# Question about GABA, GABA-raising meds/supplements



## kintrovert (Oct 28, 2005)

I've come to the point where I'm realizing that my brain may need more GABA (or more GABA availability) for me to be more functional and less miserable. Thing is - I'm aware of the many downsides of using some GABA-related med or supplement. The dependency and withdrawal issues. The fact that many supplements (and meds?) only seem to work for a very short time before they leave you "high and dry" and drop you back to where you started, anxiety-wise.

For people who take anti-anxiety (GABA-boosting) supplements or meds - are there ways and "tricks" to deal with the poop-out and the tolerance issues? Have you had long-term success on any GABA-related supplement or med without experiencing too many of the "misfortunes" of these substances? I'm just afraid of being sucked into the cycle of horrible dependence, etc. Then there is the weight-gain - I've about had it up to here (reaches high above head) with drugs and weight-gain...

(I might need to post this in the med forum, as well...)


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## Formerly Artie (Jun 26, 2007)

I have yet to find a supplement that works well enough to boost or activate GABA in the brain to the point of satisfaction. Picamilon seems to have all the right elements to it, since it's basically GABA bonded to niacin for easy cross-over into the brain, but strangely, it doesn't seem to work at all for me. Maybe I just gotta take more of it. :stu

I guess you can look into Phenibut, since that was the only supplement that worked for me (for only a couple days though), but please be careful with the dosage. It's a horrible experience to go through if taken too much. It's actually a prescription drug in Russia, but not too well-known in the Western world. When it does work anxiolytically, it does so in a weird way; quite a bit differently than benzos do in fact.

As for weight-gain, that's fine by me. :lol


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## Broshious (Dec 23, 2006)

L-Glutamine is a precursor to Glutamate which is a precursor to GABA. So supplementing with that might help.


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## kintrovert (Oct 28, 2005)

Thanks for the suggestions, guys.  I wish I weren't in this situation of having to contemplate messing with GABA - but, I am. (At this point, I guess it doesn't do any good to wish that I weren't.)

Yeah I've contemplated Glutamine...I'm just concerned with starting that (or something else) and then experiencing, like - one week of relief before I come crashing back down into this hellhole again. These drugs/supplements seem to be the ultimate "cruel tease".



Formerly Artie said:


> I guess you can look into Phenibut, since that was the only supplement that worked for me (for only a couple days though),


I don't mean this in a negative way (I hope you see where I'm coming from) - but if I take a supplement, and the supplement only "works" for a couple of days...then I wouldn't give that supplement the credit of saying that it "worked". (For one thing, I'd be ticked off!) These things are "supposed" to work for much longer than two days...it's just too bad that these GABA substances are so unreliable. (And I know it must have been upsetting to you to have that happen...boy do I relate/empathize.)

But I see where you're coming from  - I'm glad you made the suggestion because...who knows...I could end up taking Phenibut and it could "work" longer (although I'm not liking my chances).

I'm a long ways from taking action, though - just mulling things over...


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## Broshious (Dec 23, 2006)

I found Gabapentin helpful. There were tolerance issues, but I was taking a lot of it. I think if one were to take it 3-5 days a week and perhaps taking a week off every now and again the tolerance could be worked around.


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## Formerly Artie (Jun 26, 2007)

kintrovert said:


> Formerly Artie said:
> 
> 
> > I guess you can look into Phenibut, since that was the only supplement that worked for me (for only a couple days though),
> ...


Yes, I do see where you're coming from. Based on the many testimonials I've read, some people speak very highly of Phenibut, and that's what made me want to try it. It definitely works when it DOES work, but for me it only worked a couple days or so. It's a very unpredictable supplement IMO. If you do decide to try it, you may want to cap it, since the powdered form of it tastes absolutely horrible. With any luck, it might work much longer than just a couple days.

Btw, and this goes for everybody too, don't overdose on Phenibut unless you think you can handle it. I had the worst experience of my entire life when I decided to do that.


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## Broshious (Dec 23, 2006)

Formerly Artie said:


> kintrovert said:
> 
> 
> > [quote="Formerly Artie":948fc]
> ...


Yes, I do see where you're coming from. Based on the many testimonials I've read, some people speak very highly of Phenibut, and that's what made me want to try it. It definitely works when it DOES work, but for me it only worked a couple days or so. It's a very unpredictable supplement IMO. If you do decide to try it, you may want to cap it, since the powdered form of it tastes absolutely horrible. With any luck, it might work much longer than just a couple days.

Btw, and this goes for everybody too, don't overdose on Phenibut unless you think you can handle it. I had the worst experience of my entire life when I decided to do that.[/quote:948fc]

I find Phenibut to be fairly reliable. The first few times are certainly special, but it still consistantly loosens me up and sedates me after that. On overdosing, I gave my friend 4g for her first time, as at that point in time I didn't think Phenibut was doing anything. She ended up going to the ER because she couldn't stop puking.


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## Overcome (Aug 11, 2007)

Is this an over the counter supplement I can buy anywhere? Could it be combined with Xanax for greater effect?


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## Formerly Artie (Jun 26, 2007)

bulknutrition.com is the best place to buy it. It's not sold in GNC-type shops. AFAIK, there's no negative conflicts when combining benzos (Xanax) with nootropics (Phenibut), but just take caution when using the latter.


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## X33 (Feb 13, 2005)

what do you feel after taking phenibut? How is it different from regular benzos?

There must be a way to work around the tolerance. 2 times / week phenibut is the number I remember having read sometime back. Now it won't cover all the days but it can help save those precious prescription pills. I am considering buying it.


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## Panic Prone (Mar 5, 2006)

i've been messing with gaba for a few years now. I started messing with it because of seizures then I realized there may be a relation with it with sa. Phenibut is by far the strongest legal substance that increases gaba. No other legal substance on the market does what phenibut can. There's big downsides to harsh substances though. phenibut develops a quick tolerance and I feel it does have side effects on memory if you take too much. picamilon comes in 2nd but it's not nearly as powerfull. It's affects the gaba-a receptors vs phenibuts abilities to hit the gaba-b receptors. High dosage of picamilon felt like cannabis to me. large sedation and everything was slow and i got tired. then their are the ok supplements. gaba, works with some not with others. I feel it does work and has the least side effects but not nearly as strong as the others. According to science it has no effects on actually raising gaba levels. Theanine can stimulate gaba release which is a good option. I just saw this product which i'm going to try. It looks like a solid list.

http://www.vitacost.com/Source-Naturals-Theanine-Serene


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## nonbeing (Nov 20, 2010)

Has anybody tried humble Magnesium sulphate, aka Epsom Salts, in the bath and let the powdery residue stay on your skin, where it gets absorbed. If you take it orally it can give you diarrhoea.

Epsom salts baths are much used to treat people with autism, who have genetically-disposed problems relating to the genes for GABA synthesis. Genes clumping and out of place, causing haywire in GABA which is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in our nervous systems, and intrinsically linked with memory.


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## nonbeing (Nov 20, 2010)

Can anybody here tell me if it would work to take GABA orally? I see it advertised on the internet, and wonder,


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## LALoner (Dec 3, 2008)

nonbeing said:


> Can anybody here tell me if it would work to take GABA orally? I see it advertised on the internet, and wonder,


The question here is whether it would pass through the blood-brain barrier. Sources conflict on this. But I've tried it and it did have an effect so it does something.


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## robertz (Feb 4, 2009)

LALoner said:


> The question here is whether it would pass through the blood-brain barrier. Sources conflict on this. But I've tried it and it did have an effect so it does something.


I got shortness of breath, not a funny thing at all. I think plain GABA is junk.


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## RockIt (Jan 8, 2011)

I'm bumping this older thread instead of creating one of my own. I would like to know what GABA can actually do and if it is right for someone to take if they had previously been on high dose benzos long term.


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## Pothedd (Jun 16, 2011)

GABA supplements appear to do very little.
After finding out it doesn't cross the blood-brain barrier, and my money was wasted, I took a bunch of them, along with some herbal sleep aide containing things like theanine, melatonin, and some other crap idk right now.
My heart raced.
Not sure what did it, but I was hoping to slow my heart rate with the GABA. Apparently it causes a racing heart though?

Does anyone know how to make my GABA cross the BBB?
Does it have to be bonded with the niacin to work? Or can you just take GABA and Niacin supplements together?


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## LittlePinkPanda (Jul 17, 2012)

Formerly Artie said:


> Yes, I do see where you're coming from. Based on the many testimonials I've read, some people speak very highly of Phenibut, and that's what made me want to try it. It definitely works when it DOES work, but for me it only worked a couple days or so. It's a very unpredictable supplement IMO. If you do decide to try it, you may want to cap it, since the powdered form of it tastes absolutely horrible. With any luck, it might work much longer than just a couple days.
> 
> Btw, and this goes for everybody too, don't overdose on Phenibut unless you think you can handle it. I had the worst experience of my entire life when I decided to do that.


Yeah, overdosing on Phenibut really sucks. You can actually die from it. I ended up in jail because 2 cops found me passed out in someone's driveway. So, yeah, that sucked.


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## LittlePinkPanda (Jul 17, 2012)

Oh yeah, and Phenibut makes me gain gnarly amounts of weight, even when riding a bike and not eating very much. But that's because I consume too much of it.


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## timtron (Jul 28, 2012)

GABA makes me mentally feel the same as Valium, calms me down but sort of makes me feel dark. Only 10% of gaba makes it through the digestive tract but that is enough to make it to the brain. The main drawback is its a potent fat burner and I'm so skinny already it massively raised my metabolism and I felt so hungry and hot all the time. Kept waking up through the night to eat. I chucked them all out after a few tries.

The best thing I've tried so far which only helps mildy is probiotics, apparently many gut bugs talk to the nervous system and particularly affect the gaba system. Its a mild but definately noticeable benefit. And consistent.

Man I need to put on weight Im gonna get me some phenibut!


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## eyeofthetiger (Oct 25, 2004)

First off theres different GABA receptors I believe. I think Benzodiapines work on GABAa and Phenibut on GABAb or vise versa.

Here are some of the GABAerics ive had success with

Valarien
Alcohol
Xanax
GHB
Gabapentin
Lyrica
Picamilon
Phenibut

If you havent fooled around with Phenibut order some from http://www.advancenootropics.com its cheap but i find you have to take 2+ gram to really get an effect. I find Picamilon works too but its so subtle you dont notice. I think it just helps me handle situations easier with less stress.

I have also tried noopept which is great and I want to try sulbutiamine as its supposed to help with shyness (wikipedia)


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## More Dopamine (Nov 16, 2012)

Looking into some of the supplements suggested by others is your best bet as I am certain that GABA supplements are a waste of time considering they don't cross the BBB.


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## mulder79 (Dec 12, 2012)

More Dopamine said:


> Looking into some of the supplements suggested by others is your best bet as I am certain that GABA supplements are a waste of time considering they don't cross the BBB.


try phenibut with l theanine, l lysine,glycine,inositol. medication wise baclofen is awsome and works well with theese supplements!


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## dismiss (Jul 26, 2012)

Picamilon can be added also. I recommend looking into herbal adaptogens as well. 
Phenibut loosens my tongue, & makes me sorta speedy, in that I can get a lot done on it. Though, I am super cautious to not take it often. I definitely feel a sort of crash if I take it for a few days then stop. It affects my mood negatively.
So, it may be a good idea to have a regimen prepared to compensate for that on an off day.


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## Nibbler (Nov 5, 2010)

So for someone who's never taken phenibut before can you tell me what to exspect?? I mean does it just chill you out? A bit like a "reefer" How noticeable is it??


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## mulder79 (Dec 12, 2012)

rosmarinic acid 2ml twice a day
l lysine 1000 mg a day or 12mg for each 2.2lbs of weight.
niacinamide+phenibut to make a stronger picamilon, plus l theanine, also valeric acid and passion flower.


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## cazmayov (Dec 2, 2012)

So many people try to alleviate the suffering caused by social anxiety
or other mental disorder by using meds or supplements... Anxiety can almost create a kind of hell given that there are so many people who take medications despite their
side-effects, which get worse and worse as the immune systems gets weaker
because of constant usage of medications. As a matter of fact I was in the same
situation 6 months ago! I don't even want to remember that period of my life.
I struggled with social anxiety for 5 years. I had no friends and my life was
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I tried desperately to find a cure for my mental disorder. After many failed
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By the way, you better give up medication or supplements as soon as you can! They have too many side-effects.

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And believe me, all those supplements or drugs won't help you. Yes, some of them don't have many side-effects. However studies have shown that they are useless to many people. Contrary to popular belief they are not effective on most people. Would you not rather use a revolutionary and unique method that works for everyone and can completely cure your mental disorder? Besides, it's far less expensive than drugs, therapies, supplements or whatever because once you learn how to cure your mental disorder you will not need any supplements or drugs. You will have this knowledge for the rest of your life. This method is the only natural and effective way to completely cure your mental disorder. It teaches you how to get in touch with your unconscious mind, which is better than any doctor. You only have to be open-minded.

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As a matter of fact, nobody posts here anymore.
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## ugh1979 (Aug 27, 2010)

Nibbler said:


> So for someone who's never taken phenibut before can you tell me what to exspect?? I mean does it just chill you out? A bit like a "reefer" How noticeable is it??


What other meds/drugs have you tried?

It's nothing like being stoned.

It isn't very noticeable to anyone else. I can take it and be around anyone, from colleagues, to family, to friends and none would know.

It is the most personally noticeable medication/supplement I've ever had. It's just on the borderline between medication and recreational drug.


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