dude it dosent work all these people that say it works must only have slight anxiety not the type that a serious person has like scared in work or at school i used to be afraid to go to parties and think i might get in a fight or somethin but thats not social anxiety thats normal and i think these people who say gaba or these other supplements work just have normal anxiety like every person or very mild anxiety

Maybe this is why L-Theanine is more expensive than GABA ? At my preferred store it's 27 bucks for 90 capsules of 100mg L-theanine, and 17 bucks for GABA 500mg with B6 for 100 capsules.

Took like 12 pills and it had no effect on me..

GABA affects cortisol production in the body (At least. Can't remember just how at the moment and am too lazy to google it), so doesn't need to pass the blood/brain barrier to have an effect on the brain.
Woah, it can have a strong effect! Even at one dose of 250mg early in day, reliably it makes me sooo sleepy, sleep way too long later that night, and gives me unpleasant dreams.

First time posting here.

My background is in physiology, and I'm researching the published literature on transport mechanism of GABA through the blood-brain barrier, but here's my anecdotal experience with GABA supplementation.

First brand I bought (Solaray 500mg) worked very well for my husband and for me. Better sleep, less anxiety throughout the day. We both took one at night and one in the morning.

Ran out of that brand and bought another, accidentally. Exactly the opposite effect. Could NOT sleep, and serious anxiety, almost panic for several days (not the same days for each person) during the week we were both taking the other brand. Strange, but nutritional supplements aren't often tested or regulated for content or fillers.

Bought one other brand during that week. Can't recall exactly, but it was Pharma-GABA I think ... chewables. Didn't seem to do much one way or the other.

Both of us came up with the idea of the brand independently, so I went and purchased the Solaray again. Worked. Sleeping, less anxious. Both of us. It would be rather unusual to have a psychosomatic effect on two people, especially with sleep, which is less subjective than anxiety.

Because my husband has had a terrible experience with benzodiazepenes (clonazepam, specifically), including dependence and an increase in overall anxiety, I'm very interested in how GABA supplementation impacts long-term anxiety and receptor activity. I don't want a short-term solution to cause another long-term issue. I'll keep researching.

Any other science nerds out there have a line on published information?

If you want to stimulate your GABA receptors, try Phenibut. It CAN cross the blood/brain barrier thanks to the addition of a phenyl ring to GABA.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenibut

It reduces cortisol, but that doesn't mean it can pass the blood/brain barrier. The two have nothing to do with each other.

same... instead it gave me bad insomnia for about a week...

and I tried pharmaGABA (Thorne Research), the one that supposedly crosses the blood/brain barrier.

Yes it did not worked for me.

SPAM ALERT!!!

How the hell is one brand of GABA going to pass the BBB when others don't Mrs. Mybackgroundisinphysiology?

This works. I remember it made me zombie-like when I gave a speech over 6 months ago for a speech class. I forgot I had even taken it, so I know it wasn't placebo. I normally look like I'm on crack when I'm speaking to a group of people I don't know in any scenario. The Gaba relaxed me. I slept with my normal sleep schedule, and taking a Gaba was the only change to my regular diet. That was just one of many scenarios and I noticed a difference in mood from taking it.

I don't think a lot people understand that you're supposed to take this on an empty stomach. A lot of supplement labels instruct you to take the supplement with meals, but this one is an exception, where as you're instructed to take this before a meal.

I notice a huge difference when I take this first thing in the morning, as opposed to when I take it maybe a half hour after a meal.

I took 100mg of some pharma gaba today to help me relax and at I've been feeling a little on edge all day. I just took some magnesium so that I can ease up a bit and maybe get some sleep tonight.

I've been reading up on the supplement threads and decided to try some of them out to see if they helped at all.

This morning around 9am on an empty stomach I took one GABA lozenge (Source Naturals brand "GABA Calm") along with one Ashwagandha root gel pill (gaia brand). Later, throughout the day, I took two more GABA lozenges and one more ashwagandha pill (which is the recommended max for both of them). I still experienced voice shakiness when having to speak in multiple classes, when talking to administrators in my department, and when talking to cashiers.

At one meeting with my advisor, though, I felt like I communicated really well and was able to express myself the way I wanted. That was only like one hour out of the day, though...it'd be nice to make that feeling last longer (and kick in earlier). But I've heard that sometimes you need to take things for a period of time before they really kick in. At this point, I'm not sure, but I'm gonna continue the routine tomorrow.

Also, I bought the supplements at Sprout's. I was talking to a guy working at the supplements department there and he said that with any supplement you buy, if you aren't satisfied with how it works, you can get your money back (even beyond 30 days). That was really helpful, because this process of finding what works is definitely going to involve trying a lot of methods/brands, and end up being really pricey.

this only works as a placebo effect. Doesn't pass the blood brain barrier is doesn't pass the blood brain barrier. Simple as that.

I find GABA usless. It's no more than placebo in my opinion, as it doesn't redaly cross the BBB. That being said, maby some peoples BBB's are different than others. Everybody reacts differently to every substance. Nuerontin does what Gaba said it should do. But the price doesn't work for my budget. Phenibut is GABA with an addition of a phenyl ring, and it does cross the BBB and it actually does work. Much cheaper than nuerontin, (if you find the right source and proper potency), no prescription, just do some experimenting and find the right source. It is just GABA, tweaked so it can cross the BBB. (I feel like a spokesman of sorts for the praises of phenibut. It has helped so friggin much for me. I wish I found it sooner. But then again, what works for others also doesn't work for all. It works for me.)

My anxiety got to a point where I was unable to hardly function at all. I had intense panic attacks where I thought I was having a heart attack at some points. I'm going to school for dental hygiene and I would be so scared to take exams (even though I knew the material) that I would sometimes fail because of my shakiness and inability to think at that time. My instructors advised me to get help and get on Xanax or something but I didn't want to take such an addictive drug. My mom found GABA and after 2 weeks of taking it, it has completely transformed my life. I'm so much calmer and think so clearly now and get the best sleep I've ever had. No negative side effects at all. None the less I have finished almost at the top of my class when before I didn't think I even pass. I have talked half of the girls in my life into taking it and it has done very similar things for them as we'll I need to be the spokesperson for this stuff!

Gaba is a great supplement. I was about start SSRI's antidepressants, (pharma will kill you, is a big business). I wasn't able to sleep had anxiety and depression, especially before my period. So I tried GABA and literally saved my life. The doctor prescribed Prozac and Zoloft, (to mask the problem not to solve it) you can have very bad side effects and you will never be the same.

Try GABA supplement with taurine and L-theanine, those aminoacids will help to cross the blood brain barrier along with GABA, so, don't give up. There's hope. Also I am trying to get the 5 htp and Rhodiola. Rhodiola is one of the greatest herbs you can find them in supplements it will increase the GaBA naturally and will help you with many things, google it. Right now I am using Moringa,(Moringa is a great multivatimins good source of B's Vitamins, the brain needs it) Fish Oil, GABA with Theanine Serene & Relora, (you can buy it in Vitacost.com, they have the all the supplements (from Whole Foods) but with affordable prices. Try to exercise to and have people around to talk about your problems.

Now I felt better, I can sleep and I feel happy with hope and the future doesn't seem black like before. I have 2 beautiful girls to fight for..

Good luck...

How do you know? You say you take it with a load of other supplements - any one of which could be causing the effects.
Yes, it's a big business, so they'd hardly tolerate killing their best customers. But accepting that some people who take their products do die, so do some of the customers of small pharma, which produces these supplements.
But if you find small pharma products help you, that's great.

I just bought some GABA at a health food store. The owner compared GABA to a valium and that's why I bought it honestly. I have an interview tomorrow so I'm looking for anything to help me keep calm. I don't know too much about GABA. I hope to order some Stablon soon.

ive been taking picamilon, not sure it does too much at 300mg taken after dinner. drink alot of coffee at work so im crashing about then, but id say its less noticeable than drinking herbal tea