7 replies to this topic

[the_apollo]

I have read about and heard that supplementing with GABA do not affect the brain because GABA cannot go through the blood-brain-barrier,
BUT that it can if one were to supplement with a high enough dosage of GABA.
I've also heard that supplementing with GABA can be good for relaxation of the body and especially after workout because of some effect with Growth hormones and such,

so what i wonder is; How high dose of GABA can i take before it goes through the blood-brain-barrier? /What is the limit?

[Guardian4981]

I have read aprox 3 grams is what is best for growth hormone boost, not sure if this amount has anything to do with BBB though.

[the_apollo]

My thought is that if i were to supplement with GABA for the purpose of increasing the GABA levels in my body, that it should not be affecting the brain-levels of GABA.

[moleface]

I've heard varying info on this issue. Some people claim that they get noticeable effects when taking larger doses sublingually. I've never tried it myself, but I threw some on my last bulk supplement order just for the hell of it. I'm currently going through phenibut withdrawal, so I'm in a unique position to be able to pretty easily discern if I'm experiencing any sort of psychoactive effect from this stuff. I'll report the result by mid week once I've had a chance to try it.

[moleface]

I finally got my GABA powder today.

This is day five of phenibut withdrawal, and though the worst of it has definitely subsided I'm still feeling shaky and hypersensitive to stimulants.

I have valerian and other similar stuff on hand to bring down my heart rate if I end up getting too panicky, so I decided to deliberately induce a panic state by drinking a cup of coffee before trying any GABA. My heart was pounding out of my chest and I had cold sweats by the time I weighed out the 5g of GABA - which I know is a high dose, but I knew wouldn't hurt me based on all the accounts I've read online.

Within 20 minutes my eyes were dilated and I started to get a few minutes of shortness of breath, along with an extremely creepy pins and needles sensation all over my upper body. I could see how this sensation could really freak some people out, but I knew it was harmless so I just rode it out. Immediately after that phase had passed, I checked my pulse and found that my blood pressure and heart rate had gone down TREMENDOUSLY.

This is puzzling. I've actually found a couple articles online claiming that getting psychoactive effects from supplemental GABA is actually evidence of a damaged blood brain barrier, though this doesn't seem to be a widely held belief.

So yeah, for me it seems to have worked. No placebo effect could've normalized my blood pressure and heartrate after drinking a full sized cup of coffee while going through phenibut withdrawal.

But if you try a large dose, be prepared to possibly have a minute or two of extremely disturbing physical sensations and shortness of breath.

On edit - those sensations have returned and they're really unpleasant. I'm not worried that anything's wrong - I've read posts from people who have experienced the exact same symptom - but I just wanted to give adequate warning to anyone who might try a larger dose. I'd feel horrible if I ruined someone's day by recommending that they do 5g of this stuff.

Edited by moleface, 09 May 2013 - 02:50 PM.

[lammas2]

GABA doesn't need to cross the BBB to lower heart rate and blood pressure.

[moleface]

GABA doesn't need to cross the BBB to lower heart rate and blood pressure.

That's interesting. Via what mechanism would it be able to do that? I'm not doubting you - I'm genuinely curious.

I was under the impression that since my heightened anxiety and stimulant sensitivity were caused by low brain levels of GABA I'm experiencing during phenibut detox, and taking supplemental GABA had done a lot to quell those symptoms, then the stuff must've crossed the BBB to help alleviate my brain's temporary GABA deficiency.

I also found it odd that it seemed to have dilated my eyes quite a bit.

[Ultravioletbllc]

Well as much as it the chagrin chagrin of others supplemental gaba clearly crosses my blood brain barrier ....in fact this would be my specific area of expertise in nootropics is gaba and gaba analogue and or gaba a b and c (c is i just camp from what i can find too supplemt with but....none the less ). First off I clearly have a leaky blood brain barrier and i get ghb like effects from large doses of gaba with small doses acting the way gabob or picamilon does on the average user ...........my preffered method for gaba supplementation is this a homeade "butyrotropin blend " i blend 50 grams phenibut 40 grams gaba 10 grams magnesium citrate 10-20 grams l glycine pharm grade 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon and 20 grams of inositol with 10 grams theanine .......................id be happy too give out a few samples and for those of you who are able to discern the effects of phenibut vs gaba you will know this is vastly different then phenibut , gaba , or , picamilon , in fact its supra effective and ultra effective in comparison .....been lurking on longecity and brain meta for about two years ....im mostly i retested in racetam stacks ngf potentiators and amino acid therapies .....i am currently taking 1-2 grams
The "butyrotropin mix " 200-600 mgs sulbutiamine p, 2-3 grams aniracetam in 4 doses daily , l glycine 2-5 grams daily ,500 mgs in two doses of l theanine , 500 ,gs-1 grm phenylalanine am only , 50 mg pramiracetam around 6-7 pm ( find the lower dosage is actually heavily potentiated b the aniracetam , i also rotate between cognitex, 300 mg alpha gpc and or my personal preference cdp choline at 250 mg , amyloban3399 one half dose before bed and finally magnesium l threonate at 2000 mgs daily equaling 144 mgs mgt .....i look forward too contributing as much as possible