4-Aminobutyric-acid usage (GABA)
- Thread starter chenhongxia
- Start date
abstract
Dagobah Resident
Yeah, that happened to me too. Actually one day i took some GABA, and right as I lit up a cigarette i started to get the tingling and
shortness of breath too. It probably means you are taking too much, either that or it's a side effect and some people might experience
it more than others. That's my guess.
G
Gertrudes
Guest
abstract said:
From what I researched on the net the first time I took GABA, shortness of breath and tingling seems to be a pretty common side effect of taking it. No one seems to know exactly why that happens though.
I used to have strong symptoms of shortness of breath,, but after having taking GABA for a few months now it has almost subsided. I don't really know why, but that's what happened.
G
Gertrudes
Guest
abstract said:
Yes, I think so.
Perhaps it is a way for my body to tell me that I no longer need it in the same quantity, I'm not sure. It does confuse me the fact that I seem to have become desensitized to GABA's side effects, the same way we become desensitized to food that it is just poisonous to us.
Maybe I am just mixing up 2 completely different concepts, becoming desensitized or adjusting to something.
gaman
Jedi Master
I've had the same shortness of breath with GABA for a while and then it went away. The shortness was more pronounced if I took it without having a meal first.
Taking GABA plus 5-HTP has helped me sleep a lot better, but really doesn't seem to have much effect on the depression/possible anxiety side of things.
I just checked the dosage that I'm taking (per the recommendation on the jar) and it is 1000mg twice daily! Maybe that is too much of the good thing.
I take 100mg 5-HTP at lunch and 300mg at bedtime, along with the 1000mg of GABA at bedtime and it does help my sleep. It doesn't seem to make me fall asleep real fast but whereas now it takes 30-40 minutes and I sleep mostly without waking up, before it was taking hours to sleep and I was constantly waking up (even with the CPAP).
I'm glad to see the dosages that others are taking because for some reason I never researched the dosage for GABA.
Taking GABA plus 5-HTP has helped me sleep a lot better, but really doesn't seem to have much effect on the depression/possible anxiety side of things.
I just checked the dosage that I'm taking (per the recommendation on the jar) and it is 1000mg twice daily! Maybe that is too much of the good thing.
I take 100mg 5-HTP at lunch and 300mg at bedtime, along with the 1000mg of GABA at bedtime and it does help my sleep. It doesn't seem to make me fall asleep real fast but whereas now it takes 30-40 minutes and I sleep mostly without waking up, before it was taking hours to sleep and I was constantly waking up (even with the CPAP).
I'm glad to see the dosages that others are taking because for some reason I never researched the dosage for GABA.
abstract
Dagobah Resident
Was that just for you specifically?
I've read of body builders (i'm not even sure if it's true, as this came from only one source) who take much more than that on a daily
basis to stimulate the release of human growth hormone, like 5 grams at a time. I wouldn't reccomend that amount for anyone but
it does seem interesting that it came up.
gaman
Jedi Master
abstract said:
Yes, that was just for me specifically based on what I've been able to observe. If it has helped with some of my depression symptoms I haven't been able to notice. But I do notice the calming effects and it seems to be that magic extra ingredient that helps me go to sleep somewhat quicker.
ScarletBegonias
Dagobah Resident
Hello everyone! My brother read in The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook (_http://www.amazon.com/Anxiety-Phobia-Workbook-Fourth/dp/1572244135/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1281570278&sr=8-1) that taking Gaba can help reduce anxiety. I tried his 750mg capsules, but found I was a little groggy upon waking in the morning. Since I get up at 4AM I appreciate being as alert as possible so I stopped taking them. I just read this entire thread and appreciate everyone's input! I have ordered 200mg capsules and look forward to trying out two per night, which is the dosage recommendation on the bottle. Hopefully this will be a good amount for me. I will keep you posted and thank you for keeping me posted! :D
Scarlet said:
What helps me for anxiety is L-theanine (SunTheanine) which is an amino acid found in green tea. After taking it I find it helps me to stay calm and alert without any negative side effects. Mostly what I take is 5-HTP but sometimes I'll take the L-theanine instead, especially in highly stressful situations and it really works! It comes in 100 to 200 mg dosages so it might be a good idea to always start with the lowest dosage first if you decide to take it. Best to research and test it first though. :)
ScarletBegonias
Dagobah Resident
Hello Kenlee and thank you for mentioning this to me! I have had problems with anxiety in the past and am always looking for natural ways to combat it. I will do some research on SunTheanine and maybe give it a try! Best wishes to you and thank you again for your thoughtfulness here! :)
ScarletBegonias
Dagobah Resident
Hello all, I just wanted to give you an update on my GABA usage. I started taking it about two weeks ago and believe I had a drug interaction problem the first night. I tried 400mg about an hour before bed, as the directions stated, but I also took 1000mg of Valerian Root, 500mg of Naproxen (a doctor's prescription for arthritis), and 100mg of 5-HTP at the same time. 
Within a half an hour I became very congested and when I closed my eyes I could see vivid images as if I were dreaming. I did not feel well at all and I woke up feeling drained. I am not sure which drug(s) interacted with the GABA to cause this interaction, but I do not suspect it was the 5-HTP because they are sold together in some supplements (_http://www.amazon.com/L-Theanine-Calm-Plex-Suntheanine-medium-capsules/dp/B0002HS7SI). I think it might have been the Valerian Root/GABA combination, but there is NO way I am testing it out to see!
I took 200mg of GABA by itself the next night and did not notice any of these problems. Instead, I slept very well throughout the night and when I woke up it was easy to fall back asleep again. I still wake up about 3-4 times every night. Sometimes I wake up to urinate, but most times I do not know why. I continued 200mg of GABA the next few nights, but felt my body was becoming desensitized to it. For the past week or so I have been taking 400mg about an hour before bed and I have been sleeping very well! I also do not feel groggy in the morning like I did when I took the 750mg pill that my brother had given me. Well, I am doing some research to hopefully find out why I always wake up several times a night, but until I can get to the bottom of this I am going to continue using GABA. My friend's father is a homeopathic doctor and he approves of me taking it regularly and so long as I don't mix it with other drugs I feel pretty safe about consuming it. Also, on a side note, I stopped taking Valerian Root for now. Valerian helped me to fall asleep, but not to go back to sleep when I would wake up in the middle of the night. GABA helps me with both so I've replaced the Valerian with GABA..:)
Within a half an hour I became very congested and when I closed my eyes I could see vivid images as if I were dreaming. I did not feel well at all and I woke up feeling drained. I am not sure which drug(s) interacted with the GABA to cause this interaction, but I do not suspect it was the 5-HTP because they are sold together in some supplements (_http://www.amazon.com/L-Theanine-Calm-Plex-Suntheanine-medium-capsules/dp/B0002HS7SI). I think it might have been the Valerian Root/GABA combination, but there is NO way I am testing it out to see! I took 200mg of GABA by itself the next night and did not notice any of these problems. Instead, I slept very well throughout the night and when I woke up it was easy to fall back asleep again. I still wake up about 3-4 times every night. Sometimes I wake up to urinate, but most times I do not know why. I continued 200mg of GABA the next few nights, but felt my body was becoming desensitized to it. For the past week or so I have been taking 400mg about an hour before bed and I have been sleeping very well! I also do not feel groggy in the morning like I did when I took the 750mg pill that my brother had given me. Well, I am doing some research to hopefully find out why I always wake up several times a night, but until I can get to the bottom of this I am going to continue using GABA. My friend's father is a homeopathic doctor and he approves of me taking it regularly and so long as I don't mix it with other drugs I feel pretty safe about consuming it. Also, on a side note, I stopped taking Valerian Root for now. Valerian helped me to fall asleep, but not to go back to sleep when I would wake up in the middle of the night. GABA helps me with both so I've replaced the Valerian with GABA..:)
Scarlet said:
I don't know what is behind the cause of you waking up several times a night, but a couple of additional things you could experiment with, if you haven't already, is melatonin and magnesium malate. Melatonin is produced by the pineal gland and is basically what makes us sleepy (its a good anti-oxidant too). Less melatonin is produced as we age, but electromagnetic pollution also hardens the gland, which in turn decreases melatonin production. If you're not familiar with it there's tons of stuff on the forum. You just want to be careful with it cause too much will make you groggy.
I was also pretty amazed when I first started taking 5-HTP, and then I was astounded when I added in magnesium malate. It may just be that my body was sorely lacking in magnesium, but the malate, more so than any other form of magnesium, seems to provide a really restful sleep.
My night time supplements include 3 mg meletonin, 200 mg 5-HTP, 5,000 mg Magnesium Malate, 750 mg GABA, 100 mg B6. I also have recently begun taking adrenal support supplements, which I'm hoping will help with my fatigue (which has improved drastically since doing the diet) and hectic sleeping patterns. Getting to bed early is one heck of a routine for me to adjust to, but I feel like a different person when I do.
Scarlet said:Hello all, I just wanted to give you an update on my GABA usage. I started taking it about two weeks ago and believe I had a drug interaction problem the first night. I tried 400mg about an hour before bed, as the directions stated, but I also took 1000mg of Valerian Root, 500mg of Naproxen (a doctor's prescription for arthritis), and 100mg of 5-HTP at the same time.
Naproxen is evil. One of those anti-inflammatory drugs like motrin that kill your liver. I used to take it years ago when I had a deviated septum operation, really upset my stomach. I hope you don't have to take it daily long-term. I'm noticing the Ulta Simple Diet is helping my joint pains. Do you have a FIR sauna blanket? That could help arthritus also. You may want to seek out natural cures and perhaps be able to cut out the prescription drugs or cut down.
But yikes, sure sounds like an interaction reaction to me!
brainwave
Jedi Master
It's not a good idea at all to mix the valerian root with GABA. It is believed to act as an agonist for GABA receptors, so actually taking it with GABA gives you a double whammy. It's like a milder form of taking alcohol with a benzodiazepine or barbituate, all of which act on GABA receptors. The latter with alcohol is an especially dangerous mixture. Good thing ya didn't have a drink too :). On the other hand, GABA and 5-HTP together are ok as they have different modes of action.
brainwave
brainwave