gaba vs tryptophan palpitation, sleep

[kisekishiawase]

Hello.
please help me choose between gaba or tryptophan.

my main concern is the possibility side effect of palpitation since im super sensitive
for sleeping i need something to make me drowsy/knock me off not just for relaxing cause when
i meditate i dont feel drowsy im only doozing/floating off a little while but then still awake also i need
a deep sleep.
some downsides i consider among those 2 are:

tryptophan:
i read some people experience palpitation from tryptophan.
its reputation for being linked to bad side effect such as ems, etc
and/or contamination.
it effects serotonin which some people are sensitive too.

gaba:
I read it doesnt cross blood brain barrier. Though there are other type which supposed to do so such as pharmagaba.
seems it only helps to relax but not to feel drowsy so i supposed tryptophan is stronger?
i already have valerian, taurine, chamomile which supposed to have similiar effect with gaba too?

i need inputs which one seems better for me and
if you have experience palpitation from gaba/tryptophan?
Also about gaba that supposed to be able to cross blood brain barrier such as pharmagaba is it really great?

id be greatly appreciate your reply.
thank you.

 

[Marco]

Hi there

If you're very sensitive to meds you could try something mild like chamomile tea to boost GABA before bedtime.

I find it makes me a little drowsy even during the day.

 

[perchance dreamer]

I haven't tried tryptophan in a long time, but when I did, it had an negative effect on my sleep. However, so many people seem to do great with it.

I seem to get great benefit from food sources of tryptophan, turkey and sweet potatoes. Both those foods make me so sleepy, and I always get a better night's sleep if I have one or both of them.

I've read that turkey has no more tryptophan than chicken, but chicken doesn't help my sleep at all.

Tryptophan helps sleep by converting to serotonin, I think. It might be that I can't do that conversion from supplements, only from foods.

Gaba can be very helpful for sleep. One good brand is PharmaGaba:

http://www.amazon.com/Thorne-Resear...TF8&qid=1419181971&sr=1-2&keywords=pharmagaba

Another effective type of gaba is phenibut. However, it works on both Gaba-A and Gaba-B, so it's best not to use it every night. I like this brand although it can be hard to find. One cap does it for me:

https://www.neurogistics.com/Produc...Pg=10&_category=Product&_filterField=Category

Something I've been doing lately that really helps my sleep is strong epsom salt baths. Instead of the recommended 1-2 cups, I use 3 cups and soak for 15 minutes.

I don't like baths and don't find my bathtub very comfortable, but it helps so much with sleep that it's worth it. Epsom salts are cheap and worth trying.

 

[kisekishiawase]

@Marco
I already tried chamomile tea but doesnt help i heard smoking it is better so i thought aromatherapy but not sure it works.

@perchance dreamer I couldnt eat sweet potato n turkey due to food sensitivity also i read tryptophan from food isnt that enough to help with insomnia?
Pharmagaba is the same as other gaba supplement isnt it?

 

[perchance dreamer]

For whatever reason, the turkey and sweet potatoes do help me with insomnia. It's too bad you are sensitive to them. However, I think my reaction might be unusual because I don't read about other people benefiting from these foods.

Pharmagaba is a different form from the other gaba supplement I mentioned, Phenibut. If you want to try gaba, I'd recommend trying Pharmagaba first, and if that doesn't help, trying Phenibut.

Do consider the epsom salts, though. It's easy, cheap, and safe.

 

[minkeygirl]

Why choose? Try them both? If you have things to alternate between you have less problems with tolerance. Everything is individual. You can't judge what will happen to you because it happened to someone else.

It's all trial and error.

 

[kisekishiawase]

@perchance dreamer
Unfortunately i already tried epsom salt i thought it helps with muscle cramp, ache and magnesium but no.
I read about pharmagaba phenibut and seems theres other gaba supplement types too. There are positive sayings about it and a few negative. Need to read more. Seems promising.
Nevertheless I wonder if taurine, chamomile and valerian could help with gaba. I read about its connection to HGH too but still needs more research/confirmation.
@minkeygirl Yes ive realized it but unfortunately buying supplement isnt easy to me. The shipping is quite pricy and tax so i need to buy 2-3 things at once cant only 1 or 2 but i need to decide which are really useful. usually i buy once in a couple of months if im out of stock.
I already bought supplements that i only use once/even havent tried yet due to my sensitivity and i need to postpone till not sure when. Its such a waste and its not cheap for me.
I should have tried one thing at once for some weeks and see how it goes but since my condition drops low/worse recently i have to be extra more caution than i already have before so its hard. Thats why i still feel the need for inputs.
From here i just found out gaba cant cross blood brain barrier and there are other types such as phenibut pharmagaba that supposed to be able to do so. But there are a few who negative about it.

 

[minkeygirl]

What I said still stands. you can't judge how you will react to something based on someone else's experience. Gaba never worked for me and tryptophan gave me a huge headache.

Have you thought of antihistamines? You might be able to get them OTC. Also. PLEASE put paragraphs in your posts. I couldn't even find my tag in your post let alone read more than one line.

 

[SickOfSickness]

I didn't notice palpitation with either.

GABA crosses my leaky BBB because I get a strong and quick effect. A lot of us have leaky BBBs.

You can also try L-theanine, skullcap, passionflower, or the ones you mentioned. Magnesium helps me fall asleep too.

 

[HatcQ]

I haven't tried tryptophan in a long time, but when I did, it had an negative effect on my sleep. However, so many people seem to do great with it.

I seem to get great benefit from food sources of tryptophan, turkey and sweet potatoes. Both those foods make me so sleepy, and I always get a better night's sleep if I have one or both of them.

I've read that turkey has no more tryptophan than chicken, but chicken doesn't help my sleep at all.

Tryptophan helps sleep by converting to serotonin, I think. It might be that I can't do that conversion from supplements, only from foods.

Your experience with tryptphan and sleep is in line with the gist of study evidence about it that shows taking tryptophan supplements isn't veryeffective in remedying sleeping issues such as insomnia - see http://www.supplements-and-health.com/tryptophan-sleep.html

 

[kisekishiawase]

What I said still stands. you can't judge how you will react to something based on someone else's experience. Gaba never worked for me and tryptophan gave me a huge headache.

Have you thought of antihistamines? You might be able to get them OTC. Also. PLEASE put paragraphs in your posts. I couldn't even find my tag in your post let alone read more than one line.

Sorry im using my phone and its more troubling to me not like when using pc. And i already tag but i dont know and it shows the tag here if it doesnt work.
Yes i already read about antihistamine but most of them have/list palpitation as an side effect.
@SickOfSickness
Thanks for the info
Yes i read about them also basil, glycine(gelatin) and consider l-theanine but i guess theyre all supposed to interact with gaba too? I also read that adenosine, glycogen plays a big role for sleep regulatory. But need to read more.

 

[Misfit Toy]

Don't worry about tagging...you aren't well. People can either read it or move on. We are sick folks, be nice. It's hard to be precise when one is sick. She is typing from her phone and she is from Asia. We don't know her circumstances.

I understand your predicament. I did lousy on Tryptophan. I had horrible nightmares. Gaba...gaba is not something that I ever felt worked. Not just a GABA supplement. Benzos work on Gaba and that's what has helped me. Depakote which works on Gaba helped me. Depakote sprinkles is what it is called. It's a medicine and I am super sensitive to stuff.

5HTP made me nuts. Nightmares, no sleep, heart flying. But...when I first started taking it, I was okay. Although, right from the get go I had wicked dreams. Too much!

Tryptophan...palipitation.
Gaba...nope. No heart issues.

What about Restoril? It's not addictive, supposedly and it's GREAT for sleep. No heart issues or problems. I am sensitive also. This helps me.

 

[perchance dreamer]

Another way to increase Gaba is to take the muscle relaxer Baclofen. It works on Gaba-B, not on Gaba-A. A pharmacist told me it does not have dependence potential.

However, I space at least 3 nights between taking it, just to be conservative. It helps me with both sleep and muscle spasms.

 

[kisekishiawase]

@Misfit Toy Thank you and that was really helpful
I havent tried restoril which temazepam. i keep alprazolam if i need it sometimes. But isnt drug can cause dependence and tolerance.

Yeah i also read many experience it from 5htp thats why i consider l tryptophan since it should cause less effect from what i find and think. But some still very sensitive to it or it depends on each serotonin level/conversion i think.
I read nightmare is from high serotonin though i was hoping raising serotonin could be good since depression and other issue connected to serotonin. But seems complicated.

Anyway,
Merry Christmas hope this xmas brings light and happiness!

@perchance dreamer
Thanks for the info
Its like other benzo drug which affected gaba but te difference between that and other benzo drug is the mechanism between gaba b and gaba a?

Anyway my other dilemma is my gerd and apnea which i have to be careful with antidepressant though i need it. However i also get muscle cramp and ache easily. (Blame my malfunctioning system. )

 

[Little Bluestem]

i keep alprazolam if i need it sometimes. But isnt drug can cause dependence and tolerance.

Alprazolam CAN cause dependence and tolerance, but it does always do so. Some of us have taken the same dose for years. If you find it helpful, my non-medically informed opinion would be to take it at your current dose as long as it is helpful, but do not ever raise the dose.