Mental Health SSRI --> GABA (which one? pros? cons?)

[ksralyv2mch]

So currently I am on 20mg of citalopram (celexa) a day for depression and anxiety... It works for me but the side effects do agitate me a bit (my sex drive has been taking a hit and sensitive is DOWN) I took a quick month and half off my SSRI to do MDMA once (because the SSRI blocks it if it's in your system) and I did well when I was off it til I took the MDMA and it through me into a crazy manic depressive week!! So back on the Celexa I went...

So now I came across some "Theanine Serene with Relora w/ GABA" I did a little research on GABA and it seems promising but I keep finding warnings about not taking it with SSRIs, so I won't but I can't seem to find what the dangers would be, I assume Seretonin syndrome.. I was curious if anyone has made the switch from SSRIs to GABA or other "alternative" medicines. And/or if anyone has any experience or knowledge on this or where I can get a comprehensive (but for the laymen, hopefully) pros and cons idea. ANY HELP IS GLADLY APPRECIATED!!

One last question: I don't want to go talk to my Nurse Practitioner (who prescribes my citalopram) about this cause she basically is useless when it comes to anything related beyond medications. Should I go to my Gen. Physician to talk thoroughly about it? Is there some specific title for a DR or someone who I could try to locate around my area who would know better? Thank you.

DO NOT WORRY I WILL NOT MAKE ANY CHANGES TO MY MEDICATION WITHOUT CONSULTING A PROFESSIONAL FIRST I AM JUST LOOKING FOR INFORMATION SO I CAN GO TO WHOEVER NOT COMPLETELY IGNORANT

Theanine Serene w/ Relora w/GABA

• Magnesium - 300mg
• GABA - 500mg
• Taurine - 450mg
• Relora (extract from Magnolia officinalis bark and from phellodendron amurense bark; blend)
• Holy Basil Leaf Extract - 100mg

 

[Abject]

GABA does not cross the BBB.
You're wanting a prodrug to GABA such as Picamilon.

 

[Dresden]

If you want to increase your GABAergic system, just ask your doctor or nurse practitioner for a benzodiazepine such as Valium, Ativan, Restoril, or Xanax. They work by allosterically agonizing GABAergic transmission in the brain. The supplement you describe, on the other hand, appears to be pretty worthless. And for the truly hardcore, if you really want to play with your GABAergic system, try some GHB. It is GABA with a hydroxyl group in place of the amino one. Best of luck to you, sir.

 

[Vaya]

From a harm reduction standpoint, I would earnestly warn against seeking to toy with prescription GABAergic medications like the benzodiazepines. There's a veritable wealth of threads to be found around the a Recovery Section that extrapolate on why, but in brief, they are highly addictive in both the psychologically reinforcing and physical dependency senses; they represent one of a narrow margin of drugs whose withdrawals can precipitate fatality; withdrawing from them can last years; the drugs rapidly lose efficacy with repeated dosing in as little as two weeks; BZDs are known predictors of depression; chronic BZD use can cause permanent changes in cognition, mood and affect.

Picamilon is a much more appropriate suggestion, at least in my eyes!

~ Vaya

 

[Dysphoric]

If you want to increase your GABAergic system, just ask your doctor or nurse practitioner for a benzodiazepine such as Valium, Ativan, Restoril, or Xanax.

This is terrible advice. Bluelight is a Harm-reduction website. Benzodiazepines should never be used as a crutch and only used in rare emergency situations.