We typically associate low GABA, a calming neurotransmitter, with a physical-type of tension- anxiety that also often affects sleep. However there is evidence that low GABA is also a factor in other conditions. One of these conditions is Tourette’s Syndrome, which is characterized by the presence of chronic tics which can be motor/movement and vocal. In today’s blog I share some research that suggests a deficit in GABAergic transmission may contribute to symptoms in Tourette’s and a case study where a teenage boy found relief from his tics when using the amino acid GABA as a supplement. GABA also improved his sleep. He also made some dietary changes – no gluten, no sugar and no caffeine – and supplemented with magnesium and melatonin. The amino acid tyrosine, used as a supplement, also improved his low mood and focus, both of which can be issues with Tourette’s.
Kim, a mom in this community, shared this wonderful feedback about her son in response to a Facebook post a few years ago:
Because of your book, I started using GABA for my 14-year-old son with moderate to severe Tourette’s Syndrome, and the results have been significant. Highly recommended for tics, and sleep for these individuals. Thank you.
I asked her how much GABA he used and how often and she shared this:
He used 750mg GABA nightly before bed, and if tics are really active then additional 300mg. Lots of water and a balanced diet with no caffeine…. life-saver.
Keep in mind that 750mg is considered a high dose. We typically start with 125mg GABA and increase based on each person’s unique needs. There is the temptation to think “I have tics and this is a very severe condition so I need a high dose to start.” You don’t want to be thinking like this. Some people may not need this much and others may need this high dose. We always use the trial method to figure out the ideal dose.
She also shared that when he added tyrosine, he saw benefits from that amino acid supplement too:
He recently added 300mg of l-tyrosine, and it promotes happiness and a sharper mind, due to brain fog. He says he really notices a difference. He has read your book as well.
How wonderful is this? GABA helped reduce his tics and improved his sleep, and tyrosine improved his mood and focus.
I love that he’s read my book – good for him and this mom! It’s never too early to have you and your child read this information. It’s empowering for them so they understand the changes they need to make and why these amino acids, dietary changes and elimination of caffeine make such a difference.
I recently checked in to see how he is doing now and asked what other nutritional approaches helped/help other than GABA, a balanced diet and no caffeine. She shared this:
He’s gluten free, magnesium for sure for the muscle tics, and melatonin for good sleep (Touretters need a routine sleep schedule).
He’s 18 now and is doing way better as he matures, but GABA no doubt has improved his life. We promote GABA and educate others as much as possible.
All this is so great to hear and I love that they now help to educate others about GABA too.
I appreciate that she gave me permission to share, hence this post. (The image above is a stock image and not her son.)
Tourette’s Syndrome and reduced GABA function
This paper, Reduced GABAergic inhibition and abnormal sensory symptoms in children with Tourette syndrome, describes the condition and the role of reduced GABA function:
Tourette Syndrome is characterized by the presence of chronic tics. Individuals with Tourette Syndrome often report difficulty with ignoring (habituating to) tactile sensations, and some patients perceive that this contributes to a “premonitory urge” to tic. While common, the physiological basis of impaired tactile processing in Tourette Syndrome, and indeed tics themselves, remain poorly understood.
It has been well established that GABAergic processing plays an important role in shaping the neurophysiological response to tactile stimulation. Furthermore, there are multiple lines of evidence suggesting that a deficit in GABAergic transmission may contribute to symptoms found in Tourette Syndrome.
In this study, the authors used testing (magnetic resonance spectroscopy) and tasks that were vibrotactile (the perception of vibration through touch) to investigate the role of GABA and atypical sensory processing in these 8-12-year old children with Tourette Syndrome.
They found the following:
- lower concentration of GABA in the sensorimotor cortex and “impaired performance on tactile detection and adaptation tasks, consistent with altered GABAergic function”
- the altered/reduced GABAergic function correlated with the severity of motor tics and sensory impairments, “linking the core feature of Tourette Syndrome directly to … brain neurochemistry.”
The authors conclude that this provides a foundation for novel interventions (i.e. medications) but unfortunately do not offer the use of the amino acid GABA as one of these solutions. This is very unfortunate but not unexpected. I plan to reach out to the authors and share this case study and blog.
This research supports why GABA works so well for Kim’s son and why he needed higher amounts of GABA when his tics were more active/severe. And now I’m curious to find out if her son has/had sensory issues and how they improve/improved with GABA. I’ll report back if I hear from her about this.
It’s no surprise that GABA helps his sleep too. There is much evidence supporting this – like the the sleep promoting effects of combined GABA and 5-HTP (or GABA alone or 5-HTP alone). I’ve also shared many GABA-sleep success stories on the blog. Here is one: Since starting GABA my child sleeps for the first time in years and really notices a difference in his carb cravings. (Use the search feature and “GABA sleep” to find additional blog posts)
Interestingly only 8% of the children in the study had generalized anxiety disorder. Given how common low GABA is in anxiety, and that low serotonin can also be a factor with tics, I would have expected anxiety to be higher.
Evidence supporting the other nutritional changes he made
There is evidence to support the other nutritional changes that Kim’s son made:
- There are reports that “an increase in tics has been related to the consumption of caffeine and refined sugar.” The authors acknowledge that there is no one diet for Tourette’s, so as always, it’s a matter of figuring out the ideal diet for each child (or adult) with tics. Oligoantigenic diets have been identified as significantly reducing tics. This involves removing foods that can potentially cause a food sensitivity leading to tics and/or behavioral impacts and/or insomnia.
- A gluten-free diet maintained for one year in patients with Tourette’s Syndrome was shown to markedly reduce tics and OCD in children and adults
- Magnesium is one of the most used supplements in children with Tourette’s Syndrome. When used with probiotics, omega-3 and multivitamins “Seventy-five per cent of supplement users in the Tourette syndrome group noted improvement, mainly in motor and vocal tics, sleep quality and anxiety reduction.”
- Melatonin is listed with a number of medications commonly prescribed for tic disorders where sleep issues are also a factor
Keep in mind that the above is not a protocol for relief from tics for everyone with Tourette’s Syndrome. It’s what worked for the unique biochemical needs of Kim’s son.
That said, this could be a framework to start with and build upon.
Tyrosine improves his mood and focus
Tyrosine helps with low catecholamines, improving the curl-up-in-bed low-energy kind of low mood and poor focus. (You can see all the symptoms here.) The typical dose is 500mg tyrosine a few times a day. Kim’s son found just 300mg to be beneficial.
Interestingly, 48% of the children in this study had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with about half of those on stimulant medication. I wonder how many would have also benefited from tyrosine for improving their focus, as it did for Kim’s son.
You can read more about tyrosine for focus and mood, and motivation and energy here.
Resources if you are new to using GABA or tyrosine as a supplement
If you are new to using the the amino acid GABA or tyrosine as supplements, here is the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution (you can see the low serotonin and other low neurotransmitter symptoms) and a brief overview here: Anxiety and targeted individual amino acid supplements: a summary.
If you suspect low levels of GABA or catecholamines 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 so you are knowledgeable.
And be sure to share it with the team you or your loved one is working with. As I mentioned above, it’s empowering for your teen and also relatively easy reading too.
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 GABA and tyrosine products that I use with my individual clients and those in my group programs.
Have you seen results with GABA or any of the above approaches? Or has another approach helped you or your child?
If you’re a practitioner have you seen GABA and any of the above to help? What else has helped your clients/patients?
If you suffer from Tourette’s Syndrome, do you also experience ADHD, insomnia, low mood and/or anxiety?
Feel free to ask your questions here too.
Trudy, have you noted success with tremors using amino acids?
Rhonda
This blog may be helpful – Essential tremor, dystonia, anxiety and cravings – diet, GABA, tryptophan, zinc and vitamin B6 https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/essential-tremor-dystonia-anxiety-and-cravings-diet-gaba-tryptophan-zinc-and-vitamin-b6/
I share how diet, GABA, tryptophan, zinc, vitamin B6 and other B vitamins can resolve essential tremor and sugar cravings in 2 months, and also resolve musician’s dystonia and social anxiety within 4 months.
Do you have essential tremor and what has worked for you?
My daughter has high pyrolles over 100 and anxiety/adhd. Her B6 lab was high without supplementing-?could that be an absorption issue? I saw an interview you did where they suggested lysine for b6 absorption-
Mary
Dr. Carolyn Ledowksy, ND, is the doctor who uses lysine to help with vitamin B6 absorption (as shared on the Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis). She suggests that high leavels on lab work is an indication of poor absorption. I don’t have experience with this as yet.
If your daughter also has Tourette’s Syndrome, vitamin B6 has been shown to be helpful too. In the context of this case and research it makes sense because vitamin B6 is needed to make GABA and other neurotransmitters. It’s also commonly low with pyroluria. ADHD and anxiety are common with Tourette’s and “poorer psychosocial functioning” is common too (https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2016.00097/full)
I just found out my B6 is high too, but I was supplementing and now I have to stop. I have TS. B12 was also high as apparently I was taking too much. I’m vegetarian, so I always assumed my B12 would be low!
Christina
B12 should always be tested before supplementing – we test B12, MMA and homocysteine to get a good picture. B6 testing is not a reliable test.
Do you know if there is a tablet, capsules or liquid that had all the ones you listed gaba, tryptophan, zinc, vitamin B6 and other B vitamins in a combination that’s available for purchase?
Leona
It would be great if it was this easy but I would not recommend a combination product like this because the dosing of each individual ingredient could vary for each person. There is not ever a one-size-fits-all approach.
The best bet is a good multivitamin/mineral and a free form amino acid for basics and then add on as needed.
I have a gaba sports supplement which is for lean mass, sleep and fat loss. The dosage on the bottle is 3g (3000mg) in 150 ML water before bed. Can this work?
Rezana
GABA is often sold as a sports supplement and excessively high doses are recommended on the label. If it is GABA (gamma-amino butyric acid) I have clients start with 125mg on the tongue away from food and go up from there based on symptom relief.
Thank you for the response Trudy. Much appreciated
Hi Trudy,
A neurologist advised me, albeit over 15 years ago, to eat a low protein diet and to specifically avoid tyrosine because it’s a precursor to dopamine, which is implicated in Tourette’s. However, the other thing I don’t understand is how Tourette’s and ADHD so often occur together, since they are said to involve opposite neurochemistry involving dopamine/catecholamines. Any insight on this? Thanks!
Christina
There is research supporting a dopamine blocking agents however none of the conventional research recognizes any of what I have shared in this blog.
I’m curious to hear if this approach (low protein diet and avoiding tyrosine) has helped you with your Tourette’s symptoms?
No, I don’t think the low protein diet helped, based on my symptoms not worsening as I’ve started eating much more protein in recent years. I’ve been vegetarian for 25 years, for reference. I’ve been considering trying a tyrosine supplement for focus, but I do worry about it raising my dopamine too much, which is why I haven’t tried stimulant medication. But I’m sure tyrosine is much less risky.
Christina
Sorry to hear your symptoms have not resolved. When someone has poor focus issues and other low catecholamine symptoms we always do a trial of tyrosine. If it doesn’t work or is too stimulating we stop. If we were working together I’d start with exploring what I’ve covered in this blog as possible root causes too.
Regarding protein intake, some participants in this keto study (https://scholars.direct/Articles/pediatric-neurology/jpnn-5-020.php) saw improvements. The authors state “We know that the ketogenic diet influences several systems in the brain that in the end will increase the mitochondrial energy capacity and stabilize the membrane of the neurons. Other potential mechanisms of action are effects on the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, increase of GABA activity or modulation in dopamine system.” They mention dopamine imbalance.
If you are new to the amino acids (and other anxiety nutrition solutions like real whole food, quality animal protein, fermented foods, organic produce, health fats, gluten/sugar/caffeine removal, blood sugar control, gut health, pyroluria etc) my book “The Antianxiety Food Solution” is a great place to start. More here https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/the-antianxiety-food-solution-by-trudy-scott/
Please keep us posted on how you do
Hi Trudy,
I am struggling with being ‘on edge’ around other people. What would you recommend for this? I do have some capsules of GABA but they are 500mg each which seems a bit high. Also, I am trying to lose some weight and wondered what your opinion on intermittent fasting was? I have started skipping breakfast and eating between 12pm – 8pm. Not too sure if this is good or not for anxiety in general
Thanks
Bill
Bill
Best is to figure out if feeling on edge is low serotonin or low GABA and go from there. The best way to determine if someone may have low GABA/serotonin is to look at the low GABA/serotonin symptoms, rate them on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being worst, do a trial of the respective amino acid and rate the symptoms again right afterwards (in the next 2 to 30 minutes). Here are the symptoms https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/amino-acids-mood-questionnaire-from-the-antianxiety-food-solution/
500mg of GABA is a high starting dose and I have clients open and start with 1/4.
Anxiety can be related to low blood sugar (also on the above questionnaire) and have clients avoid IT until we’re sure this isn’t a factor. Also IT is not just about skipping breakfast. It also includes increasing fat intake so it’s best to be smart about it. This is a great book for men – The Fasting Transformation: A Functional Guide to Burn Fat, Heal Your Body and Transform Your Life with Intermittent & Extended Fasting https://amzn.to/34FZiDi (my Amazon link)
I’m fighting metastatic breast cancer and have just passed the 5-year survival rate. I still have the ability to do everything, but I have also suffered from anxiety, depression, and I crave sweets and carbs all my life. I’ve taken Xanax for over 20 years to get to sleep. Now that I am on Medicare, they are having me meet with my PCP about it. Should I try GABA?
Christi
Wonderful that you have just passed the 5-year survival rate. I’d explore the amino acids for your anxiety, depression, insomnia and sweet/carb cravings.
If your PCP advises stopping, it must be tapered very very slowly and many doctors are not aware of this. I have my clients get nutritionally stable BEFORE starting any medication taper (with their doctor’s approval of course) and this prevents many of the adverse effects. This means eating real food, no gluten, no caffeine, no sugar, quality animal protein, eating for blood sugar control and addressing gut health, the adrenals etc (everything I cover in my book “The Antianxiety Food Solution” – more here https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/the-antianxiety-food-solution-by-trudy-scott/). And then we use the amino acids during the taper (all with the doctor’s approval and monitoring).
I have found that GABA and/or theanine and tryptophan and/or 5-HTP can help a great deal. We may also include melatonin, niacinamide, St John’s Wort, adrenal supportive nutrients and other protocols based on each person’s unique needs.
However, as you’re probably aware, there are a subset of individuals (about 30%) who do have a much more difficult time tapering benzos than others, even with nutritional support. More on this here https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/world-benzodiazepine-awareness-day-say-no-benzodiazepines-anxiety/
I am aware that many well-meaning benzo support groups say don’t use any supplements, but I don’t agree with this advice. We always trial the nutrients because many folks do benefit from them.
I’m also now advising full spectrum infrared sauna to facilitate the detox process. More about sauna here https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/thera360-plus-my-portable-full-spectrum-infrared-sauna-from-therasage-better-sleep-and-digestion-more-energy-and-even-more-joy/
Hi, my 6 year old son is with tics…we still without diagnóstic… Im Very afraid about this… Do you think that your book could help us?
Luciana
I always start with diet with tics and much in my book has helped kids and adults. GABA and sometimes tryptophan helps too so it’s worth exploring.
Thank you very much, darling!
I will buy and give notices…
Who can test for low gaba, tyrosine, magnesium, b6, etc levels?
We are on the east coast in Florida and would love to find a physician/etc to assist here.
Mia
We use the symptoms questionnaire for low GABA, low dopamine and other neurotransmitters https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/amino-acids-mood-questionnaire-from-the-antianxiety-food-solution/ and a trial of the respective amino acids one by one, titrated to each person’s needs.
And my book is a great resource when you are new to the amino acids and are looking for a comprehensive dietary approach– The Antianxiety Food Solution https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/the-antianxiety-food-solution-by-trudy-scott/
mrb, i’m in turkey. 13 years old son has intense vocal tic. They said tourette. We are using antipsychotic abilify 2 mg. We used 200mg biglysinate citrate and b6 2.8. We used lteanin in the morning. There was no big change. 13 years old 50 kg. There is also attention problem. does he.thank you
Ebru
I’m sorry to hear about your son. I think you’re saying you use theanine. I find GABA to be more effective and we increase to find the dose that will work for each person. We also use it multiple times a day. GABA can also help with attention problems but tyrosine (as outlined in this blog) helps too.
And all the dietary changes too. And my book is a great resource when you are new to the amino acids and are looking for a comprehensive dietary approach– The Antianxiety Food Solution https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/the-antianxiety-food-solution-by-trudy-scott/
I have severe Tourette’s, I have found Noni very effective at reducing symptoms ( it lowers both dopamine and glutamate levels ), however it does not help my sleep much. Using a calcium/magnesium form of butyric acid works much better to raise my GABA ( gamma aminobutyric acid ) levels ( I can feel the effect ) than taking GABA, even Pharmagaba, which supposedly passes the blood-brain barrier better, does improve my sleep and makes my brain feel calmer. I also use Cissus to raise my serotonin levels, to help me sleep, it’s one of the few things I’ve found that raises my serotonin levels, without also raising my dopamine levels. It’s also a good idea to take a high DHA omega 3 ( Improves neurotransmitter function ).
Sigrid
Thanks for sharing and glad you’ve found what works for you