The Blood/Brain Barrier

(Copied over from old review system)

Posted by radiohead

Social Anxiety Background
I've suffered from GAD/SA for approximately 5 or so years now. I have general anxiety/depression, and also pretty severe social anxiety that prevents me from doing every day things. When around strangers or even people I know most of the time: nervousness, shaky/restlessness, increased heart rate and blood pressure, trouble saying what I mean/think, difficulty maintaining eye contact and basically destroying my chances at a real relationship.

Other Treatments
I have tried many different medicines, as well as some counseling(group and individual). I took Zoloft and Lexapro before, they didn't do much for me. I also did Lamictal(Lamitrogine) 200mg for awhile and had some very positive results with little side effects. I plan on maybe going back on Lamictal. Currently I just take 5-HTP and L-Tyrosine(as well as vitamins).

Treatment Experience
GABA is a very important neurotransmitter in our body. The supplements available at stores that are believed to be GABA have the active ingredient Gamma-aminobutyric acid. I have to go with the research that questions whether or not this supplement actually crosses over the blood/brain barrier.

I've taken 750mg, 1500mg, and so on multiple times in trying to gain relief with this supplement. I believe every time I did there was absolutely no effect, if not some slight placebo effect. Compared to many other supplements I have to agree with the science and say this one is kind of a waste of money and has little benefit, if any.

As for treating GABA receptors, there are many great ways to do this. I think your best bet to increase your GABA system is to get a doctor/psych appointment and go on a prescription medicine like Lamictal or Neurontin. I've had success with Lamictal before.​

 

I gotta say, this GABA supplement is working better than I could have expected. It's not as good as a benzo, but it is working for me. It took about two weeks of taking a 500mg pill four times a day before I started to notice the effects. Now, I definitely feel calmer and more sociable. I'd say the only negative aspect of it is that usually twice a day I feel high. It's not a bad feeling by any means, but I've never gotten any kind of high off a benzo.

 

Doesn't that come in a B-complex too? I guess its not high enough in a complex and you probably have to take it by itself. I used to take B complexes and I did feel calmer. Maybe I will try Gaba.

 

Yeah the GABA pills that I have do have 2mg of vitamin B6.

 

I have tried 2 brands of GABA 500mg pills . They both helps lower SA for a few days and then the effects waned . I upped my does to 2 pills(1000mg total) at a time but got not effects to aid SA. I am now trying a "amino complete" 2 capsules with 1 gaba pill . I have increased my exercise by bike commuting . These together are making a big change in lowering my SA .

 

As a pharmacist I know that in theory this stuff shouldn't cross the blood brain barrier and have an effect. But from my personal experience, it DEFINATELY does something after I take it. I feel more calm and relaxed.

 

As a pharmacist I know that in theory this stuff shouldn't cross the blood brain barrier and have an effect. But from my personal experience, it DEFINATELY does something after I take it. I feel more calm and relaxed.

As a non pharmacist I feel the same things without the smart stuff.

 

Useless. :blank

 

Without gamma-aminobutyric acid, your muscles would be constantly tense, your mind would never stop racing, and your overall ability to function would be severely impaired. Gaba supplements can be taken to increase this valuable resource in your body.

 

GABA sounds like one of those things that works for some and not for others. I haven't tried it yet though so it's next on my list.

 

Has anyone tried both GABA and pharma-GABA? If so did you find any difference between them?

 

Been taking this for roughly a week. Been working for me. Same feeling as benzo but not as intense. Doesn't last as long either, but it does seem that some days lately I can wake up and take nothing at all and be fine.

 

Are there any side effects of long term use? Also, have you felt the need to increase your dose over time?

 

About gaba,gaba the simple amino acid CANNOT cross the blood brain barrier/Howerever there are a number of supplments that do.

PIcamilion uses nician as a carrier,its a nutrient and does cross the brain with gaba.

L theanine cross the brain and is said to raise both gaba and dopamine

L phenibut is a gaba raising supplement

And kava kava crosses the brain and effects gaba

Please dont waste money on expensive gaba,it cant do anything

 

Gaba is safe, i will try anything before start on ssris.

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...

 

About Gaba

Gaba the amini acid sold in stores DOES NOT CROSS THE BLOOD BRAIN BARRIER, so please dont wate your money as its also expensive.

Some supplments to do,are

Picamilion - a supplment that attacthes to nicacin as its carrier and does cross the BRAIN and raises gaba.

L Theanine - Also crosses the brain and is said to raise both gaba and dopamine

Phenibut - Is a potent supplement thats raises gaba

Kava kava - among othr things raises gaba

Taurine - doesent raise gaba,but taurine itself like gaba are both inhibtory calming brain chemicals.

 

L Theanine - Also crosses the brain and is said to raise both gaba and dopamine

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.

 

After taking these for 2 weeks I decided to stop because if leaves you in a daze for most of the day. Typical SA symptoms returned after stopping but I would rather have my wits about me and deal with the SA using other means then be a zombie all day.

I would say this stuff is good for just trying to relax around the house, not function in the "outside world"

 

When I take my klonipin it drastically increases the effects I get from GABA. I can't see why this would happen if the GABA wasn't crossing the blood brain barrier. There's something to it, plus I wake up with less tension when I take it before bed.

 

Isn't gaba a substance that can't pass the blood brain barrier. so basically consuming it is useless?

 

I Just started taking Gaba for Anxiety and so far it makes me feel like I am light headed & speeding. I have not slept for the last 4 nights. Wake up feeling anxious and wide awake. Has any one else experienced this? How long do you have to take it before it starts working?

 

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

 

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

 

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.

 

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.

 

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

 

Works for me and my husband, but the effect depends on the brand

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?

 

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?

SPAM ALERT!!!

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

 

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

 

Yes it did not worked for me.

 

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.