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Tryptophan and GABA for relaxation, jaw pain, sleep, anger and mood symptoms

June 13, 2025 By Trudy Scott 10 Comments

I typically start clients on tryptophan if they have signs of low serotonin: stressed, overwhelmed worry, fears, obsessing, feeling anxious, ruminations, low mood, anger issues/rage, sleep problems, pain issues, PMS, low self-esteem, imposter syndrome, and afternoon/evening carb cravings etc. If we don’t get expected results we switch to 5-HTP as some people do better on one vs the other.

With signs of low GABA – a more physical kind of anxiety, with some overwhelm, intrusive thoughts, tension, sleep issues (often lying awake tense), stress-eating and/or drinking and pain – I typically recommend a GABA only product (as a powder or capsule opened) or GABA Calm (a sublingual). In some cases we may consider theanine and pharmaGABA.

The best way to assess low GABA and low serotonin is the symptoms questionnaire and a trial of the respective amino acids – one at a time. But the key is to find the ideal amount for the unique needs of each person. We do that by methodically and systematically increasing the amino acid slowly and tracking improvements for each increase.

In this blog you can read some success stories from women who used tryptophan and GABA for relaxation, jaw pain, sleep, anger and mood symptoms, and my commentary with some additional insights.

Tryptophan and GABA (as powders) – for her stress and pain

Amy uses both tryptophan and GABA for relaxation and jaw pain:

I use both tryptophan and GABA, I just take them separately. When my jaw was really bad the tryptophan really helped. I also do vagus nerve stimulating exercises that make me yawn and it stretches and releases the jaw.

As for the GABA …when I’m very stressed, I need extra to feel the effects. I use a pinch between the fingers of the Now powder and let it dissolve on my tongue. I feel my body relax in about 30 seconds. If nothing then I take a second pinch. Most days 1 pinch is enough.

I also let tryptophan dissolve in my mouth and most days I feel the same physical relaxation after a few moments. It’s not always obvious with the tryptophan though. I use 1/4 tsp of powder but you can use capsules. I mix the powder with pudding powder because it’s very bitter.

Both tryptophan and GABA can help with pain, and also feeling anxious and stressed.

The benefits are via different mechanisms – tryptophan boosts low serotonin and it’s typically more of a mental type of relaxation. This blog illustrates the use of tryptophan for TMJ (temporomandibular joint) – Tryptophan ends TMJ pain, headaches and worry, and improves mood and sleep: a success story.

The amino acid GABA boots low GABA levels and it provides more of a physical type of relaxation and also helps with pain relief.

I like that Amy is using both amino acids as powder and I’m happy for her. GABA powder tastes pleasant and is much more effective used this way (or capsule opened or sublingual).

Tryptophan can be swallowed but many find it more effective as a powder or capsule opened. As Amy says, it’s very bitter as a powder.

Tryptophan or 5-HTP and different forms of GABA – for sleep, anger and mood symptoms

Kerry tried 5-HTP and pharmaGABA but did better with tryptophan and GABA Calm:

My naturopath had me on 5-HTP but I never felt a benefit, and pharmaGaba was a histamine trigger. After reading your book I tried tryptophan and spent many months on 2 x 500mg at bedtime. This helped with sleep and definitely stopped the surges of anger that happened often.

I read a lady say her staple was 2 x Gaba Calm at bedtime and on rising, so I tried this and it helped.

I now take both tryptophan and Gaba Calm only if I feel niggly mood symptoms.

My previous diet was standard vegetarian, then vegan for several years. I now have lots of protein in the form of beef liver capsules, eggs and protein powder. I don’t like meat.

Kerry shared all this in a recent blog comment, describing how tryptophan and GABA Calm were big game-changers for her, in addition to “a long slow mold detox …addressing nutritional deficiencies and implementing dietary changes.”

Mycotoxins caused by mold, nutritional deficiencies and a poor quality diet can impact neurotransmitter production. The good news is that when you find the right combination of amino acids – in this case tryptophan and GABA Calm – you can get relief right away while the other factors are being addressed. It reduces the overwhelm, stress and fears too.

Kerry’s approach of consistent use of both amino acids is the best way to go and I’m so happy for her. And once levels are sufficient they can be used as needed, provided other underlying causes (like toxins, diet etc) are being addressed.

I will add that some individuals do better on 5-HTP and some do better on tryptophan so it’s often a matter of doing a trial of both. I typically recommend tryptophan to start because 5-HTP can be an issue if cortisol is high.

I also always recommend starting with some forms of GABA because of the potential histamine issues with pharmaGABA. That said, some individuals do tolerate pharamGABA so it’s worth doing a trial of both. And we may also consider theanine when we want to support low GABA, low serotonin and low dopamine.

Theanine and tryptophan and diet/lifestyle changes – and feeling her best!

Luna worked with a health practitioner to taper off Prozac (very slowly) and used amino acids during the taper and afterwards:

As someone who took Prozac for years and eventually came off, please pay special attention to Trudy’s advice to come off it SLOWLY. I’d say do it so slowly it may seem ridiculous.

I tried three times to get off Prozac and it was only with the help of an ND/PharmD did I finally get the info needed to come off it without *awful* side effects. To do it well, the process takes MONTHS – not weeks as many doctors recommend.

These days, I take L-Theanine and L-Tryptophan. And I’m preparing to add some GABA soon. Combined with daily 45 minute walks outside, and a low-sugar/low-gluten diet, I’m doing the best I have in my adult life.

A comprehensive approach that includes amino acids, dietary changes, and getting out in nature can make a world of difference. I love it when I hear feedback like this.

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

As always, I use the symptoms questionnaire to figure out if low serotonin or low GABA 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.

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

Now I’d love to hear from you – how has tryptophan and GABA helped you or a loved one?

If you’d like to get on the notification list for the next Serotonin Quickstart Program (a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance and community support during 5 LIVE Q&A calls), please do so here.

If you’re a practitioner do you use tryptophan and GABA with your clients/patients?

Feel free to share and ask your questions below.

Using GABA to ease the visceral / abdominal pain and hypersensitivity of colitis, ease anxiety and reduce inflammation?

April 12, 2024 By Trudy Scott 13 Comments

Can the amino acid GABA be used as a supplement to ease the visceral (or abdominal) pain and hypersensitivity of colitis? And at the same time help to ease physical anxiety/tension, spasms and even reduce inflammation? A new animal study suggests this may be possible, with the authors stating “these results raise the promising possibility that GABA … may be an effective therapeutic strategy for the management of symptoms associated with colitis.”

Clinically we see that GABA does ease visceral pain in many digestive conditions and there is much evidence that it eases physical anxiety too. I share my personal experiences and feedback from someone in my community below.

What is especially exciting about this paper is that it’s specific for colitis and many markers of inflammation are favorably impacted by GABA supplementation too. The authors do state that human studies are needed to confirm this research. I look forward to these human studies and until then I say let’s use what we see clinically, based on symptoms and a trial of GABA.

Here is the paper: Experimental colitis-induced visceral hypersensitivity is attenuated by GABA treatment and the overview of their hypothesis:

Ulcerative colitis is linked with inflammation of the large intestine due to an overactive response of the colon-immune system. Ulcerative colitis is associated with weight loss, rectal bleeding, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.

Given that γ-amino butyric acid (GABA) suppresses immune cell activity and the excitability of colonic afferents, and that there is a decrease in colonic GABA during ulcerative colitis, we hypothesized that ulcerative colitis pain is due to a decrease in the inhibition of colonic afferents. Thus, restoring GABA in the colon will attenuate inflammatory hypersensitivity.

Colonic afferents are neurons that “carry information from sensory receptors of … organs” like the colon “to the central nervous system (i.e. brain and spinal cord).” They are involved in the perception of pain.

The study and favorable outcomes

They tested their hypothesis in a mouse model of colitis and GABA was given at the same time.

What they found is that GABA reduced the “increase in the colon permeability” i.e. prevented leaky gut; reduced the “clinical progression of colitis (disease activity index or DAI)”; reduced the “colon histological score” (or measure of disease activity in inflammatory bowel diseases) and reduced visceral hypersensitivity (or abdominal pain).

There were also favorable changes in inflammatory markers: “GABA inhibited the …increase in the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-12 (IL-12), and increased the expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 in the colon tissue.”

Their conclusion is as follows: “These data suggest that increasing gastrointestinal levels of GABA may be useful for the treatment of colitis.”

My GABA visceral pain story

I have chronic SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) and found that sublingual GABA helped when I would get that awful and painful belly bloat. When my SIBO was at its worst I would be in pain all night, tossing and turning and unable to sleep because of the belly distension/bloat.

It was often a combined approach of sublingual GABA, Iberogast and topical peppermint and lavender essential oil on my bloated belly.

More recently I found that the topical GABA called Somnium, rubbed onto my bloated belly, helped tremendously too. You can read more about Somnium here.

(My SIBO is much much better now, since I’ve been using berberine, but that is a topic for another blog post.)

GABA: stress, anxiety and visceral pain

As you know, I consider myself a GABA girl and it also helps ease my physical anxiety.

The above animal study doesn’t address the impacts of GABA on anxiety but there is research showing that “in concert with chronic visceral pain, there is a high comorbidity with stress-related psychiatric disorders including anxiety and depression.

Evidence suggests that long term stress facilitates pain perception and sensitizes pain pathways, leading to a feed-forward cycle promoting chronic visceral pain disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).”

It makes total sense that GABA can play a role in addressing all of this for me – the visceral pain and IBS, the physical anxiety and sleep issues too.

GABA eases Gail’s painful gut spasms and reduces her stress

Neither myself or Gail have colitis and yet GABA helps us both with SIBO and the visceral pain we experience, and the associated anxiety. Gail shares this: “I’ve had diarrheal IBS for decades, recently diagnosed SIBO. Missed a lot of work with pain spasms and diarrhea almost every work morning. I had a phenomenal experience with my first dose of GABA at bedtime and like a miracle I’m pain-free in the morning.

It’s a huge huge improvement! (unless there’s a major stressor in my life like when my mom recently passed away)

I also take GABA at work if I anticipate a stressful situation. I love that I am still sharp mentally on this.”

A few GABA product options – a sublingual, a powder and a cream

Some of the GABA products I recommend include Source Naturals GABA Calm lozenges and Now GABA Powder. You can purchase these from my online store (Fullscript – only available to US customers – use this link to set up an account).

If you’re not in the US, Source Naturals GABA Calm lozenges and Now GABA Powder are available via iherb (use this link to save 5%).

Somnium GABA Cream is available with international shipping. Click here to get Somnium GABA Cream (and use my coupon code TRUDY15 to save 15%).

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

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

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

Wrapping up and your feedback

I do always appreciate questions and feedback like this so keep your questions and comments coming. I do hope my sharing my experience with GABA for visceral pain and this other feedback has been helpful to you.

While this blog is specific to the research on GABA for colitis, I feel comfortable saying the use of GABA could also be considered for belly pain/visceral pain in someone with a diagnosis such as Crohn’s disease (which like colitis is also classed an IBD/inflammatory bowel disease) or IBS/SIBO (irritable bowel syndrome/small intestinal bacterial overgrowth).

How has GABA helped reduce your visceral pain? (please share if you have colitis or Crohn’s disease or IBS/SIBO or another digestive issue).

Has GABA also helped to reduce your physical anxiety, tension and self-medicating with sugar or alcohol in order to relax?

If yes, which products have helped, how much and do you find swallowed or capsule opened or powder is more effective for your needs?

If you’re a practitioner do you use GABA with your colitis clients/patients?

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

Feel free to share and ask your questions below.

Using tryptophan and GABA amino acid supplements together for anxiety, sleep, ruminations and TMJ: questions and answers

February 23, 2024 By Trudy Scott 18 Comments

I am taking 250 mg tryptophan, 100-200 mg GABA. Tryptophan is helping with rumination. GABA is helping with feeling less tension in the body. I am also taking 500mg DPA. DLPA used to help me but I thought it was too stimulating so I’m trying DPA now. I couldn’t feel much when taking it on its own.

But the combination of tryptophan, DPA & GABA is generally helping me to feel less wound up. I still struggle with rumination and I have a really difficult time making decisions. I get really overwhelmed when I have a lot of decisions to make – it sends me in a tailspin and leads to more rumination. I’m not sure which amino acid would be good for that?

I generally have trouble relaxing and feeling calm and I feel the tension in my body. I am not sure if I should try increasing the dosage of one of the above?

I am wondering, is it important to take l-tyrosine to balance the tryptophan since tryptophan can lower dopamine over time? Or is the DPA enough since it’s a precursor to tyrosine?

I get many questions like this about using both tryptophan and GABA amino acid supplements together for easing anxiety and today I’m sharing some of these questions and my answers. This will also give you the opportunity to ask questions you may have related to using both these amino acids together. You’ll also read many success stories like the above and how to tweak the amino acids for optimal results.

Read on for my response to the above question from TT and other questions about using GABA and tryptophan together – how to measure GABA and serotonin levels for using with teens, adding tryptophan for sleep separately from GABA, how to test both for jaw clenching, and the precaution about serotonin syndrome.

My response and feedback for TT – adjustments for even better results

My response and feedback for TT … It’s wonderful that this combination is helping so much. It’s a great start but there are adjustments I’d consider to get even better results. The tryptophan dose is low, with a typical starting dose of 500mg so I’d consider increasing this a few times over a few weeks to see if the ruminations decrease even further. This may also help with the overwhelm and decision making.

Increasing the GABA over a few weeks (after the trial of increased tryptophan) may well improve her ongoing tension and inability to relax. I’d want to make sure she is using GABA sublingually for the best effects.

She asks about the need to take tyrosine to balance the tryptophan but I don’t have clients do this as a rule of thumb and only have clients take tyrosine if they have symptoms of low dopamine. In this instance since TT mentions difficulties with decision-making, a trial of tyrosine may be worth considering, after she has increased tryptophan and increased GABA. More about tyrosine benefits here.

I do want to mention that DPA is not a precursor to dopamine but DLPA does offer some dopamine support. I share more about the differences between DPA and DLPA here.

I want to give my teens GABA and tryptophan – how do I measure GABA and serotonin levels?

I have two teenagers ages 14 and 16 who suffer from anxiety and depression. My daughter has more difficulty with depression and my son with ruminating thoughts . My father had similar issues. We have tried supplements, and medications that help a little.

I want to try giving them GABA and tryptophan, but to make sure that they in fact meet the criteria you describe. Is there a lab test that measures GABA and serotonin levels? Also, how can I figure out the dose and times to give them?

Here is my feedback for Maria …. The best way to determine if someone may have low GABA/serotonin is to look at the low GABA/serotonin symptoms questionnaire (here is that link), rate 1 or 2 symptoms on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being worst, do an initial one-off trial of the respective amino acid and rate the symptoms again right afterwards (in the next 2 to 30 minutes). Based on this we decide if we’ll continue with the amino acid and how much to use.

Dosing is unique to each person’s needs and timing differs for each amino acid – tryptophan is best mid-afternoon and evening and GABA throughout the day and evening if needed too.

I don’t use the urinary neurotransmitter test as it’s not considered an accurate assessment. I blogged about this here.

It’s a comprehensive approach – amino acids AND diet. This mom mentions supplements and medications but nothing about what their diets are like right now – gluten-free, sugar-free, caffeine-free, eating protein at breakfast for blood sugar control, real whole foods, grass-fed red meat, wild fish, fermented foods etc?

I also suggest my book “The Antianxiety Food Solution” as a great place to start when you are new to the amino acids and other anxiety nutrition solutions like gluten/sugar/caffeine removal, blood sugar control, gut health, pyroluria etc.

And this blog is a wonderful example and gives hope to moms – Tryptophan for my teenager: she laughs and smiles, her OCD and anxiety has lessened, and she is more goal oriented and focused on school. It’s one of many similar blogs so be sure to use the search feature to find others.

GABA and theanine help my anxiety, if I add tryptophan for sleep should I take it separately?

I have taken Gaba and L-theanine for anxiety for the last few years on and off as recommended by a doctor, it really does help although I still have sleeping problems. I also have a lot of symptoms on your low serotonin list so if I add tryptophan to see if it helps with sleep should I take it with the Gaba or separately?

Here is my response and feedback for Diane … I was glad to hear GABA and theanine are helping with the anxiety. I have many clients with low serotonin and low GABA symptoms take GABA, theanine and tryptophan at bedtime at the same time for improving sleep that is caused by low serotonin.

Diane has already identified that she has a lot of low serotonin symptoms from the questionnaire, so like I shared for Maria above, a trial is worth considering.

We always want to capitalize on what is already working so when GABA/theanine is helping with anxiety and offers some help with sleep we will often increase that before considering a trial of tryptophan.

I’m assuming she is addressing dietary factors too and other root causes that may also affect her sleep – like low blood sugar and high cortisol.

Would GABA or tryptophan help with jaw clenching and how do I test to see if they would help?

Would Gaba or tryptophan help with jaw clenching, not grinding, which I assume is an anxiety thing even when I’m unaware of any anxiety? Since I already use Gaba on and off for anxiety or if I can’t sleep (only taking 200 mg) how would I go about testing tryptophan to see if it would help for clenching?

Here is my feedback for Diane … Jaw clenching/TMJ (temporomandibular joint) issues can be related to both low GABA because of the muscle tension and also when serotonin is low.

In the same way we do a trial with the amino acids for anxiety or low self-esteem (or another symptom like cravings) we would do a trial for the jaw clenching i.e. rate the severity on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being worst, do a trial of tryptophan and then GABA (separately) and rate the symptoms again right afterwards (in the next 2 to 30 minutes). And go from there, increasing each as needed (one at a time) and tracking symptom improvement.

Here is a case as an example: Tryptophan ends TMJ pain, headaches and worry, and improves mood and sleep.

Precaution about serotonin syndrome with tryptophan/5-HTP

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

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

None of the above applied in these situations but it’s important to be aware of.

Tryptophan and GABA product options

Products I recommend include Lidtke 500 mg Tryptophan, Source Naturals GABA Calm lozenges and Now GABA Powder. You can purchase these from my online store (Fullscript – only available to US customers – use this link to set up an account).

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

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

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

If, after reading this blog and my book, you don’t feel comfortable figuring things out on your own (i.e. doing the symptoms questionnaire and respective amino acids trials), if you need serotonin support, the Serotonin QuickStart Program is a good place to start. This is a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance on using tryptophan and 5-HTP safely, and community support during 5 LIVE Q&A calls. You can sign up to be notified when the next live launch of this program is happening. We take a deep dive into product options including Lidtke products and others if you’re not able to access Lidtke.

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

This blog is a follow-on from the previous blog on this topic so be sure to read that blog too. It also features many valuable questions in the comments and my responses, hence this new post. I hope this has been helpful for you.

Wrapping up

Now I’d love to hear from you…

Have you had success using GABA and tryptophan together for anxiety, insomnia, ruminations, depression, overwhelm, TMJ etc?

Have you tweaked your dosing to find the ideal doses for your needs?

If yes, what doses and which products have helped?

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

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

Feel free to share and ask your questions below.

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.

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.

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.

How did you come up with the idea of using GABA on the tongue? (GABA is a calming amino acid supplement used to ease physical anxiety symptoms)

May 5, 2023 By Trudy Scott 27 Comments

Today I’m answering this question that has been asked of me a number of times: How did you come up with the idea of using GABA on the tongue? Since there is so much controversy about GABA and the blood brain barrier and whether GABA actually works, it’s time to address this question via a blog post. Using GABA on the tongue, under the tongue and/or on the inside cheek approach is also the most effective way to use GABA and when it’s not used in one of these ways many individuals end up saying GABA didn’t help ease their anxiety and other low GABA symptoms. I also define sublingual – the term I use when discussing this approach – and how this method is broader than just being sublingual. And I share a case study. More on all this below.

So how did I come up with the idea of using GABA on the tongue?

I’ve always had clients use a GABA capsule opened on to their tongue for the initial trial, based on them having low GABA symptoms of physical anxiety, stiff and tense muscles, tension, stress eating, insomnia, laryngospasms, intrusive thoughts and self-medicating with alcohol. Doing it this way means we get results right away (for example within 5 minutes they can say their physical anxiety has improved from 9/10 to say 6/10) and we know how to proceed in terms of dosing.

Then I’d have clients go home and swallow the GABA capsules. However not everyone continued to get the same benefits they experienced in the one-off trial so I’d suggest a higher dose, also swallowed.

Then I decided to have clients just continue to use GABA capsules opened or as powder or a liposomal product (more on these below) after the initial one-off trial. Having clients use GABA this way resulted in consistent and superior results and it’s what I continue to recommend.

The many benefits of this approach

There are many benefits to using this approach of using GABA on the tongue:

Seeing better results and in some cases getting results (fullstop!)when you were not seeing any benefits swallowing a GABA capsule
Better results when you have digestive and/or liver issues because GABA bypasses the liver and digestive system.
Quicker/almost immediate results (in 5-10 minutes and often quicker) which is more encouraging and gives you hope right away.
You need less GABA so it’s money-saving too.

I now have folks use all the amino acids this way and it’s working very well.

Defining sublingual, buccal and roof of the mouth and which is best

I use the term sublingual very broadly – under the tongue, in the cheek or on the tongue – for at least 2 minutes and not washed down with water or food right away.

It’s easier but technically sublingual means using GABA under the tongue. This way it is absorbed directly into the bloodstream for immediate use, bypassing the liver and digestive system.

When I talk and write about using GABA on the tongue or sublingually, I’m often asked: How is on tongue vs under tongue different or is it?

This paper, Sublingual Mucosa as a Route for Systemic Drug Delivery summarizes the benefits of sublingual delivery and which area of the mouth provides better results (for drug delivery)

Drug delivery via the oral mucous membrane is considered to be a promising alternative to the oral route. Sublingual route is useful when rapid onset of action is desired with better patient compliance than orally ingested tablets.

In terms of permeability, the sublingual area of the oral cavity (i.e. the floor of the mouth) is more permeable than the buccal (cheek) area, which in turn is more permeable than the palatal (roof of the mouth) area.

The portion of drug absorbed through the sublingual blood vessels bypasses the hepatic first‐pass metabolic processes giving acceptable bioavailability.

I find that either way works (under and on the tongue) and so does using it rubbed on the inside of the cheek/buccal area. I share more on that here – Paroxysmal laryngospasm with low GABA physical-tension-type-anxiety: Is GABA powder rubbed on the inside of the cheek a solution?

One way you could hedge your bets is to use a GABA powder (with some water) or lozenge or liposomal and swish it in the mouth, making sure it gets under the tongue, onto the cheek areas and on top of the tongue. Swish it for about 2 minutes before swallowing. And don’t wash it down with water or food right away.

Amanda’s feedback on GABA calm vs GABA capsules

When I shared some of this on Facebook, Amanda shared her positive feedback:

Sublingual is more effective and faster. I’ve been taking capsules at night and noticed improvement with sleep. Last week we decided to sell our house and I was soooo stressed with prepping and dealing with people.

I had a bottle of GABA Calm I ordered from your recommendation (I didn’t mean to order because I had lots of gaba capsules). I was so thankful because I took two of those and about 15 minutes later I was much more relaxed. They are so helpful!!

A common question I get is this: is GABA Calm better than plain GABA powder? Some folks prefer GABA Calm and others the powder. Either way we do increase to find the ideal dose and using powder allows us to go higher more easily.

But we are all unique and it’s a matter of finding what works best for your needs. Amanda also shared why she feels GABA Calm is so helpful:

GABA Calm also has tyrosine, magnesium, and taurine. It seems for me the combination of the magnesium and taurine with the GABA takes it from helpful to stellar. I know I have a history of low taurine so perhaps that’s why for me.

All this and the fact that it’s a lozenge that is dissolved in your mouth and absorbed quickly makes it so effective for her and so many of my clients.

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.

What have you found, is GABA opened/sublingual more effective than a GABA capsule swallowed?

What works best for your unique needs – a powder, a chewable or a liposomal product?

And do you find it more effective under the tongue/sublingual, in the cheek/buccal or on the tongue? Or have you not noticed or perhaps find similar benefits with all three ways?

If you have questions and other feedback please share it here too.

Urinary neurotransmitter testing reports elevated GABA when it’s really low: using the low GABA symptoms and a trial of GABA is best

September 23, 2022 By Trudy Scott 4 Comments

Francoise posted this feedback and her surprise about her elevated GABA levels – as reported on a urinary neurotransmitter test. She was justifiably confused because she had looked at the low GABA symptoms and resonated with them i.e. physical anxiety/tension, stiff and tense muscles, stress eating, self-medicating with alcohol, insomnia and intrusive thoughts etc:

I previously bought Gaba Calm after reading your blog since my symptoms seemed to match your description [of low GABA].

However, I recently did an exhaustive neurotransmitter test to realize that it was the exact opposite, having a significantly high level of GABA.

Unfortunately, I’ve looked all over the internet after talking to my doctor, and it seems that no one knows how to downregulate GABA.

Not sure what to do from there, but thought I should let you know that the situation exists despite not being common.

I posted this feedback for her: I do not use urinary neurotransmitter testing as it’s not accurate. I use the low GABA symptoms questionnaire and we do a trial of GABA if low GABA symptoms are present.

She said it perfectly – “I previously bought Gaba Calm after reading your blog since my symptoms seemed to match your description” i.e. it’s very likely she does in fact have low GABA symptoms and if we were working together I’d have her do trial of GABA.

I did ask her what her doctor and the lab recommended and to share the name of the lab/test and have yet to hear back. I will share when I do.

Someone else also had the neurotransmitter report high GABA so she stopped taking her GABA supplements

When I shared Francoise’s comment and my feedback on Facebook, I had someone share a very similar outcome. Kristin had already figured out that she had low GABA levels (based on the symptoms questionnaire), was already taking GABA with good results and was then told to stop taking GABA because the urinary neurotransmitter test reported elevated GABA levels!

This is what Kristin shared on Facebook: “I just did the neurotransmitter test. It said I was high in GABA as well, so I stopped taking it.”

These were the questions I asked her: Why were you taking GABA at the time – was it because you had/have low GABA symptoms and was GABA helping to ease these symptoms? I also asked which lab did the test and what her practitioner recommended? She shared the following:

I was taking GABA for anxiety. It was helping. .

My doctor recommended that I stop the GABA and use supplements to support the areas I was low in, which were: Dopamine, Norepinephrine, Epinephrine, and Serotonin (was VERY low).

Doctor’s Data is the company. And it wasn’t a cheap test.

I was surprised that even though GABA was helping Kristin, the doctor said to stop using it. What does also concern me too is that supporting dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine without supporting GABA can actually increase anxiety. I’ve seen this backfire a number of times.

After seeing my post and our Facebook back and forth she decided to start back on the GABA products she had been taking: GABA Calm 1-3 tablets a day and if she is struggling terribly with morning anxiety, then 1/2 to 1 tablet as needed. In the evening she takes 2 capsules of Neurocalm which has 100 mg of GABA (and some other ingredients).

Kristin confirmed that, once again, GABA was helping to ease her intrusive thoughts, anxiety and physical tension, all low GABA symptoms.

I said to Kristin that I’d reach out to Doctor’s Data and have done so. I shared all this and I am hoping to hear back from them. I’ll keep you posted when I do.

Kristin has offered to share this blog with her integrative doctor who prescribed this test. I’m hoping she does and you do too.

I appreciate both these women sharing their experiences so I can share with you.

Urinary neurotransmitter testing falls short and other practitioners weigh in too

I find many functional tests extremely useful and Doctor’s Data is well regarded in functional medicine. However, I do find it very unfortunate that so many practitioners continue to use and recommend this test when it’s not useful, doesn’t correlate with symptoms and so often causes confusion, like in these instances (which are just two of many similar cases). By the way, they are not the only lab offering urinary neurotransmitter testing.

Be sure to read this older blog: Urinary neurotransmitter testing falls short where I share more about why I’m not in favor of this testing.

This feedback from Nora Gedgaudas, author of Primal Body Primal Mind sums up what I often hear from other practitioners:

I have considered the urinary testing approach and was even enamored of the concept at first. Once I looked into the idea more closely, though, it just didn’t add up for me. I have been using amino acids now to address issues of mood, health and cognitive functioning for over 20 years. I have never used anything other than mood/symptomatic screening to guide amino acid supplementation. Results tend to be uniformly good to excellent. The sheer overwhelming complexity of amino acid/neurotransmitter activity in the human body/brain-and the compartmentalized nature of the biochemistry of each seems to best lend itself to a more functional and symptom-related evaluation. Lab testing simply falls short of the mark here.

A colleague and good friend of mine, Dr. Josh Friedman posted this in the comments section of the above blog post (back in 2014), further supporting what practitioners are reporting about this testing:

About a year ago I got excited about urinary neurotransmitter testing. I had been using Julia Ross’ pencil and paper neurotransmitter deficiency assessment for many years with good success. Over the past year I have done the neurotransmitter testing on about 10 people with very inconsistent results. With 2-3 we hit a home run, where the recommended supplements were just the right thing to diminish the presenting symptoms. More often than not the recommended supplements seemed to give little relief or even make the symptoms worse. Additionally the testing and supplements are quite expensive.

I have since given up on the testing and as I have found the pencil and paper NT deficiency sheet to be a more effective guide to treatment. When I am unable to make progress I will often turn to serum amino acid testing and the neurotransmitter markers on the Organic acid test offered by many functional medicine labs. In addition to information about neurotransmitter functioning, the Organic Acid Test provides information about other factors involved in mental health symptoms including levels of the yeast Candida, the bacterial infection Clostridia and others.

Of course, I wholeheartedly agree with both of them.

As you can see from these two cases (and the many others in my book and on this blog), using the low GABA symptoms and a trial of GABA is best. It’s the most effective way to determine if you need GABA initially and to monitor how it’s helping. It also doesn’t cost you anything more than your time and the GABA product/s.

Resources if you are new to using amino acids as supplements

If you are new to using any of the 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 serotonin and low GABA).

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, self-medicating with alcohol and more.

Have you done urinary neurotransmitter testing and did any of it correlate with the neurotransmitter deficiency symptoms?

Have you been told to stop GABA that was helping to ease your symptoms – based on labs showing high GABA?

If you’re a practitioner I’d love to hear your experiences using the urinary neurotransmitter testing.

If you have questions please share them here too.