self-medicate

How can I help my anxious daughter withdraw from vaping? She wants to quit but gets more anxious when she tries to quit!

September 5, 2025 By Trudy Scott 2 Comments

withdraw from vaping

I have been trying to help my daughter withdraw from vaping but it is proving such a vicious cycle.

She wants to quit but has anxiety and gets health anxiety when she doesn’t use the vape within a certain period – the physical withdrawal signs come thru very quickly for her – rapid heart beat, pain inside etc. which freaks her out and then she vapes…

It’s a hopeless cycle of withdrawals with horrible physical symptoms and then the emotional frustration of using vaping to manage the symptoms and feeling so frustrated with herself.

We tried 5-HTP which did not help. I make sure she gets a great protein, veg, good fat and some carbs for breakfast and she takes home made food to work but she works in hospitality and has really late night / early morning finishes and I feel like we are dealing with a lot more than the addiction here. I’d love to try and find a way to get her use down and hopefully kicked to the kerb.

If we could put her into a deep deep sleep for a few days till the toxin is washed out of her system and have a way to deal with the emotional aspect of withdrawal I think myself and so many other parents in Australia would be grateful.

Vaping is a huge problem in our young people – it’s all thru the schools too. It doesn’t smell, tastes like lollies and parents can’t detect it easily.

Louise is a mom in the community who posted this question on one of the blogs. I feel for her and her daughter and hear her concerns – vaping is a huge problem. However, there is a solution that doesn’t involve putting her daughter into a deep deep sleep – addressing neurotransmitter imbalances as a root cause.

Read on below for information on vaping and the very harmful effects (on the lungs and even bones); how to figure out which emotions are driving the need to use vaping to self-medicate and which amino acids to trial (including my insights for Louise’s daughter); why the amino acids are so powerful when it comes to vaping and other addictions; dietary aspects are foundational and important too, as are really late nights; and additional amino acid resources.

What is vaping and why is it so harmful?

This 2023 Harvard Health Publishing article, Can vaping damage your lungs? What we do (and don’t) know, provides an overview of vaping if you’re not exactly sure what is involved:

Vaping involves heating a liquid and inhaling the aerosol into the lungs. With vaping, a device such as an e-cigarette is used that heats up a liquid (called vape juice or e-liquid) until it turns into a vapor that is inhaled. These devices are commonly called vapes, mods, e-hookahs, sub-ohms, tank systems, and vape pens. They may all look a bit different, but work in similar ways.

These devices heat up various flavorings, nicotine, marijuana, or other potentially harmful substances.

The authors list the potentially harmful substances found in vapes:

nicotine
ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs
flavorings such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to a serious lung disease
volatile organic compounds
cancer-causing chemicals
heavy metals such as nickel, tin, and lead.

And they explain some of the serious lung problems that occur in those who vape: EVALI (e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury) and “popcorn lung” or bronchiolitis obliterans (BO).

One adverse effect that I seldom see mentioned is the potential harms to bone health, including “accelerating bone associated disease progression, impacting skeletal development in younger users and to advise patients following orthopaedic surgery, dental surgery, or injury to maximise bone healing.”

Unfortunately it’s the flavors in nicotine and cannabis vape products – candy/dessert, fruit, and fruit-ice combination vs tobacco flavor – that increased adolescents’ willingness to try them. “Comprehensive bans on flavored vapes would likely reduce adolescent use.”

There is growing awareness of these issues and fortunately rates of vaping are declining, however we do have to address why teens and young adults are seeking something calming or soothing such as vaping (or smoking or drinking) i.e. neurotransmitter imbalances.

How to figure out which emotions are driving the need to use vaping to self-medicate and which amino acids to trial?

This is how I would suggest this mom works with her daughter to help them figure out which emotions are driving the need to use vaping to self-medicate and which amino acids to trial:

How do you feel before vaping?	How do you feel after vaping?	Likely brain chemistry imbalance	Amino acid/s to supplement
Anxious or stressed (physical anxiety)	Calm or relaxed	Low GABA	GABA, pharmaGABA or theanine
Low mood, worried, fearful? (mental anxiety)	Happy or content	Low serotonin	Tryptophan or 5-HTP
Tired, unfocused, low motivation	Energetic, alert, or focused	Low catecholamines, low dopamine	Tyrosine
Desire for a reward or treat, sad (weepy), emotional	Rewarded or comforted	Low endorphins	DPA (d-phenylalanine) or DLPA
Irritable and shaky	Grounded or stable	Low blood sugar	Glutamine

We use this in conjunction with the symptoms questionnaire for each neurotransmitter and trial the respective amino acids one at a time.

I often see low GABA to be a driving reason for vaping, smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol – they are all ways of self-medicating in order to calm down and reduce stress. And research supports this connection with “disturbances to GABA dynamics” “found to play a key role in … substance dependence and addiction.”

Louise mentions her daughter notices “physical withdrawal signs” of “rapid heart beat, pain inside” when trying to quit so it’s very possible there is a low GABA aspect to her addiction. I would consider a trial of GABA to start if she also has other low GABA symptoms.

She also shares that her daughter has “health anxiety” and freaks out when she starts to get withdrawal symptoms. If she resonates with being fearful and worried then it’s possible there is also a low serotonin aspect for her. Louise mentions that 5-HTP didn’t help but not how much they trialed or if they increased to try and find the ideal amount. If her daughter has other low serotonin symptoms I’d revisit this and also consider a trial of tryptophan as some individuals do better on one vs the other. I’d also use both as powder on the tongue in case that makes a difference.

And when I hear “hopeless” and “emotional” I would also be considering low endorphins and a trial of DPA (d-phenylalanine).

Why the amino acids are so powerful when it comes to vaping and other addictions

The amino acids play many roles in addressing a vaping addiction:

They address the root cause of the addiction i.e. the neurotransmitter imbalance/s
They help you to quit vaping with no willpower and without feeling deprived
They help to mitigate many of the adverse effects (like worse sleep issues and feeling more anxious)
They address the emotional aspect so mood and anxiety is improved
They prevent the need to find a replacement like sugar, coffee, Diet soda and alcohol and cigarettes (intake of any of these may increase when vaping is stopped, unless the neurotransmitter imbalances are addressed)

Many individuals with addiction issues have imbalances in all areas. We use a similar approach for vaping as we use for addictions to alcohol, cigarettes and sugar/carb/junk food i.e. we tackle one imbalance at a time so we know which amino acid is helping and how much is needed.

Dietary aspects are foundational and important too, as are really late nights and detox

I love that mom makes sure her daughter is well-nourished with real whole food – it’s foundational, as I explain in my book “The Antianxiety Food Solution.”

Louise mentions she gets a good breakfast. I’d be making sure she has good quality animal protein at breakfast in order to help with blood sugar stability as this helps with addictions too. And I’d want to make sure she takes healthy protein snacks to work too – like a boiled egg, beef jerky/biltong, a grass-fed beef stick etc.

With really late night / early morning finishes we always consider adrenal issues and address that as needed, after doing salivary testing.

And once Louise’s daughter has quit I would be focusing on detoxification of the toxins using sauna, red light, dry skin brushing and other detox approaches. And making a concerted effort to focus on improving antioxidants and other nutritional deficiencies, and assessing and working to improve her bone health.

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

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

If you suspect low levels of any of the neurotransmitters and do not yet have my book, The Antianxiety Food Solution – How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood, and End Cravings, I highly recommend getting it and reading it before jumping in and using amino acids on your own so you are knowledgeable. And be sure to share it with the practitioner/health team you or your loved one is working with.

There is an entire chapter on the amino acids and they are discussed throughout the book in the sections on gut health, gluten, blood sugar control (this is covered in an entire chapter too), sugar cravings, anxiety and mood issues.

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), a good place to get help is the GABA QuickStart Program (if you have low GABA symptoms). This is a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance and community support. You can sign up to be notified when the next live launch is happening.

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

If you are a practitioner, join us in The Balancing Neurotransmitters: the Fundamentals program. This is also a paid online/virtual program with an opportunity to interact with me and other practitioners who are also using the amino acids.

Wrapping up and your feedback

I appreciate Louise for asking this question so I could share on this blog and enlighten her and other parents whose teen and young adult children are struggling with vaping.

Does your teen or young adult child struggle with quitting vaping? And have the amino acids helped – if yes, which ones?

Have you personally had a similar issue?

And are you aware how harmful vaping is – for the lungs and even the bones?

Feel free to share and ask your questions below.

Would using 5-HTP or tryptophan help when you crave sugar (as a sort of antidepressant) late afternoon/evening?

June 2, 2023 By Trudy Scott 29 Comments

Would using 5-HTP or tryptophan also help when you crave sugar (as a sort of antidepressant) late afternoon/evening? ~ Kimberley

This question was posed in response to my recent blog post about using tryptophan or 5-HTP to help with alcohol cravings/addiction in the late afternoon/evening – to help you wind down and relax, improve mood and sleep, and also as a reward/treat.

I said yes it is often the same cause when it happens late afternoon/evening and when there are other low serotonin symptoms like low mood, anxiety, worry, insomnia etc. When serotonin is low we self-medicate with wine, sugar, carbs, gluten, dairy and chocolate etc. in order to feel good, get a mood boost and reduce stress. 5-HTP or tryptophan stops the sugar cravings, acts as an antidepressant (improving mood) and eases other low serotonin symptoms too.

It turns out Kimberley was craving sugar late afternoon: “it’s definitely late afternoon for me, while I’m making dinner. Maybe it’s time to go back on 5-HTP.”

And then 2 days later she posted how quickly 5-HTP helped when she added it back mid-afternoon:

I was taking a break from tryptophan/5-HTP and realized after reading this post that that might be a mistake! So I added 5-HTP back in mid-afternoon and my sugar cravings are almost completely gone. It’s funny how I forget the symptoms of low neurotransmitters. Thanks for reminding me!

5-HTP works quickly when it’s low serotonin

How wonderful are these results for Kimberley. I never get tired of hearing feedback like this! I appreciate her sharing and giving me permission to share as a blog so you get to learn and be inspired too.

It’s not unusual for 5-HTP to work this quickly and when it does it’s a clue that the symptoms are related to low serotonin and that she found the ideal dose for her needs.

Kimberley had good results with 5-HTP in the past so she went back to what had worked for her before and it worked for her again.

But do keep in mind, some folks do better with 5-HTP and some do better with tryptophan so it’s a matter of doing a trial of each one each.

50 mg 5-HTP: the sadness and despair lifts in a few minutes

A week later she kindly came and shared additional details in the comments of the tryptophan/ 5-HTP alcohol cravings blog, saying:

It’s possible that I was already in the middle of my daily, mid-afternoon chocolate chip binge when I saw your post

I took a 50 mg 5-HTP along with my mid-afternoon Endorphigen capsule, and within just a few minutes I felt the sadness and despair that I often feel in the late afternoon, start to lift. I was astonished at how quickly it worked! I didn’t open the capsule, or chew it, I just swallowed it with water and had a snack afterwards. I really can’t thank you enough for asking that question because I was really struggling with low mood and sadness almost every day.

Even though KImberley had used 5-HTP with success in the past, she was still astonished how quickly it worked and how effective it was. She was also surprised she had forgotten her prior low serotonin symptoms:

Up until January I had taken 5-HTP in the mid-afternoon and then Tryptophan at bedtime, but I wanted to try a program to support my thyroid. That program told me that too much serotonin is often at the root of gut damage, so I weaned myself off of the 5-HTP and tryptophan. I didn’t really notice much difference, except the daily sugar cravings.

I’m not sure how I could so easily forget the symptoms of low serotonin, but I did.

Your question really was a God-send for me, Trudy. It reminded me that there was an option for feeling better (in fact, MUCH better than sugar makes me feel) that didn’t involve something that’s not good for me.

And I really did feel remarkably better the same day, and those results have continued.

Thanks again, Trudy, for continuing to bring these topics up. Some of us are forgetful and need reminding. Usually, when you have symptoms of low serotonin there are enough other issues going on in your life that it’s easy to overlook the obvious. So I’m very grateful that you asked the question, because I feel so much better able to deal with my circumstances now that I’m back on the 5-HTP. Blessings to you!

I am curious about the program that told her too much serotonin is often at the root of gut damage and if they suggested stopping 5-HTP and tryptophan. It doesn’t make any sense to me. I’ll report back when I learn more about this.

More tired during the day and a headache: what to consider

She did mention “I’m finding myself more tired during the day and have also had a headache for the last few days.” I would suspect chocolate/caffeine withdrawal may have caused her headache.

With feeling more tired I’d also watch the dose of 5-HTP. She may find less is better for her needs.

She is also trying tryptophan at bedtime so that may be making her more tired the next day. Doing one amino acid at a time is often the best way to know how each one is affecting you.

Finding what works for your unique needs

Here are some other amino acid/sugar cravings blog posts that illustrate how we all have unique needs and different biochemical imbalances:

The individual amino acids glutamine, GABA, tryptophan (or 5-HTP), DPA and tyrosine are powerful for eliminating sugar cravings, often within 5 minutes

The individual amino acids glutamine, GABA, tryptophan (or 5-HTP), DPA and tyrosine are powerful for eliminating sugar cravings, often within 5 minutes. It seems that this wonderful benefit – over and above the anxiety-reducing and mood-boosting benefits – is often overlooked or poorly understood.

GABA for ending sugar cravings (and anxiety and insomnia)

For Melissa, an unexpected result was that she stopped craving sugar (chocolates, ice cream and truffles) after about a week of taking GABA for her travel anxiety.

It’s a matter of finding what works for your sugar cravings and unique needs. GABA worked for Melissa and yet 5-HTP works for Kimberley – for their sugar cravings.

Here is the tryptophan/5-HTP alcohol cravings blog that started the discussion: Tryptophan had the added benefit of turning me completely off alcohol when I took it to improve mood and sleep during perimenopause. In this case, tryptophan helped Victoria quit the wine that she was self-medicating with in order to feel good and relax.

Resources if you are new to using amino acids as supplements

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

There is an entire chapter on the amino acids and they are discussed throughout the book in the sections on gut health, gluten, blood sugar control, sugar cravings, anxiety and mood issues.

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.

Has 5-HTP helped reduce your cravings and/or feelings of despair and sadness? How much helps and how quickly?

Or do you find tryptophan works better for you? If yes, how much helps and how quickly?

What sugary food/s do you self-medicate with in order to feel good?

If you’re a practitioner, do you use this approach with your clients/patients?

Feel free to post your feedback and questions here in the comments.

How much GABA should I use for my anxiety? It depends on your unique needs (and there is an extremely large variation in dosing)

February 25, 2022 By Trudy Scott 54 Comments

GABA is a calming amino acid, used as a supplement, to ease low GABA levels. With low GABA you’ll experience physical-tension and stiff-and-tense-muscles type of anxiety, panic attacks and insomnia. You may feel the need to self-medicate to calm down, often with alcohol but sometimes with carbs and sugary foods. GABA also helps with muscle spasms and provides pain relief when muscles are tight.

One of the most common questions I get from individuals who are excited to hear about the benefits of GABA but are totally new to using this amino acid is: “How much GABA should I use for my anxiety?” Even individuals who may be familiar with GABA and have even experimented with it themselves and are seeing some benefits may also have this question.

Most are not aware of the extremely large variations in dosing that may work for different individuals. Today I’ll share some examples to illustrate both the wonderful benefits and this range of dosing which can be as much as a 1000x to 2000x variation in some instances!

Syd gets sleep and body anxiety benefits with just 1.5 mg to 3 mg GABA

As you can see in this first example, Syd gets sleep and body anxiety benefits with just 1.5 mg to 3 mg GABA. She shared this on a recent blog post where I discussed how using too much GABA can cause a niacin-like flushing sensation

I think it’s useful to note that some, like me, start out with tiny doses and still get benefits with no side effects. I take around 1.5 mg to 3 mg GABA at a time and it works for me! Really helps me sleep at night.

I also take approximately 1.5mg if I feel body anxiety. I divide a melt-able 25mg tablet into 8ths or less. (Very approximate, of course. Sometimes it’s just crumbs!)

Right now, anything higher and I’m a wet noodle the next day, meaning I feel super depleted and can hardly stand up. But, no niacin flush-like symptoms.

I appreciate her sharing and I’m so glad she found her ideal dose. As you can see it’s really really low. We call folks like Syd “pixie dust” people because they do really well with tiny tiny doses. It also shows that some folks get flushed with too much GABA and some don’t. Syd just feels depleted.

In case you’re wondering which product Syd is using, it’s the Kal 25 mg GABA, which she breaks apart.

To give this perspective, a typical starting dose is 125mg GABA for adults and half that for children. I share more below on this and how to use the symptoms questionnaires and do a trial.

Christina’s agoraphobic client was able to leave the house with 3000 mg GABA

A colleague, Christina Veselak, MS, LMFT, CN shared this feedback about her client who had agoraphobia i.e. fear of outdoor spaces:

I once had a profoundly anxious, agoraphobic client who I sent home with instructions to trial GABA until she either got relief from her anxiety or an adverse reaction. She came back a few days later to say that she had arrived at 3000 mg of GABA in the morning as her ideal dose.

That dose allowed her not only to leave her bedroom but also leave her house, socialize and babysit her hyperactive grandsons!

Most of my other clients could not tolerate anything near to that dose without getting an adverse reaction but it was perfect for her.

This really adds perspective to the range of doses that folks may respond to. This dosage is 1000x higher than Syd’s maximum dose and 2000x higher than her lowest dose!

Let’s address this question: How much GABA should I use for my anxiety?

The answer is this – it depends on your unique needs and biochemistry. I know it’s not the answer you (and almost everyone else too) probably want to hear but there really is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to GABA and the other amino acids.

The best way to determine if you may have low GABA and may benefit from using GABA is to look at the low GABA symptoms, rate them on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being worst, do a trial of GABA and rate the symptoms again right afterwards (in the next 2 to 30 minutes).

Here are the symptoms.

From there you continue to adjust up (or down) over the next few weeks to find your ideal dose. If you go too high you may experience an uncomfortable tingling niacin-like flush.

I can share this: for GABA, 125mg is a typical starting dose for adults that I use with my clients. Half that or less is a good ballpark for starting a trial for children. As with all the amino acids, they are always best used sublingually and taken away from protein.

Below is an example from someone who figured out 1-3 of the 125 mg GABA Calm product was ideal for her own needs.

Melissa is much calmer, sleeps well and stopped craving sweets with 125 mg to 375 mg GABA Calm a day

Melissa started using Source Naturals GABA Calm in anticipation of holiday travel and holiday gatherings and shared how much she benefited:

I have been taking 1-3 per day for two weeks. I’m glad I bought it before traveling home for Christmas – I was cool as a cucumber at the airport and was much calmer when visiting family and friends compared to last year!

The true test of its efficacy will be in two weeks when the semester starts. For now, I notice a general calmness and am sleeping well.

An unexpected result was that I stopped craving sweets after about a week of taking it!

And how wonderful for her! And we have much appreciation for her sharing her success.

These results at this dosage are pretty typical for the majority of my clients. Of course there may need to be adjustments seasonally (possibly needing less after the holidays and closer to spring) or more around her period or more with added stresses in her life.

You can read more about the GABA Calm product she used here (you can find it in my online supplement store too).

Resources if you are new to using GABA as a supplement

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

If you suspect low levels of GABA or low serotonin and do not yet have my book, The Antianxiety Food Solution – How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood, and End Cravings, I highly recommend getting it and reading it before jumping in and using amino acids on your own so you are knowledgeable. And be sure to share it with the team you or your loved one is working with.

The book doesn’t include product names (per the publisher’s request) so this blog, The Antianxiety Food Solution Amino Acid and Pyroluria Supplements, lists the GABA products that I use with my individual clients and those in my group programs.

If you don’t feel comfortable reading my book, doing the low GABA symptoms questionnaire and doing trials of GABA on your own, you can get guidance from me in the GABA Quickstart Program.

If you are a practitioner, join us in The Balancing Neurotransmitters: the Fundamentals program. AS you’ve learned today, there are many nuances and best practices when using the amino acids. And it’s an opportunity to interact with me and other practitioners who are also using the amino acids.

What have you found to be your ideal dose of GABA? And how has it helped you?

What dose did you start with and did you go too high and then have to back down again to get to your ideal dose? (be sure to share which product worked for you too)

Are you surprised to learn about this huge variation in dosing GABA? And if yes do you feel inspired to experiment with your current dosing?

If you’re a practitioner have you seen these variations?

Feel free to ask your questions here too.

Does GABA offer gut protection after drinking alcohol?

September 22, 2017 By Trudy Scott 12 Comments

A paper published earlier this year has us asking the question: will oral GABA supplementation offer gut protection in humans who drink too much alcohol? It’s too soon to know but the results from the animal study leave me spell-bound by this calming amino acid yet again!

The paper, Gastroprotective effect of gamma-aminobutyric acid on ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury

aimed to investigate the gastroprotective effect of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) on ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury and gastric epithelial cells injury [in rats].

Ethanol or alcohol is known to damage the gut and the study was carried out on rats given GABA and then ethanol.

It was also tested using the human gastric epithelial cell line GES-1 (more here on how human cell lines are commonly used in research) which was incubated with GABA and then treated with ethanol to induce cell injury.

The use of GABA prior to treatment with ethanol

showed that GABA pretreatment significantly reduced gastric ulcer index in a dose-dependent manner.

Administration with GABA could not only remarkably restrain oxidative stress by increase of superoxide dismutase, catalase activities and decrease of malondialdehyde content in gastric tissue and cells, but also significantly reduced pro-inflammatory factors activities (interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor α) in gastric tissue.

These studies clearly provided evidence that GABA had a considerable gastroprotective effect on ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury and gastric epithelial cells injury. The underlying mechanism of mitigating lesions may be ascribed to the improvement of anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant status as well as the increases of PGE2 [prostaglandin E2] and NO [nitric oxide] levels.

In summary, the use of GABA shows the potential for less ulcers, less oxidative damage, less inflammation in the gut, and gastroprotective properties after alcohol consumption. Human studies will show if oral GABA supplementation offers gut protection in those who drink too much alcohol.

Many social drinkers are not connecting their drinking to stress

We are a stressed society and this leads a great deal of “social” drinking. Many social drinkers are not connecting their drinking to stress and their need to self-medicate and de-stress.

As I found when I posted new study this on facebook – Moderate alcohol consumption as risk factor for adverse brain outcomes and cognitive decline – many social drinkers also get upset when you point out research like this because they don’t want to have to give it up. This CNN article, Moderate drinking may alter brain, summarizes the study and reports that the

moderate group was drinking about 14 to 21 units of alcohol per week, or about a medium glass of wine each night, plus a little extra on the weekends.

Update: Dec 2025
This 2024 paper, A qualitative analysis investigating drinking practices and meanings among a sample of Australian working mothers, explores the emotional/stress connection and how alcohol is their escape and coping tool:

Women felt they had to be available to both their employers and their children at the same time. For some, this led to internalized feelings of guilt and fatigue, increasing women’s desire to drink, and limiting their capacity to be mindful of the amount of alcohol they were consuming.

Women also described feeling overloaded and under-supported, where alcohol was viewed as being relaxing and rewarding, as well as a way to escape, cope, and recover from their day-to-day stressors.

Furthermore, through a combination of targeted marketing and broader social normalisation, women felt alcohol was presented as a solution to stress and problems among working mothers.

GABA also helps reduce your need to self-medicate or self-soothe with alcohol (or sugar/carbs)

What is so interesting is that this very same calming amino acid, GABA, when used to address low GABA levels can help reduce your need to self-medicate or self-soothe with alcohol (or sugar/carbs). Don’t forget, with low GABA levels, you’ll also experience physical anxiety, stiff and tense muscles, overwhelm and panic attacks. I recently blogged about GABA here: GABA for the physical-tension and stiff-and-tense-muscles type of anxiety

Of course, I’d recommend using GABA supplements to address the low GABA and prevent so much “social” drinking that may damage to the gut (i.e. addressing the root cause as always), rather than using GABA to prevent gut damage when you do drink.

If you are a big “social” drinker and choose the latter (use GABA to prevent gut damage when you do drink) be warned, you’ll feel calmer and less stressed and very likely reduce your desire and need for a drink!

My blog mentions “social” drinking because of the paper about moderate alcohol consumption above but all this could be equally applicable to heavy drinkers and alcoholics too.

In summary, the amino acid GABA can achieve the following:

help you quit alcohol and not feel deprived and having to use willpower
leave you feeling calm and stress-free with no need to self-medicate with alcohol
heal damage caused to your gut if you do indulge once in awhile (based on projections from the above research)

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

We use the symptoms questionnaire to figure out if low GABA (indicating a possible need for GABA or theanine) or low serotonin (indicating a need for tryptophan or 5-HTP) or low endorphins (indicating a possible need for DPA) 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, sugar cravings, anxiety and mood issues. The importance of quality animal protein and healthy fats is also covered.

If, after reading this blog and my book, you don’t feel comfortable figuring things out on your own (i.e. doing the symptoms questionnaire and respective amino acids trials), a good place to get help is the GABA QuickStart Program (if you have low GABA symptoms). This is a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance and community support. 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

Do you drink alcohol in order to relieve your stress?

Have you noticed that GABA reduces your need to drink alcohol?

And have you noticed any improvements in gut health since using GABA?

Feel free to post your questions below.

Neurotransmitters in food addiction: dopamine, endorphins, GABA and serotonin

April 11, 2014 By Trudy Scott 22 Comments

chocolate-cake-icecream

Food can be as addicting as drugs and we often see mood changes when someone has addictions or out of control cravings.

In this blog post Why do you crave and how do you self-medicate? I covered a simple way for you to figure out why you crave something or why you’re drawn to a particular food, substance, or behavior. I also said that it can be challenging to determine which part of your brain chemistry it’s affecting, and you may not associate cravings with mood issues.

In a series of connected articles I’m going to share some of the research supporting this. If you’ve read my book, The Antianxiety Food Solution, or have been reading my blog posts, you know I like to share research-based evidence. Unfortunately there are not many double blind studies on intervention and symptom management when it comes to amino acids, but I’ll be sharing the research that has been done – focusing on each neurotransmitter and amino acid individually.

Let’s start with this 2013 review titled Pharmacotherapies for Overeating and Obesity. Although the focus of the review is drug-based interventions for finding solutions to food addictions, the mechanisms of food addiction is nicely spelled out: neurotransmitter or brain chemical imbalances. I’d like to add that all of this can be in play even if you are not obese – you just have to love sugar/carbs, wine, coffee etc and eat or drink them to self-medicate.

“Research has shown that obesity can and does cause changes in behavior and in the brain itself that are very similar to changes caused by drugs of abuse”

“While food addiction is not the causal agent of all obesity, it is clear that many people no longer eat to survive, but instead survive to eat.”

“This review considers the importance of the brain’s reward system in food intake.”

“…research has recently demonstrated that each of these nutrient elements affects specific neurotransmitter systems in the brain providing the potential for targeted pharmacologic treatments” [instead of targeted drug treatments, we can use targeted amino acid supplements]

“The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) now recognizes addictions as a brain disorder, and as such, treatments aimed at addressing food addiction must address the dysfunctions at the level of the brain”

“There are a number of such therapies under investigation targeting neuropathways and neurotransmitters implicated in addiction, including: dopaminergic [i.e. low or high dopamine, a catecholamine], opioid [i.e. low endorphins], GABAnergic [i.e. low GABA or a need for glutamine], cannabinoid, serotonergic [i.e. low serotonin], and other novel treatment options.”

If this scientific information is of interest to you, I encourage you to read the whole paper here.

In this 2014 study looking at food addiction, in 233 participants, they did find a relationship between food addiction and negative mood i.e. there was: “an inclination toward behaving irrationally while experiencing negative mood states (Negative Urgency) and low levels of task persistence (lack of Perseverance)”

As a reminder here is the table again:

How you feel before	How you feel after	Brain chemistry imbalance	Amino acid to supplement
Anxious or stressed	Calm or relaxed	Low GABA	GABA
Depressed or anxious	Happy or content	Low serotonin	Tryptophan or 5-HTP
Tired or unfocused	Energetic, alert, or focused	Low catecholamines	Tyrosine
Wanting a reward or sad	Rewarded or comforted	Low endorphins	DPA (d-phenylalanine)
Irritable and shaky	Grounded or stable	Low blood sugar	Glutamine

As I said, the research is important, but more important are the incredible results my clients get when they have brain chemical deficiencies and use the amino acids in a targeted manner addressing each area of deficiency.

Meme Grant, GAPS Practitioner, Nutritional Therapist, FNTP, givennewlife.info participated my Amazing Aminos for Ending Emotional Eating program and this is what she said afterwards:

“I still am amazed at how quickly the panic attacks, binge eating, and mood swings disappeared. Tyrosine enabled me to focus and gave me energy to do things again, glutamine allowed me to walk past the gluten and dairy free junk foods, d-phenylalanine [DPA] stopped my comfort eating, tryptophan enabled me to stop my negative thoughts and helped me sleep but the best was when GABA was introduced, the panic attacks disappeared.”

This is why I call them the amazing amino acids. And this why addressing neurotransmitter deficiencies can end food addiction and out-of-control sugar cravings (and at the same time they help to eliminate or reduce anxiety, mood issues and insomnia).

Update June 24, 2016:

Research is now further highlighting the connection between food addiction and depression and anxiety.

In this May 2016 paper, Food addiction associations with psychological distress among people with type 2 diabetes they looked at the relationship between food addiction and psychological distress among 334 patients with type 2 diabetes and found that those:

meeting the FA [food addiction] criterion had significantly higher depression, anxiety, and stress scores as compared to participants who did not meet the FA [food addiction] criterion.

This applies whether or not you have type 2 diabetes and whether or not you are overweight.

As you can see in this blog post: GABA for ending sugar cravings (and anxiety and insomnia), Melissa started taking Source Naturals GABA Calm in anticipation of stressful holiday travel and holiday gatherings. She felt much calmer when she used GABA Calm and discovered that a wonderful side-benefit (we like side-benefits vs side-effects!) was reduced cravings (as well as improved sleep):

An unexpected result was that I stopped craving sweets after about a week of taking it! I didn’t even realize this until I was grocery shopping and out of habit walked towards the ice cream – I stopped and realized I didn’t want ice cream. So I walked toward the chocolate – same reaction. For once in my life, I was not craving sweets. I made truffles for a NYE party and only ate two. But what is really shocking is that the leftovers are still in my refrigerator two days later and I haven’t touched them. I don’t understand what is going on! Can this be the GABA Calm?

She was pleasantly surprised as many of my clients are – she felt more calm, she had better sleep and saw an end to her cravings!

If this is new to you this is what I do with my clients:

Have them do the Amino Acid questionnaire so they can figure out if they may have low brain chemicals that are affecting both mood and playing a role in food addiction or cravings.
Review the Amino Acid Precautions
Have them do a trial of the relevant amino acids, one at a time and monitor how they feel in terms of reduced cravings, less anxiety, improved mood and sleep

Let us know if this resonates with you and if you have tried the amino acids for food addiction or sugar/carb cravings? And what results you have seen?

Why do you crave and how do you self-medicate?

March 14, 2014 By Trudy Scott 23 Comments

Sometimes it’s difficult to figure out why you crave something or why you’re drawn to a particular food, substance, or behavior. It can be challenging to determine which part of your brain chemistry it’s affecting, and you may not associate cravings with mood issues. Here is a way to figure out why you may crave certain things.

Your drug-of-choice is something you self-medicate with and it is something that makes you feel good or “normal.” It could be candy, chocolate, starchy foods like bread or pasta, cookies, ice-cream, coffee, sodas or wine/beer. It could also be cigarettes, marijuana, a prescription medication like Prozac, street drugs, or even shopping or exercise.

Cravings for these substances (or behaviors) typically indicate a brain chemistry imbalance, so it’s very helpful to identify how the substances you crave affect you. This will help you determine which amino acids you might supplement to address the imbalance.

For example, a glass of wine may be calming for one person but energizing for another, or chocolate may be calming for some people and comforting for others. Certain prescription medications also offer clues. If you have many symptoms of low serotonin and have found that prescription SSRIs help, it’s possible that low serotonin is an issue.

Taking chocolate as an example, here’s what I suggest: Before you eat some chocolate, think about why you want it. Is it because you’re sad or tired or anxious? Or do you feel like you deserve a reward or feel irritable and shaky? Then, once you’ve eaten it, think about how it made you feel.

Use your drug-of-choice (candy, chocolate, starchy foods like bread or pasta, cookies, ice-cream, coffee, sodas or wine/beer etc) and the chart below to help you determine what brain chemistry imbalance may be affecting you and which amino acid you may benefit from.

How you feel before	How you feel after	Brain chemistry imbalance	Amino acid to supplement
Anxious or stressed	Calm or relaxed	Low GABA	GABA
Depressed or anxious	Happy or content	Low serotonin	Tryptophan or 5-HTP
Tired or unfocused	Energetic, alert, or focused	Low catecholamines	Tyrosine
Wanting a reward or sad	Rewarded or comforted	Low endorphins	DPA (d-phenylalanine)
Irritable and shaky	Grounded or stable	Low blood sugar	Glutamine

Feel free to share in the comments section: your drug-of-choice and how it makes you feel before you indulge and how you feel afterwards. If you’ve used any of the amino acid supplements to end the craving or addiction, I’d love to hear your feedback too.