GABA

[Drummer]

Just tried this last night - slept like a baby for about 10 hours lol! I dont think I even moved.


~D~

[DRAPE09]

I've personally been using gaba for a while, it seems to help promote fat loss for me... i like it alot.... do you notice that your short of breath after taking it, sometimes ur hands and feet will feel tingly???

[Drummer]

I havent gotten either of those symptoms. But ive only taken it once, and I think it was a little under 5 grams at that

~D~

[nii]

Did you take it specifically for its amino acid properties or is it marketed as a sleep enhancer? Can you get it at drug stores or Sports nutrition places?

I personally have issues sleeping, surprised i never heard of it.

[Drummer]

I believe an internet search will show you where to buy it. I got it for sleep and its potential for fat loss.

~D~

[nisser]

I've personally been using gaba for a while, it seems to help promote fat loss for me... i like it alot.... do you notice that your short of breath after taking it, sometimes ur hands and feet will feel tingly???

Do you have the bottle that comes with a high dose of B6? If so, it's the B6.

[juced_porkchop]

Did you take it specifically for its amino acid properties or is it marketed as a sleep enhancer? Can you get it at drug stores or Sports nutrition places?

I personally have issues sleeping, surprised i never heard of it.

hey buddy google KAVA KAVA!!!!
it helps me sleep like a babby!!!!! makes me feel GREAT ALSO!!!
i get min from konakavafarm.com

get the 84% extract thow. the raw root its f-ing NASTY!! lol


*not IT IS NOT liver toxic!
* IT IS legal to order into canada just NOT TO SELL out of store in canada.

[juced_porkchop]

Do you have the bottle that comes with a high dose of B6? If so, it's the B6.

I agree

[juced_porkchop]

I havent gotten either of those symptoms. But ive only taken it once, and I think it was a little under 5 grams at that

~D~

HOLY CRAP!!! 5g!!!?!?

man i only use 100-300mg (under half a gram) ir works fine i have it with my ZMA.

thow i also somtimes take kava kava at night.

[Memo]

5g is a lot.. 3g and I breath like a whore with asthma.

[Ritch]

Do you have the bottle that comes with a high dose of B6? If so, it's the B6.

I have just plain gaba with no b6 and get the sides you talk of. So I can`t agree with the b6 argument. Some say b6 will give you vivid dreams however.

[Drummer]

I already have crazy vivid dreams that I can become aware that I am dreaming within - feel things and recall so well that I could write a book in the morning - hey - that gives me an idea lol! Anyway, 5 grams seems to be alright as far as I know when looking around at what people have been using. Ritch, what do you use Gaba for and what does it do for you? I have no breathing or tingling, just a wonderful relaxation that washes over me before I sleep.

~D~

[Drummer]

Scratch that. I just started getting the mad pricklies from my last dose of GABA. I feel kinda weird too lol and im getting tired and kinda goofy-smiley


~D~

[Drummer]

Here is a study of GABA using 5 grams on people. It claims to raise HGH by 5x.

http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/supplements-reviews/gaba-information-effects.htm

~D~

[juced_porkchop]

Im ordering some soon maybe today. I will try out 0.5g first and work my way to 1g.
I onlt took it with my zma but ima buy some bulk powder of GABA, shit ima grab beta-alanine also since i havent used it yet.

On trenE, sleep ok with kava and zma but Im intersted in higher dose of GABA. also my GF seems to have stress related sleeping issues maybe I can get it to help her also.

[Krozone]

LOL, these GABA threads are allways popular.. hehe

GABA Rocks! (I buy it from [supplementscanada.com/) the NOW

supplementscanada.com/popeyes/product4101.html

GF and I use it every night. We take about 1G each about 30-60 min prior to sleeping.

kro!

[jamex]

i've had a lot of experience with gaba agonists like benzos\alcohol etc and studied the mechanism more than your average joe. I would wager that anything that is boosting gaba levels will overtime build withdrawal effects when you stop using it, so I would be wary of insomnia returning with a vengeance if you ever ran out or decided to stop.

I would agree that this should work great as a sleep aid, but I have no idea where how this would enhance GH levels by any appreciable means. Sounds like marketing spin to sell it to the bodybuilding community. Can anyone comment on the validity of this? I'd love to be wrong. I have a feeling its just the typical action of a proper nights sleep on hormone levels.

[juced_porkchop]

I would wager that anything that is boosting gaba levels will overtime build withdrawal effects

??
yes maybe, but this is not booz or a drug that raise gaba it IS GABA it SELF your taking.
not a drug or benzos or what ever.

Im not too sure about your view because of this.

there are meany studies about GABA and hgh.
its not gonna be like taking high dose shots of hgh but the rise IS there.

just google it there are a BUNCH of studys.

[jamex]

no doubt there are studies for all sorts of products that don't offer very tangible real world results. Again, let me be clear, I cannot off much evidence either way, but I'm inclined to think the HGH benefits are mostly marketing spin. I would love to hear people's actual experience with it and if they attributed a change in growth rate or any other comments even if they're anecdotal.

As for GABA mechanism. If you're consuming it and its crossing the blood brain barrier to elevate gaba levels in the brain (if this isn't how it works then you can dismiss my theories), then yes I personally believe there will be some withdrawal presenting itself as insomnia if only mildly and short lasting. GABA receptors will downregulate trying to return to homeostasis in the presence of elevated GABA levels. When GABA levels return to unsupplemented levels, the lower availability of receptors will take some time to return to normal resulting in some withdrawal.

Who knows, I could be way off base here. Just food for thought.

[Memo]

gaba will not cross the BBB. Its why supplement like Phenibut are on the market.

[hyperlite32]

or there is the injection tyric-6 "aka P-GH"

was a huge rage back in 2000 ish, it works... But not to inrease GH. Just like gaba. Sleep/relaxation. That is about it.

[mcgirkz]

my personal experience with GABA.. take 5-10g before bed.. tingly skin within minutes... breathe harder/shortness of breath.. sleep within 30 minutes.. verfy restful sleep (REM)/ wicked dreams... sleep for 5hrs and feel like i have had 8... slightly tighter/leaner look in the morn... i like it

[Canadian Protein.com]

Just jumped back on this stuff and man I love it...quality of sleep has improved dramatically. I'm a pretty light sleeper and wake up multiple times/night and this stuff helps me to sleep pretty much straight through and deep!

Sometimes if I take too much I get the tingles and shortness of breath as well...but that tends to happen above 5 grams for me.

[faller]

I'm getting some tomorrow, i hope. Even if there is a withdrawal i don't really care. On a good night right now i get 4 hrs of sleep so if GABA can give 4 good nights of sleep and 3 shitty nights, i'm way ahead of the game... I just hope the local health store carries it.

[JifeLacket]

I ordered some too.. should be here tomorrow cant wait to try it!

[fourarms]

WTF, 5-10 gram doses? I take 1 gram of NOW gaba and 10-15 min later it feels like someone's standing on my chest, my arms feel somewhere between tingly and numb, and it's an effort to lift my arms. I don't know if various brands have different concentrations of active ingredient or if its just different people's tolerance, but I'd suggest starting at a low dose and see what happens. 10 grams, I'm pretty sure I'd be in a coma.

[Ritch]

^^^ Like you said, it`s about tolerance. At first 2 grams would give me the tingles and shortness of breath... Now I can use 5 grams and I don`t get those sides as much but do sleep better. But nowhere near the benefits of saying 5 hours sleep feels like 8...

[fourarms]

Ritch, you started at 2 grams and worked up to 5 grams. Is this because you had to keep upping the dose to continue to get the same sleep benefits, or were you just raising the dose trying to get a GH effect?

Just wondering if the sleep aid effect is going to decrease over time and I'm going to need to up my dose. If so, should Gaba be cycled with a taper on and off to help prevent adaptation?

[Ritch]

I kept upping the dose to get the "messed up feeling it gives you..." The sleep effect does wear off over time, and I think the tingling feeling is related to the sleep benefit as the tingles wear off in a linear way to the sleep benefits... But I haven`t read anything that leads me to belive that the GH effect diminishes. I won`t go over 5 grams because I just want my supply to last a long time.

Like you said, the cycling of it if you`re looking for the sleep benefit would be best. For that, I`ve found using it 3 days a week will make it work that way. On the days you don`t use it to sleep there are other supps to knock you out like velvet extract, 5htp and st John`s wort. But 5htp may not be for you as it plays with serotonin levels, but for me it`s good as going to long without it puts me in a grouchy mood.

[faller]

I kept upping the dose to get the "messed up feeling it gives you..." The sleep effect does wear off over time, and I think the tingling feeling is related to the sleep benefit as the tingles wear off in a linear way to the sleep benefits... But I haven`t read anything that leads me to belive that the GH effect diminishes. I won`t go over 5 grams because I just want my supply to last a long time.

Like you said, the cycling of it if you`re looking for the sleep benefit would be best. For that, I`ve found using it 3 days a week will make it work that way. On the days you don`t use it to sleep there are other supps to knock you out like velvet extract, 5htp and st John`s wort. But 5htp may not be for you as it plays with serotonin levels, but for me it`s good as going to long without it puts me in a grouchy mood.

Damn, i did not know that :(

[Ritch]

Damn, i did not know that :(

That`s just for me, may not be that way for you. I mean I can`t vouch for it really giving me an ultra deep sleep, but my sleep is good. I just like that feeling of sensing that I`m gonna pass out if gives you while you lie in your bed and that feeling tends to go away fast and when I had that feeling I did notice my sleep and dreams were deeper than usual.

[fourarms]

Thanks for the tips Ritch. I'm liking the Gaba + melatonin right now, I hope it keeps working, but I might have to look at only running 3-4 days/week like you suggest. I tried a bottle of 5-htp (100mg night) along with melatonin and it didn't really do much for me.

[_Ragnar_]

I take 3g ever night. It has improved my sleep immensely.

[JifeLacket]

took 3g's 30 mins ago, feel some tingling we'll see how this sleep goes!

[#8]

^^ dude let me know how it goes. i dont ever sleep. its torture

[JifeLacket]

**** too much caffeine, took another 2G now im off to bed..

[Ritch]

Thanks for the tips Ritch. I'm liking the Gaba + melatonin right now, I hope it keeps working, but I might have to look at only running 3-4 days/week like you suggest. I tried a bottle of 5-htp (100mg night) along with melatonin and it didn't really do much for me.

Melatonin dosen`t work for me either. But 5htp does work well with st John`s wort. But be aware these are both mild anti depresants and need to be cycled one way or another. And I`ve taken both of them with gaba. Good sleep for sure. One thing you want to make sure of is having an empty stomach when using gaba.

Valerian root is something else that knocks me out. I swear when I take that stuff, I really, really feel the sleep I`m gonna get when I lie down is going to be good. Valerian root feel like morphine to me, no joke. A warning about those valerian root pills. They smell like actual freshly laid poo.

[faller]

Its day 4 of 4gr. of Gaba and 3 caps of ZMA and i'm definitely get better sleep. I'm getting maybe an extra hour of sleep, so instead of 4/5 hr. i'm getting now 5/6 hr.. Doesn't seem like much but the sleep i do get is a lot deeper.

[LonelyBedouin]

I tried it a couple nights, I didnt find any difference in sleep. And I didnt find any tingling at all. Although my breaths became very deep and slow.

[faller]

My wife says i have a much more "relaxed" sleep. I used to breath erratically while sleeping, now she says i have even, shallow breathing. I'm sold on this stuff... Now i just have to find a source that doesn't require takeing 9 caps!

[ironwill]

I am going to give this stuff a whirl.........On a friday nite, sleep in saturday......:beer

[faller]

The first couple days that i took it IW it didn't seem to do anything for me, after day three is when i seemed to notice my sleep change.

[ironwill]

Thank-you faller, just heading up town to grab a bottle or so.....I appreciate the info.....

[oldcanada]

GABA, wow havnt see that in a while. They stopped selling it in Health places didn't they.

I love that stuff, sleep great. I get the hand and foot tingle too. pins and needles.

feel great, sleep great.

[tiramisu]

I'm an olympic class sleeper. Me and my cat. What I need is a caffeine IV drip to get me started in the morning.

[ironwill]

GABA, wow havnt see that in a while. They stopped selling it in Health places didn't they.

I love that stuff, sleep great. I get the hand and foot tingle too. pins and needles.

feel great, sleep great.

I got it at my local health food store, but it was pretty pricey......Its much cheaper online......I just finished my first bottle......I loved the stuff....Ordering more today...
I took 1 tab 5mg of melatonin,2 pills with 200mg of 5-HTP, and 800 mgs of GABA, im going to do more next time with the GABA....I just got a small doseage of 100 mg with 90 pills to try it out.......

Talk about deeeep sleep, if i didnt have to piss once through the night, im sure i wouldnt wake once....

[Ritch]

^^^200mg is alot of 5-htp Ironwill. I don`t think you need more than 50mg. 100 tops. This stuff plays with your serotonin levels and using doses that high, I`d worry about getting bad sides when stopping a product with that much 5-htp. The gaba you can go up to 5 grams no problems. That dose have given me the constant positive effects we all rave about from gaba.

[benP]

does it matter if you take it in a powder or a pill? is there a preferred way?

[Ritch]

Just make sure you mesure what you`re taking properly. But most the time it`s much cheaper to buy stuff in powders.

[jamex]

how are you guys measuring dosage? I've just received some bulk GABA powder and I have some digital scales but is there a simpler measurement like 1/4 tsp = 1gram?

Thanks.

[Ritch]

on my container it says 430mg per 1/4 tsp.

[jamex]

that'll do. thanks.

[jamex]

Again I'll ask what people are using to dose and how much they believe to be taking? I've experimented a bit and found that after a while a teaspoon wasn't noticeably effective. I ramped up a bit each night and found a tablespoon is quite nice and the gf finds this work for her as well. Is this really around 5grams? Seems high, but no big deal as long as tolerance doesn't keep pushing it further making doses increase.

Anybody using this daily or close to? I like to use it Sun-Thur so I get a nice nights sleep before work, and so far I've been enjoying it. Anybody been running it for months this way and still find it effective without increasing doseage? And what dose are you using now that you've been on it for a while?

Thanks

[ironwill]

I use GABA and tryptophan nightly.......for a long while (many months) now without increasing doseages.......I take a week off here and there, for no reason other than to take a break...
I use Gaba in the 3-5 gram range 1/2 hour before retiring, and tryptophan at 1-1.5 grams 1/2 hour before as well....I absolutely love the benefits of these products, sleep like a friggin baby......

[ironwill]

^^^200mg is alot of 5-htp Ironwill. I don`t think you need more than 50mg. 100 tops. This stuff plays with your serotonin levels and using doses that high, I`d worry about getting bad sides when stopping a product with that much 5-htp. The gaba you can go up to 5 grams no problems. That dose have given me the constant positive effects we all rave about from gaba.
200 isnt bad of a dose at all bro.....I switched over to tryptophan and love it.....just for anxiety they recommend 5-htp at 200 mg a few times per day.....for skin problems they recommend even more for scoriasis (sp)...
I cut out the melatonin and recvd a whack of GABA, tryptophan from Trueprotein and got it in cap form...CHEAP!!!!, i bought up town in december and got ripped terribly......Ive been doing it ever since and love it..

[ironwill]

5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) is a compound produced by the body from tryptophan. It is naturally found in many foods and most commonly extracted from the seeds of the Griffonia plant.

In Europe, 5-HTP has been used for decades as an approved treatment for depression, sleep problems, weight loss, and other medical complaints. It is now starting to be used in the USA.

Clinical trials show that 5-HTP is a safe, natural way to boost the brain serotonin levels. Use of 5-HTP has been shown to produce results equal to or better than those of standard synthetic drugs used in the problems arising from serotonin deficiency syndrome.

5- HTP provides the quickest, most effective, and most consistent overall results in treating insomnia. It is an effective alternative for dealing with sleep problems in a safe and natural way compared to sleep medicines. 5-HTP improves the quality of sleep. More importantly, clinical studies show that 5- HTP is also useful in the treatment of sleep disorders other than insomnia.

5-HTP increases REM sleep significantly (typically by about 25 percent) while simultaneously increasing deep sleep stages 3 and 4 without increasing total sleep time. 5- HTP accomplishes this by shortening the amount of time you spend in sleep stages 1 and 2, which in certain ways are the least important stages of the cycle. The higher the dose, the more time spent in REM.

By shifting the balance of the sleep cycle, 5-HTP makes sleep more restful and rejuvenating. Instead of waking feeling tired, worn out, and "hungover," people taking 5- HTP feel vibrant, well rested, and ready to take on the challenges of the day. When we sleep more deeply and dream more efficiently, we wake in the morning with our physical and psychological batteries fully charged.

The impact of 5-HTP on sleep stages is dose-related; taking higher doses produces a somewhat greater impact. In most cases, the lower dosage is adequate. Higher doses may lead to a greater number of disturbing dreams and nightmares due to abnormally prolonged REM sleep. It can also lead to mild nausea.

Melatonin vs. 5-HTP

5-HTP bypasses the brain's light-regulation system that controls the secretion of melatonin. 5-HTP results in the increased the production of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and norepinephrine that stimulate the noradrenergic receptors in the brain. This stimulation directly triggers the production and release of melatonin.
Thus, when you take 5-HTP, it causes the release of melatonin irrespective of how much light is present. The higher levels of melatonin in circulation, helps you to fall asleep and stay asleep better.

People with low melatonin who take 5-HTP at nighttime can enjoy the same sleep enhancing benefits as they will from taking melatonin alone, but they will also be getting the broader spectrum of benefits that comes from increased serotonin levels. (If you take melatonin alone it does not enhance the functions of the serotonin system.)

The effects of 5-HTP on melatonin depend on:

How much 5-HTP you take and
Time of the day 5-HTP is taken.

People who use melatonin as a sleep sedative may find that switching from melatonin to 5-HTP will make it easier to fall asleep and to stay asleep. They will also enjoy healthy and memorable dream periods, and wake up without the morning grogginess that some of them experience with melatonin.

Recommended Dosage for 5-HTP: Take 100 to 300 mg, thirty to forty-five minutes before retiring. Start with the lower dose for at least three days, then consider increasing the dose if results are not what you expected.
I have looked into it quite a bit and found anywhere from 50-500 mg/s for 5-htp, but you can definitely overdose on this stuff....So be careful...

[BenT]

Here is a study of GABA using 5 grams on people. It claims to raise HGH by 5x.

http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/supplements-reviews/gaba-information-effects.htm

~D~

The site says: "one study (conducted by the University of Milan in Milan) found that 90 minutes after GABA supplementation HGH levels increase by 5 times. This research studied 19 subjects who took GABA compared to 18 placebo subjects..."

I couldn't find this article, but I did find other studies:

One study, also from the University of Milan, say that GABA restrains GH secretion and promotes prolactin (Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism Vol. 45, No. 3 579-584).

Against GABA: An article in the The Journal of Experimental Biology 203, 1477–1485 (2000) shows that GABA reduces serum GH levels within 30 minutes.

For GABA: Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2008 Jan;40(1):104-10. Shows that GABA increases serum GH by 400% in a group of resistance-trained men.

Against GABA: European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 28(5):607-609: shows a decrease in GH caused by GABA

This article is pretty interesting though and may point to a genetic difference in response to GABA:

Glutamate decarboxylase autoimmunity and growth hormone secretion in type I diabetes mellitus*1
Andrea Giustina, a, b, c, , Paolo Desenzanib, c, a, Paola Perinib, c, a, Elena Bazzigaluppib, c, a, Corrado Bodinib, c, a, Simonetta Bossonib, c, a, Claudio Poiesib, c, a, William B. Wehrenbergb, c, a and Emanuele Bosib, c, a
a Endocrine Section, Department of Internal Medicine and Chemistry, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
b Department of Medicine, San Raffaele Hospital, University of Milano, Milano, Italy
c Department of Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
Received 17 June 1996; accepted 1 October 1996. Available online 31 August 2004.
Abstract
Insulin-dependent (type I) diabetic patients are known to have an exaggerated growth hormone (GH) response to GH-releasing hormone (GHRH), which is hypothesized to be due to a decrease in somatostatin tone. The aim of the study was to ascertain the influence of the presence and activity of the autoimmune process involving a key enzyme (glutamic acid decarboxylase [GAD]) in the synthetic pathway of a neurotransmitter regulating somatostatin secretion, ie, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), on the GH response to GHRH alone or combined with an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, pyridostigmine (PD), in patients with type I diabetes mellitus. Twenty non-obese type I diabetic patients and 17 normal subjects underwent an intravenous (IV) injection of 100 μg GHRH(1–29)NH2. Twelve of 20 diabetic subjects and all of the control subjects also underwent a second experimental procedure, administration of 120 mg oral PD 60 minutes before IV injection of 100 μg GHRH. Diabetic subjects with serum GAD antibody (GADA) levels more than 3 U (n = 10) showed significantly higher serum GH levels after GHRH injection as compared both with diabetic patients with GADA less than 3 U (n = 10) and with normal controls, whether expressed as absolute or peak values. GH peaks after GHRH were significantly (rs = .46, P < .05) correlated with the level of GADA in the whole population of type I diabetic subjects studied. PD significantly enhanced the GH response to GHRH, in terms of both absolute and peak values, in patients without GADA (n = 6) and in normal subjects. On the contrary, PD failed to enhance the GH response to GHRH in diabetic patients with GADA (n = 6). Our findings suggest that autoimmunity may play a key role in determining the exaggerated GH response to GHRH in type I diabetes mellitus. The mechanism underlying this effect is hypothesized to be the production of antibodies to GAD, a key enzyme in the synthesis of GABA, and in turn a reduced GABAergic stimulatory tone on somatostatin production at the hypothalamic level.

[ironwill]

Good post Bent, i was excited about that info when i read it a yr or so ago, then found more articles saying it wont pass the blood brain barrier....But who knows, im an optimist, so ill think it does raise gh, ive been felling/looking younger as of late!!!haha

[BenT]

Good post Bent, i was excited about that info when i read it a yr or so ago, then found more articles saying it wont pass the blood brain barrier....But who knows, im an optimist, so ill think it does raise gh, ive been felling/looking younger as of late!!!haha

Whether or not it actually boosts GH it seems to help pretty much everybody with sleeping (at least anecdotally) - I think that in itself would have positive results.