GABA side effects, supplements, for anxiety

GABA or gamma-aminobutyric acid, discovered in 1950, is the most important and widespread inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. Excitation in the brain must be balanced with inhibition. Too much excitation can lead to restlessness, irritability, insomnia, and even seizures. GABA is able to induce relaxation, analgesia, and sleep. Barbiturates and benzodiazepines are known to stimulate GABA receptors, and hence induce relaxation. Several neurological disorders, such as epilepsy, sleep disorders, and Parkinson’s disease are affected by this neurotransmitter. For more GABA information.

GABA is made in the brain from the amino acid glutamate with the aid of vitamin B6. GABA is available as a supplement in vitamin stores, but taking it in pill form is not always an effective way to raise brain levels of this neurotransmitter because GABA cannot easily cross the blood-brain barrier. Companies are searching for ways to place GABA in an oil base in order to ease its entry across this barrier. Having said this, I have spoken to a few people who feel that GABA helps reduce their anxiety. One user takes GABA in the morning and says it takes the edge off his anxiety, and the effects are noticed a few hours later. Other supplements that help with relaxation more effectively include 5-HTP which converts into serotonin, and Kava Kava which is from the South Pacific islands. Other herbs that help relax are passionflower and valerian.

GABA Enzymatic Therapy

GABA is an important amino acid neurotransmitter in the brain.

Recommendations: One, two, or three GABA capsules once or twice daily.
Supplement Facts:
GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid) -  250 mg *



GABA supplements summary
We have come across few studies regarding the use of GABA supplements in humans. We don't have a strong opinion regarding the effectiveness of GABA supplements for anxiety at this time. There are many other herbal options to reducing anxiety.

GABA supplements email questions and answers
Q. I am a little concerned with some conflicting reports I have seen on GABA since I have started taking it. On the one hand a at first glance it sounded like a miracle supplement but the claims of increases in growth hormone I was slightly suspicious off, most adverts steal results and quotes from clinical drugs trials report "Increase HGH levels by 550%" etc When I read the more independent research on it, the doctors say, Yourself included (funnily enough this is not found in the commercial adverts) that GABA as a sport supplement, in powder form cannot transgress easily the brain/blood barrier so in reality, the GABA in your head, is the stuff your body produces naturally and nothing else. - Certainly amongst the guys I know taking it nobody taking it seemed to be turning into the hulk over night.

Q. Recently I read that 5 g of GABA supplements would increase the level of growth hormone by 500%, is this really right? I’m not considering taking GABA in order to gain muscle but for my anxiety the dos I have bin considering is 250-500 mg actually I would  consider an elevation in growth hormone an undesirable side effect as I’m worried that it might case increased hair growth on the body, do you think that’s possible? And do you think 250-500 would have any effect on levels of HGH?
   A. We don't think small amounts of GABA supplement use would have much of an influence on HGH. We also, thus far, have not seen any convincing studies that GABA supplements increase in a consistent way the release of HGH.

Q. Thanks for all the info on your website. Regarding GABA however there is an article I recently read which I've linked to below that points to a possible connection between GABA and cancer? I haven't been able to find any other information regarding this but the website I found the information on was - The American Association for Cancer research. According to this article there is some link between the GABA-b receptor and increased production of MMP which in turn increases risk for prostate. Is there indeed a link to GABA causing or increasing cancer factors? If there is a link - are there any GABA supplements that act only on the GABA-a receptor? http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/63/23/8090
   A. There is a huge leap from the interpretation of in vitro studies of GABA receptors on cells and the effects of GABA supplements when taken orally. The study you cite does not relate, on a practical level, to oral GABA supplementation.

Q. Where in Colombia and Venezuela Can I buy GABA supplements?
   A. GABA supplements can be shipped to these countries but we don't know where GABA supplements are sold in Columbia or Venezuela.

Q. Can gaba pills cause blood pressure to go up? Since taking gaba pills mine has gone up and I'm having a problem getting it to come down even with blood pressure pills. I've stop taking them to see if there is a difference.
   A. We have not seen any studies that have evaluated the role of GABA pills and blood pressure and this is the first feedback we have had from a user of GABA pills with this potential effect. Please let us know if your blood pressure drops when you stop the GABA pill supplement and whether the blood pressure increases again after restarting.

Q. I take GABA supplement by InShape Dream Shape about an hour before I want to fall asleep and find it works very, very well. I don’t think this is a placebo effect because when I first started taking it, I had no idea it was a sleep aid and it worked anyway. In fact when I woke up the first morning, I thought “This is the best night’s sleep I’ve had since I was a child.” It was/is a deep, refreshing sleep. On occasion I will have vivid, interesting dreams that seem qualitatively different than any dream I have without this GABA supplement. I also have arthritis in my feet and find that my pain is dramatically reduced. This is wonderful – I worry about taking NSAIDs and have stopped taking them. As far as weight loss, I would say “fat loss” or “change in fat distribution” is more accurate. It is not a dramatic difference, but there is a difference. Post-menopause obese abdomen…has “lifted” off my lap and my pants fit better. My appetite has changed. I know I am eating less, without really planning it…I just get full sooner. This is subtle and if I end up losing a lot of weight it will take awhile…but that’s the best way anyway. As far as GABA getting into the brain – like you say on your website, there hasn’t been much research on GABA pills, and how would they be able to know this anyway? With human subjects? Give them GABA pills and then take a sample of brain tissue? Last thing, I tried GNC brand of GABA pill after having run out of Dream Shape and it did nothing. No effect whatsoever. I take 3 capsules of the Dream Shape with a glass of water. Tried the powder form, but got the tingles, a headache, and felt a little nauseous. This stuff must absorb really fast and the capsules dissolve slower.
   A. We are not familiar with DreamShape GABA pills but find it difficult to believe that one company's GABA would work differently than other GABA products on the market unless there are other ingredients in the product. We also have no basis to believe that GABA supplements influence weight loss or fat distribution.

Q. Also, is there any oil based GABA supplement product yet on the market?
   A. As of October 2008, we have not come across an effective oil-based GABA supplement product.

I have used GABA only when needed instead of a prescription pill initially prescribed by a doctor for anxiety. I have used the NOW Foods 500 mg. I have used it for more than 10 years, it works very well and within an hour. I have no side effects, no dependencies. I do have myelodisplastic syndrome diagnosed for more than a year now. When I run low on hemoglobin before my transfusion I am much more prone to run into anxiety

I have a question about gaba pills, i been reading on ur site about hgh and how long term use can cause diabetes risk among other unwanted affects. so hgh can cause bad things to happen as well as good so i was wondering if someone took long term gaba or precursors that also increase hgh does that mean that gaba can put u at diabetes and all these negative risks if u use them long term? i would like try gaba but i have liver disease and borderline normal blood sugar which is higher than it used to be but still normal and i might wanna take gaba for anxiety but i also dont want to put myself at further risk etc. i guess if u answer the first question it will give me some input as to whether this supplement is safe long term.
    We have not seen enough human long term research with GABA supplement use to know what effect it has on HGH production or secretion, we suspect it would not have a major influence.

I'm trying to get some reliable info on gaba product. I have a lot of trouble sleeping, and found that taking 1500 mg gaba plus theanine helped tremendously. But after taking it for 3 nights, I woke up with blurry vision and a left hand that was going numb. The doc at the ER said it wasn't a stroke, as friends had been telling me it was, but when I told him about the gaba product, he said I must have had a reaction to it.(?) I've taken gaba before in lower doses, with no sleep effect, and no side effects. Is here a chance it can do permanent harm if taken a t a larger dose? (the vision problem and hand numbness cleared up slowly, in a few days to a couple of weeks) I need to find something that will help me sleep, and I would like to try gaba again, in a lower dose. Do you feel there could be harm in that? I've tried almost everything else, next up is glycine, another neurotransmitter inhibitor.
    We are not aware of any such side effects with this amino acid neurotransmitter or with theanine. It is difficult to know in your case what caused the symptoms.

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