Hip
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These anti-anxiety drugs and supplements you have tried work on the GABA receptor mostly (as do benzodiazepine drugs). However, for reasons that I will explain, I think it is best to treat anxiety symptoms primarily using drugs/supplements that work on the NMDA receptor, not the GABA receptor.
Remember, the actual state of the neuron — that is, whether it is excited or relaxed — depends on both the GABA and NMDA receptors. NMDA excites, GABA relaxes. There is a seesaw relationship, with NMDA and GABA sitting on either side of the excited–relaxed seesaw.
Activating the NMDA receptors on a neuron will make the neuron more excited, where as activating the GABA receptors on a neuron will make the neuron more relaxed. Anxiety symptoms most likely derive from over-excited neurons (in the amygdala), so to reduce anxiety, you have to relax the neurons.
Thus for anti-anxiety purposes and to relax the neurons, you have a choice: you can either block NMDA receptor activation, or stimulate GABA receptor activation (or, for the strongest anti-anxiety effect, do both). Both will serve to relax the neurons.
However, if your anxiety symptoms are driven by NMDA receptor over-stimulation in the first place, then it would make sense to try to tackle this by blocking this NMDA receptor over-stimulation, rather than trying to compensate for it by increasing GABA receptor stimulation in order to try to keep the NMDA–GABA seesaw balanced.
To use a metaphor to help understand this: if someone is punching you hard on the chest such that you are in danger of losing your balance and falling backwards, it is best to try to block these chest punches, or eliminate the puncher entirely, rather than to get someone else to simultaneously punch you on your back with equal force, in order to achieve a balance of force and not fall over.
Thus if your anxiety symptoms arise from NMDA receptor over-stimulation, it may be best to try to block or prevent this from happening, rather than trying to over stimulate the GABA receptors in compensation.
As explained earlier in this thread, NMDA blocking is achieved using NMDA receptor antagonists such as dextromethorphan or transdermal magnesium; and preventing NMDA over-stimulation in the first place is achieved by lowering brain inflammation, which is the source of excessive amounts of compounds like glutamate and quinolinic acid that stimulate the NMDA receptor.
So by using both NMDA receptor antagonists and by reducing the brain inflammation that causes NMDA over-stimulation in the first place, you have an effective way to tackle anxiety disorder.
(The brain inflammation itself most likely derives from an infection in the brain, and/or infections in very nearby structures such as the sinus mucous membranes, and/or infections in more distant areas such as in the intestines or kidneys — toxins and cytokines from such distant infections are now known to be able to precipitate inflammation in the central nervous system. This is why supplements or drugs that reduce inflammation or infection in the gut, kidneys or sinuses, and thereby reduce brain inflammation, can be effective in reducing anxiety symptoms.)
Regarding the supplements and drugs you used:
As is well known, GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid) itself does not cross the blood-brain barrier, so supplementation with GABA will not activate the relaxing GABA receptors on the neurons, and thus as a supplement, GABA has no anti-anxiety effects.
Try the supplement picamilon instead. Picamilon is in fact a GABA molecule and a niacin molecule bonded together, and this combination does pass through the blood-brain barrier. I found picamilon to be reasonably effective, though you need to take it 3 times a day, as its effect wears of quite fast.
But the problem with compounds that have GABA receptor stimulating effects is the tolerance build-up, and possible withdrawal symptoms. There always seems to be tolerance problems with GABA receptor agonist drugs and supplements. By contrast, there do not seem to be any tolerance problems with NMDA receptor blocking drugs. So in this respect as well, NMDA receptor blocking drugs and supplements are better.
Theanine and valerian have quite weak GABA effects, so don't expect too much from them.
Taurine has both NMDA receptor blocking and GABA receptor stimulating effects. I found that you need a high dose of taurine (around 3 grams) to get a noticeable anti-anxiety effect. Thus you really need to buy taurine as a bulk powder for these sort of high doses, as bulk powder suppliers are much cheaper sources of supplements.
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