may provide some insights and additional methylfolate (with doctor’s approval) may also be something to consider (although too much can make you more anxious – Dr. Ben Lynch covered this in an interview on a past Anxiety Summit https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/anxiety-summit-methylfolate-anxiety/)
Finally zinc is so important to make GABA and serotonin and a prenatal won’t likely have enough. This is from webmed but again doctor’s approval first.
“Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Zinc is LIKELY SAFE for most pregnant and breast-feeding women when used in the recommended daily amounts (RDA). However, zinc is POSSIBLY UNSAFE when used in high doses by breast-feeding women and LIKELY UNSAFE when used in high doses by pregnant women. Pregnant women over 18 should not take more than 40 mg of zinc per day; pregnant women age 14 to 18 should not take more than 34 mg per day. Breast-feeding women over 18 should not take more than 40 mg of zinc per day; breast-feeding women age 14 to 18 should not take more than 34 mg per day.” (http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-982-ZINC.aspx?activeIngredientId=982&activeIngredientName=ZINC&source=2)
Here are some nutritional interventions postpartum https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/nutritional-interventions-postpartum-depression-and-anxiety/
Trudy,
Thank you so much for all of this. An amazing start. Much appreciated.
-Michelle
Hi Trudy I have a question: Is Travacor and Tryptophan comparable? I have been taking Ignatia drops 10M for my anxiety and it has helped me quite a bit, but I have to increase potency (for the 3rd time) as my anxiety is still bothersome and seems to be elevating again. I am in the process of increasing Ignatia to 50M potency but was thinking about trying Tryptophan instead. My Naturopath Dr. was recommended by the lab where I submitted my saliva test, to take a combination of Kavinace and Travacor. My Serotonin was 85.1 and Gaba was high at 17.5 (but that high Gaba number was probably due to the fact that I had taken Gaba supplement a couple times (few days before the saliva test).
Joyce
Glad to hear Ignatia drops have helped – may I ask what type of anxiety symptoms have they helped?
Travcor is different from tryptophan in that it contains Taurine and L-theanine (which boost GABA)‚ and 5-hydroxytryptophan/5-HTP (which boosts serotonin) + some co-factors for making these neurotransmitters. I haven’t used this product but it appears to be a good one.
I like to use GABA and tryptophan separately so we can increase each one if needed. Also some people do better with tryptophan vs 5-HTP.
I do not recommend products with phenibut so don’t recommend Kavinace for this reason https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/gaba-for-anxiety-instead-of-phenibut/
I do not do urinary neurotransmitter testing as it often doesn’t correlate with symptoms https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/urinary-neurotransmitter-testing-falls-short/
I’m curious if you were told the above reason was why your GABA was high or if it’s your deduction?
The question to ask is what type of anxiety do you have – low GABA or low serotonin? (see the link to the questionnaire above) and supplement accordingly.
I assume you are gluten free, caffeine free, no sugar, eat for blood sugar control, have addressed gut health, adrenals etc
My anxiety symptoms – worst is in the morning as I wake up at 6am. I feel this cloud descending on me (sense of dread and fear), usually accompanied by hot flashes, lower back ache and feeling a little “woozy”, but once I get myself out of bed all those feelings dissipate. Some days, I feel “on edge” all day the intense feelings where I get those same symptoms, but the intense part lasts less than a minute each. Usually by evening, I’m feeling normal and I have no issues falling asleep at night. My cortisol test a year or so ago showed level 13 at 6am and dropped down to level 3 by evening. I tried the Tryptophan a couple nights ago (one capsule right before bed) but immediate feelings were not pleasant. Hard to explain but my head (inside) felt weird and some sort of strange odor type feeling, maybe burning? but all internal. I had no problem falling asleep but the next morning, the anxiety (sense of dread) was worse. I decided not to try it again and went back to taking Ignatia drop the next night and morning was not as bad. Since anxiety is still bothersome for me, I am upping the potency to 50M. Picking that up later today.
Joyce
I’d suggest talking to your ND re adrenal saliva testing to see if high cortisol is the issue
I also have my clients do a trial of the amino acid during the day to help figure out how much will be ideal for them https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/how-to-do-an-amino-acid-trial-for-anxiety/
Yes, initial diagnosis was high cortisol was what was causing my most bothersome anxiety to happen in the morning as I was waking up. The higher potency of Ignatia 50M seems to be helping. I’ve taken it three night in a row now. I still feel anxious in waking up but it seems a little less and have noticed less hot flashes during the night/upon waking and during the day, and “on edge” feeling during the day has lessoned and less of the bigger waves of anxiety during the day. So I think I’ll stick with the Ignatia for now. I’ll see my ND next month and will go over all of this again and ask her about amino acids. Thank you for your advice and response.
For high cortisol, I had good result with adaptogens such as rhodiola rosea and ashwaganda (hard on my stomach); I use Rosavin in the morning. I also tried GabaPlus but didn’t find it helpful, maybe didn’t take enough. Have tried GabaPlus?
Micheline
Thanks for sharing. I have not used Rosavin but do like Twin Labs GABA Plus (Niacin (from niacinamide) 1000 mg, GABA (gamma amino butyric acid) 500 mg and Inositol 3000 mg)
Hi Trudy
I have long followed your wonderful advice and am keen to wean off long term antidepressants. I have attempted to source Lidtke’s Tryptophan in Australia but to no avail. I have ordered from overseas but was not successful, a government issue I believe.
Any suggestions on suppliers would be much appreciated.
Lee-Anne
Let me see what I can find out about getting Lidtke here. I have sourced some local tryptophan that I have actually purchased but I have to still look into the quality of it so am wary of recommending it yet.
I do have a bit of concerning information that I’ve received from a couple of my doctors this week and I honestly don’t know where to go next.
I had my PCP do a blood cortisol level. What we thought was going to be super high due to being under so much stress for so long actually came back the opposite. She said a normal cortisol level should be between 3-17 but mine is a 1.5 and started the referral to the endocrinologist. When I spoke to my psychiatrist today he thinks putting a lot of my symptoms together might be pointing to Addison’s Disease. I googled what it is and I am almost horrified. Do you have a thought if this is the case as to what treatments might be available? And much like you’re work through nutrition and targeted supplement support, are there options in that area?
Thank you so much for your time and sharing any insights
Julie
Google can be scary so best to see what the endocrinologist says and then go from there. I can share that blood cortisol is not the same as saliva and that a 4 x collection of salivary cortisol is the best indication (I’m hearing the Dutch test is good for taking it to the next level but haven’t used this one yet). If the endocrinologist is not a functional medicine doctor I would take the results to someone who can offer a functional medicine approach. I can share that I do see low and often flat-lined cortisol on saliva tests and nutritional approaches are very effectiveness for addressing this.
Hi Trudy,
Just started using your resources last week and was all lined up to buy your book (which I will do!), and trial tryptophan for my now-chronic insomnia. Then I read the precautions which alerted me to potential problems with MAOI drugs and tryptophan. I am not on any prescription MAOI meds, but I am using an herbal formula (Pure Encapsulation’s “Best Rest”) that contains several herbs including valerian and passionflower. These are listed online as herbs with MAOI properties. So am I right to consider avoiding tryptophan as long as I’m taking the herbs?
I do think after reading through much of your resources and links that I have severe HPA issues, so perhaps something like seriphos is more appropriate. I am wiring with a functional medicine practitioner and she can order cortisol tests. Thank you so much for your dedication to helping so many of us struggling with mental and physical health issues.
Mary
I have not seen issues with these herbs being used at the same time as tryptophan but since you’re working with a functional medicine practitioner I’d suggest checking with her. I would not use Seriphos with a client unless I knew for sure they had high cortisol.
Hi Trudy,
I recently discovered your site and am enjoying all your articles-thanks!
My question is- I’m treating my anxiety and depression with the recommended supplements, but when it comes to b vitamins, I keep
getting confused. Some recommend mega dosing, others I’ve read say to not go above 25 mg. Any thoughts on this is greatly appreciated,thanks!
Jennie
Glad you’re enjoy the articles. When it comes to a B complex a good product often contains 50mg of the Bs. And specific B vitamins are used based on the need and always higher than 25mg. For example Vitamin B6 for pyroluria starts at 100mg and can go up to 500mg; pantothenic acid for adrenal support 500 to 1000mg a day; naicinamide 500 to 2000mg a day and so on
Hi after doing better drinking more water and supplements I stopped taking them running out ect or thought I had enough. Anxiety came back could be due to dehydration, but I tried a gaba calm for the first time in a while and felt flush in the face and my head was tingling for a little bit. Is that good or a reaction also it made me more tired and didn’t really take the edge off. I’m so sensitive to tryptophan and gaba it looks like so I quit taking them but need to raise serotonin and gaba any suggestions?
Hi Trudy,
Thanks for all your wonderful information. If I read correctly, high Vitamin C wipes out the effects of aminos? I take 1-2 scoops of clinical strength Vitality C (4000-8000 mgs of l-ascorbate c crystals with FASM and 2000-4000 mgs of GMS-Ribose) from American Nutriceuticals. In the course of the day I usually take 50-100 mgs. of 5 HTP and occasionally 200-400 mgs. of GABA. Is the Vit. C minimizing the anti-anxiety effects?
Thank you
Penny
As long as the vitamin C is taken away from the amino acids it won’t have an effect.