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Gaba agonists- anyone tried them?

Lillybelle

Senior Member
Messages
110
Location
Australia
Hi @knackers323 I would highly recommend Baclofen. It's highly effective as a cns relaxant. Works on exactly the same dopamine receptors as alcohol without the damaging and gut poisoning effects of alcohol.
Relaxes right muscles gives some emotional relief if anxious or uptight.

Has a fantastically long history which means its efficacy stability is excellent and side effects very minimal. It's cheap as it's been off patent now for yrs. it's used extensively for people with muscle spasticity and related diseases in large doses very successfully.
It's also approved in France for alcohol withdrawal as it works on that exact area of the brain. Additionally it is completely non addictive. Gut tolerates it well also. In terms of sleepiness it's all a matter if slowly tot rating the drug. If you take too much too quick you'll feel very sick. Beginning with 5mg a couple of times a day and increasing to 10 mg two to three times a day depending on yr weight.
 

Lillybelle

Senior Member
Messages
110
Location
Australia
Men can eventually tolerate more than women. I think it took me about 1 month to tolerate 25 mg per day. I now take this in one dose late afternoon. I'm around 60 kgs.
 

knackers323

Senior Member
Messages
1,625
Hi @Lillybelle yes I get pretty good effects from baclofen I was just wondering if there is something that works on gaba that is less sedating. There prob isn't as gaba and sedation seem to go hand in hand.
 

Lillybelle

Senior Member
Messages
110
Location
Australia
@knackers323 can I ask how much you take how many times per day?
How long did it take you to get to that amount?
It can just be about getting that right dose for you. If you Google Baclofen forums their are realms of people discussing Baclofen and associated drugs/ to manage that sleepiness.

Thats why I only take my dose late afternoon.
 

knackers323

Senior Member
Messages
1,625
@knackers323 can I ask how much you take how many times per day?
How long did it take you to get to that amount?
It can just be about getting that right dose for you. If you Google Baclofen forums their are realms of people discussing Baclofen and associated drugs/ to manage that sleepiness.

Thats why I only take my dose late afternoon.

Hi I take 25mg once every two days at night. I started on that dose.
Are you aware of anything that raises dopamine like baclofen?
What symptoms does it help for you?
 

heapsreal

iherb 10% discount code OPA989,
Messages
10,089
Location
australia (brisbane)
Hi I take 25mg once every two days at night. I started on that dose.
Are you aware of anything that raises dopamine like baclofen?
What symptoms does it help for you?

I think it indirectly increases dopamine, but also dopamine has a few subsets like D1 and D2 etc.
Generally increasing dopamine should have a calm but energizing effect, but thats generalising.
Things like modafinil increase dopamine, but also noradrenaline and block adenosine and all this helps increase cognitive energy etc
 

knackers323

Senior Member
Messages
1,625
Hi heapsreal I am trying to determine why I am getting the effects I am. Is it due to the gaba modulation or the dopamine or hgh?

You ever tried anything else for gaba or dopamine?
 

heapsreal

iherb 10% discount code OPA989,
Messages
10,089
Location
australia (brisbane)
Hi heapsreal I am trying to determine why I am getting the effects I am. Is it due to the gaba modulation or the dopamine or hgh?

You ever tried anything else for gaba or dopamine?


What sort of effects are u getting from baclofen?

Just guessing, but could be working on other neurotransmitters also eg nmda antagonist etc
also another eg may be elevated prolactin could be causing fatigue, dopamine has a way of reducing prolactin. So it's really hard to know. I guess if it works for you keep going with it.

dopa macuna and acetyl tyrosine can help increase dopamine, but like everything your body adjusts to these things. I find them good to use on an as needs basis.
 

Lillybelle

Senior Member
Messages
110
Location
Australia
Hi I take 25mg once every two days at night. I started on that dose.
Are you aware of anything that raises dopamine like baclofen?
What symptoms does it help for you?
Hi Knackers 25mg to start would knock you flat on yr back to start. As I said you need to start slower and build over about 1 month. They are not like paracetamol. There are 2 difft types of GABA. Baclofen is GABA B not A and is completely the opposite to the modafinil. Modafinil is a central nervous system stimulant. Baclofen is a Cns relaxant. As I said works on exactly the same receptors in the brain as alcohol giving you a feeling of relaxation.

Too much too quickly just comatoses you. People can be a stupor for 24 hrs when taking too much. Just like a hangover. The key is to start with doses if around 5 mg to 10mg max in one dose. Then build up no greater than doubling the dose once a week. Week 1 to 2 go from 5 to 10 per dose. Week2 3 go from 10 20etc until you get symptom relief but not wipeout.

You can get them on prescription. Lots of docs prescribe for me/ cfs for muscle pain. In Aus they are on PBS so very cheap.
 

heapsreal

iherb 10% discount code OPA989,
Messages
10,089
Location
australia (brisbane)
@Knackers i think it was dr jay goldstein who had good success with baclofen for cfs. I dont think he was absolutely sure on how it helped though, just that it did. For me its more sedating but i guess anything that makes one feel good probably has potential that its stimulating dopamine, just like getting drunk they say increases dopamine??

For you maybe its hitting the dopamine receptors differently then others who get sedated by it. Some dopamine receptors can be either sedating or energizing, so it depends on how its hitting you i guess?
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,824
Too much too quickly just comatoses you. People can be a stupor for 24 hrs when taking too much. Just like a hangover. The key is to start with doses if around 5 mg to 10mg max in one dose. Then build up no greater than doubling the dose once a week. Week 1 to 2 go from 5 to 10 per dose. Week2 3 go from 10 20etc until you get symptom relief but not wipeout.

Are you sure baclofen is as potent as you suggest, Lillybelle?

I took 10 mg of baclofen on several occasions some months ago, and I barely felt a thing. I noticed no calming or relaxing effect at this dose level.

I did get the expression that this 10 mg baclofen lowered the inflammation feeling I get in my head, though, which was interesting; and I noticed that my muscles were a bit more relaxed; oh, and it seemed to worsen a condition I have called anhedonia; but nothing else apart from that.

It seemed to me that I might need to quadruple the dose before any calming effects kick in.
 
Last edited:
Messages
759
Location
Israel
I love the effect of baclosal but I find it highly addictive. If I take it just once, I get rebound insomnia the following day. There are threads dedicated to people addicted to it on Benzopine withdrawal forums. I just say this as a warning.

On the other hand, it gives me deeper sleep and is excellent if I need to be more active one day. I take it the night before, sleep well and then can do double what I would normally do.
 

Carl

Senior Member
Messages
362
Location
United Kingdom
I would like to know why you think that you need to increase GABA?

I find GABA is sedating and often makes me sleep which is not something I ever need.

A few ml of Glycine will increase my GABA levels which I suspect that of which I might have a genetically mediated low breakdown. I have not yet worked out what genes are involved because there close to 300 entries on the ABAT gene although a few are repeated entries in the data viewer. Does anyone know which rs number has the most effect on GABA levels? It might affect tendency to anxiety and stress which a herb I take eliminates, along with high cortisol levels, which is associated with kidney energy deficiency.

I am looking for the exact opposite, I want to either increase GABA breakdown or raise Glutamate. A GABA antagonist might work. However finding a GABA antagonist on search engines throws up all anxiety recommendations for raising GABA which is the opposite to what I am looking for.

ATM I am raising Glutamate which does have some effect providing that I get the levels correct. However the glutamic acid that I use has been reduced to only one seller now which makes it quite expensive. Therefore I am trying MSG to see if that can do a similar thing far more cheaply.