A combination of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) and 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) can often improve sleep duration more than the use of either of these two amino acids alone. I blogged about this and the supporting research published in 2016.
Eve asked this question about her chronic sleep problems and headaches that she suspects are being triggered by the supplements:
I have chronic insomnia and I have been using 100mg 5-HTP, 250mg GABA and 1mg melatonin during the night for a week but the second day I used them I started getting a headache. Do you have idea what happened and can you please help me?
I shared this feedback about each person having unique needs and that I trial one amino acid at a time to find the ideal dose and then once we have a good baseline with good results and no adverse effects, we add the next one if needed. With 3 new supplements being started at once, we don’t know which one may be helping and which one (or more) is causing headaches.
A reminder I give all my clients is NOT to push through with the amino acids when you are experiencing any adverse effects. Headaches are more common with tyrosine rather than 5-HTP or GABA but too much of any one of the amino acids may cause a headache and with some folks, even a small amount can cause a headache especially if it’s not needed. At the first sign of a headache my advice is to stop the latest supplement added and see how you do. If 3 where started at one time, as in this situation, stop all 3 and add them back one at a time, watching for headaches and benefits.
Eve didn’t say which GABA product she was using. Source Naturals GABA Calm is the one I most often recommend, and the small amount of tyrosine could be causing her headaches. If this is the case, a switch to a GABA-only product or a GABA-theanine product may be what is needed.
It’s always important to also review the amino acid precautions before use. If you have migraines, tyrosine may make them worse.
But I do want to also add that some folks cannot tolerate 500mg tyrosine at all and yet they do just fine with the 25mg of tyrosine in the GABA Calm product (and sometimes up to 75mg of tyrosine when three GABA Calm lozenges are needed at once).
It’s also good to be aware that some folks do better on tryptophan versus 5-HTP so if it is the 5-HTP that is the problem I’d consider a trial of tryptophan. The best way to do that is to replace the 5-HTP with tryptophan (and I recommend Lidtke 500mg tryptophan).
You want to also look carefully at each of the products in case there are fillers that could be causing the headaches.
If it turns out that none of these are working i.e. the problem with sleep isn’t because of low serotonin and low GABA, then we ask these questions and address them:
- is there a gut issue i.e. is there candida, parasites and/or dysbiosis?
- is night-time cortisol high?
- is gluten or other grains an issue? or was there accidental gluten exposure?
- is caffeine or alcohol consumption a problem?
- is there EMF and WiFi exposure?
- are there medication side-effects?
- has there been mold exposure or some other environmental trigger?
Have you had issues when trialing amino acids for sleep or anxiety and then figured out what the problem was?
Quick question on a product just seen advertised for helping you stay asleep, what about the type of Gabba included – the accompanying article states is natural derived from a bacteria fermentation not synthetic Gabba. As a note I use Gabba Calm lozenges and Gabba powder (sublingual only) from Source Naturals per your recommendation several years now with excellent results for anxiety but not usually at bed time. I’ve also used 1mg of melatonin for years with good success but the past few years (4 yrs into menopause) will go to bed very early tired but sleep is restless and stay dreaming right up til waking (sometimes 12 hrs before can drag out of bed). I’m using bio-identical HRT w/progesterone pm which helps with sleep but still having the above problems so tempted to try this sleep formula and would love your thoughts! Thanks so much for all the info you give us, it’s certainly a ton of work on your part Trudy!
Here are the ingredients:
Directions: As a dietary supplement, take 1 tablet 30-60 minutes before bedtime with a full glass of water.
Each serving contains:
Amount
% Daily Value
Proprietary Sleep Blend
Gamma-Aminobutyric^ 200 mg *
Melatonin 1.5 mg *
Melatonin Extended-Release Beadlets 1.5 mg *
*Daily Value not established
Other ingredients: Vegetable cellulose, dicalcium phosphate, vegetable magnesium stearate and silica.
Other information: Not made with milk, egg, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanut and soy.
Quality Pledge: Made in an FDA inspected facility to meet the stringent standards of US Pharmacopeia (USP) for quality, purity, potency and disintegration.
Warnings: For adults only. If you are on medications, pregnant or nursing a baby, consult a health care practitioner prior to taking. Do not drive, operate machinery or consume alcohol when taking this product.
^PharmaGABA® is a registered trademark of Pharma Foods International Co., Ltd. Japan
Karla
Some people do better on GABA and some do better on pharmaGABA so it’s a matter of trying it out. Combining melatonin and GABA is a great idea if both are needed but not ideal if you find you need more of one than the other.
Hi Trudy,
does 5-HTP raise blood pressure?
my systolic blood pressure raise suddenly fr 116 to 130 within 25 mins after consuming 50 mg of 5-HTP.
Two days back it raises my systolic blood pressure to 140 to 160 range (diastolic is over 100) and I was in heavy anxiety. I ate around 4pm.
Hope to get some reply as my country do not have much people expertise on brain amino acids supplements and I have been solo reading n researching non stop (no advisor on the dosage)
I bought your book and always reading it too as it gives me a guide on the dosage.
I have panic disorder / panic attacks just diagonised late last year. Meanwhile for L-tryptophan, what other brand you recommend other than lidtke? Because normally we buy from iherb.com and it do not have this brand, iherb.com ships to my country in southeast asia (Singapore).
Thank you very much Trudy.
Ann
5-HTP does not typically raise blood pressure but because it can raise cortisol this is a possibility. I also look at other ingredients in the product and how much is being used.
I don’t have other tryptophan brands I recommend so doing a trials is best. You can actually order directly from Lidtke too
I have had anxiety for as long as I can remember. Sleeping has always been an issue for as long as I can remember. I would like information on how to get off sleeps pill and replace them with a supplement that actually works. Now that my physician has prescribed Lexapro for anxiety im doing great with my anxiety especially during the day. Sleep is still an issue, I’d like to continue on Lexapro I feel so much bettter .how can I ween myself off sleeping medicine and replace it with a supplement like tryptophan or tryptophan complete. Where do I start?
Kathy
I’m sorry to hear about the anxiety and insomnia. When someone is new to the amino acids and dietary approaches for anxiety/insomnia I have them read my book (The Antianxiety Food Solution – more here https://www.everywomanover29.com/store/aafsbook.html) and start with the basics of real whole food, quality animal protein, no gluten/sugar/caffeine, eating to control blood sugar and then learn about GABA, tryptophan, 5-HTP and other nutritional support. My blog is also a wealth of information. I also speak on many online no-cost summits and if you’re on my newsletter you’ll get the announcements about the interviews (which are no-cost with the option to purchase).
I have my clients get nutritionally stable BEFORE considering medication tapering and always have them work with their prescribing doctor.
Hi Trudy! Love all this info you put out. So wonderful!
I’m a fellow functional nutritionist, I eat a great diet but do have a stressful lifestyle from time to time. I recently started trying out 5-HTP before bed as I was having some trouble falling asleep. The two night I took it, under 50mg, I had terrible bloating painful in my belly. I rarely experience bloating regularly. Have you ever heard this before or why this happens? I was using biotics Research brand. I know you can’t give me specific advice, but I was wondering your general thoughts. Thank you so much!
Shelah
5-HTP can cause digestive issues initially – they typically go away after a week or so
I wanted to report that I also started getting very specific headaches once I started taking GABA. I found this site after doing a search on “GABA headaches.” I began taking a 750mg pill nightly.
GABA definitely seems to help with my sleep, but a few days after I started taking it before bed, I noted that I began suffering headaches behind my right eye. They pain radiated behind my eye and into my right temple. The eye was painful to touch. This pain is intermittent –some days I won’t get the pain and all. But the episodes all consistently seemed to occur at night and into the morning, triggered even before I take the nightly pill.
It could also be eye strain, but prior to this, I rarely got headaches of any kind.
Tina
Sorry to hear but 750mg of GABA is considered a very high dose. I have clients start with 125mg and build up from there if needed. Headaches can also be caused by something else in the actual product – can you share the brand please?
If you are new to the amino acids (and other anxiety nutrition solutions like gluten/sugar/caffeine removal, blood sugar control, gut health, pyroluria etc) my book “The Antianxiety Food Solution” is a great place to start. More here https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/the-antianxiety-food-solution-by-trudy-scott/
It’s a comprehensive approach – amino acids AND diet.
I also encourage you to join my newsletter as I share new information all the time and speak on many summits. Both are great learning opportunities.
I cannot take Glutamic acid or Glutamine at all due to severe sensitivity to MSG which triggers migraines …does that mean I cannot take GABA? As I see a lot of Gaba supplements also say have Glutamic acid in them….is this made the same or have the same ingredients ?? Sorry just confused with all the various terms
Thanks!
Kathie
If this is the case I’d avoid the product but I have yet to see a GABA supplement with glutamic acid on the label. Please share a link to an actual product.
GABA is often helpful for migraines and so is serotonin support with tryptophan.
If you are new to the amino acids (and other anxiety nutrition solutions like gluten/sugar/caffeine removal, blood sugar control, gut health, pyroluria etc) my book “The Antianxiety Food Solution” is a great place to start. More here https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/the-antianxiety-food-solution-by-trudy-scott/
It’s a comprehensive approach – amino acids AND diet. And there are many dietary factors when it comes to migraines too.
Hi Trudy, I am asking my question here even though it is an older blog post bc it seems the most relevant place for this and may help others with similar issues in the future.
I have been using GABA Calm very successfully for a few months to greatly diminish anxiety and panic. I started with 1 GABA Calm then increased to 2 and was better and stable for a few months. Then I suddenly was getting headaches almost every day and after a while suspected a supplement. L-tyrosine gave me headaches in the past, so I tested out removing all supplements and then slowly reintroducing them. It seems like the GABA Calm was the trigger although I am not completely sure. I thought maybe I didn’t need it anymore and for a few days was ok with no GABA. Then anxiety and panic returned. I tried Now brand GABA chewable tablets, taking 1/4 of a 250 mg tablet 1-3 times a day as needed, at 63 mg of GABA per 1/4 tablet. There is no tyrosine or glycine like GABA Calm, but there is a bit of l-theanine and inositol, which I know I tolerate well in much higher doses. I still get headaches.
So I think it is the GABA after all. I thought I could suddenly get headaches if I don’t need it anymore. But when I don’t take it I feel a lot of panic and when I take a 1/4 tablet I get relief within mins and only take another 1/4 tablet if strong anxiety or panicky feelings return.
I am so upset that something that is helping me so much is also giving me debilitating headaches! Any ideas why this is suddenly happening and any solutions? Thank you so much!
Liz
I seldom get this feedback and I would trial a GABA-only product in a case like this (nothing else added, not even stearic acid/magnesium stearate). Now has a GABA powder that is only GABA.
If you feel like you need guidance and support, consider joining the online GABA Quickstart program so you can get help figuring it out. More here about the program and purchase info https://www.anxietynutritioninstitute.com/gabaquickstart/
Please let us know the outcome