migraine

GABA, 5-HTP and melatonin isn’t working anymore for my insomnia and tryptophan gives me a migraine – what should I do?

May 11, 2018 By Trudy Scott 14 Comments

Today I’m addressing a great question I received on a recent tryptophan blog about insomnia and the use of the amino acids GABA and 5-HTP in a combination product together with melatonin, and what the next steps should be when you are not getting the expected results. And if continuing with tryptophan is a good idea when it seems to be causing a migraine and isn’t leading to a whole night’s sleep. Here is the question:

I have suffered from insomnia for most of my life. I just got your book and am loving it! Thank you for all that you do. My symptoms seem to be high for both low GABA and low serotonin [here is the questionnaire].

I also believe I have a blood sugar problem, so I’m starting to follow your suggestions for that.

I’ve been taking a supplement for sleep that has both GABA and 5-HTP in it, along with melatonin. It worked for a year, however it just recently stopped working.

I thought maybe I should try tryptophan. After taking only 220 mg per night, along with 5 mg of melatonin, I was able to sleep, but not through the entire night. However, the next day I woke up with a horrible headache/migraine. I know it was the tryptophan because I did a trial and tried a night without it and then again with it and the nights I took it, sure enough, the migraine would return.

I must add that I had bloodwork done and tested low for melatonin, which is why I was adding the melatonin into my protocol.

My question is: do I continue with a higher dose of GABA, 5-HTP and melatonin, since it worked for a year i.e. do I up the dosage of the supplement I’ve been taking? Or do I continue trying different doses of tryptophan?

I shared this response in my comment (with some additions for this blog post).

Always first address the nutritional foundational aspects

Firstly, I was glad to hear she is loving my book The Antianxiety Food Solution (my Amazon link) and implementing dietary changes. This is so foundational to any protocol for both anxiety and insomnia. Too often, someone hears me talking about the amazing amino acids and forgets the nutritional basics of real whole food, quality animal protein (like wild fish, pastured eggs and chicken, grass-fed red meat), organic veggies and fruit, healthy fats (like olive oil, coconut oil and butter), fermented foods and broths, and no gluten, caffeine or sugar.

I don’t ever have clients push through

With regards to her trial of tryptophan I shared that I don’t ever have clients push through on a product that is causing any adverse effects, and especially when it’s a migraine. She was smart and trialed the tryptophan twice to make sure it was the tryptophan that caused the migraine and not something else.

Capitalize on what has worked and increase one at a time

With regards to the GABA, 5-HTP and melatonin I shared that I always like to capitalize on what has worked in the past (or is currently working) and would rather increase the 5-HTP and/or melatonin and/or GABA one at a time.

Notice that I said increase these products one at a time. She is taking a combination product so it’s impossible for her to do this. Maybe her GABA levels are now good (because her progesterone levels have improved due to be on a regular zinc supplement or because she has been doing regular yoga sessions) and maybe she needs more serotonin support (because her estrogen levels are off because of recent exposure to xenoestrogens in plastics).

Even though is research showing that a combination product containing GABA and 5-HTP improved sleep and sleep duration more than the use of either of the two amino acids alone, based on her feedback, if we were working together I would have her do each of the GABA, 5-HTP and melatonin separately. This way it’s easy to mix and match and increase one and possibly lower the other, until the ideal combination is found for her unique needs at this time in her life.

She may even find she only needs GABA or only needs 5-HTP or only melatonin. She may also find she needs sublingual melatonin for helping her fall asleep and timed-release melatonin for helping her stay asleep.

She mentions the amino acid questionnaire so it sounds like she is clear on her symptoms: low GABA physical anxiety affecting her sleep and low serotonin mental worry-type of anxiety affecting her sleep. So as she trials the individual amino acids she can see how she does symptom-wise in order to find the ideal amount.

Other factors to consider with insomnia

It’s often straight-forward with the amino acids and the great thing is that one you have the correct combination you will see results in a few days to a few weeks. But There are other factors we may need to consider with insomnia:

Keep in mind that 5-HTP can raise cortisol and low blood sugar can indicate adrenal issues so looking at high cortisol as a factor in the sleep problems would be something to consider. A 4-collection saliva test will measure this and my favorite product for lowering high cortisol is Seriphos. Other nutrients for adrenal support may be needed too.
Just addressing low blood sugar can often improve insomnia. Eating to support blood sugar swings, early morning sunlight and no blue light after dark can make a world of difference.
Other sleep factors we always want to consider: sex hormone imbalances, parasites (they are more active at night and can keep you awake and play a role in high cortisol), accidental gluten exposure, SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), candida, sleep apnea and mouth breathing, EMFs (WiFi in the home, commuting with the iphone on, a new cordless phone etc.) and medication side-effects (benzodiazepines are a common one).

I really appreciate questions like this being posted on the blog so others like you also get to benefit. This question also demonstrates just how our needs for certain nutrients can change over time and how we may to keep adjusting what we are doing.

In case you have questions about specific products that I use with clients, here is my supplements blog and more information on GABA for the physical type of anxiety and 5-HTP/tryptophan for the worry-type of anxiety.

Can you relate to this scenario? Feel free to ask your questions about sleep, GABA, 5-HTP, tryptophan and melatonin and share your experiences with these products and how they have helped you or if you’ve had issues with any of them.

Vitamin C, autoimmunity, food sensitivities & visual processing: Chronic Headache & Migraine Summit

July 9, 2017 By Erin Knight 2 Comments

Guest post by Erin Knight, FDN-P

Did you know that nearly 60% of migraineurs report suffering from anxiety as well? I didn’t. That was one of many surprising things I discovered interviewing functional medicine experts and clinicians with decades of experience helping people overcome their headaches and migraines at the root cause (you can listen in to these interviews here on the Chronic Headache and Migraine Summit)

As much as the high correlation between migraines and anxiety surprised me, I could quickly see some reasons for the connection. People with frequent headaches report that managing life around headaches and missing out on things places an incredible strain on relationships and career that is nearly as bad as the physical pain. In other words, the mental agony of being sidelined by severe headaches is worse than the pain itself and contributes to the stress we carry around each day. But I don’t have to tell you that.

Is this meal going to cause a headache today? Am I going to be able to make it to my daughter’s choir concert? Is my boss going to pass me up for that project because I’ve been out with migraines so many days this year? If you are like me, these questions are always top of mind – creating a vicious circle between worrying – headaches – and more stress.

While it may seem quite obvious that there is this worrying and fear that migraineurs carry around with them each day, you may be surprised to learn from the experts speaking at the Chronic Headache and Migraine Summit, that there are many underlying root causes that can lead to both anxiety and headaches at a biological level. Some of these include:

Poor absorption of nutrients such as magnesium
Leaky gut and inflammation in the digestive tract that impacts the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin and hormones like estrogen
Emotional trauma in childhood (which is linked to a staggering increase in chronic conditions such migraines, autoimmune diseases, obesity and chronic fatigue

The good news is that there are real solutions to improve your health at a foundational level that can drastically improve or even resolve both headaches/migraines and anxiety at the root cause.

The experts in the Chronic Headache and Migraine Summit talk both about what has helped their clients recover their health as well as natural, simple ways to reduce the pain and intensity of headaches quickly and at home so you can go on with your life.

If you know you experience headaches due to weather changes, sinus stuffiness, neck tension, classic migraine or monthly hormonal changes – there are different relief techniques to employ for each. For example, Jay Davidson (featured on Day 4) highlights 3 tricks for clearing pressure out of your head when you feel a thunderstorm headache coming on – and they work in minutes! My favorite is to dab frankincense essential oil with your fingertips along the hairline in your neck. I can feel drainage start immediately with this simple technique!

If you think you’ve tried it all and been through the gamut of herbal and homeopathic remedies – I promise you will learn something that surprises you and makes a difference in your journey.

5 things I learned about hosting the Chronic Headache and Migraine Summit that might surprise you too:

There are many superstar supplements that can help people with different types of migraines beyond the typical riboflavin and magnesium citrate – for example, Vitamin C, different forms of magnesium, 5-HTP or tryptophan, and glutathione.
Migraines are being reclassified as an autoimmune disease. One autoimmune disease that frequently leads to migraines (and anxiety and miscarriages) is the clotting disease called Antiphospholipid Syndrome (featured on day 7 in Trudy Scott’s interview)
Food sensitivities may be more important than avoiding trigger foods
There is a visual processing disorder that affects 15% of the population and is simple to correct.
Toxicity from air and water pollution causes different types of chronic headaches and can be easily identified and reversed.

We are so thrilled to be able to offer this first-of-its-kind resource for people who want to stop managing their headaches, stop watching life pass them by from the sidelines and find natural relief options that really work. Register and start watching here

Feel free to share something that surprises YOU from the talks in the comments below.

Migraines, anxiety, depression and gluten: on the Chronic Headache & Migraine Summit

June 26, 2017 By Trudy Scott 5 Comments

The goal of a 2015 Russian study titled Gluten Migraine, was to study the prevalence of migraine among patients with celiac disease and to assess the efficacy of a gluten-free diet in its treatment. There were 200 celiac disease (CD) patients and the

CD group had migraine syndrome four times more often than the control group. The attacks were more frequent in CD patients who were older than 50 years old.

The migraines disappeared in 25% of patients with migraines who were on the gluten free diet and the reduction in the intensity and/or frequency of attacks was observed in 38% of patients.

This is the study conclusion:

We revealed the clear association between migraine syndrome and CD and the high efficacy of gluten FREE diet in the treatment of migraine symptoms.”

I would suspect similar results if you have gluten sensitivity. And here is some gluten-migraine feedback from 4 different women in my community:

HUGE decrease in my migraines now that I eat more cleanly. I used to start to get headaches immediately upon eating gluten-y meals
I had them frequently from teenage years right up until my Celiac diagnosis in my thirties. Once gluten was gone so were the migraines
Stopping gluten stopped my migraines
My migraines always came from gluten and dairy

Of course there is also an anxiety-gluten and the depression-gluten connection so getting the gluten out of your diet will help with both anxiety and depression most of the time too.

I talk about all this on The Chronic Headache & Migraine Summit, which starts July 10^th.

The other topic I cover is the autoimmune condition called Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS) which is one of many possible contributing factors for both migraines and anxiety. Of course, with any autoimmune condition gluten removal is key.

I also cover low serotonin as one possible cause of migraines (and anxiety) and the use of tryptophan (instead of SSRIs). An amino acid like tryptophan or GABA also helps you break the gluten addiction so you don’t have to rely only on willpower!

The Chronic Headache & Migraine Summit will be online from July 10-17, 2017

Hosts of The Chronic Headache & Migraine Summit, Erin Knight, Corey Schuler and Marta Taylor, are familiar with headache pain and migraines; they’ve all experienced severe headache problems. They found functional medicine solutions, which they now share in their health practices each day. Discover in one week what they’ve spent years learning!

You can register for the summit here

Have you got questions or comments? Please post in the comment box below.

Migraines, Anxiety and Antiphospholipid Syndrome: on the Chronic Headache & Migraine Summit

June 12, 2017 By Trudy Scott 39 Comments

The autoimmune condition called Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS) is one of many possible contributing factors for both migraines and anxiety. I came across this condition when researching the links between migraine and anxiety in preparation for my interview with Erin Knight, one of the hosts of The Chronic Headache & Migraine Summit, starting July 10. This is one of the reasons I love presenting because I get to learn so much too!

Antiphospholipid syndrome occurs when your immune system attacks some of the normal proteins in your blood. It can cause blood clots in your arteries or veins. And it can cause pregnancy complications, such as miscarriage and stillbirth. (Source: Mayo Clinic)

I share some highlights from a 2015 paper: Antiphospholipid antibodies as biomarkers in psychiatry)

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) has been implicated in a range of neuropsychiatric presentations
The link between depression, stroke, and cardiovascular disease could be explained in at least some patients by the presence of aPL antibodies
Approximately one in five (20%) strokes in individuals under the age of 45 years are associated with APS
Migraine is one of the most commonly observed symptoms in patients with APS
aPL antibodies are often found to show low or moderately positive levels which makes this syndrome a diagnostic dilemma in psychiatry. The St. Thomas ‘alternative criteria’ for APS may be a useful clinical tool for psychiatrists. These criteria include cognitive impairment, affective disorders [like depression and anxiety], headaches [or migraines], and livedo reticularis, with improvement after aspirin treatment

In case you are not familiar with livedo reticularis, it is a mottled purplish discoloration of the skin. Having this skin condition does not mean you have APS because livedo reticularis can be a normal condition that is simply more obvious when you are exposed to the cold. It can also be an indicator of impaired circulation.

Phospholipids are a class of lipids that are a major component of all cell membranes and also facilitate neurotransmitters communication so this condition affects serotonin, dopamine, glutamate and GABA levels.

Working with my client’s doctor, I would recommend an autoimmune dietary approach and trials of the respective amino acids to support low serotonin, low GABA and low dopamine.

My interview also addresses the prevalence of anxiety with migraine sufferers.

We also cover how effective gluten removal can be for certain individuals. We always start with gluten removal for my clients with anxiety and migraines and find it to be a common underlying factor (whether it’s celiac disease or gluten sensitivity). Since gluten is always an important factor for autoimmunity it should always be explored if APS has been diagnosed or is suspected.

We also cover low serotonin as one possible cause of migraines and the how to do a trial of tryptophan (instead of SSRIs). Erin shares her frightening SSRI experience too. Using tryptophan also addresses the low serotonin that often occurs with APS and is one possible contributing cause of the anxiety, depression, insomnia and migraines.

The Chronic Headache & Migraine Summit will be online from July 10-17, 2017

You can register for the summit here

The Anxiety Summit – Nutritional Influences on Anxiety and Musculoskeletal Pain

May 11, 2015 By Trudy Scott 20 Comments

Joe Tatta DPT, CCN, Musculoskeletal Pain Expert, was interviewed by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

Nutritional Influences on Anxiety and Musculoskeletal Pain

Link between anxiety and chronic musculoskeletal problems
Fear avoidance behaviors and pain
Headaches, back pain, joint pain and nutritional influences
An exercise prescription for anxiety

Here are some snippets from our interview:

People used to think depression was more linked to chronic pain but we are learning its more anxiety driven

The chronic anxiety that people have on a daily basis kicks off the pain process

Negative thoughts, worry, doom-and-gloom about the future all come in to play, with fear being the most common emotion leading to pain

Here is the very recent 2015 paper that discusses this – Psychological functioning of people living with chronic pain: A meta-analytic review.

Joe tied fear and anxiety to adrenalin release and the effects on the muscles, specifically how the smaller muscles around the spine and in the neck are turned off. You then have less blood flow, less oxygen and less nutrients going to those muscles and that’s when the pain starts.

Joe shared the staggering number of people who suffer from chronic pain:

more than those who suffer from heart disease, diabetes and cancer combined!

We also discussed migraines and magnesium, and this paper: Why all migraine patients should be treated with magnesium

Magnesium, the second most abundant intracellular cation, is essential in many intracellular processes and appears to play an important role in migraine pathogenesis. Routine blood tests do not reflect true body magnesium stores since <2% is in the measurable, extracellular space, 67% is in the bone and 31% is located intracellularly. Lack of magnesium may promote cortical spreading depression, hyperaggregation of platelets, affect serotonin receptor function, and influence synthesis and release of a variety of neurotransmitters.

There is strong evidence that magnesium deficiency is much more prevalent in migraine sufferers than in healthy controls.

Considering these features of magnesium, the fact that magnesium deficiency may be present in up to half of migraine patients, and that routine blood tests are not indicative of magnesium status, empiric treatment with at least oral magnesium is warranted in all migraine sufferers.

He also shared great tips for when you’re sitting at your desk. Watch this excellent video on how to: Sit Less & Heal Your Back

Free Gift – Opt in to receive Joe Tatta’s free training video series on back pain: “The Backpain Breakthrough”

Once you’ve signed up you’ll receive information about his actual “Backpain Breakthrough” program.

If you are not already registered for the Anxiety Summit you can get live access to the speakers of the day here: www.theAnxietySummit.com

Missed this interview or can’t listen live? Or want this and the other great interviews for your learning library? Purchase the MP3s or MP3s + transcripts and listen when it suits you.

You can find your purchasing options here: Anxiety Summit Season 1, Anxiety Summit Season 2, and Anxiety Summit Season 3.