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Interesting Quetion here Regarding GABA (Neurotransmisster)

DjTaZZ

DjTaZZ

Bluelighter
Joined
Aug 27, 2005
Messages
153
Does anybody know of any methods or sufficient ways of increasing GABA in your brain naturally? Any supplements in particular? I leard L-Glutamine is good, but I mean if a person has low GABA levels in their brain, whats the best and safest way to increase them? Would Picimilone work like that? or just Regular GABA?

Any thoughts/suggestions on this one would be greatly appreciated.
 
Yes, just taking regular health-food store GABA (gamma-amino butyric acid) will increase brain GABA levels. Do a google search for good prices.
 
It will increase GABA in the brain, but it will NOT cross the BBB, blood brain barrier. There are some products that claim they do though so try searching.
 
How exactly did you know you have low levels of GABA in the brain? And where in the brain are those levels low?

Anxiety does not always = low levels of GABA.

Sorry if this sounds bitchy - I don't mean for it to sound that way. Its just that things are not a simple as that. Something that elevates GABA levels may cover up a problem, but not solve it.
 
Anxiety Panic attacks, are either I believe the result of low serotonin levels, or low GABA levels. I don't like taking Regular GABA because it almost makes me have a panic attack after I take it, my face gets numb and I get a shortness of breath. Is there any other alternative to increase GABA levels then by taking Regular GABA?

I also have a question, wouldn't a long term Benzodiazepine user have lowered GABA levels, so wouldn't you want to use a GABA supplement to raise those GABA levels?

I dunno.. just my understanding, correct me if I'm wrong.
 
Other members of this forum have a deeper understanding in Pharmacology than I, and I'm sure they can shed more light on the issue. However, here is a somewhat simplified picture:

Although GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter (which means nothing other than it turns it's target "off"), this does not imply that increasing GABA will lower anxiety, because it depends on which parts of the brain are being inhibited and which are not. It is also probably a combination of many neurotrasmitters in many different places, not just GABA. I personally think that the NMDA system is hugely overlooked with depression/anxiety in some people.

In any case, there is somehting that needs to be clarified: GABA is a neurotransmitter. It binds to specific receptor sites on some cells (called "GABA receptors" for that reason). Benzodiazepines as far as I know do not increase the ammount of GABA released per-se (and please correct me if I'm wrong), but they bind to some of the GABA receptors (and so they are called GABA agonists) and, in plain terms, help GABA do its work.

When the body gets used to the pressence of benzos, it lessens the production of GABA since benzos are always there to amplify its action and that had become the norm.

Following your line of thought, I would now agree that using supplements to raise GABA levels would be a good idea. I apologize for dismissing it in my first post.
 
Herbs like passion flower and skullcap attach to certain GABA receptors (mainly the barbiturate and benzo ones), maybe you should try these herbs out.
 
Doesn't St. Johns Wort increase GABA levels to a certain degree. I think it acts like a SSRI, but it does the same thing to GABA as it does to serotonin. Er something... They have a 20 page study that was done in Germany all about St. Johns wort... Search for it. I ain't got the time...

This would be one option... Or you could just eat right, exercise, and try to sleep 8 hours a night instead of taking drugs for anxiety... Just a thought... But if you want to be a lazy bastard with no self discipline, go use drugs for the rest of your life, we all know they solve all medical problems




Don't get me wrong here, I enjoy taking drugs for recreational purposes, but i think using something every day for a certain medical condition is horseshit (with the exception of schizo, and possibly bipolar, and a few others)... But anxiety can easily be cured with a healthy lifestyle
 
Motox786 said:
Don't get me wrong here, I enjoy taking drugs for recreational purposes, but i think using something every day for a certain medical condition is horseshit (with the exception of schizo, and possibly bipolar, and a few others)... But anxiety can easily be cured with a healthy lifestyle
Click to expand...

To a certain degree (in an "everything can be cured with a pill" line of thinking) I agree. But there are many conditions that people use medicines (every day) for that, in essence, cannot be helped in any other way. Many come to mind, but a good one (that everyone can understand) is using insulin in "brittle", type 1 diabetes. There's really nothing else that will help. So, the notion that "using something every day for certain medical conditions is horseshit" is...well...bullshit. ;)

I think I understand where you're coming from, though...some people think that there is a pill to cure everything...a lot of the time a medicine only treats the symptoms of a disease/disorder and does not eliminate the underlying cause...

"But anxiety can easily be cured with a healthy lifestyle."

Man, you should see my vitamin/supplement cabinet. It's more like a walk-in closet than a cabinet. I also do cardio/pulmonary 3-4 times/week (usually I'll cycle for approx. 15 miles, sometimes I'll swim 3 or 4 miles, or run 8-10 miles per session- it just depends on how I feel that day). I also do strength training 3 or 4 times/week. In addition, I've been doing T'ai C'hi for several years now & have taken Kung Fu (mantis style) and played soccer since I learned how to ride a bike (a long time- I'm 35 now). Right now I'm learning some yoga & I've been meditating for many years.
In spite of all of that, I still suffer from migraines (since my teens- most likely hereditary) & anxiety/panic attacks...go figure...:\
Of course, all of those things can help (people that suffer from anxiety) a lot, don't get me wrong. Even with Valium & Remeron on top of everything I just mentioned, I still have my moments... :(
So, it's not quite as easy as one might be led to believe...
 
ketogenic diet/calorie restriction

A ketogenic diet will increase the expression of GAD65 and 67 the rate limiting enzymes that produce gaba . The ketogenic diet is used for seizures and it works.

Calorie restriction does the same thing. Its all on pubmed.
 
DjTaZZ said:
NMDA system? Norepinephrine and Dopamine System?
Click to expand...

NMDA = N-methyl-D-aspartate (sp?). Ketamine is an NMDA antagonist. I found that sub-recreational doses (10-20mg) significantly improve my mood, raise my motivation and kills all my anxiety for a long time (at least a couple of days after a single dose). Of course, thats just me...
 
Re: ketogenic diet/calorie restriction

tcluna said:
...Calorie restriction does the same thing. Its all on pubmed.
Click to expand...

I've been doing calorie restriction for close to ten years now (for life extension purposes) and it doesn't seem to do anything for my anxiety...:(
I thought that it was primarily used as an adjunct to medication in people w/ epilepsy (but I could be wrong for the second time in my life ;)).
 
I know this is not "natural" but ii is true isnt it that Neurontin Gabapentin floods the barin wtih its OWN GABA, right ? I am on it 3 x /day 300mg and if I forget I took it and take it agin ( ie double dose ) I get either a slight panic attack ORRRRRRRR a state of X-like or crystal -like HIGH which lasts all day ( it happened last week in fact , itwas glorious too) but If I forget to take ANY neurontin for say 12 hours .. I get slight panic. extreme tiredness irritability slight sadness, pain , of course ( i take it FOR pain ) and am unable to hand write anything other than a drunken looking scrawl and have severe memory loss too ((yeah ok so i am basically addicted for NOW , no big deal, )
 
Nardil, MAOi antidepressant.

Effects of the antidepressant/antipanic drug phenelzine and its putative metabolite phenylethylidenehydrazine on extracellular gamma-aminobutyric acid levels in the striatum.

by

Parent MB, Master S, Kashlub S, Baker GB.
Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Biochem Pharmacol 2002 Jan 1;63(1):57-64

ABSTRACT
Phenelzine (PLZ) is a non-selective monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) commonly used to treat depression and panic disorder. As expected, PLZ increases brain levels of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. Interestingly, PLZ also elevates brain levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and previous studies have suggested that these increases may also contribute to the anxiolytic effects of PLZ. Using in vivo microdialysis in conscious, freely moving rats, combined with high performance liquid chromatography, the present experiments determined that PLZ (15 or 30 mg/kg, free base weight) increases extracellular levels of GABA in the caudate-putamen and nucleus accumbens. The results also indicated that phenylethylidenehydrazine (PEH; 29.6 mg/kg, free base weight), a putative intermediate metabolite of PLZ that is not an MAOI, also significantly increases extracellular GABA levels in the caudate-putamen. These findings provide further evidence that GABA may play an important role in the actions of PLZ and suggest that PEH should be pursued further as a GABAergic drug in its own right.
 
What are some tips/supplements for "upgrading" your GABA system, or allowing your GABA system to get back to normal? I just got scripted today for Xanax 0.5mg, 40 tabs with 3 refills, and I also got Cipralex 10mg, I don't want to become dependent on xanax at all so I'm only trying to use it when I need it, but I have constant generalized anxiety all day long with a tightness in my chest, and butterflies in my stomache, this all started when I stopped taking Paxil for 3-4 months. I can't even sleep at night without taking like 2 Zopiclones or GHB. And today, 0.5mg Xanax did nothing for me, I need to take 1.5mg Xanax for any relief, and I've NEVER taken a Xanax in my life before, only Ativan off an on, and clonazepam on a few recreational purposes, and Valium i've only tryed 1 10mg pill once, so as you can see I shouldn't have a tolerance for benzo's. Maybe it was my past GHB usage that allowed for a higher tolerance to benzo's?? I don't get it. I hope I will be ok, I just hope this Cipralex works, I start taking my first Cipralex 5mg pill tomorrow, and I hope it kicks in fast because I REALLY don't want to develop a physical dependence to any benzo's. I've been using Zopiclone to sleep for the past 3 nights.. I hope I will be ok.
 
It is most likely your past GHB usage that is causing this, as it affects the GABA receptors quite potently (as an agonist)...:\

Also, just had a thought...do you drink?
Alcohol also agonizes some (though not all) of the same GABA receptors as benzos, GHB, etc...just a thought...
 
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