Effectively increasing GABA production.

[MatthewD]

EDIT: Shit, this is probably in the completely wrong section... I'm terribly sorry, it's late

Hi, I've been researching this for a couple hours and I'm not sure what to make of the idea. There's a lot of contradictions, but I'll explain what I have read and what ideally I'd hope to find out.

GABA, being gamma-Aminobutyric acid, seemingly has a huge amount to do with preventing a lot unwanted emotional and physical states, by providing Anti-Anxiety and Anti-Seizure properties. I'll just sound stupid if I try to get more technical, but I'm willing to be that no one benefits from a deficiency in it. I believe that Benzo's are through to work on the GABA receptors, along with GHB and Alcohol. There's clearly a trend to back the theory anyway.

I was looking into supplements to increase the amount of GABA in the brain and I have come across a few things, but I'm pretty skeptical on the effectiveness and value for someone with an already healthy diet. Since I'm so naive, please lecture me if possible, I'd love to know in detail.

The first supplement I read about, was GABA itself, in a powdered form. I extensively researched this, and it was apparently a waste of time, with some people claiming it does work if you take mega-doses. It's thought to have a very hard time crossing the Blood Brain Barrier. I then read about an amino acid in Green Tea, L-Theanine, which some sites say influences GABA levels directly , but I also read that it may just work on the same receptors and have its own set of functions. Either way, it seems to be a pretty harmless and worthy supplement. Then I decided to look up the precursors, so that my body could hopefully produce more than enough at any time, thinking that it would HOPEFULLY have mild-moderate anti-anxiety effect. I read that L-Glutamic Acid, through decarboxylase using Vitamin B6, produced GABA.

So is it worth finding, buying and taking a L-Glutamic Acid supplement, along with Vitamin B6 and foods rich in it. I have heard an experienced person on this forum say that unless you are severely malnourished, you already get more than enough of the amino acid for the synthesis, making B6 supplementing the more important of the two.

As well as what I mentioned, are there any other ways to naturally (or pseudo-naturally) increase GABA production and GABA levels?

 

[Mugz]

I think that this might get more responses in Other Drugs so will shift it there for you.

 

[belfort]

Phenibut seems to very effectively raise GABA levels and it is legal for now but some claim its addictive and withdrawals are harsh..it does work very well though, almost right on par with benzos imo..

 

[effie]

^ it certainly is possible to become physically dependent on it, and the WDs are unpleasant, plus tolerance builds quickly..

 

[dcraver877]

I took a product with phenibut in it for a while (recommended by my doctor). I tried to not use it more than 3 times a week but that soon (1-2 months) became nearly impossible due to the rebound anxiety plus symptoms from a chronic illness I have. It seems like it took months for my body to adjust to not having it. Seems strange that a lot of medical professionals think its relatively benign, when in reality, it is a serious drug with long-term effects (+ & -)

 

[sekio]

GABA is not something that you can just make more of by taking supplements. If you are seriously interested in increasing brain GABA levels then you need to look into inhibitors of the enzymes that metabolize GABA. Valproic acid is a common one that is used for seizure control.

Your brain and body have built-in feedback mecahnisms that regulate neurotransmitter levels - this explains why L-DOPA and 5-HTP are essentially inactive in healthy individuals. The same mechanisms also work for GABA. L-glutamic acid and vit B6 are good for you nonetheless, but taking excessive amounts of them will not increase GABA production. If amino acids were converted to their active neurotransmitters, we would see far more instances of the MSG in Chinese food causing memory loss and blackouts, 5-HTP supplements would be effective replacements for MDMA, and L-DOPA would cause psychosis... This is obviously not the case.

Neurotransmitters are not produced based on the level of precursors present. They are produced for effective signalling levels to be sustained. If there is a shortage of neurotransmitters, you have to alter the feedback loop that controls the levels (blocking enzymes that break the n.t. down, or increasing release), not add more feedstock.

 

[Oxide]

Like sekio said, it doesn't work that way.

Pretty much for the same reason, as you seem to understand, that GABA is more or less inactive.

You won't be able to substitute the effect of alcohol, benzodiazepines, or anything like that simply by increasing amino acid levels and 'encouraging' the conversion, because your body only uses what it needs when it needs it.

You might feel better with the supplements though, they're good for you still. ;p


EDIT: Phenibut, mmm.

 

[Addyman]

From what I've understood while researching nutrition, medicine, pharmacology, etc. extensively

Most of the things that increase any neurotransmitter or hormone don't really increase it if it doesn't have re-uptake or releasing properties...

Example:
Zinc is needed for the production of testosterone
Give 100% of the daily value of Zinc to someone previously suffering from malnutrition
Their testosterone levels will increase to the normal level
Give them 500% of the daily value of Zinc
Their testosterone levels will still only be at the normal level

Get it?

 

[Pegasus]

Work on improving your life overall; let your body worry about the levels of neurotransmitters IMO. Prodding around your brain is not the wisest way to fix the problem. Your body is a master of adaptation and will adapt to whatever circumstances you subject it to. Improve the circumstances and your body will respond in a positive way.

FTR, our understanding of neurotransmitters and the brain is still pretty primitive. Your body, by contrast, has a pretty good understanding of it all.

 

[TheHedonist99]

GABA is not something that you can just make more of by taking supplements. If you are seriously interested in increasing brain GABA levels then you need to look into inhibitors of the enzymes that metabolize GABA. Valproic acid is a common one that is used for seizure control.

Your brain and body have built-in feedback mecahnisms that regulate neurotransmitter levels - this explains why L-DOPA and 5-HTP are essentially inactive in healthy individuals. The same mechanisms also work for GABA. L-glutamic acid and vit B6 are good for you nonetheless, but taking excessive amounts of them will not increase GABA production. If amino acids were converted to their active neurotransmitters, we would see far more instances of the MSG in Chinese food causing memory loss and blackouts, 5-HTP supplements would be effective replacements for MDMA, and L-DOPA would cause psychosis... This is obviously not the case.

Neurotransmitters are not produced based on the level of precursors present. They are produced for effective signalling levels to be sustained. If there is a shortage of neurotransmitters, you have to alter the feedback loop that controls the levels (blocking enzymes that break the n.t. down, or increasing release), not add more feedstock.

Im very interested about all this homeostasis shit, and after hours upon hours of research including reading psychopharmacology textbooks for university, I though there was no true way to alter a system in homeostasis without either blocking the receptors or preventing reuptake, and all the meds which do that have MANY side effects which I don't particularly want. You said at the very end that to increase a neurotransmitter level you need to either increase natural release or block enzymes that break the neurotransmitter down (and, I presume, stimulate enzymes that break a naturally occurring precursor down into the desired neurotransmitter). Let's say for serotonin, does anything do either, as if so surely it would be on the market as an antidepressant?