As a result of this wonderful feedback from a mom in the online GABA program, I’ve been looking into GABA-anger connections. I’ve been trying to understand how GABA could offer similar benefits to tryptophan/5-HTP for anger, rage and dark moods, which we typically associate with low serotonin. She shares this:
My son who is 19 and on the autism spectrum was having issues with outbursts of anger and stuttering. These issues seemed to worsen during his senior year of high school. Since starting GABA and tailoring his dosage from Trudy’s instruction and feedback, we have seen a 90% reduction in stuttering and 80% reduction in anger and outbursts. We have done many supplemental protocols over the years and this is one of the few we have seen have an impact.
I am so happy for this young man and his family, and was also very intrigued. I’ve seen GABA help with stuttering. I have not noticed that GABA helps very much with anger/rage in clients but possibly because they are making other changes at the same time. Since they were in the program and he also had anxiety, we decided to continue with GABA.
I worked with them in the program over a few months and know he only changed one thing – GABA, starting low and increasing to find his ideal dose (with my guidance).
So I started to dig into the research, search through prior blog posts and ask on Facebook and the feedback is robust – folks are seeing GABA help with symptoms of anger and rage.
I share a few case studies below: how PharmaGABA helps a 9 year old boy with rages (part of his OCD/PANS), how GABA helps a young boy with Lyme-induced anger and how GABA helps a 9 year old girl with anger and dark moods (part of her PCOS).
I also share my insights with each case. And some possible mechanisms because we always want to understand why.
PharmaGABA helps 9 year old with rages that are part of his OCD/PANS
Kathy shares how pharmaGABA helped her son (on a pharmaGABA blog):
My 9 year old son had a lot of benefits from PharmaGABA. He used to have rages as part of his OCD/PANS. PharmaGaba 3 times a day was a miracle to get him through that period.
PANS is a neuropsychiatric disorder that falls under the same umbrella as PANDAS but is triggered by an infection other than strep.
If you’re new to PANS/PANDAS, I share the definition of PANDAS, from the PANDAS Network, in this blog: “PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections) occurs when strep triggers a misdirected immune response that results in inflammation on a child’s brain. In turn, the child quickly begins to exhibit life changing symptoms such as OCD/obsessive compulsive order, anxiety, tics, personality changes, decline in math and handwriting abilities, sensory sensitivities, restrictive eating, and more.”
Both PANS and PANDAS trigger OCD/obsessive compulsive disorder. OCD is typically supported with tryptophan and/or inositol i.e. these obsessive thinking and behaviors are typically related to low serotonin even when there is an infection involved. The infection needs to be addressed but the tryptophan and/or inositol help to ease the obsessive symptoms.
Rage is a common symptom when serotonin is low. Tryptophan addresses low serotonin and can have a huge impact as I share in this blog – Rage, anxiety, cravings & insomnia in 11-year old girl with RAD/reactive attachment disorder: chewable tryptophan turns things around.
However, in this instance, pharmaGABA worked for the rages Kathy’s son experienced.
PharmaGABA is one form of GABA that has been shown to help with relaxation and anxiety.
GABA helps a young boy with Lyme-induced anger
Another mom shared this on a Lyme disease post on Facebook:
One kid has developed fits of anger that come out of nowhere but the GABA seems to be able to help him to play longer periods.
Lyme disease can also have a neuropsychiatric aspect, as shared by Dr. Suruchi Chandra MD. I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Chandra on one of the Anxiety Summits and hear her present at integrative mental health conferences.
In one conference presentation she shared this: “Lyme disease is one of the fastest growing infectious diseases in the United States. It can remain dormant for years and then later mimic a number of psychiatric illnesses, including anxiety disorders, mood disturbances, psychosis, and autism-like behaviors. It can be further complicated by the presence of co-infections.”
Anger and rage are also common symptoms. In one study, “Lyme rage” is described as an anger episode that “had a very abrupt onset and was extremely intense and often with minimal cognitive control.”
Yet again, we often see GABA help ease some of the anxiety symptoms, as I share here – GABA helps with Lyme anxiety (while addressing the underlying disease).
However in this instance, GABA helped with her son’s anger symptoms induced by the Lyme bacteria.
GABA helps a 9 year old girl with anger and dark moods (part of her PCOS)
Debbie was diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and GABA helped ease her lifelong anxiety, wean off anxiety medication, ovulate each month and stop her PCOS medications. She was thrilled that GABA helps her daughter too. She shared how her oldest daughter who is 9 has been showing early signs of developing PCOS and other issues similar to hers:
When her mood started changing and she was getting angry out of nowhere and very dark and moody, I started her on a small dose of GABA. Immediately both of us saw the difference in her mood. She now asks for her “happy pills” daily because she doesn’t want to feel those dark feelings anymore. I wish this information was around when I was young. It could’ve helped so much of what I had to struggle with for years.
I typically think of tryptophan or 5-HTP as “happy pills”, and anger and a dark mood as symptoms of low serotonin.
However, yet again, GABA resolves these symptoms in Debbie’s daughter.
These are just a few of the many recent success stories I’ve heard about GABA and anger/rage.
Does low GABA anger/rage look different from low serotonin anger-rage?
This is all new to me so I honestly don’t know. We do know that low GABA leads to more of a physical kind of anxiety (i.e. felt in the body) and it’s different from low serotonin worry-type anxiety (i.e. it’s felt in the head).
Therefore, it’s possible that low GABA anger and rage has more of a physical aspect too.
I have yet to explore this aspect but feel it may be helpful to figure out if there is a difference in order to effectively use the neurotransmitter symptoms questionnaire. This questionnaire is used to decide whether to trial GABA or tryptophan/5-HTP and the low GABA section will be updated with anger/rage once I’ve gone a bit deeper with all this.
The kind of anger symptoms may well look the same and then we’ll use the clustering of either low GABA or low serotonin symptoms to base our decision for doing an amino acid trial.
Research: GABA may be critical in the neurochemical control of aggressive behavior and rage
There is no research that I am aware of where the amino acid GABA has been used to ease rage, anger or dark moods.
However, this letter, Tiagabine for Rage, Aggression, and Anxiety published in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscicnes in 2015 offers some round-about support to this GABA-rage observation. They are discussing patients with treatment-resistant rage and aggression and they propose that:
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter, may be critical in the neurochemical control of aggressive behavior.
They share that the prescription medication called Tiagabine, a selective GABA reuptake inhibitor (SGRI), increases synaptic GABA availability.
And that 20 out of 36 patients aged 15-54 years (69%)
with symptoms of rage, aggression, or anxiety in association with one or more of the following disorders: bipolar, intermittent explosive, major depression, panic disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or substance abuse …demonstrated a good or excellent response to tiagabine, with reduction or elimination of the symptoms of rage, aggression, or anxiety.
This and the few studies on anger and glutamate (like this one) offer the most plausible explanations for the quick results we expect when using GABA and other amino acids i.e. quick as in results in 1-30 minutes.
Other than this there is not much direct evidence supporting this GABA-rage connection. GABA likely also helps quickly because of reduced anxiety, improved sleep, and being easil able to quit or eat less sugar (and in adults quit alcohol).
Based on some research I’ve found and my experience with GABA, I suspect GABA may also help in these ways over a longer period: countering a histamine reaction, reducing inflammation and impacting cytokines, improving progesterone levels, beneficial impacts on the microbiome, supporting the liver and toxin removal (such as fluorides), gut healing and reducing high blood pressure. I am still digging into the research.
I thank these families for sharing their stories so we all benefit.
I also really appreciate this opportunity to learn from you – my community – and I will always strive to keep an open mind.
Resources if you are new to using amino acids as supplements
If you are new to using amino acids as supplements, here is the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution (you can see all the symptoms of neurotransmitter imbalances, including low GABA and low serotonin).
If you suspect low levels of any of the neurotransmitters and do not yet have my book, The Antianxiety Food Solution – How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood, and End Cravings, I highly recommend getting it and reading it before jumping in and using amino acids on your own so you are knowledgeable. And be sure to share it with the practitioner/health team you or your loved one is working with.
There is an entire chapter on the amino acids and they are discussed throughout the book in the sections on gut health, gluten, blood sugar control, sugar cravings, anxiety and mood issues.
The book doesn’t include product names (per the publisher’s request) so this blog, The Antianxiety Food Solution Amino Acid and Pyroluria Supplements, lists the amino acids that I use with my individual clients and those in my group programs. You can find them all in my online store.
If, after reading this blog and my book, you don’t feel comfortable figuring things out on your own (i.e. doing the symptoms questionnaire and respective amino acids trials), a good place to get help is the GABA QuickStart Program (if you have low GABA symptoms too). This is a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance and community support.
[The 19 year old young man/his mother was in the above GABA Quickstart program. It is in the process of being updated and a deep dive GABA program being created. Sign up above to be notified when both are ready].If you are a practitioner, join us in The Balancing Neurotransmitters: the Fundamentals program. This is also a paid online/virtual program with an opportunity to interact with me and other practitioners who are also using the amino acids.
Has GABA helped you or your child with symptoms of anger, rage or a dark mood? And if yes, how did it help, how much helped and which product helped?
Can you be sure GABA helped i.e. is this the only change you made?
Has serotonin support with tryptophan or 5-HTP also helped? And if yes how would you describe the low serotonin anger symptoms vs the low GABA anger symptoms? Are they different?
If you are a practitioner, have you observed any of the above?
Feel free to post your feedback and questions here in the comments.
I could use some help, as I am in the process of weaning off a benzodiazepine, Ativan. I hear good things about GABA, helping my anxiety in the weaning process, but I need to know if it is addictive. If one takes it for awhile can it be abruptly stopped or would one have to taper gradually off it?
Gloria
There is no research or clinical evidence that GABA is addictive, and nor is a taper needed. And many individuals find GABA to help during tapering.
I do have clients get nutritionally stable BEFORE they begin to taper – this means addressing everything I cover in my book (amino acids, other supps and diet) – The Antianxiety Food Solution https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/the-antianxiety-food-solution-by-trudy-scott/ It’s never too late to start
Does it help with nervous system dysregulation and constant fight and flight?
I’m focussed on seeking a solution is my anxieties and regulate my vagus nerve
Susan
GABA helps when there are symptoms of low GABA – the ones I describe here and the ones listed in the symptoms questionnaire https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/amino-acids-mood-questionnaire-from-the-antianxiety-food-solution/
This can look like nervous system dysregulation and constant fight and flight. We may also consider low serotonin and high cortisol too (and dietary factors too of course).
And my book is a great resource when you are new to the amino acids and looking for a comprehensive approach to anxiety – The Antianxiety Food Solution https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/the-antianxiety-food-solution-by-trudy-scott/
My 38 year old daughter on the Autism Spectrum, has severe bouts of emotional dysregulation. She is on multiple psychiatric meds. and has been for years. She also takes a med for her seizure disorder. Could she safely use GABA along with her medications? Her current Dr. is unable to advise me on this. She does drink the tea with GABA, but would love to be able to help her even more. Thank you!
Nancy
I can’t provide specific advice via the blog but I have had clients on multiple psychiatric meds use GABA safely but always with the prescribing doctor’s approval and monitoring. I research and assess each medication and provide information for the doctor. When the prescribing doctor can’t advise, discussing with the pharmacist may help.
Can you share more about her symptoms of emotional dysregulation and when they occur? And which meds she has been prescribed?
I’d love to hear if the GABA Oolong tea helps and how it helps? How much does she drink? And how did you learn about it?
(sharing the blog link here for other readers – GABA Oolong tea in children with autism: improvements in sensorimotor skills, autism profiles, anxiety and sleep (new research) https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/gaba-oolong-tea-in-children-with-autism-improvements-in-sensorimotor-skills-autism-profiles-anxiety-and-sleep-new-research/
Dear Trudy
There is one thing i don’t understand. If science says Gaba or Pharma Gaba cannot cross the blood brain barrier. How is it possible that there are so many positive reviews om the net
i don’t believe in al that reviews.
In my opinion they are fake. i have tried Gaba or Pharma Gaba. they dont work for me is that just bad luck. i follow your protocol.
So please can you enlighten me
Kind Regards.
Jos van Oord
Jos
I use GABA extensively with my clients and it works when you have low GABA but it does need to be dosed for each person’s unique needs and used as a sublingual, powder, liposomal, opened GABA capsule or topical cream such as Somnium (https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/somnium-nighttime-gaba-cream-insomnia-anxiety-bloated-belly-muscle-spasms-ms-arfid-anorexia-alzheimers-and-autism/).
Feel free to share your low GABA symptoms, which product/s you have trialed and how much, and how they were used.
You can read more about GABA and BBB here
– Dr. Datis Kharrazian’s GABA Challenge for a leaky blood brain barrier is a theory and we still have much to learn https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/dr-datis-kharrazians-gaba-challenge-for-a-leaky-blood-brain-barrier-is-a-theory-and-we-still-have-much-to-learn/
– The Anxiety Summit – GABA: Blood brain barrier controversy, concerns, best forms and how to do a trial for eliminating anxiety https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/gaba-blood-brain-barrier-trial-anxiety/
Hi!
I’ve been reading your blogs and I’m trying to decide if my 12 year old son should be on GABA? He has ADHD, is impulsive, is loner, craves carbs,and doesn’t do well or care about school. Can you tell me what supplement he could be deficient and where to purchase? He is currently on ADHA med., Focalin during the school year.
Thanks,
Janice
I’ve had good results with GABA when there is ADHD, impulsiveness and craving of carbs. With focus issues, carb cravings and not caring about school we also consider low serotonin/low dopamine and do trials of tryptophan and/or tyrosine (always one amino acid at a time). Low dose lithium can also help with impulsiveness. The pyroluria protocol helps kids and adults who are loners (https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/pyroluria-questionnaire-from-the-antianxiety-food-solution/)
I’ll share your question and a longer response in a future blog (and will share a link here)
Until then, my book is a great resource when you are new to the amino acids and are looking for a comprehensive dietary approach, which is needed with ADHD and the symptoms you describe – The Antianxiety Food Solution https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/the-antianxiety-food-solution-by-trudy-scott/ There is a chapter on pyroluria too.
Janice
Here is the new blog with additional information – https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/my-12-year-old-son-has-adhd-is-impulsive-is-a-loner-craves-carbs-and-doesnt-do-well-or-care-about-school-should-he-be-on-gaba/
Please do keep us posted
Is it safe for a nursing mom to take GABA, tryptophan and 5HTP?
Madeline
None of the amino acids have been studied in nursing. I have nursing moms focus on dietary changes as outlined in my book The Antianxiety Food Solution. More here https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/the-antianxiety-food-solution-by-trudy-scott/
I am taking 50mg of Desvenlafaxine (Pristique) for my high anxiety and depression. The only side effect that bothers me are the tremors. When I lower the dosage to 25mg, the tremors subside, but the anxiety returns. I mentioned to my doctor, and she said it’s my sympathetic nervous system. Would the Gaba help the tremors, or another supplement? Thank you
Tracy
I’d be concerned about tremors. This could be discussed with the prescribing doctor https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/essential-tremor-dystonia-anxiety-and-cravings-diet-gaba-tryptophan-zinc-and-vitamin-b6/
Be sure to look into dietary and other nutrition factors that cause anxiety and depression – my book is a great resource for this https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/the-antianxiety-food-solution-by-trudy-scott/
Thank you for your response. Where can I purchase the Triptobel Supplement?
Tracy
This is a European product that can be purchased online. The Lidtke 500mg Tryptophan works in the same way and can be purchased via my online supplement store. More here https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/amino-acids-pyroluria-supplements/
Since there is a potential risk of serotonin syndrome I have clients discuss with the prescribing doctor.
Hi Trudy,
Your question: “Does low GABA anger/rage look different from low serotonin anger-rage?” reminded me of an article I read yesterday on Dr. Mercola’s website, written by A Midwestern Doctor on his Substack channel, https://www.midwesterndoctor.com.
The article discussed how when a person with reduced P450 function takes an SSRI, they can develop dangerously high levels of the SSRI in their bloodstream which can lead to violent rage. Is this because their serotonin level is too high?
My thought was that testing one’s P450 function to determine if one is an over or under-methylator could be quite helpful, if not life-saving, to know. Below is an excerpt from the article:
“In addition to demographic factors (e.g., age, race, sex) affecting one’s response to a pharmaceutical, genetic variations can as well. For example, the P450 enzymes plays a pivotal role in liver detoxification, and as a result, P450 function directly affects how long a drug will stay in the system and what the resulting appropriate dosage is for it.
More importantly, significant genetic variations exist in P450 function that are virtually never considered. One of the more tragic examples can be seen with SSRI antidepressants. A long standing problem with those drugs is that a certain portion of people who take them become violently psychotic and then either kill themselves or others (e.g., in a school shooting).
Forensic investigations in turn have been conducted to determine what caused the individuals to turn psychotic. One common thread was the individual having a genetically reduced P450 function, which in turn caused the individual to develop dangerously high levels of the SSRI in their bloodstream.
For example, in one study evaluating 10 patients suspected to have this issue (due to them becoming violent after starting an SSRI), all ten were found to have a genetically altered P450 function, and all ten became normal once their SSRI was terminated.
This is important because very few physicians who prescribe SSRIs are even aware of the P450 issue, so it is something never screened for when the SSRIs are prescribed. Likewise, once an individual starts developing early psychotic symptoms, it is rare for the physician to attribute that to the drug (rather they often assume it arises from insufficient dosing and hence give the patient more of the SSRI).
Note: Many other consequential genetic variants have also been identified. William Walsh, PhD for example spent 20 years building a database of 2,800 depressed individuals (which had over 300,000 analyses of blood and urine) and identified five common patterns that were seen.
Most of those patterns in turn were the result of genetic predispositions (e.g., deficient or excessive methylation) that could be detected with relatively affordable tests and if treated directly (e.g., by giving methylation supporting supplements) would resolve the patient’s depression.
In turn, some of these metabolic types would improve if SSRI antidepressants were given to the patient, some would experience no improvement from an SSRI, and some (the over-methylators) would instead begin to turn psychotic if administered SSRIs.”
I really appreciate all of your very helpful information. Thank you!
Martha
Thank you for sharing this very interesting article excerpt about reduced P450 function. I’m aware of SSRIs contributing to rage and violence and the P450 enzymes being involved in medication processing/handling.
Can you please share the name of the doctor who wrote the article. Did they mention which SNPs? Per a Mayo Clinic article “The cytochrome P450 enzyme includes the CYP2D6 enzyme, which processes many antidepressants and antipsychotic medications.” https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cyp450-test/about/pac-20393711
My pleasure! What I posted did have links but they didn’t come through once posted. If the links below also won’t show in this post, I’d be happy to send them to you by email.
Below is the link to Dr. William Walsh’s presentation titled “Methylation, Epigenetics and Mental Health” where he discusses these SNPs: MTHFR, MS, BHMT, MATT, SAHH, ADA, AK, AGAT, GAMT, CBS
https://www.walshinstitute.org/uploads/1/7/9/9/17997321/methylation_epigenetics_and_mental_health_by_william_walsh_phd.pdf
Here’s the ink to Dr. Walsh’s website: https://www.walshinstitute.org/researchstudies.html
The doctor who wrote the article goes by the pen name, “A Midwestern Doctor”. He has a Substack channel:
https://www.midwesterndoctor.com. It requires a paid subscription. But, every Friday Dr. Mercola’s newsletter features one of his articles. I copied the information off of Dr. Mercola’s site.
Thanks for sharing this additional info. It is strange that a doctor uses a pen name and not his real name!