• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

GABA and its affects

freshveggies

Senior Member
Messages
196
HI, I have been using gaba to calm the glutamates. Can I get too much at night and it backfires?

2 different reactions---I can take one capsule it at 7:30 and I sometimes feel dowsly or no affects.

other time is if I take it right when I hit the pillow, it seems to wake be up and my heart seems to race. I can't seem to pin it to anything else I am taking.

Any ideas?
 

kurt

Senior Member
Messages
1,186
Location
USA
The simple answer is yes, glutamate can be either too high or too low due to GABA levels, and both situations cause problems.

I tried taking GABA for awhile about 10 years ago when I was having major sleeping problems (and trying to get off benzodiazapine). I found it helped for awhile but then did not, I think the broken regulation mechanisms of CFS make taking something like GABA a bit unpredictable.

There are other ways to calm the gluamates that won't run the risk of taking levels too low, have you considered those? Sometimes I just take a magnesium tablet (I prefer chloride form), and that helps. Or taking trace minerals (liquid form) with magnesium. Or taking calcium. I also find that blue green algae helps with the glutamate symptoms, although I don't know the precise mechanism, why that works. Or you could just try lower doses of GABA.
 

freshveggies

Senior Member
Messages
196
Thank you. I think I will stick to one in the evening. I just can't get to sleep and was hoping that would work. It is just not enough and then it backfired.
I take some mag. I am just adding mag glycinate back in.
 

Sparrow

Senior Member
Messages
691
Location
Canada
I think it's possible. Many of the supplements and medications that affect brain chemicals can have a "rebound" effect when they run out. You can also trigger a rebound effect from some substances by taking too MUCH of them at one time, because the body shuts down production of its own supplies to compensate for the excess. So it could be that it's wearing off before you wake up and your body wants more, or it could be that two doses relatively close together is too much for your system (assuming that's 7:30pm, not am).

...Or it could be something totally different, or just a new phase of your illness. I know I've had symptoms like that appear seemingly out of nowhere. I also have that morning thing, but it's been assumed that it's connected to my elevated am cortisol. You're making me think that might be worth a second look, just in case...

If the morning issues are bothering you enough, it might be worth coming off of it for a while to see if that symptom goes away. At least that way if it isn't the cause you can keep looking elsewhere. Be warned, though, that you might have some extra anxiety or be a bit extra wired for some days after stopping the GABA, while your system readjusts.
 

Sparrow

Senior Member
Messages
691
Location
Canada
As a side note, I don't know what your feelings are on melatonin use, but if you're open to it, it might be worth giving a try to the Douglas Labs 3mg sublingual melatonin for getting to sleep. I tried a pile of things, but that's the only thing (and only that brand, and that particular pill) that really puts me out reliably. If you're willing to try it, it would be worth a try even if no other melatonin has helped at all. That was the case for me. And I have heard from others who had the same experience, where most melatonin did little or nothing for them, but this pill worked like a charm. Not sure what the difference is. Maybe less "extra stuff" or it generates less saliva than the candy-like kinds so it dissolves slightly more slowly? It's a teeny tiny little pill. But whatever it is, it works great. Really great.

I feel like I should be getting paid for the number of times I end up saying that here! :) But it's one of the few products that's made a clear impact for me, and that I can sincerely say was head and shoulders above the others, so it makes me want to share it. There are few enough of those.
 

freshveggies

Senior Member
Messages
196
Thank you Sparrow I have tried many melatonin brands with no luck. I am putting that on my list asap. How soon before bed do you take it. I like to be asleep by 9:30. I practically haven't slept in weeks.
 

Sparrow

Senior Member
Messages
691
Location
Canada
I take passion flower and lemon balm about an hour or so before bed, then melatonin around 15-20 minutes before I want to be asleep. I can feel the wave of fatigue hit me a bit after taking it, and that's my cue to get into bed and turn out the light. I've found that if I wait too long with the lights on, I seem to lose a bit of the effect (which makes sense, I guess, since light counteracts melatonin). It still puts me out just fine if I delay, but if I get to bed when the wave is still hitting me strongly, it's like a brick to the head (a sleepy, cozy, peaceful brick, made of dreams :)).

May not work for everybody (we're definitely all different in some ways), but it's been great for me and some others. As a side note, if you want the one I'm recommending, make sure it's the 3mg and the sublingual (they make a non-sublingual too). I've tried the 1mg from the same manufacturer and it was not nearly as effective for me, even accounting for the difference in melatonin amount. It was a much larger pill, and three of them together didn't do half of what my little pill does. There's something magic about that one. ;)
 

freshveggies

Senior Member
Messages
196
Thanks for the suggestions. That would be wonderful to feel like a brick and be out. I so need that. I found the 3mg sublingual.
 

Sparrow

Senior Member
Messages
691
Location
Canada
I love the brick to the head. I can't tell you how happy I was the first time I took it. It will break my heart if it ever stops working for me or they change the formulation.

I hope you're one of the ones who responds well to it! Wishing you quick sleep!