My 6 year old son was having panic attacks getting out of the car going to Kindergarten and taking two GABA Calm has completely relieved him of his fears. He has been going for 3 straight weeks in a row.
I thought it may be low serotonin since this happened last winter as well but I gave him 5-HTP for a couple months and it didn’t seem to affect him and his anxiety. We had to have him repeat Kinder this year.
But wow, the GABA has been fabulous and Kindergarten is in full swing because of your help.
This is from Lisa, a mom in the community. I never get tired of getting feedback like this – how wonderful for this young boy and his family. She shared this very positive outcome on one of the GABA blogs, asking this question (which I address below):
Quick question…does the GABA have to be taken on an empty stomach to work? We try to give it as soon as he is awake and wait to eat for 15-20 mins but sometimes it’s not possible.
The timing of GABA and tracking symptoms
I share that GABA is best taken on an empty stomach and ideally 30 minutes away from protein-containing food. But I also say that the way she is having him use it is clearly working for him. In a situation like this it’s simple enough to track the outcome on days they do wait 15-20 mins and on days when it’s not possible to wait the 15-20 mins (and make a note of how close to food he does take GABA). How is his anxiety, fears and panic attacks in these two situations?
Lisa shared that GABA works well in both instances:
We will keep doing the no food for 15-20 minutes after taking it because it is obviously working. We’ve only had it happen where he eats after about 5 mins and it seems to still do the job.
This sounds like a great plan. If they can, I would also do a trial waiting the full 30 minutes and see how he does on those days. She may find with the longer duration he only needs one GABA Calm.
It may also be that because GABA is being used in a sublingual manner like this, it can be used closer to food. Perhaps a trial right after food is worthwhile. I’m sure it will reduce some of the early morning stress and rush getting ready for Kindergarten.
I also confirmed with her that he is using the Source Naturals GABA Calm product. This is the sublingual product (with just 125mg of GABA and a few other ingredients) that I have so much success with. You can read more about it here – Source Naturals GABA Calm™: Why I recommend it for anxiety.
The school is in shock at how well carpooling is going for him
I love that the school is now in shock and that this mom went with her instinct and pulled him out of school the first year his fears showed up:
We just got a call from the school today and they are in shock at how well carpooling is going for him. They wanted to know what I was doing, ha! He had been a star student so they were shocked when he started to have meltdowns and panic attacks, running away and into traffic about 3 months into school. We deal with a bit of ADHD at home (it’s manageable with the diet) but anxiety is what most see on the outside.
We are repeating Kindergarten because half way through last year he started to panic getting out of the car. The previous school wanted to grab him out of the car and have me drive off. They said he would calm down better without me. What? Just what I want to do is traumatize my child at the start of his academic life. I pulled him and we waited since he was on the younger side and put him in a fabulous charter school this year.
The GABA has taken all those fears out and has been a huge bridge for him to get to school.
I do hope Lisa told the school exactly what he’s doing with GABA and how quickly it’s helped him. So many children are struggling with anxiety and mental health issues and could do with nutritional support like GABA and some of the dietary changes he had made before using GABA (more on that below).
5-HTP didn’t help and why a switch to tryptophan may have helped
You’ll notice she mentioned that 5-HTP had not helped the previous year:
I thought it may be low serotonin since this happened last winter as well but I gave him 5-HTP for a couple months and it didn’t seem to affect him and his anxiety.
Fear and panic attacks are common with low serotonin so it’s good that she did a trial of 5-HTP. Here are some of my insights:
- I would not have someone use 5-HTP for a couple of months – the amino acids work quickly so a week or possibly two should be enough to decide whether to continue or stop
- You always want to increase until you find the ideal dose. I’m not sure how Lisa approached this aspect.
- When there are low serotonin symptoms and 5-HTP doesn’t work, we switch to tryptophan. 5-HTP works well for some and tryptophan works better for others. You can see all the low serotonin symptoms here
It’s possible her son may still benefit from additional serotonin support. Or it may be that the GABA is all he needs. With ADHD it may be worth investigating tyrosine too.
Dietary changes: gluten, dairy, phenols and high histamine foods
It’s important to always address the foundational diet so I checked with Lisa about dietary changes. This is key to not needing long-term GABA supplementation (once other causes of low GABA are addressed – such as Lyme disease, phthalates, aspartame, gut health etc). She shared this about his diet:
He has always been gluten free and dairy free (only goats milk as a baby). We follow the Feingold Diet and try to stay away from high histamine foods as it causes his anger and anxiety to be worse.
It’s great she has made these foundational dietary changes with gluten and dairy – both can exacerbate mood issues. The Feingold diet eliminates phenols. Both phenols and high histamine foods can be problematic for many children too, as she reports.
All these dietary factors are so key but even then additional neurotransmitter support is often needed and in this instance it’s GABA that he clearly needs. Because of his issue with histamines it’s possible he may not have tolerated pharmaGABA (a fermented GABA) so GABA Calm was a good first choice for the initial trial.
Pyroluria testing – why I often don’t use this urine test
I know he has some imbalances so we need to do an OAT test and pyroluria test (I have pyroluria so I know he is bound to have it). Money is the issue at the moment so the GABA chewables have been a true lifesaver. I can’t thank you enough!
I let her know that I don’t often have clients do the urine test for pyroluria because of the false negatives. He’s doing really well but children with pyroluria are really good at masking and pushing through (and so are adults, as I’m sure Lisa already knows). The pyroluria protocol (zinc, vitamin B6 and evening primrose oil) provide raw materials for neurotransmitter production and can help with ADHD symptoms too. We simply do a trial of the protocol when symptoms exist and determine if they are helping.
I love her comment: “the GABA chewables have been a true lifesaver.” This and the outcome for this 6 year old is the reason I love the amino acids. They offer incredible results and relief from anxiety, fears and panic attacks, while you are working through testing (like the OAT and others) and other contributing root causes.
I said her feedback is really inspiring and I’d love to share it as a blog post for other families. She kindly responded with this:
You can definitely write up a blog post about it. If I can help other families going through the same thing it was all worth it. If you have any other questions don’t hesitate to ask. Thank you again for sharing all your knowledge.
I appreciate her willingness to post their success and her permission to share as a blog post.
Resources if you are new to using GABA and other amino acids as supplements
If you are new to using GABA or any of the other 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, self-medicating with alcohol and more.
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). This is a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance and community support.
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.
Have one of your children experienced similar results with GABA offering relief for anxiety, fears and panic attacks? Which GABA product helped your child and how much helped?
When using sublingual or chewable GABA products like GABA Calm, have you found the timing in relation to foods being important?
What dietary changes has your child also made and how have they helped?
If you have questions and feedback please share them here too.
Kristen Baird-Goldman says
My 11 yo daughter is taking (2) Source Naturals chewable GABA Calm for severe anxiety. There has been some reduction, but not enough. Her health anxiety is pretty high and she has trouble falling asleep at night ( 2 hours) along with some OCD behaviors in the evening. Just started Magnesium Threonate, other magnesiums have not really helped. Should we add Tryptophan or 5 HTP? I believe she has Pyroluria ( I do). She has major social anxiety. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Trudy Scott says
Kristen
Some reduction in anxiety when using GABA is a great start and we increase GABA from there to find the idea dose (it’s different for everyone) and better symptom resolution, before adding other amino acids.
With OCD, anxiety, trouble falling asleep we would consider a trial of tryptophan or 5-HTP next. I typically start with tryptophan. We may also add melatonin later, once we have a good tryptophan dose.
I have clients start on the pyroluria supplements right away as they also help with GABA, serotonin and other neurotransmitter support – in addition to social anxiety.
My book “The Antianxiety Food Solution” is a great place for the foundations (you don’t mention what dietary changes have been made) and has a chapter on the amino acids with dosing/timing information and a chapter on pyroluria. More here https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/the-antianxiety-food-solution-by-trudy-scott/
My online GABA Quickstart group program is helpful when you have questions related to GABA and need guidance (and moral support/encouragement). More here about the program and purchase info https://www.anxietynutritioninstitute.com/gabaquickstart/ There are many moms in the group who are helping a child with anxiety.
As a practitioner you will find my practitioner amino acid training invaluable – to use in your practice or to gain a better understanding for referring out to practitioners using the amino acids. More here https://www.anxietynutritioninstitute.com/balancingneurotransmitters/
Trudy says
I’m posting this comment so I can test the new feature: “Notify me of followup comments via e-mail.”
Trudy says
Test reply
Mrs M says
Good morning!!
It’s always heartbreaking for thinking & seeing my daughter struggle. She has been having panic attacks 5+ years and she also has anxiety very bad. Has been on medication. Now things are keep on adding in her life …she is able to walk much constant leg pain
Seeing one after one new doctors including Functional medicine. No one is for sure.
She is in bed most of the time. Hoping for miracle.. Lost Mom who wants her daughter life back. She is 29 year old.
Trudy Scott says
Mrs M
I’m sorry to hear about your daughter but want you to know there is hope and a solution as you’ve read in this blog.
For the anxiety and panic attacks I’d encourage you to start with my book “The Antianxiety Food Solution.” It is a great place for the foundations (you don’t mention what dietary changes have been made) and has a chapter on the amino acids with dosing/timing information. More here https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/the-antianxiety-food-solution-by-trudy-scott/
My online GABA Quickstart group program is helpful when you have questions related to GABA and need guidance (and moral support/encouragement). More here about the program and purchase info https://www.anxietynutritioninstitute.com/gabaquickstart/
With her leg pain I’d suggest looking into dietary oxalates – more here – Oxalate crystal disease, dietary oxalates and pain: the research & questions https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/oxalate-crystal-disease-dietary-oxalates-and-pain-the-research-questions/
Beth says
Dear Trudy,
I admire and commend this mother for seeking and finding help for her son and for sharing their inspirational story on this blog.
I especially admire this mother’s wholistic and nutritional approach.
It saddens me to think of how many children are suffering anxiety/panic/depression/other that are placed solely under “psychological care” with no exploration of underlying biochemical and nutritional causes and solutions.
Gratefully, there are wonderful resources and practitioners out there
to help. And Trudy, you are one of the best and one of the most compassionate. May this precious child continue to do well and overtime make even greater gains. He and his Mom are great examples for us all.
Trudy Scott says
Beth
I’m with you all the way and thank you for your very welcome and caring response – and very kind words for me.
Laurie says
Wow! Such great results! My son who is almost 13 has had night terrors and talks in his sleep nightly… and is super sleep deprived. Do you think GABA and/or 5-HTP would help him? We have tried soooo many things from Homeopathy, to energy work, to sleep studies, to an expander to widen his palate for better breathing (he has super minor sleep apnea according to the sleep study by Stanford… but he sleeps with his mouth closed…?). He is getting depressed and I am at my wits end. Maybe I could do a consult with you? I am not sure where to to turn to next… Thank you! Laurie
Trudy Scott says
Laurie
With sleep issues I always consider low GABA and low serotonin and start with the symptoms questionnaire and trials of each one (one at a time). With night terrors I always consider pyroluria. Addressing breathing and apnea is important too.
You may find this recent blog post helpful for how I work through figuring out where to start and what to do 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/
And my book “The Antianxiety Food Solution” is a great resource for the amino acids, pyroluria and dietary aspects. More here https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/the-antianxiety-food-solution-by-trudy-scott/