GABA Quickstart; Balancing Neurotransmitters: the Fundamentals program for practitioners

Mom switches her teen son from 5-HTP to tryptophan. In 3 days he has less anxiety, fears and ruminating thoughts, laughs more and sleeps better.

February 16, 2024 By Trudy Scott 40 Comments

My son has autism and OCD. I took him off fluvoxamine in May and used cbd and some other things and he was doing fine up until this past winter. He began having irrational fears and ruminating thoughts/fears that would not stop! I started 5-HTP, theanine, B12, probiotics with him for the last month and did not see any improvement. I was ready to go back to the medication when I came across your blog and information.

I assumed 5-HTP would be better for OCD, but after reading your comments you mentioned that you just switch to tryptophan if the 5-HTP is not working. I had tryptophan at home already. That night I emptied half a capsule into a little stevia flavored water and had him hold it in his mouth for a minute.

He was a different kid after that!!!! This is just the 3rd day but even his teachers are telling me he is doing really well and is less anxious at school. I am so thankful! I am now giving him 500mg in the morning and early evening.

I bought some inositol and plan to try adding that in the afternoons to see if that will help as well. I believe that he has PANDAS. He is a hand washer, and spits a lot, and has lots of other quirks that I would love to see decrease.

I have hope again! I am buying your book so that I can get a good plan going for him. If you have any other suggestions for him please let me know!!

This wonderful feedback was posted in the comments of one of the tryptophan blogs. I’m so thrilled for this mom and young man (he’s almost 20). I thanked her for sharing all this on the blog and offered to share additional generic feedback via a new blog post. I also asked for additional feedback on exactly how the tryptophan helped (more on that below).

Read on to learn how tryptophan helped with his ruminating thoughts, fears, crying and improved his sleep. And my insights about the ideal timing of tryptophan, finding the optimal dose and why it may work when 5-HTP doesn’t. I also share some insights about inositol and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder).

Low serotonin symptoms and the questions I had about his symptoms

I do hope he continues to see these benefits. Seeing such amazing results in 3 days is always what we’re looking for and it’s not unexpected to get such profound results so quickly!

I had some additional questions so I could share some general feedback as to how I work in situations like this. I wanted to know his age and if the switch to tryptophan helped any of his OCD symptoms and if yes how many notches improvement?

And which of the classic low serotonin symptoms the tryptophan helped and by how much: anxiety? irrational fears? and ruminating thoughts/fears? anything else? (all the low serotonin symptoms here)

Knowing this helps me know if I’m on track with a client i.e. the tryptophan is helping with low serotonin symptoms. And it also helps me decide we should consider increasing the dose and possibly adjust the number of times to use tryptophan. I share more about this below.

Tryptophan helps reduce his ruminating thoughts, fear and anxiety. And he’s laughing more and sleeps better

She shared some specific examples as to how much the tryptophan helps reduce his ruminating thoughts, fear and anxiety. And he’s laughing more and it helps him sleep:

He would often call me or text me throughout the day with questions about his health, and he would come to me 10-15 times in the afternoons/evenings, for about 3 weeks or so, and ask me the same questions about a rare disease that he believed he had.

He would cry and shake with fear and anxiety at some point and I would need to reassure him over and over again that he did not have this disease, and that it was literally impossible for him to have it.

After starting the tryptophan supplements 2x500mg morning/early evening he did not come to me at all and seemed content the 1st day.

Yesterday, he didn’t get the 2nd tryptophan until 5pm so he did come to me with 1 question/concern. I reassured him and he seemed fine especially after his supplement. Then 1 more question later that night but he accepted my reassurance both times and let it go.

So that was a big difference compared to the last 4 weeks. He was also laughing at some cartoon he was watching which I had not seen him do for a month either. Anxiety is less. He is sleeping better too. So far he still seems to believe the irrational things.

Tryptophan is clearly helping so many of his symptoms but we have more opportunities for further gains with tryptophan.

Tryptophan for low serotonin: dosing and timing

As I share in my book and other blog posts, typically 500 mg tryptophan twice a day is a good starting dose, used away from protein mid-afternoon and evening. It’s used like this because serotonin starts to decline in the afternoon. We increase based on individual needs to find the ideal dose. We may also add tryptophan or 5-HTP earlier in the day.

In a situation like this, if we were working together, I’d consider the following:

Adding a mid-afternoon dose of tryptophan
A switch to just afternoon and evening dosing (unless the morning dose was used for a specific reason i.e. morning symptoms)
Adding a second dose of tryptophan each time (he is using Nature Stacks Serotonin Brain Food and I’d recommend Lidtke 500 mg tryptophan for the second dose each time because it contains only tryptophan)

With changes we do one thing at a time and track symptom improvements carefully.

Tryptophan vs 5-HTP?

I commend her for figuring out the switch from 5-HTP to tryptophan.

It’s a well known fact that some folks just do better on one vs the other and if 5-HTP isn’t working I’ll have clients switch to tryptophan and vice versa. I typically start with tryptophan because it seems to be better tolerated. The biggest issue that I see with 5-HTP is that it’s often not tolerated if you have high cortisol. It can also cause nightmares for some folks.

Precaution about serotonin syndrome with tryptophan/5-HTP

There are precautions when using certain amino acids and I always review them with all my clients. If they have been prescribed an SSRI, I have them discuss the use of tryptophan/5-HTP with their prescribing doctor so they can be monitored for serotonin syndrome. With careful monitoring and doctor approval I feel comfortable having my clients use tryptophan/5-HTP 6 hours away from their one and only SSRI.

If they are using more than one SSRI and/or a combination of psychiatric medications, the use of tryptophan/5-HTP is not advised.

None of the above applied in this situation but it’s important to be aware of.

Inositol and OCD: when to consider adding it?

OCD or even mildly obsessive behaviors or thoughts can be a sign of low serotonin. I will do a trial of tryptophan as above and for some folks it’s often enough. Sometimes tryptophan at least helps to some degree and when it’s not enough, adding inositol (a B vitamin) takes it to the next level.

For many folks 500 -1000 mg capsules are typically recommended but this is a really low dose for OCD. The powdered form is really effective because you can increase as needed. You can actually go as high as 18g. I start low, with 1-2g in kids and adults, and keep going up by 2g a week until the obsessive symptoms disappear. More on inositol and OCD here.

GABA, dopamine and endorphin support too

She mentions that her son “seems to be low serotonin, low GABA (1st 1/2 of the list), low endorphins and low catecholamines” so other amino acids are likely to be of benefit too.

As always we used the neurotransmitter symptoms questionnaire and do trials of each amino acid: GABA for low GABA symptoms, DPA for low endorphins and tyrosine for low dopamine. These trials of each one are done one at a time with careful tracking to find the ideal dose before layering in the next amino acid.

Using the amino acids so it’s easy to reduce sugar and go gluten-free

I also asked what dietary changes he has already made and she responded: “We are in the process of reducing sugar and going back to gluten-free as much as possible but this will be hardest to stick to. Have done a keto-like and gluten-free-casein-free diet on and off since he was 4 years old.”

This is a great start and using the amino acids help reduce cravings and make it easy to reduce sugar and go gluten-free.

There is a sugar cravings aspect to all the neurotransmitter imbalances. The type of craving can be found on the above symptoms questionnaire. It’s not uncommon to need support in more than one area:

Low serotonin – tryptophan or 5-HTP for afternoon/evening cravings
Low endorphins – DPA for comfort/reward eating
Low catecholamines – tyrosine for low energy sugar cravings
Low GABA – GABA for stress eating

I’m glad she is getting a copy of my book The Antianxiety Food Solution. It has all the foundational dietary information, sections on cravings and a chapter on the amino acids.

It also has a chapter on pyroluria, which is very common in autism and something I help most of my clients address. Here is the pyroluria questionnaire.

Tryptophan and inositol product options

Products I recommend include Lidtke 500 mg Tryptophan and Designs for Health Inositol Powder. You can purchase these from my online store (Fullscript – only available to US customers – use this link to set up an account).

If you’re not in the US, Doctor’s Best L-Tryptophan 500mg and Now Inositol Powder are products I recommend on iherb (use this link to save 5%).

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

We use the symptoms questionnaire to figure out if low serotonin or other neurotransmitter imbalances may be an issue for you.

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. The importance of quality animal protein and healthy fats is also covered.

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.

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), if you need serotonin support, the Serotonin QuickStart Program is a good place to start. This is 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. We take a deep dive into product options including Lidtke products and others if you’re not able to access Lidtke.

If you also have low GABA symptoms, the next step to get help is the GABA QuickStart Program. This is also a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance and community support. Another option is the budget-friendly GABA QuickStart Homestudy program.

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.

Now I’d like to hear from you

Have you had success with tryptophan for anxiety, fears, crying and ruminations? And has it also helped with sleep, how happy you feel and reduced cravings? Has it also helped with OCD?

Did you first trial 5-HTP and then found tryptophan worked better or vice versa?

If yes, what dose and when do you use it?

What about using inositol to further reduce OCD? And what dose helped?

If you’re a practitioner do you use tryptophan and/or inositol with clients/patients with these low serotonin symptoms?

And please let me know if it’s helpful that I’m now including product recommendations and where to get them?

Feel free to share and ask your questions below.

Reactive hypoglycemia in binge eating disorder, food addiction and intense sugar cravings, and how glutamine stops the cravings

February 9, 2024 By Trudy Scott 6 Comments

A number of years ago a woman came to see me looking for help for her anxiety, insomnia and out of control sugar cravings which she described as an “almost demonic urge to eat sugar and all things sweet.”

Before working with me she had been trying to control her low blood sugar levels (or hypoglycemia) by eating the right foods at the right times i.e. healthy fats and quality protein especially at breakfast. But this wasn’t enough to eliminate her intense sweet cravings. She would make and eat sweet treats all day long, using “healthier” sweeteners like monk fruit and maple syrup.

I had her complete the brain chemistry symptoms questionnaire and she scored high on all the low blood sugar symptoms as well as low GABA and low serotonin. We focused on low blood sugar first and the solution for her cravings was using 500 mg of glutamine opened onto her tongue.

Initially she was sure this would NOT work – how would she possibly be able to use glutamine in the midst of experiencing reactive hypoglycemia or low blood sugar?

I had the same conversation that I have with all my clients who would obviously rather eat something sweet than open a glutamine capsule onto their tongue: “If you have an intense craving for something sweet, tell yourself that you’re going to indulge, but also humor your nutritionist and take the glutamine anyway. You may be surprised to find your urge completely disappears.”

She did that and it worked time and time again, ending her demonic urge to eat something sweet every time and very quickly. And it helped her with all her low blood sugar symptoms.

This blog addresses the role of low blood sugar or reactive hypoglycemia in intense sugar cravings, binge eating disorder and food addiction, and how glutamine helps.

Research: Reactive hypoglycemia in binge eating disorder and food addiction

The 2023 paper, Reactive hypoglycemia in binge eating disorder, food addiction, and the comorbid phenotype: unravelling the metabolic drive to disordered eating behaviours, highlights the fact that “impaired metabolic response” such as fasting blood glucose fluctuations are a factor in binge eating and food addiction, driving out of control and “repetitive consumption of highly processed food.”

The researchers “investigated hypoglycemia events during a 5-hour-long oral glucose tolerance test” in 200 participants and “the association between the severity of eating psychopathology and the variability in hypoglycemia events was explored.”

The authors conclude as follows:

People with binge eating disorder/BED or food addiction/FA are prone to experiencing reactive hypoglycemia; food addiction severity may predict early and symptomatic hypoglycemia events. This can further reinforce disordered eating behaviours by promoting addictive responses, both biologically and behaviourally.

You can read the study here.

It’s worth noting that the participants did not have diabetes. I mention this because most of the reactive hypoglycemia research looks at diabetic patients. Reactive hypoglycemia in the non-diabetic population is considered controversial even amongst functional medicine and/or integrative practitioners. This paper stands out for this reason.

It’s also recently published which makes me excited. This research is confirming what we see clinically.

This research is very much in line with the demonic urge my client described, and directly tied to her low blood sugar and blood sugar swings. My client did not do a 5 hour oral glucose tolerance test. Instead we used the low blood sugar symptoms questionnaire (see below) and a trial of glutamine.

My client was also not diagnosed with binge eating disorder or food addiction but didn’t have to be for us to recognize the issue and have her benefit from nutritional support in the way of glutamine and learning to eat for blood sugar stability.

Unfortunately the authors do not discuss glutamine as a solution in this particular paper or in any other research on human participants who are non-diabetic. There are a few animal diabetes studies, with this 2013 study reporting that “glutamine was more effective in promoting glycemia recovery if compared with glucose, lactate, glycerol, or alanine.” The authors call for further investigations which I look forward to reading.

Low blood sugar symptoms and a glutamine trial

As a reminder here are the signs of low blood sugar:

Sugar cravings, binge eating and addiction symptoms:

Crave sugar, starch or alcohol any time during the day
Very intense cravings for sweets/sugar
Binge eating and/or food addiction (updated with this based on this research)

There are also anxiety, mood, sleep and energy symptoms when you have low blood sugar:

Nervous, anxious, panic attacks
Irritable, shaky, headachey – especially if you go too long between meals
Lightheaded if meals are missed
Agitated, easily upset
Eating relieves fatigue
Waking in the night or early hours with a jolt of anxiety/shakiness (I blogged about this here)

As I mention in the waking with a jolt/low blood sugar blog the good news is it’s relatively easy to figure out if low blood sugar is causing your symptoms. First I have clients rate their symptoms on the low blood sugar questionnaire and do a trial of glutamine. Next is figuring out the dosing and timing of glutamine, looking at a current food log and making dietary changes as needed.

Glutamine is always best opened on to the tongue but it must be used this way for stopping the intense sugar cravings quickly – as in immediately. It’s also used away from meals like all the amino acids.

If you notice improvements it’s very likely that reactive hypoglycemia or low blood sugar is a factor.

Glutamine for low blood sugar cravings: dosing and timing

As I share in my book and other blog posts, typically 500 mg glutamine is a good starting dose for intense cravings for sugary foods. We may increase based on individual needs and you may find you do need to use 500 mg -1000 mg two to three times a day when the intense desire for something sweet strikes – as blood sugar dips. Using a glutamine powder is a great way to use it especially if you find you do need more than 500 mg each time.

As I mentioned above when you use glutamine powder directly on the tongue (rather than mixed in water), the benefits are seen almost immediately and even if you don’t believe it could possibly work – like my client – your desire for sugar disappears.

GABA and serotonin support too

My client also needed GABA and serotonin support for her anxiety and sleep issues. Again, we used the low GABA and low serotonin symptoms questionnaire and did trials of GABA and tryptophan for her which helped further.

Sugar cravings and binge eating with other neurotransmitter imbalances too

Keep in mind that there is a sugar cravings aspect to all the neurotransmitter imbalances. The type of craving can be found on the above symptoms questionnaire. It’s not uncommon to need support more than one area:

Low blood sugar /hypoglycemia – glutamine for intense cravings at any time of the day
Low serotonin – tryptophan or 5-HTP for afternoon/evening cravings
Low endorphins – DPA for comfort/reward eating
Low catecholamines – tyrosine for low energy sugar cravings
Low GABA – GABA for stress eating

Glutamine product options – capsule vs powder

Products I recommend include Pure Encapsulations 500 mg l-glutamine (capsules opened on to your tongue) and Designs for Health l-glutamine powder as you find you need higher amounts. You can purchase these from my online store (Fullscript – only available to US customers – use this link to set up an account).

If you’re not in the US, Now l-glutamine 500 mg and Doctor’s best l-glutamine powder are products I recommend on iherb (use this link to save 5%).

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

We use the symptoms questionnaire to figure out if low blood sugar and/or low serotonin and/or low GABA and other neurotransmitter imbalances may be an issue for you.

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.

Have you had success with glutamine for blood sugar stability and binge eating, food addiction and intense cravings for sugar and carbs?

Have you also found it helps with sleep, leaky gut and anxiety during the day?

If yes, how much helps you? And how often do you use it? And what sugary foods have you been able to stop eating?

If you’re a practitioner do you use glutamine and with clients/patients with these low blood sugar cravings? Do you recognize reactive hypoglycemia as a very real issue in non-diabetics?

And please let me know if it’s helpful that I’m now including product recommendations and where to get them?

Feel free to share and ask your questions below.

Waking with a jolt, feeling shaky and anxious: low blood sugar/hypoglycemia, glutamine and eating for blood sugar stability

February 2, 2024 By Trudy Scott 22 Comments

Low blood sugar is one of a number of causes of waking in the night or early hours, often with a jolt and feelings of anxiety or feeling like you’re having a panic attack. As shared in a recent blog post, cortisol that is high at night can cause very similar symptoms.

Because of a low blood sugar question on the high cortisol blog, today I’m explaining the very different solutions to each root cause: glutamine and eating for blood sugar stability when you have low blood sugar versus Seriphos when you have high cortisol.

Katherine shares that she has low cortisol and suspects hypoglycemia or low blood sugar, and is hesitant about using Seriphos:

My last 4 point cortisol test showed mine is low throughout the day. But I’m having episodes where I’m waking up in the mornings feeling a jolt (every time I wake up from sleeping) and sometimes also shaky and anxious.

A functional pharmacist suggested my blood sugar may be dropping during the night and hypoglycemia could cause an adrenaline surge.

I don’t know. I’m nervous to try something [such as Seriphos] to lower cortisol when it seems mine is already too low.

I agree with her functional pharmacist that hypoglycemia is likely a factor as it often is with adrenal dysfunction and low cortisol. And I am glad Katherine is being cautious about using Seriphos.

I shared that Seriphos is not the solution in this instance because she doesn’t have high cortisol based on her adrenal saliva test (4 collections). Instead, she has low cortisol throughout the day and using Seriphos would lower her cortisol even further. What many folks don’t realize is that high cortisol and low cortisol can lead to similar symptoms of anxiety, shakiness and waking in the night and early hours.

The good news is it’s relatively easy to figure out if low blood sugar is causing your symptoms. First I have clients rate their symptoms on the low blood sugar questionnaire and do a trial of glutamine. Next is figuring out the dosing and timing of glutamine, looking at a current food log and making dietary changes as needed.

If Katherine notices improvements – typically seen within a week – it’s very likely that hypoglycemia is a factor.

Finally, if additional support is needed for her anxiety I’d consider looking at low GABA and low serotonin symptoms and doing a trial of GABA and/or tryptophan.

Longer term solutions include all the dietary changes mentioned in my book – gluten-free, no sugar, no caffeine or alcohol, using nutritional support for the adrenals and addressing toxins, infections, trauma etc.

Low blood sugar symptoms

First I have clients rate their symptoms on the low blood sugar questionnaire and do a trial of glutamine if they have low blood sugar symptoms.

Here are the low blood sugar symptoms which are rated on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being most severe:

Crave sugar, starch or alcohol any time during the day
Irritable, shaky, headachey – especially if too long between meals
Intense cravings for sweets
Lightheaded if meals are missed
Eating relieves fatigue
Agitated, easily upset, nervous
Waking in the night or early hours with a jolt of anxiety/shakiness

If the ratings indicate the possibility of low blood sugar i.e. any cluster of the above symptoms, we do a trial of the amino acid glutamine on the tongue and record before and after ratings of a few symptoms.

Glutamine is a key amino acid for blood sugar stability and helps quickly while the adrenals heal and the dietary changes are figured out.

Glutamine for low blood sugar: dosing and timing

Typically 500 mg glutamine is a good starting dose. I see many folks start too high, like 5000 mg / 5 g and up multiple times a day, and it’s not necessary. However, we increase based on individual needs and you may find you do need to use 500 mg -1000 mg two to three times a day. Using a glutamine powder is a great way to use it especially if you find you do need more than 500 mg each time.

When you use glutamine powder directly on the tongue (rather than mixed in water), the benefits are seen almost immediately.

For someone like Katherine, using glutamine throughout the day may set her up for night time or early morning low blood sugar. She may also find she needs to use some glutamine just before bed too.

GABA and/or serotonin support too?

Depending on the causes of her anxiety and shakiness, in addition to glutamine, Katherine may need to consider GABA and/or tryptophan too. We use the low GABA and low serotonin symptoms questionnaire and do trials of GABA and/or tryptophan/5-HTP.

All three amino acids can be used before bed and during the night if needed but trials are best done one at a time.

Glutamine for low blood sugar, healing the gut, to reduce sugar cravings and for better sleep

In addition to helping with blood sugar stability and sleep issues, glutamine also helps to heal the gut and helps reduce sugar cravings. Laura shared how it’s been helping her with all of this on another blog:

I am currently struggling with gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining) as well as a lifetime of low blood sugar and irritability. I started glutamine a few days ago (15 grams a day) and I am amazed at how it has calmed my gut as well as calmed the sugar cravings. I am also sleeping better!

I did share that 15 g is considered a high starting dose of glutamine. She may well get similar benefits with much less.

Glutamine for early morning low blood sugar and headaches

As you can see in this case, Cat finds 500 mg glutamine just once a day works well for her unique needs:

I found a powder that I mix approximately 500 mg of with water. It works within about 15 minutes and keeps me going for about 2 – 3 hours — long enough to reach a reasonable time for lunch.

I’m thrilled to have this option as anytime that I travel, low blood sugar becomes a huge issue as I suffer from ketotic hypoglycemia and end up with massive headaches and vomiting for 6-8 hours.

Dietary changes for blood sugar control and adrenal support

All my clients keep a food log and we look at what they are eating on a typical day and when. It’s key to eat in a certain way in order to control blood sugar:. breakfast on waking, healthy snacks 3 to 4 x day and some folks do well with a snack before bed. These meals and snacks should include quality animal protein and healthy fats. This is all outlined in detail in the diet and low blood sugar chapters in my book “The Antianxiety Food Solution”.

A protein smoothie in the morning is a good option too and especially helpful if you have the social anxiety condition pyroluria, where morning nausea and a low appetite is common initially. This blog highlights a research paper about breakfast smoothies helping to reduce anxiety and hypoglycemia symptoms.

Nutritional support for adrenal function includes a good B vitamin complex, extra vitamin B5/pantothenic acid, vitamin C and adaptogenic herbs such as rhodiola and ashwagandha.

Glutamine product options – capsule vs powder

If you’re not in the US, Now l-glutamine 500 mg and Doctor’s best l-glutamine powder are products I recommend on iherb (use this link to save 5%).

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

We use the symptoms questionnaire to figure out if low blood sugar and/or low serotonin and/or low GABA and other neurotransmitter imbalances may be an issue for you.

Have you had success with glutamine for blood sugar stability and waking with a jolt of anxiety/panic at night or in the early hours?

Have you used it for blood sugar stability, reduced cravings, leaky gut and anxiety during the day?

If yes, how much helps you? And how often do you use it?

Have dietary changes and adrenal support helped too?

If you’re a practitioner do you use glutamine and dietary approaches with clients/patients with low blood sugar?

And please let me know if it’s helpful that I’m now including product recommendations and where to get them?

Feel free to share and ask your questions below.

How to use bright light therapy for increased anxiety, increased panic and SAD during the cold dark winter months

January 19, 2024 By Trudy Scott 2 Comments

There is a seasonality to anxiety and panic disorder just as there are seasonal variations in mood for certain susceptible individuals:

Following a clinical observation of increased anxiety symptoms and mood changes during winter in panic disorder patients, the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ) was completed by 133 patients. Global Seasonality Scores (GSS), and the prevalence of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), were significantly higher than reported in general population studies.

Seasonal changes were also found in anxiety and panic attacks.

These findings suggest the possibility of a common aetiology [etiology or cause] for panic disorder and SAD, that seasonality may be a far more general phenomenon in psychopathology, and that light therapy may be a useful treatment for some panic disorder patients.

The above abstract is from this paper: Seasonality in panic disorder

If you’re new to bright light therapy or are currently using it with success and would like to learn more, I’d like to point you to this excellent review paper, Bright Light as a Personalized Precision Treatment of Mood Disorders. The authors of the above paper cover some of the basics like how to use bright light for SAD (seasonal affective disorder) or the winter blues, and for how long, possible adverse effects and who should not use bright light therapy (this last aspect is theoretical).

This information about bright light and mood disorders can be applied to anxiety and panic attacks, in addition to SAD.

As you’ll read below there are also often benefits for non seasonal depression, bipolar disorder, fatigue, sleep issues, emotional eating and other conditions too. And bright light therapy can be used in conjunction with the amino acids tryptophan or 5-HTP, and is often used with psychiatric medications too.

How to use bright light for SAD and winter anxiety/panic and for how long?

You sit in front of the light box or full spectrum lamp – on a table or your desk – with open eyes. Using a standing lamp as a source of light is another option.

The authors of the Bright Light paper share the following approach for SAD (seasonal affective disorder or the winter blues), all of which is applicable for increased anxiety and panic attacks in winter too):

Start with a “duration of 30 minutes, using a light intensity of 10,000 lux.” (more on lux comparisons below)
“Early morning administration offers greater chances for remission” (although there is documented research and clinical results that for some folks later in the day works well too).
“Measured at eye level, a therapeutic distance of 60–80 cm from the light box can be seen as standard requirements (some other devices recommend a distance of 30 cm, so we advise to follow the device recommendations that take into account light parameters and distance).” Most of the lights/devices I recommend state a distance of 30 cm so it’s best to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines.
“Lower intensities also appear to be effective, but need longer exposure durations: 2,500 Lux for 2 hours per day or 5,000 Lux for 1 hour a day.” This means sitting further away may allow you to sit in front of the lamp/device for longer duration and get the same benefits.
“Significant effects appear only at 2–3 weeks of treatment.” Based on my clinical results, I have clients start to feel some improvements right away with the correct distance and a good lamp.
“Treatment is usually continued until the time of usual spontaneous remission in the spring or summer” (and is ideally started as fall/autumn starts to approach rather than in the middle of winter).

I’m also adding this missing and yet important fact from another paper: “The light box is angled ~30° from the line of gaze. The user does not stare directly into the light.”

They also discuss guidelines for year round use of bright light therapy for non-seasonal unipolar depression, another term for major depressive disorder. And midday or morning use for bipolar depression (when on mood stabilizers). I share more about this in my blog: Midday bright light therapy for bipolar depression. I refer you to the study for this information so it can be discussed with your doctor.

Bright light therapy for insomnia and decreased alertness/fatigue

The Bright Light paper also mentions how light therapy “may also be useful to improve sleep quality” … and … “abnormalities in circadian rhythms such as sleep phase delay syndrome, that are frequently associated in mood disorders.”

The authors also mention how light therapy can also help “decreased alertness”, presumably as a result of poor sleep.

Clinically, I see these benefits for clients in similar ways that tryptophan or 5-HTP help with sleep issues. This is related to the serotonin boosting mechanism of bright light therapy. Keep in mind anxiety and panic are symptoms of low serotonin.

What are some possible adverse effects of bright light therapy?

The authors state that bright light therapy “is well-tolerated by patients; adverse effects such as headache, eyestrain, nausea and agitation, are usually transient and mild.” Clinically, I have seldom seen clients experience headache, eyestrain and nausea.

However, I have seen agitation and other low serotonin symptoms get worse – like feeling more sad or more worried or more angry or more irritated or more sleep issues (or all of the above). Too much bright light therapy can ramp up low serotonin symptoms in a similar way that too much tryptophan or 5-HTP can. In other words, it can be overdone and more is not necessarily better. You have to find a balance and figure out what works best for your needs.

I also have clients who are prescribed antidepressants discuss light therapy with their prescribing doctor as I suspect there is the possibility of serotonin syndrome. I don’t see any reports of this in the research and a number of reports of bright light therapy being used successfully in conjunction with antidepressants.

Who should not use bright light therapy?

The authors share these contraindications: “ophthalmic disorders (cataract, macular degeneration, glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa) and disorders affecting the retina (retinopathy, diabetes, herpes, etc.).” They recommend getting an eye examination if you are in doubt.

Other papers state that the above is theoretical and there are no documented cases of eye damage from bright light therapy. But if you suspect you may be at high risk, get the approval from your ophthalmologist and ongoing monitoring too.

Recommended lights, lamps and panels: always 10,000 lux

This blog post, Winter blues or SAD: light therapy has been updated (as of Jan 2024) with new links for recommended lights/lamps/panels, all 10,000 lux. You can also read feedback from folks who use and find the benefits of full spectrum light or bright light therapy. For example, Chrstine shared this:

My office is the darkest room in the house and I have one sitting on my desk, especially helpful in the winter. This is the second Verilux Happy Light I have used and I really like it. Living in Nevada where there is sunshine over 330 days of the year I am so accustomed to light and brightness that if I am in a dark room or space for too long it really affects me. This has been a great product for me and I can recommend it.

If you’re curious about lux, it is a unit of illumination and this paper, Light Therapy in Mood Disorders: A Brief History with Physiological Insights, includes this very useful lux comparison image:

light therapy and mood disorders — The above is shared under the Creative Commons Attribution License and can be found here .

The combination of using bright light therapy with amino acids such as tryptophan and 5-HTP

I often recommend the use of light therapy in conjunction with amino acids such as tryptophan and 5-HTP. This offers additional serotonin support and helps ease worry-type anxiety, panic attacks, low mood, insomnia, cravings and more. I discuss this combination approach in the winter blues blog.

When someone is already using amino acids with some success, we may just add light therapy and keep amino acid dosing the same or we may use higher doses of amino acids like tryptophan, 5-HTP and GABA during the winter months. We may also use both depending on the person’s unique needs.

I had one client who did really well with tryptophan: his anxiety decreased dramatically but then ramped up before winter. Increasing tryptophan was too much for him so we kept the original tryptophan dose and he started bright light therapy. This worked very well for him until the end of spring when he was able to stop the light therapy.

I also share links to increased OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), intrusive thoughts, PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder), PMS (premenstrual syndrome), binge eating/emotional eating and drinking/alcoholism in the winter months – and the role of light therapy and amino acids.

Additional resources when you are new to using tryptophan or other amino acids as supplements

We use the symptoms questionnaire to figure out if low serotonin or other neurotransmitter imbalances 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 importance of quality animal protein is also covered.

Do you experience increased anxiety, panic attacks and/or the winter blues in the winter months? Have you had success with bright light therapy?

If yes, which full spectrum lamp have you found to be the most useful? What time of the day do you use it, how often do you use it and for what duration?

Have you used a combination of amino acids and light therapy, and adjusted up your amino acids during the colder and darker winter months?

If you’re a practitioner do you recommend light therapy to your clients/patients?

Feel free to share and ask your questions below.

D-phenylalanine (DPA) for easing both physical pain (tooth pain) and emotional pain over the holidays

January 5, 2024 By Trudy Scott 33 Comments

Today I share how the amino acid D-phenylalanine (DPA), used as a supplement multiple times a day, and opened on to my tongue, eased both the physical tooth pain I experienced for 14 days and the emotional pain I was feeling over the holidays.

In this blog I share more about DPA and endorphins when it comes to pain – both physical and emotional. I also share two DPA products I recommend, product label confusion and more about how DPA differs from DLPA (DL-phenylalanine). I am often asked this question and even long time users of DLPA are sometimes surprised to learn how different DPA is. As always, I like to share some research and other related blogs on the topic. Here is my recent and very positive personal experience with DPA, a firm favorite of mine:

I’m just back from the dentist – my crown was re-cemented and I’m a happy camper now. It popped off just before Christmas and I had to wait until now! There was a tiny cavity beneath the crown which is why I was having daily pain.

Thank goodness I always have DPA (the amino acid d-phenylananine) on hand. I gravitate to it for pain relief – sports injuries like muscle sprains, the rare headache and this time for tooth/jaw pain.

I opened a DPA onto my tongue as soon as I could feel the dull ache start and the pain relief lasted a few hours. It works by boosting endorphins to provide pain relief – kind of like acupuncture. I call it “powdered acupuncture”.

Some days I used 3-4 and one day I needed 6. Taking one before bed was wonderful.

I also got bonus benefits for emotional well-being over the holidays. It’s the first Christmas without my darling mom and I really needed the endorphin boost to help with the emotional pain.

The DPA product I used was Doctor’s best (details below) and I opened up the 500 mg capsule onto my tongue each time I needed pain relief.

The number of capsules I needed seemed to vary by how much chewing I was doing (for example, I had more pain after a steak meal vs smoked salmon) and what I was eating or drinking (for example, I had more pain after drinking something cold). I simply used a DPA capsule when the dull pain started, making sure it was away from protein (not always but most of the time).

UPDATE: Sept 13, 2024
DPA has come to my rescue yet again and this time the tooth pain has been very severe. I initially suspected it was the crown again but when I got into the dentist an xray confirmed an abscess at the tip of one of the roots.

It’s a first for me and I’ve never experienced a toothache like this. The pain ramps up from zero to 10 (with 10 being most severe) in a matter of seconds. The only thing that helps right now is DPA. I’m opening a capsule every few hours and have even had to use it every 30 mins when it’s really severe like after drinking or eating something. It brings to pain down to a 3 in a matter of minutes.

I’ve figured out that using a straw to drink liquids helps a ton. I’m also using a soft ice-pack a few times a day too. Strangely it’s worse just before bed, after I take my bedtime supplements. I need the DPA and ice-pack but fortunately I have no pain through the night. Thank goodness for that!

I’m also using a herbal antibiotic and herbal mouth swish from my naturopath while I get a second opinion, learn about my options, and decide next steps.

All this has solidified DPA as my go-to supplement for pain relief.

One of the DPA products I recommend: Doctor’s Best D-Phenylalanine

There are not many d-phenylalanine/DPA products available but of those I have two that I recommend: Doctor’s Best D-Phenylalanine and Lidtke Endorphigen. Both contain 500 mg DPA but the labels can be confusing at first – at least until you’re familiar with them.

Also, this amino acid, DPA, is not to be confused with docosapentaenoic acid (also abbreviated as DPA), an omega-3 fatty acid similar to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).

Here is the Doctor’s Best D-Phenylalanine description:

Doctor’s Best D-phenylalanine is a non-protein amino acid that acts as an inhibiting agent to enzymes that degrade enkephalins, naturally occurring peptides in the body that metabolize endorphins. Endorphins are neurotransmitters that play a key role in the function of the nervous system and are associated with feelings of pleasure. By limiting production of enzymes that break down endorphins, the supplement can help support a healthy mood and normal functioning of the nervous system.

Helps support healthy mood
Helps support endorphin metabolism
Help support neurotransmitter function

This is the actual product that I used over the past 2 weeks and have used it on and off as needed for a few years. It was one of the nutrients that helped when I sprained my ankle when visiting my brother in Las Vegas. More here

As you can see there is no mention of pain on the label or product description. I share more on the pain/endorphin connection below.

You can purchase this online from their website or from iherb. If you use my iherb link you’ll save 5%. This is a good option if you’re not in the USA and already use iherb for one-stop shopping of quality products.

The other DPA product I recommend: Lidtke Endorphigen

The other product I recommend is Lidtke Endorphigen which also contains 500 mg DPA and a small amount of vitamin B6 and riboflavin (vitamin B2). As you can see, this product does mention pain but not the emotional support/mood benefits on the front label.

Here is the Lidtke Endorphigen description

Ease Minor Pain & Feel Good with Healthy Endorphin Level Maintenance

Endorphins are nature’s way to relieve common minor pain and promote a cheerful mood. Research shows that endorphins are released in response to pain and stress, bringing relief. The second wind and runner’s high during and after a vigorous run are results of endorphins. Acting as an analgesic and sedative, endorphins diminish our perception of pain…. But there is more.

Recovery centers report that endorphins promote recovery from a wide variety of unhealthy cravings.

Low endorphin symptoms and typical dosing of DPA

I use the symptoms questionnaire to help clients identify if they have low endorphin symptoms (you can see that here).

Typical dosing is 500 mg to 1000 mg DPA 3-4 x day between meals/away from protein. I do find having clients open the capsule onto their tongue to be more effective for quick pain relief – with results as quickly as 5-10 minutes.

DPA vs DLPA: they are quite different but have some overlaps

I am often asked if DPA and DLPA are the same – they are quite different but have some overlaps as outlined in this blog post on the topic: What is the difference between DPA and DLPA (amino acids) and which one do I use for weepiness, heart-ache, pain and energy?

The precautions are also not the same so I always review contraindications with all my clients and encourage you to do the same.

DPA for MS pain, weepiness, emotional pain and more

Here are a few blog posts illustrating the use of DPA in multiple sclerosis, weepiness, physical pain, emotional pain and resilience, cravings/emotional eating and even helping to wean off prescription pain medication:

Multiple sclerosis: low endorphin research and the amino acid DPA (d-phenylalanine) for pain, depression, comfort and trauma support “The endogenous opioid system is …well known to play a role in the development of chronic pain and negative affect [i.e. depression], both of which are common comorbidities in MS.”
DPA for weepiness, pain and comfort and reward eating
The individual amino acids glutamine, GABA, tryptophan (or 5-HTP), DPA and tyrosine are powerful for eliminating sugar cravings, often within 5 minutes
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 As I mentioned above, using DPA over these holidays also gave me more resilience and the endorphin boost I needed help with the emotional pain of losing my mom.
Wean off prescription pain medication, improve sleep and reduce emotional eating with DPA (an endorphin-boosting amino acid)

Be sure to use the search feature on the blog to find additional applications of DPA.

DPA research on pain and depression

The use of DPA is not new as you can read in this paper from 1982 – D-phenylalanine and other enkephalinase inhibitors as pharmacological agents: implications for some important therapeutic application

A number of compounds have been shown to inhibit the degradation of enkephalins. As expected, these compounds produce naloxone reversible analgesia and potentiate the analgesia produced by enkephalins and by acupuncture.

One of these, D-phenylalanine, is also anti-inflammatory.

D-phenylalanine has proven to be beneficial in many human patients with chronic, intractable pain. It is proposed the enkephalinase inhibitors may be effective in a number of human “endorphin deficiency diseases” such as depression, schizophrenia, convulsive disorders and arthritis.

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

We use the symptoms questionnaire to figure out if low endorphins or other neurotransmitter imbalances 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.

Also mentioned above is Doctor’s Best D-Phenylalanine which can be purchased on iherb.

Have you had success using DPA for toothache, dental abscess or your other pain issues – what kind of pain has it helped and how much has helped you?

Has DPA also helped with emotional pain and weepiness? And cravings/emotional eating?

If you’re a practitioner do you have success using DPA with your clients/patients?

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.

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.