There is plenty of research and clinical evidence showing that low serotonin promotes worry and ruminating thoughts and we know that using tryptophan (or 5-HTP) can help with easing these worries and unwanted thoughts i.e. the worry-in-the-head type of anxiety.
The calming supplement GABA has long been recognized to help ease the more physical type of anxiety where you feel body tension and may have stiff and tense muscles.
Over the last year I’ve been getting feedback from women in my community saying that oral GABA supplements also helps some of the head symptoms too and now we have some new research supporting the possible mechanism of this – Scientists identify 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.
The study is looking at GABA concentrations within the hippocampus and there is no mention of the use of GABA supplementation to enhance this process:
While the study does not examine any immediate treatments, Professor Anderson believes it could offer a new approach to tackling intrusive thoughts in these disorders.
Ideally the next step will be to study the use of oral GABA supplementation. I’ll be reaching out to Professor Anderson to share details about the effectiveness of sublingual GABA.
I would also love to know what levels of GABA the study participants had in their gut and what other low GABA symptoms they had.
Here is the study abstract: Hippocampal GABA enables inhibitory control over unwanted thoughts
Feedback on GABA helping with overactive brain and perseveration
When I shared this research on facebook two people commented on how the Source Naturals GABA Calm product I recommend helps them with this aspect of anxiety.
Tiffany shares how Source Naturals GABA Calm helps calm her overactive brain:
I have definitely noticed that sublingual GABA Calm that you suggest helps calm my overactive brain.
Dawn shares how this same GABA product has helped her a lot:
I have an old TBI [traumatic brain injury] and the physiology of PTSD, from childhood trauma, so a double whammy. This sublingual lozenge makes a big difference in my day if I start to get anxious, or begin to perseverate on something that really isn’t all that important.
Perseverate is not a word I use very much and in case you’re not familiar with this term, the Oxford dictionary defines it as follows: “repeat or prolong an action, thought, or utterance after the stimulus that prompted it has ceased.” It’s also defined as: “the tendency of an idea to stick in your mind or recur, or getting stuck on something mentally and not being able to shift gears.” In psychiatry it’s “the persistent and pathological repetition of a verbal or motor response, often seen in organic brain disease and schizophrenia.”
Updating the GABA questionnaire and GABA blog
I’m using this research and feedback to make a preliminary update of the low GABA section on the amino acid questionnaire:
- Do you have intrusive thoughts, perseverate or have an overactive brain? Or do you have unwanted thoughts – thoughts about unpleasant memories, images or worries?
I’ve also updated this recent blog post – Anxiety, compulsive thinking, counting behaviors: gluten, tryptophan and inositol where I to share my feedback on a question I received on how to approach working with a child with anxiety, compulsive thinking and counting behaviors. I mentioned GABA as a possibility but with her symptoms and this new research, a GABA trial would definitely be something to pursue.
I’d love your feedback
- Do you resonate with any of this and have you seen this benefit when using GABA, in addition to the relief of physical anxiety?
- If you’ve also observed improvements in your ruminating thoughts when using tryptophan, I’d love you to try and share how GABA helps and how tryptophan helps i.e. how you feel before and after with each supplement?
- Also, if you are also using tryptophan and/or 5-HTP how do you know if it’s these amino acids or the GABA that is helping?
- I’m really looking for the differences you observe as you support low GABA vs low serotonin? Are they clear or are they blurred?
- If you’re a practitioner what feedback do you get from your clients/patients about low GABA vs low serotonin?
As I mention above I would love to see follow-on research showing that sublingual GABA supplements can actually shift this. I’ll be reaching out to the study authors sharing what we see clinically so your feedback is valuable and appreciated.
Thank you for this great data. I just discovered you through listening to the Healthy Mamas Podcast. I’ve been suffering with panic attacks for over 20 years now. I’m going to go try your Gaba recommendation now!
I tried taking GABA for about three months. It definitely calmed my system – I experienced deep long sleeps and pins it hard to wake in the mornings – quite possible as a result of long term sleep deprivation due to both CPTSD and ME. But at the same time I started experiencing severe (traumatically severe) PMT symptoms – just horrendous. Then I found a link between that and the GABA so I stopped taking them. Maybe I threw the baby out with the bath water? Perhaps a much lower dose would have worked better for me? I was taking 200mg each evening.
i do dr larry wilsons PMT schedule. im here as glutamine has been my missing part of the puzzle and i’m looking into adding amino acids in.
Trouble is that gabapentin now has been found to actually interfere with the synthesis of new brain neurons along with dumbing down receptor sites for serotonin neurotransmitters on existing ones. https://painkills2.wordpress.com/2015/04/25/neurontin-and-lyrica-are-a-death-sentence-for-new-brain-synapses/
Susan
Thanks for sharing this article about gabapentin/Neurontin and pregabalin/Lyrica, both of which are medications with many issues. Since this article didn’t reference the research I’m posting the link here: Gabapentin receptor alpha2delta-1 is a neuronal thrombospondin receptor responsible for excitatory CNS synaptogenesis https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19818485. It’s new to me and I’ll have to investigate in order to be able to comment further.
I’m sure you’re aware that my blog post is about GABA and not gabapentin – there is a big difference. GABA is gamma-Aminobutyric acid and is used as a calming amino acid supplement. It also happens to be a neurotransmitter.
The bottle on Source Naturals GABA Calm says that if you are pregnant or may become pregnant to consult a healthcare professional before using it. Do you know what the caution is about? We are TTC but I’d like to try GABA.
Hi Trudy,
After reading your article on when to take 5HTP vs. Gaba for low seratonin I tried 5HTP for several weeks – I fit the bill perfectly with your description of not being able to turn off my brain or stop worrying. Unfortunately my anxiety worsened and I was exhausted, didn’t want to get out of bed. I cried all the time and had to run to the bathroom off and on all day. Needless to say I stopped taking it. Now I am perplexed and wondering if I should try the Gaba. Any suggestions?
Thanks so much for putting all this information together to give us alternatives to just adhd and depression medications!
I take GABA when I’m wound up /stressed & it helps me.I tried 5htp several times for the same reason but around 3hrs later I would find myself in tears (I can only think the effect wore off dramatically.
I have been taking 5HTP for over 4 years now, 1 at 7 am, 1 at 7 pm, 100 mg. It keeps me on an even keel (usually). I take GABA when needed and it far surpasses my expectations. I highly recommend both.
Sue
This is wonderful to hear! Thanks for sharing! What do you mean GABA far surpasses your expectations and how much helps? Also do you use it sublingually or swallowed?
Is okay to take GABA if you are on an antidepressant, anti-anxiety or meds for OCD?
My husband and I were taking 5HTP for anxiety, but found after a week it made us very tired and lethargic. 100 mg time released. Only take it once in a while to help sleep. : )
Jill
I have had clients use GABA when on SSRIs and benzos. One of the benefits of 5-HTP is better sleep and when someone feels too sleepy we reduce the dose to find the ideal amount.
Trudy, when taking SSRIs and benzos, and adding GABA, do you recommend waiting the 6 hours in between?
Silvia
The 6 hour wait is for SSRIs and tryptophan/5-HTP
Hi,
I’d love to get a reply on this question.
I was on Paxil for 15 years and got off of it cold turkey 4 years ago. Since that time I’ve suffered protracted withdrawal in the typical windows and waves patterns.
Some times my symptoms are quite bad.
I’d love to try amino acids, but everything I’ve read about protracted withdrawal says that time is the healer etc and to be careful about supplements because of our already delicate nervous system. The last thing I’d want to do is make things worse.
Do you have any advice for my situation?
I’m already gluten free and have cleaned up my diet a lot but there is room for improvement. I know I hav food allergies as I have had them since grade 4 and it was shortly after my physical health went downhill a lot and then I became more anxious so I see the correlation.
Thank you!
Gina
Here is my approach for an SSRI taper https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/taper-from-antidepressant-tryptophan-amino-acids/ – best to boost nutritional status first, work with your doctor and as you know, not ever a good idea to go off cold turkey. But I have had many people do better on nutrients (despite many well-meaning support groups saying the opposite) but its hard to know how someone will respond. For starters I’d focus on diet, the gut, stress, exercise, blood sugar control and work with a practitioner to ease into trials of the amino acids and address other possible nutrient deficiencies (blood work will show a lot)
Thank you for your reply! 🙂
I know I have gut issues as well as many deficiencies- but sadly I can’t afford a naturopathic dr at this time.
I have a zinc deficiency and I’m sure my B’s are low as well as my thyroid isn’t optimal.
My brother in law in another province is a naturopathic dr so he’s tried to help from afar as best he can.
I am currently taking tissue salt formulas but my diet needs cleaning up.
I’ll keep working on it!
Hi Trudy. I currently take 5-HTP only at night… sometimes I feel like it helps with sleep but generally I still wake after about 5 hours of sleep every night. If there is something bothering me (emotional issue or other) then I am wide awake and cannot get back to sleep (start to worry, etc. the thoughts just don’t stop until I take action… like get out of bed). Sometimes I can read (to stop the thoughts and focus on something else) and then fall asleep for another hour or two. I am wondering if taking the Gaba when I wake and have these thoughts would help? What will I notice (so I know it is working) – will the thoughts simply go away after 10 minutes and then I can try to sleep again… or is it more cumulative?
Jennifer
With waking in the night I’d check if it’s the ideal amount of 5-HTP (using the trial method), possibly switch to tryptophan, consider melatonin (i.e. exhaust all options for serotonin support) and then consider a trial of GABA (also doing the trial in the day and finding the ideal amount). With the ideal amount of an amino acid the results are felt on day 1 within 1-5 minutes.
Other factors to consider: high cortisol, low blood sugar, gluten, SIBO, parasites, sex hormone imbalances.
Hi, Trudy.
I just recently found information about you through my research on amino acid therapy. I have been taking 5-HTP for 4 months now, and I just recently heard that L-Tyrosine really is best to pair with the 5-HTP for optimal results. I am actually taking a 5 day break from the 5-HTP, because I heard that is what one should do periodically, as not to build a tolerance, is this true?
Recently doctor recommended Gabapentin, and so I started researching GABA, as I thought it might be similar. From what I have found it is not the same. So, in your reply to Jennifer you said to do a trial with GABA **during the day*** and I am wondering why you specifically stated during the day?
I am sure you are extremely busy, but if you can answer me I would be eternally grateful.
Thank you,
Jenn
Jenn
Each person is unique and I have not found the need to always pair them. Nor have I found tolerance issues. You are correct, Gabapentin is a drug and very different from GABA. GABA, the amino acid can be used in the day and/or at night based on each person’s needs to address low GABA symptoms.
Thank you. I have very low cortisol (taking a low dose in the am to help remedy that… but that is more recent.. this has been going on for more than a year now). All hormones have been checked. I tend to have high blood sugar (but now it is lower… doesn’t seem to affect it either way). I have been gluten free for nearly 20 years and parasites… possible. Though nothing has come through with testing. Tough case maybe… I will try what you recommended. Thank you!
Hi Trudy,
Your website is amazing and so helpful!
Am I able to take 5-HTP, inisitol and GABA supplements together?
Nicole
I have many clients do both but we start with one at a time