{"id":11806,"date":"2024-08-30T14:00:32","date_gmt":"2024-08-30T21:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.everywomanover29.com\/blog\/?p=11806"},"modified":"2024-08-30T23:38:07","modified_gmt":"2024-08-31T06:38:07","slug":"high-dose-gaba-750-mg-caused-her-to-feel-anxious-and-nervous-with-feelings-of-panic-she-also-felt-agitated-flushed-and-hot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.everywomanover29.com\/blog\/high-dose-gaba-750-mg-caused-her-to-feel-anxious-and-nervous-with-feelings-of-panic-she-also-felt-agitated-flushed-and-hot\/","title":{"rendered":"High dose GABA (750 mg) caused her to feel anxious and nervous with feelings of panic. She also felt agitated, flushed and hot"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"high<\/p>\n

I casually read about GABA and ordered a bottle from Walmart. It was 750mg and it said take 1x daily. Ooooooooh boy did that mess me up – anxious nervous panic. That\u2019s how I found you though, so I guess the universe had its reasons. I read your article about GABA dosing and started doing a micro dose by opening the pill, splitting it into 4 and putting it under my tongue and it was a game changer! Immense anxiety relief and now I\u2019m researching more to add<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

These game changing results are wonderful to hear and I\u2019m very happy for Tiffany but I\u2019m not happy with GABA product labels. Folks need to know this, and I really want to get the message out about safe ways to use GABA.<\/p>\n

She posted this on one of my facebook threads and I asked her if she\u2019d be willing to share what happened so this doesn\u2019t happen to someone else. She kindly said \u201cabsolutely you can share<\/em>\u201d and proceeded to provide a very detailed description of what happened. I share all this below with some of my insights about starting with GABA 750mg (considered a high dose for most individuals), what she did really well and my takeaway lessons, plus more about GABA dosing and the antidote when too much is used.<\/p>\n

This is what happened (in her exact words):<\/p>\n

Day 1 (Aug 3) – 4AM – After swallowing the 750 I first noticed a heat\/flush feeling. It was my neck and upper chest area. This alone had me panicking that death was imminent, then it slowed after I\u2019d say 15-30 minutes. I felt overly anxious & agitated after that, kept checking my pulse & BP (blood pressure) reassuring myself I was not dying.<\/p>\n

Looking at my search history my anxieties lasted hours – by 11am I was searching \u201ccan I overdose on gaba\u201d then I finally slept<\/p>\n

I haven’t formed a connection yet between the gaba & the flush \/ panic yet.<\/p>\n

10ish pm<\/p>\n

I again swallowed the 750. I also applied icy hot for my chronic pain condition 30ish mins later. Then the flush sensation again neck & chest like before hit me. 15-30 mins of tingling , this time I convinced myself it must just be the icy hot mixing with the gaba altering my skin sensations (I had read about how it works in the central nervous system).<\/p>\n

Day 2 (Aug 4) – 1am (+3hrs ingested)<\/p>\n

I was in full \u201chealth\u201d anxiety\/panic mode, panic googling & [My search \u201cgaba cause warming sensation\u201d] landed me on your article<\/a><\/p>\n

This was my game changer\/ life saving moment!!!!<\/p>\n

I\u2019m unsure how long the anxieties lingered but I had a new game plan for microdosing from now on.<\/p>\n

Plan: open the capsule (750mg) & separate the powder into 4 equal parts. Place this 1\/4 under my tongue<\/p>\n

7am<\/p>\n

I took my 1st 1\/4 micro-dose and felt like a champ! My google searching was now about understanding how it worked in the brain and why it had unclenched my jaw muscles. (My chronic pain is from TMJD largely due to my anxiety clenching)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I\u2019m sorry she experienced this but I\u2019m so glad she found my dosing article and figured it out. And that the lower dose of GABA is helping so much.<\/p>\n

She was totally new to GABA and supplements in general: \u201cI\u2019m just learning supplements after detoxing effexor\u201d <\/em>so it\u2019s not totally unexpected for something like this to happen BUT it really doesn\u2019t have to be this way when you are an informed user (I share my take-aways below).\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

In my article\/blog, Too much GABA causes a tingling niacin-like flush sensation (in the brain and body). It\u2019s awful and very uncomfortable!<\/a> I share the issues with starting with too high a dose. If you\u2019re new to GABA, I encourage you to click the above and read the post.<\/p>\n

Splitting the 750 mg GABA capsule into four equal doses works for Tiffany<\/h2>\n

This is the change she made after reading my blog post i.e. she used much smaller doses<\/p>\n

From then till now I\u2019ve consumed 1 of the 750mg gabas each day by splitting into the 1\/4\u2019s (3-4hrs in between) and it has kept my anxiety at a consistent baseline level and helped immensely with the clenched jaw.<\/p>\n

I also started adding l-theanine (100mg) supplement and I\u2019m actively researching additional amino acid supplements to add in once I have some extra money to buy.<\/p>\n

For context on Aug 7,\u00a0 I had an emergency dental extraction that was traumatic. I took my gaba 1\/4 right before and remained relatively calm through the whole 4 hour ordeal.<\/p>\n

Once the Walmart bottle is gone I\u2019ll be buying a low dose sublingual.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It was fortunate that 187 mg (a quarter of 750 mg) worked well for her based on her unique needs and biochemistry. It\u2019s possible this may have been too much for her too and in this case she would have adjusted down.<\/p>\n

Why Tiffany considered GABA for her issues and her next steps<\/h2>\n

Her initial reason for wanting to take GABA was a desire to keep her \u201canxiety \/ panic levels regulated<\/u>.\u201d Her physical anxiety symptoms manifest as \u201cflight or fight\u201d response and were hitting her constantly without warning or outside triggers. She was also in \u201cconstant pain from the jaw muscle issues but couldn\u2019t face leaving the house to find a new doctor for help.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

The good news is that\u00a0 after finding the proper dose of GABA she was \u201cable to remain calm enough to find a new doctor.<\/em>\u201d\u00a0 Tiffany also shared this:<\/p>\n

I am treating my brain as a delicate little flower right now. Taking copious notes trying to establish what my baseline brain chemistry is and how the individual neurotransmitters impact my mood\/state in the moment.<\/p>\n

I mentioned before I am just starting my research journey about brain chemistry and planning to start to \u201cplay\u201d around with additional amino acid supplements.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m in the stage now of discovery, finding a new amino acid, researching what transmitter it is connected to, it\u2019s role as a precursor and once I have my data compiled I\u2019m going to take a targeted approach testing to see what the impacts are.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m focused on figuring out my root deficiency i.e. serotonin vs dopamine vs norepinephrine and then going from there.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Takeaway lessons for Tiffany and what she did well<\/h2>\n

I shared some of my takeaway lessons with Tiffany and here they are in case you\u2019re also new to using the amino acid GABA:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Learn how to safely use GABA and the other aminos before you start using them i.e. read my book \u201cThe Antianxiety Food Solution<\/a>\u201d\u00a0 or do one of my online group programs (details below)<\/li>\n
  2. Use vitamin C as an antidote if you have a reaction. I write about this in my book. It negates any adverse symptoms quickly but also negates any benefits<\/li>\n
  3. Start with a low dose of GABA and ignore the product label. I recommend 125 mg as a safe starting dose and less for sensitive folks<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Trial only one new supplement at a time so you know what is working and what is causing issues. With the GABA reaction Tiffany experienced I would not have added theanine before finding the ideal GABA dose. With her pain issues I\u2019d be considering serotonin and endorphin support, but using one amino at a time and starting low dose with the correct timing<\/li>\n
  5. If you have an adverse reaction stop immediately i.e. don\u2019t push through<\/li>\n
  6. Purchase professional grade supplements from Fullscript or iherb (here is the link<\/a> to my products page with links to both). We want quality supplements just like we want quality food.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    What Tiffany did well:<\/p>\n