GABA Quickstart

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.

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, 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Seasonal PMDD/PMS and hormonal binge eating, wine drinking and anxiety – symptoms ramp up from October

November 17, 2023 By Trudy Scott 3 Comments

Someone in the community asked for help for the seasonal aspect of her PMDD symptoms i.e. more severe symptoms in winter …

My PMDD symptoms massively increase around the beginning of October right through to March. Would love some advice.

The binge eating and wine drinking is becoming habitual

She specifically mentions binge eating and wine drinking but I assume her other PMDD symptoms – such as anxiety, tension, anger, irritability, depression, sadness, hopelessness, insomnia, overwhelm, low energy, breast tenderness, headaches, pain, bloating, and/ or weight gain – are more severe at this time too.

As you can see, her symptoms are much more severe from October through March (winter in the Northern Hemisphere). If you live in the Southern Hemisphere you could expect more severe symptoms from May through September (or thereabouts).

There is a seasonal aspect to PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) and PMS (premenstrual syndrome and other hormonal imbalances. It’s not well recognized despite the fact that it’s documented in the research and seen clinically.

My feedback for her is to look into and address low serotonin, low GABA and/or low endorphins with the respective amino acids (adjusting up and down based on the season and symptoms), using recognized SAD (seasonal affective disorder) approaches and addressing pyroluria if needed (the nutrients are cofactors for neurotransmitter production.) I share more about each of these approaches and the research below.

The research: patients with PMDD have substantial seasonal patterns in mood and premenstrual symptoms

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) “accounts for the most severe form of PMS with the greatest impairment of women’s functioning and perceived quality of life, often prompting them to seek treatment.”

This older paper from 1997, Seasonality of symptoms in women with late luteal phase dysphoric disorder

Out of 100 patients treated in a subspecialty clinic in a university teaching hospital, “a significantly higher rate of seasonal affective disorder (38% versus 8%) as determined by Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire criteria.”
Also, 25% of the patients with seasonal variations in their premenstrual symptoms, consider them marked or a severe problem

The authors conclude that:

These results suggest that patients with LLPDD [or PMDD] have substantial seasonal patterns in mood and premenstrual symptoms. These seasonal patterns have implications for the clinical assessment and treatment of LLPDD [or PMDD]. For example, light therapy may be beneficial for women with seasonal worsening of LLPDD [or PMDD].

As you look at the research keep in mind the fact that late luteal dysphoric disorder (LLDD),“is now known as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)”, as mentioned in the above paper and other older studies.

Seasonal variations in serotonin and GABA

Seasonal variations in serotonin have long been documented with much research on the winter blues. This paper, The chronobiology and neurobiology of winter seasonal affective disorder describes winter seasonal affective disorder (SAD) as “a mood disorder characterized by the predictable onset of depression in the fall/winter months, with spontaneous remissions in the spring/summer period.” They also state that “The typical patient with SAD is a premenopausal woman who experiences carbohydrate craving, hypersomnia, and prominent fatigue during winter depressive episodes.”

There is less awareness about GABA seasonality but GABA levels may also be lower in the winter months. In this animal study, Effect of the pineal gland on 5-hydroxytryptamine and γ-aminobutyric acid secretion in the hippocampus of male rats during the summer and winter, it is reported that: “GABA secretion in the hippocampus of rats had a seasonal rhythm consisting of increased secretion in summer and decreased secretion in the winter.” I share more about this and the seasonality of GABA here.

It makes sense that supporting these lower levels in winter is going to help with the more severe PMDD symptoms that correlate with each neurotransmitter imbalance.

One solution: address low levels of neurotransmitters with amino acids

As you can see the PMDD symptoms mentioned above could fall into the categories of low GABA, low serotonin and/or low endorphins (and possibly low dopamine/catecholamines and low blood sugar too: binge eating, wine drinking, anxiety, tension, anger, irritability, depression, sadness, hopelessness, insomnia, overwhelm, low energy, breast tenderness, headaches, pain, bloating, and/ or weight gain.

(You can read this StatPearls ebook for the full description of the above symptoms: Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder)

It’s for this reason I always have clients with PMDD (and other hormonal issues) do the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire and trials of the respective amino acids.

Using a food mood log and tracking what time of day you binge eat and drink wine (and all the other symptoms) is a clue as to which amino acids may help most. I would expect tryptophan, GABA and DPA would be at the top of the list, and possibly tyrosine and glutamine too.

Because of the seasonality aspect, a higher dose is likely to be needed in the winter time so if you’re just starting your amino acid trails keep this in mind. If you are already using amino acids with success in summer, then bumping up the amounts during winter is going to help further. And then be sure to reduce amounts once winter is over.

Hopefully you’ve also been working on diet, gut health, liver health, adrenal function, toxin removal and other factors to reduce or eliminate PMDD/PMS so the amino acids are not needed long term.

How targeted individual amino acids may help – some examples

As you can see from one study, tryptophan can help with premenstrual dysphoria/sadness, mood swings, tension, and irritability.

Low endorphins and low dopamine may also be a factor. I share more on this blog: DLPA (DL-Phenylalanine) eases PMDD/PMS symptoms in women who experience declining endorphin levels in the second half of their cycles

Here are some specific amino acid cases around binge eating/cravings and excessive wine drinking:

None of the above are specific to seasonal changes in symptoms but illustrate the use of amino acids.

Supportive solutions: a SAD lamp when serotonin is low and addressing pyroluria

The late luteal phase dysphoric disorder paper above doesn’t mention amino acids (which is unfortunate but not surprising) but it does mention light therapy. I do recommend the use of a SAD lamp (full spectrum light) when there are low serotonin symptoms that get more severe in the winter.

With PMDD/PMS and other hormonal imbalances, we also always consider pyroluria and the use of higher amounts of zinc, vitamin B6 and evening primrose oil. The “stress” of winter and increased sugar consumption can deplete zinc and vitamin B6 for everyone but more so if you have pyroluria. These nutrients are also key for hormonal imbalances.

Additional resources when you are new to using 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 with your seasonal PMDD/PMS.

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.

Another option is the budget-friendly GABA QuickStart Homestudy program.

If you also 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.

Now I’d like to hear from you

Does any of this resonate with you? If yes, has any of the above helped with the seasonal aspect of your PMDD, PMS or other hormonal issues?

Feel free to share and ask your questions below.

Seriphos lowers high cortisol: prevent waking in the night and nighttime anxiety

October 20, 2023 By Trudy Scott 63 Comments

Seriphos is my favorite nutrient for lowering high nighttime cortisol in order to reduce night waking and nighttime anxiety. I’ve used it with success in the past and have just needed it again:

After coming back from Hawaii (I was there for just under 2 weeks), I was still waking a few times each night. Sometimes I would be awake for 2-3 hours! I’m a hot mess when I don’t get sleep through the night. With just 1 Seriphos before bed for 9 days I was sleeping through the night again. It was glorious!

High cortisol can be a temporary issue after international travel i.e. caused by jetlag and out of balance circadian rhythm. I will admit that I have a number of confounding factors – like my loss and grief (my darling mom has just passed away), being sprayed with insecticide on landing in Australia (which I suspect caused severe vertigo the day after I got back), and high blood pressure (and likely higher cortisol too) after drinking too much licorice tea for my voice loss. Whatever the causes of my high cortisol, Seriphos really helped me sleep through the night.

I ran out of Seriphos 2 nights ago and I was awake for 3 hours last night. I’ll be adding it back to my nighttime protocol as soon as my order arrives.

Seriphos is made by Interplexus and is a phosphorylated serine product. It is similar to the more recognized phosphatidylserine which is also used and known for lowering high cortisol – clinically and in the research. However, clinically, I have found Seriphos to be more effective and work more quickly.

UPDATE Feb 2024: I did end up tweaking my Seriphos dose a few times. After a few weeks I decided to trial 2 per night – this worked well. Then a few weeks later I trialed 3 per night – but after a few days I realized that even though it worked well for sleep it made me too tired the next day. For this reason I went back down to 2 Seriphos at bedtime.

UPDATE August 2024: I’m now using just 1 Seriphos at night and have added ox bile supplementation and a bright light panel in the morning because of bile issues. More on this below.

Seriphos for high cortisol due to trauma, loss of beloved cat and more

When I posted this on Facebook, I had a number of folks share how Seriphos has also helped them.

Kathy shared this: “I take two Seriphos at night for high cortisol that causes insomnia. It works well for me and helps me to relax. I have a significant trauma background that keeps me in fight or flight, so Seriphos is a must have at night. I do take a break from time to time if I am going through a less stressful time.”

Hopefully Kathy is also working on the trauma, doing trauma work and even incorporating other nutritional approaches which help so much with recovery – like zinc, vitamin D, a B complex, GABA and tryptophan etc. Taking a break from time to time is a good plan – I share more about this below.

Kim shared this: “Seriphos is a life saver – I started it when I was having cortisol/adrenaline issues a few years ago and have continued using it. I don’t ever want to be without Seriphos. A little over a month ago I unexpectedly lost my youngest cat. She was emaciated when I rescued her over 4 years ago and we turned around health issues. I feel so sad that she was dealt such a bad hand but we got her a loving home. My animals are everything to me and the grief is so difficult. She was a character and I love her so much.”

She uses one capsule in the evening but also uses a capsule during the day if she feels off. Hopefully Kim is also doing trauma work and other nutritional support too.

Janie shared this: “I have used it, years ago when my cortisol was off the charts, morning and at night. I was awake every night until 2am, unable to sleep. Seriphos certainly helped.”

She used 1 Seriphos per day for about 3 months.

Patricia said: “Please remember that there is Original Seriphos and the next gen Seriphos. I was one of thousands of people who had used original Seriphos for sleep and then they changed their formulation without telling us and then so very many of us were wide awake at night until we realized that they had changed the formulation.”

This happened in 2016/2017 and I blogged about that whole fiasco here – Seriphos Original Formula is back: the best product for anxiety and insomnia caused by high cortisol. You can read many other success stories on the blog and in the comments.

Address the causes of your high cortisol: jetlag, grief, toxins, licorice intake

As you can see from my example there can be a number of causes of high cortisol and you always want to address these causes while using Seriphos so you can eventually stop using it:

International travel i.e. caused by jetlag and out of balance circadian rhythm. I’m home so this is no longer a contributing issue.
Loss and grief can have physiological effects and high cortisol is one of many effects: “It appears that cortisol remains elevated for at least the first 6 months of bereavement. For some, cortisol elevation may become chronic”. The loss of my darling mom is going to take time but I am making time for grieving and I’m nurturing myself. As I navigate this period in my life I’ll continue to share what has helped me. I suspect I may need Seriphos for longer than the usual 3 months.
Being sprayed with insecticide on landing in Australia (which I suspect caused severe vertigo the day after I got back). It’s well-recognized that environmental toxins are hormone disruptors and affect the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and cortisol. I’m addressing this with active detoxification and my portable infrared sauna.
High blood pressure and likely higher cortisol too after drinking too much licorice tea for my voice loss. I have stopped the licorice consumption and my blood pressure is back to normal.

Other possible causes of high cortisol include day to day stresses, food sensitivities such as gluten, high sugar consumption, parasites and so on. Each factor needs to be addressed.

I do recommend Salivary cortisol testing before using Seriphos

Salivary cortisol testing is something I do with all my clients anyway. And I do recommend salivary cortisol testing before using Seriphos and the other cortisol-lowering nutrients mentioned below.

I will admit that I didn’t follow my own recommendation because I’ve had high nighttime cortisol in the past and recognized the symptoms. I had also identified all the above root causes and I desperately needed to sleep. I now have an adrenal saliva test kit on hand and will report back when I get the results.

Seriphos will only work for waking in the night if cortisol is high

One woman shared “I have never slept through the night in years. It would be delightful to get to the morning without waking.” Seriphos will very likely help if her cortisol is high.

Keep in mind there are many causes of not being able to sleep through the night and Seriphos will not help if cortisol is not high. Other root causes for insomnia/waking in the night (and nighttime anxiety) we consider and investigate are:

Low GABA and low serotonin (I always start with these while waiting for salivary cortisol results to come back),
Low melatonin

The following factors need to be addressed as root causes of sleep issues, anxiety and other symptoms (like gut issues, pain etc.), and also keep in mind that they are very possibly contributing to your high cortisol too:

Gluten and other food sensitivities
Caffeine and sugar intake
Oxalate issues and/or toxins exposure affecting bile production (this affected my sleep last year)
EMFs
Parasites and other gut issues like IBS/SIBO etc.
Disrupted circadian rhythms connected to liver/gallbladder/bile issues – more on that and bright light here. (Research does support a connection between high cortisol and cholestasis i.e. “stagnation, or at least a marked reduction, in bile secretion and flow.”)

A few folks reported they had tried Seriphos without success and it may well be that they don’t have high cortisol. Or they would possibly benefit from another approach to lower their cortisol (more on this below).

What are my options if I have high cortisol at night and Seriphos has the opposite effect?

One person said it had the opposite reaction. Joanne shared this: “Seriphos had the opposite effect on me. [One Seriphos] gave me extreme anxiety, kept me awake all night. Saliva tested consistently high cortisol at night so it should have helped. Been trying to work out why it would and how it might inform how I treat my insomnia.”

I’ve had a few clients do better with less than the recommended 3 per day and one not being able to use it at all. I suspect an allergic reaction or that it’s just too high a dose for some folks. The capsule could be opened and less could be used.

If this doesn’t work, other options for lowering high cortisol include lactium/hydrolyzed casein, Relora® (which contains Magnolia officinalis and Phellodendron amurense), essential oils such as bergamot and some herbal adaptogens. You can also read about some phosphatidylserine products I looked into when the Seriphos product was changed.

Forest bathing also helps to lower high cortisol levels and I recommend it for everyone.

Where does using Seriphos fit into everything else that I’m doing to address my insomnia and/or anxiety?

I typically don’t start with Seriphos right away with clients unless we know cortisol is high. As mentioned above I always start with assessing for low GABA and low serotonin and we do trials of the respective amino acids based on the symptoms questionnaire.

I also assess for low blood sugar and dietary factors like gluten, caffeine, sugar, quality animal protein intake etc. as covered in my book “The Antianxiety Food Solution.” More about my book here. It does include a chapter on the amino acids and how to use them too.

Then we start to dig deeper and would consider Seriphos or lactium for anxiety caused by high night time or even high morning cortisol or high cortisol at other times of the day.

With many folks all of the above often applies. And we continue with assessing for each of the 60+ nutritional and biochemical root causes of anxiety/waking in the night (which does include liver/gallbladder/bile issues).

Where do I purchase Seriphos and how much do I use? What about taking a break?

You can purchase Seriphos from my online store (Fullscript – only available to USA customers – use this link to set up an account) and you can also find it on iherb (use this link to save 5%).

The bottle states to use 1 capsule with water 15 minutes before a meal. Clinically, using 1-3 capsules a few hours before the high cortisol seems to be most effective. For 2-4am waking this typically means taking Seriphos right before bed. In some instances, taking 1 on waking in the night can help too (for a maximum of 3).

With high cortisol in the night and on waking, I have clients use Seriphos before bed and lactium on waking.

It is recommended to take a one-month break after 3 months of Seriphos use. Ideally, once the root causes of high cortisol are addressed, you should be able to stop anyway. Or take a break, retest cortisol and then continue.

I’ll share some research and how Seriphos differs from phosphatidylserine in a follow-up blog if there is enough interest.

I appreciate all the feedback from these women in my community.

Have you used Seriphos (a phosphorylated serine product) to help with high cortisol and waking in the night/nighttime anxiety caused by any of the?

What do you suspect the cause(s) of your high cortisol is or was? And have you confirmed high cortisol with a saliva cortisol test?

Have any of the other products mentioned above helped to reduce high cortisol? If yes, have you compared them with Seriphos?

Let me know if you’re interested in a follow-up blog that includes some research and how Seriphos differs from phosphatidylserine.

Feel free to share and ask your questions below.

GABA and taurine reduce high blood pressure: the anxiety connection and what do when on blood pressure medication or if blood pressure is already low

September 1, 2023 By Trudy Scott 18 Comments

Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) is an amino acid that used as a supplement to help ease physical anxiety and help with insomnia, and a host of other symptoms ranging from pain to throat spasms (you can see the most recent list of symptoms here)

Research shows that GABA lowers blood pressure too. This has implications if you have high blood pressure/hypertension and are currently taking blood pressure medication or if you happen to have low blood pressure. The latter is already a precaution I review with my clients i.e. to watch the use of GABA when blood pressure is low. But we do need to add another precaution to cover folks already on blood pressure medications. Read on to learn about these precautions and what they may mean for you, and to read about the GABA (and taurine) hypertension research. And the fact that anxiety is common when you have high blood pressure and can actually be a driving factor.

This paper, United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Safety Review of Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA), published in 2021, reports the results of a 4-week study that investigated the tolerability of GABA supplementation in mildly hypertensive but otherwise healthy adults:

The authors first established an optimum dose in mildly hypertensive subjects (SBP/systolic blood pressure between 130 and 180 mm Hg) who were randomized to receive oral doses of GABA at 0 (placebo), 20, 40, or 80 mg/day for 4 weeks.

An intake of 80 mg/day of GABA was associated with a significant reduction of the BP in adults with mild hypertension, and no adverse effects were reported.

A subsequent study evaluated long-term effects of GABA at 80 mg daily versus placebo in mildly hypertensive subjects for 8 weeks:

At the end of the 8-week study, SBP [systolic blood pressure i.e. the top number] and DBP [diastolic blood pressure i.e. the bottom number] were on average 5% lower in all the subjects who received 80 mg/day of GABA compared to participants in the placebo group whose blood pressure levels remained above normal.

This is a substantial reduction when 80 mg of GABA a day is considered a very low dose. I typically have my anxious clients start with 125mg GABA and increase from there. They may end up using 125 mg GABA 3 or 4 times a day and sometimes 250 mg a few times a day.

I’m not suggesting using only GABA or taurine (more on this below) when blood pressure is high as there can be many variables and root causes. I would, however, like to see GABA be given more consideration, especially when anxiety is a symptom too.

The existing GABA precautions: a new one if you are taking medication for high blood pressure

If you are currently taking blood pressure medication for high blood pressure and plan to do a trial of GABA, it’s worth monitoring your blood pressure and discussing with your prescribing doctor. GABA may lower your blood pressure enough that your medication can be reduced or possibly stopped. The above paper states this:

Because some studies showed that GABA was associated with decreases in blood pressure, it is conceivable that concurrent use of GABA with anti-hypertensive medications could increase risk of hypotension [low blood pressure].

I have now added this as a new precaution – High blood pressure and on blood pressure medications: GABA, taurine. You can see it on the Amino Acid Precautions blog.

The existing GABA precautions: watch when you have low blood pressure and don’t use when pregnant or nursing

As you can read in the amino acids chapter of my book and on the above precautions blog, there is already a precaution stating to watch the use of GABA when you have low blood pressure. It’s worth being aware of but is not something I’ve actually seen to be an issue. Occasionally folks reduce their GABA dose because they feel light-headed.

This precaution is already addressed – not to use GABA when pregnant or nursing – but it’s worth repeating here as it’s a frequent question I am asked . The above paper states:

Caution is advised for pregnant and lactating women since GABA can affect neurotransmitters and the endocrine system, i.e., increases in growth hormone and prolactin levels.

Taurine: hypertension, stroke and heart disease

You’ll notice taurine grouped with GABA on the list of precautions. Based on the research, this amino acid also helps reduce blood pressure and is cardio-protective: “Advances in extensive studies on experimental models indicate that taurine is preventive against hypertension, stroke and atherosclerotic arterial diseases.”

This is one of the proposed mechanisms of taurine for lowering blood pressure : “The preventive mechanisms of taurine were ascribed to sympathetic modulation for reducing blood pressure (BP) and anti-inflammatory action.” GABA works in a similar way.

The same precautions would apply: low blood pressure and high blood pressure with blood pressure medication.

As I mentioned above, there is more to hypertension than adding only taurine or GABA. This book by Dr. Mark Houston MD, is an excellent resource – What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About(TM): Hypertension: The Revolutionary Nutrition and Lifestyle Program to Help Fight High Blood Pressure (my Amazon link).

He does mention taurine and recommends 1 to 1.5 g of taurine twice a day for high blood pressure. He does not mention GABA supplementation but does mention how vitamin B6 is important for GABA and serotonin production and improving sympathetic function.

Stress, anxiety and fear affect blood pressure and GABA helps

Dr. Houston shares that “numerous studies have linked stress, anxiety, fear and other negative emotions to an elevation in blood pressure. Conversely, as stress decreases, so does blood pressure. ”

This supports my comments above about giving GABA more consideration when it comes to high blood pressure, especially when anxiety is a symptom too. Here are some cases studies:

When GABA is not available taurine is a viable option for anxiety and hypertension.

Resources if you are new to using amino acids as supplements

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.

If you have low blood pressure, has GABA (or taurine) been an issue for you?

Do you have high blood pressure and has GABA (or taurine) lowered it? If yes, how much did you use and how much did your blood pressure improve? And did you have to adjust your blood pressure medication (and which one)?

Has GABA (or taurine) helped ease your physical anxiety and other low GABA symptoms?

If you have questions and other feedback please share in the comments too.

Keep GABA powder handy for choking episodes, stridor and panic (and find the ideal dose and be consistent for prevention/easing anxiety)

April 22, 2022 By Trudy Scott 24 Comments

If you are prone to laryngospasm, “choking” episodes and swallowing problems (also known as dysphagia), it makes sense to keep GABA powder on hand (and in a number of locations) and to find the ideal dose for your unique needs since what works for one person may be too little or too much for you. In today’s blog, I share Shawna’s experience with choking episodes, stridor and panic, and how GABA helped her very quickly. She applied some of what she had read about in this recent blog post: Paroxysmal laryngospasm with low GABA physical-tension-type-anxiety: Is GABA powder rubbed on the inside of the cheek a solution?

Her results were profound (as you’ll read about below, and in her own words) but she could have been better prepared with GABA powder and her dosing was not ideal. I share my insights and advice for her and for you if you are prone to similar episodes.

This is how she describes her choking episodes:

I too experience “choking” episodes/laryngospasm. For me it seems my throat reflex doesn’t kick in quick enough and liquid (often just saliva) will go down the wrong way. It can even happen just as I’m falling asleep. Then my throat seems to close and stridor ensues where I can barely wheeze any air in. It definitely sets off panic in me. The length of the episode is likely only a few minutes but it feels much longer. I’d say it can happen 4 or 5x/year for me.

Shortly after reading the above blog post, Shawna had an episode. She shares this:

This situation actually just happened again to me today, I was sitting on the couch and had a bit of a reflux burp and then all of a sudden … “I can’t get air in.” Luckily I had read Trudy’s article (and am so glad I did! It was good to know I am not alone, and there were possible solutions. It is more common than I thought).

When the stridor happens my adrenaline kicks in, and I really can’t think straight. I did know I needed to go to the kitchen and get my GABA though. Initially I could only find the lozenge, so I rubbed that inside my cheek as I was searching for the capsule.

Once I got the capsule open, I shook some on my finger and rubbed it into my cheek, then I just dumped the rest of the 750 mg GABA capsule right under my tongue.

In a matter of seconds (literally just a couple!) the stridor released, and I could get air in!!! WOW! It really works! I have never had an episode clear that quickly before. I am literally amazed and so very grateful. I will carry GABA powder with me wherever I go now. Thank you SO much Trudy! <3

I am eternally grateful for you sharing this trick, it feels almost life-saving to me!

She also shared what she experienced 45 minutes after dumping 750mg GABA onto her tongue. It stopped the stridor and choking but she had a mild adverse effect:

Within 45 minutes after taking the GABA today, I felt so sleepy – like I needed to sleep, then a weird sensation of heartbeat irregularity and almost like an adrenaline rush that lasted about 5 minutes. Strange!

I thanked her for sharing and said how wonderful to hear about her very quick response. I also asked about sharing her success in a future blog post on this topic. She said yes. I appreciate this opportunity to share a powerful success story with GABA and to use some of her story as a way to educate my community and hopefully also help her further.

These episodes started over 15 years ago and she had mentioned this to the doctor years ago, saying she had stridor from choking. However, because it was so irregular, the doctor never suggested any testing.

She also shared that she does have symptoms of both low GABA (feeling worried/fearful, unable to relax, insomnia, overactive brain) and low serotonin (anxiety, perfectionism, anxiety that is worse in the winter, disturbed sleep, self-criticism, TMJ). More on this below.

Keep GABA powder handy

I shared that for folks who are prone to these kinds of episodes I recommend keeping GABA powder on hand in various places in the home and when out and about. This could look like little containers of GABA powder in the bedroom, bathroom, living room, kitchen, handbag, gym bag and even in the car.

I also recommend telling family members about the GABA powder and where it’s kept so as to be prepared in the instance of a more severe episode. You can also demonstrate how they can help you – by tipping some GABA powder into the palm of their hand and holding it out for you or even putting some on the inside of your cheek if needed.

If you’re the parent or caregiver, you can also do this for your child or the person you’re caring for i.e. rub some GABA powder on the inside of the cheek.

Find the ideal dose for your choking episodes

The sleepiness and then weird symptoms (heartbeat irregularity and adrenaline-like rush) after the GABA is likely due to the very high dose of 750mg. I typically start clients on 125mg and there is a large variation in dosing, as explained in this blog.

Shawna’s adverse symptoms only lasted 5 minutes but they can be experienced for up to 30-60 minutes in some folks.

It’s important to find the ideal dose for your choking or swallowing episodes. You do this with the trial method, starting low and increasing based on your unique needs. This may mean you won’t get optimal results the first few times.

Another option is to do what Shawna did and use a relatively high dose initially and so you do get results. And then use less the next time if you get adverse effects from too much GABA.

I prefer the former approach – starting low and slow. Typical is 125mg GABA (and less for very sensitive folks) and increasing frequency and or dosing to 250mg after a week of tracking results. And continuing up from there or backing down if adverse effects are seen.

Consistent use for prevention and easing anxiety

Consistent use of GABA is key especially when there are other low GABA symptoms. Shawna mentions feeling worried/fearful, being unable to relax, experiencing insomnia, and having an overactive brain.

Being consistent with GABA – daily use and a few times a day based on your needs – will raise GABA levels and hopefully prevent or at least reduce future choking or swallowing episodes.

Shawna also shared that she currently takes 100mg of GABA in a sleep remedy. Based on my experience this isn’t enough for her needs. The fact that it is part of a sleep remedy makes it challenging to adjust up and down as needed. For this reason I like a GABA-only or GABA-theanine product.

She does have plans on ordering the GABA Calm lozenges for daytime use to “see if that has an overall decrease in my GABA symptoms.” She did however voice her concerns about Calm Calm not being GABA-only and how she’d respond to the taurine and tyrosine in them. This is a valid concern and a trial will provide the answer.

She also feels it’s difficult to find a GABA-only product in such a low dose. My feedback is to get a GABA powder and simply measure out the dose she requires with a tiny measuring spoon or use the 750mg GABA capsules she has, opened and divided into smaller doses.

GABA is always more effective as a powder or used by opening a capsule.

As always, a full functional workup is important to identify all possible triggers and address them.

And be sure to also get a diagnosis, keeping in mind that can be challenging. And keep your doctor informed about GABA and other supplement use.

Address low serotonin-type anxiety with tryptophan too

Shawna also mentions low serotonin-type symptoms: worry-type of anxiety, perfectionism, anxiety that is worse in the winter, disturbed sleep (this can be caused by low serotonin and low GABA), self-criticism and TMJ.

She would need to do a similar trial with tryptophan or 5-HTP to address these low serotonin symptoms. I recommend trialing one amino acid at a time.

She would also need to work with someone to investigate why she has low GABA and low serotonin and also address these triggers (such as gluten issues, leaky gut, low zinc, low B6, parasites, pyroluria, toxins, sugar/alcohol and so on).

In case you’re new to paroxysmal laryngospasm and stridor

If you are new to paroxysmal laryngospasm here is a good definition:

One type of reactive airway obstruction is paroxysmal laryngospasm, which is a rare laryngeal disease in adults. In this condition, the throat is completely closed due to some form of hypersensitivity or a protective laryngeal reflex causing a transient, complete inability to breathe. Paroxysmal laryngospasm onset in patients is often characterized by a sudden and complete inability to breathe, along with voice loss or hoarseness and stridor. Paroxysmal laryngospasm usually lasts from several seconds to several minutes and may be accompanied by obvious causes such as upper respiratory tract infection, emotional agitation or tension, and/or severe coughing.

I wrote about some of the research, hysterical stridor in adult females who are anxious and/or depressed, and my personal use of GABA during a laryngospasm episode in this blog – Paroxysmal laryngospasm with low GABA physical-tension-type-anxiety: Is GABA powder rubbed on the inside of the cheek a solution?.

I also share that stridor is “an abnormal high-pitched sound produced by turbulent airflow through a partially obstructed airway.”) It’s awful and scary to experience, and distressing to hear a loved one struggling with a partially blocked airway.

The following video offers a helpful illustration of “Laryngospasm and Vocal Cord Dysfunction.” It shows how the vocal cords should open and shows what happens when they don’t, and the accompanying stridor sound. I personally find the sound quite distressing so please use your own discretion when watching and listening.

Resources if you are new to using GABA as a supplement

If you are new to using GABA as a supplement, here is the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution (you can see all the low GABA symptoms).

I don’t cover choking or swallowing issues in my book but there is a detailed chapter covering the amino acids.

If you don’t feel comfortable figuring things out on your own (doing the symptoms questionnaire and doing respective trials), after reading this blog and my book, you can get guidance from me in the GABA Quickstart Program (online/virtual).

If you are a practitioner, join us in The Balancing Neurotransmitters: the Fundamentals program. It’s an opportunity to interact with me and other practitioners who are also using the amino acids.

Have you experienced choking episodes/laryngospasm and problems swallowing? And do you have the low GABA physical-tension-type-anxiety symptoms?

If you’ve already been using GABA with success, have you noticed a reduction in these episodes?

Have you ever used GABA in the way Shawna did to stop an episode quickly? And how much helped? Have you done a trial to figure out your ideal dose?

Do you keep GABA powder on hand in various places in your home and when out?

Feel free to ask your questions here too.

PharmaGABA vs GABA when you have histamine issues/MCAS: does pharmaGABA ease physical anxiety or make things worse?

April 15, 2022 By Trudy Scott 34 Comments

If you have histamine issues or MCAS (mast cell activation syndrome) and the low GABA type of physical anxiety (with muscle tension, insomnia and stress eating), you may well want to consider which type of GABA product you use. It may be wise to avoid or use caution with the type of GABA that is produced via fermentation and could actually make your symptoms worse and cause a histamine reaction.

PharmaGABA and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) are the two forms of commercially available GABA products. PharmaGABA is produced via industrial fermentation of the amino acid glutamic acid (glutamate) using Lactobacillus hilgardii. This is the same beneficial bacteria that is used to ferment foods like kimchi, the well-known Korean vegetable fermented product.

However, GABA is not fermented and is a manufactured product. It’s the form I typically have clients start with simply because it’s been around longer than pharmaGABA and I’ve had such excellent results with it.

I’ve also had reliable feedback from folks who have used both, that GABA works best for them. That said, some folks do find that pharmaGABA works better for their needs and I recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all.

How probable is it that someone could have a histamine reaction to pharmaGABA?

It was only recently that I became aware of the possibility that someone could have a histamine reaction to pharmaGABA. Someone asked the question in my GABA Quickstart online group program and I posed the question to folks on Facebook. Today I’m sharing some of that feedback and asking you to please contribute to the discussion so we can all learn.

Based on what I’ve learned so far I believe it’s very feasible and also probable for many individuals who have histamine issues to have a bad response to pharmaGABA. Keep in mind, histamine triggers are not the same across the board, and it’s possible that some individuals may not react initially and may only react as more and more is used. Or they may not not react at all.

Today’s blog is to shine light on the matter because it’s not something I’ve heard about or seen documented in the research or company product specifications or warnings.

PharmaGABA wasn’t tolerated by Calina’s daughter: she had increased ADHD, agitation, rages, tics and was argumentative and very emotional

Calina shared this about her daughter’s reaction to pharmaGABA and asked about a GABA product that isn’t fermented:

My daughter has high histamine and did not tolerate the pharmaGABA at all. She has increased ADHD, agitation, rages, constantly starts arguments, tics and is very emotional. She has the same reactions with fermented foods (like sauerkraut).

Calina shared that she is 20 and was diagnosed with MCAS at 2 years old:

It improved some for many years, but she’s always been very short attention span, anxiety, OCD, ODD, and learning differences.

Her daughter has a number of more recent factors that are likely compounding things for her:

In 2017 after a mold exposure, dog bite, mosquito bites that left bullseye rashes, all of those symptoms intensified to the extreme.

She used to eat sauerkraut daily but became intolerant. She’s always had problems with all fermented foods and supplements.

I suspect her daughter does have a histamine reaction to pharmaGABA. The clue for me is that her reactions to pharmaGABA are the same as when she consumes fermented foods.

And the symptoms are more severe and more varied than what we see when too much GABA or too much pharmaGABA is used. With too much of either we see increased anxiety and/or more sleepiness and/or feeling flushed. Flushing is common with histamine issues/MCAS and it can be challenging to figure out cause and effect, but this mom and daughter have been dealing with this for a long time and are more likely able to identify what is causing what.

If her daughter has low GABA anxiety physical type symptoms (with insomnia, spinning/focus issues, intrusive thoughts, panic attacks, stiff and tense muscles) I would recommend a GABA-only product, with manufactured GABA instead of fermented pharmaGABA.

PharmaGABA didn’t work for Bren and caused a migraine the next day

A common sign of histamine intolerance/MCAS is migraines so it’s possible that pharmaGABA could trigger a migraine in someone with histamine issues.

Bren shared this on my Facebook post:

Ah now I think I understand why Jarrow’s GABA Soothe not only didn’t work nearly as well for me as GABA Calm, but I also had a migraine the next day. Thanks so much for that information.

When I asked if she has histamine issues and if a migraine is a typical histamine reaction for her she shared that is really only just learning about histamine issues:

Until recently I would have said no and have only had the vaguest idea of what that might mean. But I have been struggling to get off Seroquel, which is the reason I started taking GABA, and I recently found out that Seroquel is a potent anti-histamine. So when you posted about people having histamine issues with the pharmaGABA, which seemed to have caused my migraine, I put 2 and 2 together. I may have it all wrong, but if so it is quite a coincidence.

In Bren’s case it’s a bit more challenging to tease out since this is new to her, she doesn’t eat sauerkraut because she doesn’t like them, but she feels there may be other foods that are affecting her.

This Jarrow GABA Soothe product also contains theanine and Ashwagandha extract so it’s hard to know if it was the pharmaGABA itself. In this instance confirming her reaction with a pharmaGABA only product would be better.

Quetiapine, sold under the brand name Seroquel, is an atypical antipsychotic medication and Bren started to make the connections when she saw my question and because she had read about Seroquel being a histamine-blocking medication.

I share her example because you may not know if you have histamine issues but you may have had a less than pleasant reaction. This will hopefully give you some things to think about.

Product labeling of pharmaGABA can be confusing

You may have noticed this product, Jarrow GABA Soothe, has GABA on the front of the bottle and strangely has “Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) (PharmaGABA)” on the product label.

This label makes no sense at all and is contributing to consumer and practitioner confusion.

Unfortunately this kind of labeling is not unusual and variations of this is common with many products.

GABA is used interchangeably with pharmaGABA all the time. In fact, I do it here on the blog and did it in my book. Maybe we are going to find we need to be specific.

Is the flush reaction from too much GABA or because of a histamine reaction?

The biggest issue I see with GABA and pharmaGABA is using too high a dose to start. This causes a temporary and uncomfortable tingling niacin-like flush sensation (in the brain and body).

One challenging aspect is figuring out if the flush reaction is from too much pharmaGABA, or if it’s due to a histamine reaction.

I’d suggest lowering the pharmaGABA dose and looking at all the adverse symptoms. For example, the symptoms of increased ADHD, agitation, rages, tics, being more argumentative and very emotional experienced by Calina’s daughter would not be attributed to too much pharmaGABA but to a histamine reaction (especially when correlated with her similar reactions to high histamine foods.)

If you’re new to histamine issues and MCAS

If you’re new to histamine issues and MCAS (mast cell activation syndrome), Dr. Jill Carnahan has an excellent overview here – Mast Cell Activation Syndrome: Here’s What You Need to Know When Histamine Goes Haywire.

Mast cell activation syndrome is an immune disorder. It’s just one type of mast cell activation disease.

What sets MCAS apart from other mast cell activation diseases is that it isn’t caused by an abnormally large amount of mast cells, and it isn’t a result of pathogen infection. Instead, when you have MCAS, you have a normal amount of mast cells, but they’re overactive and malfunctioning.

When your body is exposed to what it thinks is a threat, these overactive mast cells start to go haywire and secrete massive amounts of chemical mediators stored in the cytoplasm of your cells—degranulation. What’s meant to be a positive, protective response from your mast cells instead triggers both local and systemic negative effects.

When chemical messengers are released into your body, they set off an alarm that triggers an immune system response. And when this response becomes chronic—the chemical messengers are set off too much, too often—the result is mast cell activation syndrome.

In this instance, because pharmaGABA is fermented (and is likely high in histamine for this reason), it’s perceived to be a threat and causes adverse symptoms.

Over the next few months I’ll be sharing additional information about histamine issues and MCAS because of the symptoms of anxiety, insomnia, brain fog, depression and racing heart. Stress is a big trigger and teasing out the role and interplay of neurotransmitter support with GABA and tryptophan is of value.

Resources if you are new to using GABA or pharmaGABA as supplement

If you are new to using the amino acids as supplements, here is the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution (you can see all the low GABA symptoms).

I actually write about pharmaGABA briefly because it was new at the time and I had some clients who were seeing success with GABA, also trial pharmaGABA. The results were not as good as when they used GABA, so I continued to use GABA.

If you don’t feel comfortable reading my book and figuring things out on your own (doing the symptoms questionnaire and doing respective trials), you can get guidance from me in the GABA Quickstart Program (online/virtual).

If you are a practitioner, join us in The Balancing Neurotransmitters: the Fundamentals program. It’s an opportunity to interact with me and other practitioners who are also using the amino acids.

If you have histamine issues or have been diagnosed with MCAS:

Have you found you can’t tolerate pharmaGABA and do better with GABA for easing physical anxiety, insomnia and/or stress eating?
Are your histamine reactions to pharmaGABA similar to when you eat fermented foods and other high histamine foods?
Please share which pharmaGABA product you used and how much you used
Please share the reactions and the foods that trigger similar reactions so we can build an informal database with the feedback

If you have experienced reactions to pharmaGABA but do well with GABA, do you now have plans to look into the possibility of histamine issues/MCAS? Please share which pharmaGABA product you used and how much you used.

If you’re a practitioner, have you observed these effects with your patients and/or clients and is it something you caution them about?

Feel free to ask your questions here too.