calm

My kids and I used GABA to get through Hurricane Helene – I recommend it for everyone’s 72-hr kit now

July 15, 2025 By Trudy Scott 2 Comments

My kids and I used GABA to get through Hurricane Helene. Freeways broken in 3 directions, no comms, no gas, no power, etc. GABA noticeably kept us calmer even as the days went by. It helped us stay calm enough to think about our escape plan and jump on opportunities to find gas and water.

So grateful we learned about it [from you years ago] and had it on hand… I recommend it for everyone’s 72-hr [emergency preparedness] kit now.

Alecia shared her wonderful results with GABA on a Facebook post. I’m sorry they went through this but I am so happy GABA helped. I also wish everyone had GABA on hand for situations like this.

She now also uses a manual device for vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) and feels a combination of “GABA and VNS would have been incredible.” I’m a big fan of a B complex too and zinc and extra B6 if you have pyroluria because the added stress depletes these nutrients and makes things worse. And serotonin and endorphin support can often be helpful too. More on all this below and details about the GABA product she used and what dose helped her.

Which GABA product helped her and her family and how much did she use?

I asked Alecia to share how much GABA helped during and after the hurricane and which product worked for her? And if she had been using it before for day-to-day low GABA symptoms of feeling anxious, stressed, overwhelmed with physical tension and sleep issues.

We use the pharmaGABA by Natural Factors. I usually only need 100 – 200 mg in my regular life. During the hurricane I needed 300 mg pharmaGABA a couple of times a day. And more when waiting in a gas line. Such intense stress. GABA really took the edge off.

It’s always helpful to know your baseline dose i.e. what you use on a day-to-day basis. And to expect that dose to increase in times of the added stress in the midst of the hurricane and the immediate aftermath – as it did for Alecia. She needed a higher dose and used it more frequently.

You may often find you need to continue with the higher dose for a few weeks to months after the disaster, especially during the clean-up and rebuilding period.

One other factor to consider is the form of GABA. She used pharmaGABA with much success and many do very well on this form but I find more folks do better with GABA. GABA works best when used sublingually, capsule-opened, powder (all held on the tongue 1-2 mins) or cream, and a low starting dose is used, and increased to find the optimal dose.

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) as an added benefit

Alecia now also uses a manual device for vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). She had it during Hurricane Helene but had not yet used it:

A combo of GABA and VNS would have been incredible. I found out my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer the next week and finally started using both GABA and VNS. Game changer combo.

She has the Hoolest veRelief Prime device and says this:

I love the Hoolest VNS. It helps with anxiety, sleep, digestion, and higher performance. I like level 4 but my kids prefer level 1.

I used it daily for about 4-6 months and then I started to heal deeply. Now I only need it once every week or two.

(I did hear that her mom’s treatments are working)

Vagus nerve stimulation, anxiety, GABA and the potential with VNS devices

This paper, Vagus nerve stimulation: a physical therapy with promising potential for central nervous system disorders, discusses how “vagus nerve stimulation influences the central nervous system through the GABA system” and the fact that “VNS has been shown to alleviate anxiety symptoms”, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Much of the research has been done with implantable vagus nerve stimulation (iVNS) but the potential with non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation devices is really exciting.

What is so interesting is that “Vagus nerve stimulation influences the central nervous system through the GABA system” and it’s “speculated that part of VNS’s therapeutic effects …might involve the GABA system.”

VNS benefits are also seen via impacts on serotonin and dopamine, BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), by reducing inflammation and the secretion of inflammatory cytokines and promoting neuroprotection.

You can read more about vagus nerve support on this blog: Vagus nerve rehab with GABA, breathing, humming, gargling and key nutrients. I share my vagus nerve/throat issue and how manual vagus nerve support exercises and GABA helped me.

Using a good B complex and the pyroluria protocol too

I told Alecia that I’m a big fan of a good B complex and the pyroluria protocol too. I share more in this blog – Nutrition solutions for psychological stress after a natural disaster.

If this is all that can be managed it would be my first choice for everyone. In fact, if you live in an area prone to hurricanes, floods, fires etc. I’d recommend being on a B complex all the time.

My colleagues Bonnie Kaplin and Julia Rucklidge published this paper in 2015: A randomised trial of nutrient supplements to minimise psychological stress after a natural disaster. Those consuming a B-Complex and a broad-spectrum mineral/vitamin formula showed significantly greater improvement in stress and anxiety than study participants consuming a vitamin D supplement.

It is well known that pyroluria symptoms are made worse in times of heightened stress. If you are on protocol for pyroluria, additional zinc and vitamin B6/P5P is likely going to be needed short-term too.

In addition to GABA I also mention serotonin and endorphin support:

Serotonin support with tryptophan or 5-HTP, especially if you’re feeling sad, worried, imagining the worst, feeling fearful and having problems sleeping. More on tryptophan products.
Endorphin support with Lidtke DPA if you’re feeling especially emotional and weepy and grieving the loss of your home and community. More on endorphins here.

And I also include some resources for disaster preparedness and things to consider after the fangers have passed (like mold toxicity).

Additional resources when you are new to using GABA and other amino acids as supplements

As always, I use the symptoms questionnaire to figure out if low GABA or low serotonin or other neurotransmitter imbalances may be an issue.

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 (this is covered in an entire chapter too), sugar cravings, anxiety and mood issues.

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. You can sign up to be notified when the next live launch is happening.

If you need serotonin support, the Serotonin QuickStart Program is a good place to get help. This is also a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance on using tryptophan and 5-HTP safely, and community support during 5 LIVE Q&A calls. You can sign up to be notified when the next live launch of this program is happening.

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.

Wrapping up and your feedback

I appreciate Alecia for sharing her story and giving me permission to share on the blog.

Do you have GABA on hand all the time and include them in your 72-hr emergency preparedness kit?

Have you found vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) to be helpful – either manual exercises (which ones help you) or using a device (which one helps you)?

What about B vitamins and the pyroluria protocol – do they help too?

If you’re a practitioner do you recommend GABA, VNS, B vitamins and the pyroluria protocol?

Feel free to share and ask your questions below.

One of the most common myths: “GABA supplements don’t work – GABA is too big a molecule to get across the blood brain barrier”

December 8, 2023 By Trudy Scott 30 Comments

GABA supplements don’t work – GABA is too big a molecule to get across the blood brain barrier. They don’t typically work unless you have a leaky gut which means you have a leaky brain” (also referred to as leaky blood brain barrier/BBB).

This is one of the most common myths I hear about GABA. Neither of the above statements are true. I stand by my recommendations of GABA Calm and other GABA products as an effective way to boost GABA levels that are low, and ease physical anxiety symptoms and the other symptoms you can experience with low GABA levels.

A few weeks ago, Suzanne asked a question on the blog after hearing a doctor state the above about GABA supplements not working for anxiety. She was justifiably confused and concerned:

I stumbled across this video on Youtube and am seeking your thoughts on it please. In my quest to achieve a state of calm as naturally as possible, I research a lot of stuff. I have always taken on board the knowledge you share about GABA.

The video, made by a quite well known fitness trainer, focuses on GABA. Your team suggested I time stamp the part of the video of interest, but frankly, there are poignant points made throughout.

I would be really appreciative if you have time to watch it, as now I’m unsure that the GABA Calm I have purchased, and yet to take, is in fact, going to be effective.

The video she had watched was a very recent Youtube video where a well-known fitness trainer interviews an integrative medical doctor. It’s the doctor who said: “GABA supplements don’t work.”

I reassured Suzanne and provided her with some additional reading (more on that below). This topic has been discussed by me before but it’s time for another blog post that gathers the information into one place. Hopefully it offers you confidence if you are also uncertain and can be a resource for you to share with the naysayers or those who just don’t yet know that GABA supplements really do work (when used in a specific way)!

The effects of GABA supplements may be exerted through BBB passage or indirectly, via an effect on the enteric nervous system (but we don’t really know)

I first discussed GABA and the blood brain barrier controversy during one of my interviews during The Anxiety Summit in 2016. I shared this October 2015 paper, Neurotransmitters as food supplements: the effects of GABA on brain and behavior, which states that we don’t really know how GABA supplements work:

There is some evidence in favor of a calming effect of GABA food supplements, but most of this evidence was reported by researchers with a potential conflict of interest. We suggest that any veridical effects of GABA food supplements on brain and cognition might be exerted through BBB passage or, more indirectly, via an effect on the enteric nervous system. We conclude that the mechanism of action of GABA food supplements is far from clear, and that further work is needed to establish the behavioral effects of GABA.

I also discuss the fact that GABA’s relaxing effect may be due to peripheral effects rather than the effect on/in the brain. Here is an excerpt from this paper: GABA-receptors in peripheral tissues

GABA and its receptors are found in a wide range of peripheral tissues, including parts of the peripheral nervous system, endocrine, and non-neural tissues such as smooth muscle and the female reproductive system.

Feel free to read more about this here

Valuable feedback about GABA’s effectiveness from other practitioners

Dr. Josh Friedman, integrative psychotherapist uses amino acids and other nutritional approaches in his practice:

[GABA] is definitely something I use. I am not a biochemist, so I actually don’t really know whether it crosses the blood/brain barrier, nor do I care actually. The first question should be, is it harmful? Are any of these things going to cause harm? And the answer with all the amino acids is no, they’re not going to cause harm, especially when compared to psychiatric medicines. The second question is, does it work? Is it helpful for our patients that we see in our practice? Yes it is.

Jonathan Prousky, ND, MSc, editor of the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine and author of Anxiety: Orthomolecular Diagnosis and Treatment shared this in our season 2 interview: Tapering off psychiatric drugs so they do not ruin your life

I have found GABA to be invariably helpful and I don’t really know exactly how GABA works but I know it to be very, very safe and, to me, that is fundamentally important. It’s not associated with any withdrawal, with any tolerance, with any habituation, so people can try it without a lot of concern.

I feel the same way – GABA supplementation works, it is safe and it doesn’t really matter how it works.

Dr. Kharrazian’s GABA Challenge for a leaky blood brain barrier is a theory

In addition to sharing the above with Suzanne, I also shared this blog with her: Dr. Datis Kharrazian’s GABA Challenge for a leaky blood brain barrier is a theory and we still have much to learn.

I had the pleasure of interviewing him late in 2019 and we talked about his GABA challenge for testing for a leaky blood brain barrier. Read the above blog to learn how Dr. Kharrazian came up with the GABA Challenge and the fact that it’s just a theory.

GABA case studies/success stories if you’re still unsure

If you’re still unsure I encourage you to read the many case studies published in my book “The Antianxiety Food Solution” and on this blog. Here are some of them:

Do a trial of GABA and use it in a specific way

Doing a trial of GABA is another way to find out how effective it is. Keep in mind GABA will only work if you have the low GABA type of physical anxiety, stiff and tense muscles, insomnia caused by low GABA, overwhelm and panic attacks, and other low GABA symptoms. You can see all the low GABA symptoms here.

Also, GABA needs to be used in a specific way. It is most effective provided it’s used as a sublingual, liposomal, a powder or capsules opened on to the tongue or rubbed inside the cheek, or as a GABA cream (as you’ll read in the case studies above). It’s best to start low – at 125mg – and increase from there based on your own unique needs. I believe many practitioners are not on board because they have clients and patients swallow GABA capsules, and often use high dose GABA capsules.

I appreciate Suzanne for asking this question and I’m hoping my feedback gave you and her confidence.

It also helps me to know what is still being taught so I can offer educational resources – for both the consumer like Suzanne and practitioners – and hopefully further the field.

Am I surprised to hear that this myth is still being shared? Not really. So I’ll continue to share what I know and the wonderful GABA success stories so this message gets out there.

Additional resources when you are new to using GABA and the other amino acids as supplements

We use the symptoms questionnaire to figure out if low GABA or low serotonin or low endorphins or low dopamine or low blood sugar may be an issue for you.

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.

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.

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 too). This is a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance and community support.

How many times have you heard this myth about GABA not working? How long ago and where from?

Has GABA helped you? If yes, I’m thrilled for you. Please do share how it’s helped, how much helps and how you use GABA (as a sublingual, liposomal, a powder or capsules opened on to the tongue or inside the cheek, or as a GABA cream)?

If you’re a practitioner do you have success using GABA this way with your clients/patients? And were you also taught – in the past – that GABA supplements don’t work or taught the GABA leaky BBB theory?

Feel free to share and ask your questions below.

Anxiety and vomit phobia in an 8-year-old: within a week of starting vitamin B6 she made a complete turnaround

December 1, 2023 By Trudy Scott 15 Comments

Debbie, a mom in the community, shared this wonderful feedback about how vitamin B6 helped her daughter with terrible anxiety and a phobia of vomit:

My youngest (who is 8 now) started exhibiting terrible anxiety about a year ago, specifically around the phobia of vomit. Her anxiety is mostly about other people throwing up. But her anxiety became so strong it was preventing her from going to school or even staying in her classroom, kept her from eating (because her anxiety hurt her tummy) and even from wanting to do extracurricular activities that she previously loved but now was afraid to attend in case a child might throw up there.

We started her on weekly therapy sessions, and I started her on GABA and tryptophan. While the amino acids helped a little, it wasn’t enough to calm the thoughts that plagued her all day at school and home. Most days I still couldn’t get her out of the car for school.

Through your website and some other research, I decided to try supplementing her with vitamin B6. Within a week of her starting B6 she made a complete turnaround. The anxiety would still come when a kid at school would say their tummy hurt, but she was able to calm herself down within minutes and talk through the worry.

We still have some low days (especially if we haven’t taken her supplements in a few days) but overall, she’s a new kid. Even the school asked what we are doing differently to get her to be calm again.

It’s wonderful to hear that within a week of starting vitamin B6 she made a complete turnaround.

This blog addresses some of the possible mechanisms (possible serotonin and GABA support, and addressing pyroluria), how much vitamin B6 she had her daughter use and optimal dosing, plus other factors like a good multi or B complex.

Some of the possible causes and mechanisms: serotonin and/or GABA support

According to the Child Mind Institute, “Emetophobia, or the severe fear of vomiting or seeing others vomit, is surprisingly common. Kids who already tend to be anxious are more likely to develop it. It leads to fear of things they associate with vomiting. Often it starts with avoiding places where they (or someone else) threw up, or places that remind them of it.”

They discuss therapy and medications as solutions whereas I am discussing nutritional solutions that address the root causes. In this case: addressing low vitamin B6 and its impact on serotonin and/or GABA.

This letter, Vitamin B6: A new approach to lowering anxiety, and depression?, published in 2022, mention a few studies concluding that vitamin B6 supplements “significantly reduce feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression.” It does this via an impact on serotonin and GABA production and this results in the calming of the nervous system.

This 2022 paper, High-dose Vitamin B6 supplementation reduces anxiety and strengthens visual surround suppression, also discusses a GABA mechanism: vitamin B6 supplementation “increases inhibitory GABAergic neural influences, which is consistent with its known role in the synthesis of GABA.” (100 mg/day of vitamin B6 was used by the adult participants)

In this blog post you can read about the role of low vitamin B6 and iron in low serotonin, leading to anxiety and panic attacks.

How much vitamin B6 to use and is pyroluria a factor?

Debbie was not sure how much vitamin B6 to give her daughter:

The struggle I still have is knowing how much to dose her. There’s conflicting info out there as to how much is too much for kids. Right now I’m giving her Carlson liquid B6. I give her between 2-3 drops, which, if I’m doing the math correctly, is about 4-6 mg. She seems to be doing alright on that as long as we don’t miss a day. When we do miss, her anxiety becomes immediately irrational again. If you have any insight on dosing, please let me know. Thanks for all you do!

I shared this feedback with her: With phobia of vomiting I immediately think of the social anxiety condition pyroluria and the additional need for zinc, vitamin B6 and evening primrose oil.

This supports the fact that vitamin B6 helps her daughter and that missed days and increased stress means the anxiety returns.

With kids anxiety can often show up as tummy issues and nausea. And “emetophobics are particularly vulnerable to somatic symptoms, especially gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea. Nausea, as an anxiety symptom, may be misinterpreted as an imminent episode of vomiting causing further symptoms in a vicious circle.” (from this paper about an 8 year old boy with emetophobia)

Debbie mentions her daughter gets a sore tummy when anxious. If she also feels nauseous on her bad days, that would be another clue to consider pyroluria. A common symptom is morning nausea and addressing pyroluria helps kids who experience this and also helps prevent vomiting. The nutrients for pyroluria are also key for neurotransmitter production (as mentioned above).

I shared that I’ve used 10 – 25mg of vitamin B6 in children this age who have pyroluria (plus the other pyroluria supplements and stress reduction).

Good dream recall with no nightmares is a good gauge of vitamin B6 status and a clue that enough is being used and easy enough to ask children and/or observe nightmares.

There are not many papers on the use of vitamin B6 in children. This study, Use of Nutritional Supplements Based on L-Theanine and Vitamin B6 in Children with Tourette Syndrome, with Anxiety Disorders: A Pilot Study used 2.8mg of vitamin B6 but they were also using theanine.

Supportive solutions: a child’s multi with B vitamins and other underlying factors

When an individual B vitamin like vitamin B6 is used, it’s always advised to use a B complex or a good multivitamin that contains all the B vitamins with sufficient amounts. For children I like a product like Klaire Labs Vitaspectrum ® Powder. This product may actually provide enough vitamin B6 in a situation like this – 1 scoop provides 15 mg of vitamin B6 – or it could be used with extra vitamin B6.

It goes without saying that all dietary and other nutritional factors, gut health, blood sugar handling, sleep, toxins, infections etc. may need to be addressed too.

I would also want to do further exploration into why vitamin B6 may be low, other than pyroluria – such as dysbiosis, inflammation, malabsorption, autoimmunity, low dietary intake, leaky gut, high sugar intake, gluten sensitivity or celiac disease and alcohol use disorder (in adults).

Why didn’t GABA or tryptophan help?

Debbie is well versed in amino acids, having used GABA for her PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). It helped ease her lifelong anxiety, wean off anxiety medication, ovulate each month and stop her PCOS meds. She helped her older daughter with GABA too – she calls them her “happy pills.” And Debbie used tryptophan with success when collagen caused her to have panic attacks again. You can read her story on this blog.

I can’t be sure why GABA or tryptophan didn’t help her younger daughter. It’s where I would have started too, but we are all unique and what works for Debbie and her older daughter just didn’t work for her younger daughter.

It’s possible that a higher dose of GABA or tryptophan may have worked better, or other GABA or tryptophan products, or theanine or 5-HTP or inositol may have been an option.

It’s wonderful that vitamin B6 did work and I appreciate Debbie for sharing and allowing me to share as a blog. I love that the school also asked what they are doing differently to get her daughter to be calm again.

Additional resources when you are new to using amino acids or the pyroluria nutrients as supplements

We use the symptoms questionnaire to figure out if low GABA or low serotonin or low endorphins or low dopamine or low blood sugar may be an issue with vomit phobia.

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.

As mentioned above, I would start with GABA and tryptophan (like Debbie did) and then start looking for other approaches that may help.

There is also an entire chapter on pyroluria where vitamin B6, zinc and evening primrose oil is addressed in detail.

This includes the products mentioned in this blog: Carlson 100mg B6 and Klaire Labs Vitaspectrum® Powder.

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 too). This is a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance and community support.

Does any of this resonate with you?

If yes, has vitamin B6 helped your child (or you) with anxiety and vomit phobia?

And is pyroluria also a factor that is being addressed?

Have either tryptophan or GABA or Klaire Labs Vitaspectrum® Powder helped too (alone or in conjunction with vitamin B6)?

Feel free to share and ask your questions below.

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).

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).

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.

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!”)

January 14, 2022 By Trudy Scott 38 Comments

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.

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

April 16, 2021 By Trudy Scott 39 Comments

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:

You can see all the low serotonin symptoms here.
Fibromyalgia: tryptophan or 5-HTP for anxiety, depression, pain and insomnia
You can see the 5-HTP and tryptophan products I use with my clients here on the supplements blog.
You may find this helpful too – GABA for easing physical anxiety and tension: some questions and answers.

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.