Francoise posted this feedback and her surprise about her elevated GABA levels – as reported on a urinary neurotransmitter test. She was justifiably confused because she had looked at the low GABA symptoms and resonated with them i.e. physical anxiety/tension, stiff and tense muscles, stress eating, self-medicating with alcohol, insomnia and intrusive thoughts etc:
I previously bought Gaba Calm after reading your blog since my symptoms seemed to match your description [of low GABA].
However, I recently did an exhaustive neurotransmitter test to realize that it was the exact opposite, having a significantly high level of GABA.
Unfortunately, I’ve looked all over the internet after talking to my doctor, and it seems that no one knows how to downregulate GABA.
Not sure what to do from there, but thought I should let you know that the situation exists despite not being common.
I posted this feedback for her: I do not use urinary neurotransmitter testing as it’s not accurate. I use the low GABA symptoms questionnaire and we do a trial of GABA if low GABA symptoms are present.
She said it perfectly – “I previously bought Gaba Calm after reading your blog since my symptoms seemed to match your description” i.e. it’s very likely she does in fact have low GABA symptoms and if we were working together I’d have her do trial of GABA.
I did ask her what her doctor and the lab recommended and to share the name of the lab/test and have yet to hear back. I will share when I do.
Someone else also had the neurotransmitter report high GABA so she stopped taking her GABA supplements
When I shared Francoise’s comment and my feedback on Facebook, I had someone share a very similar outcome. Kristin had already figured out that she had low GABA levels (based on the symptoms questionnaire), was already taking GABA with good results and was then told to stop taking GABA because the urinary neurotransmitter test reported elevated GABA levels!
This is what Kristin shared on Facebook: “I just did the neurotransmitter test. It said I was high in GABA as well, so I stopped taking it.”
These were the questions I asked her: Why were you taking GABA at the time – was it because you had/have low GABA symptoms and was GABA helping to ease these symptoms? I also asked which lab did the test and what her practitioner recommended? She shared the following:
I was taking GABA for anxiety. It was helping. .
My doctor recommended that I stop the GABA and use supplements to support the areas I was low in, which were: Dopamine, Norepinephrine, Epinephrine, and Serotonin (was VERY low).
Doctor’s Data is the company. And it wasn’t a cheap test.
I was surprised that even though GABA was helping Kristin, the doctor said to stop using it. What does also concern me too is that supporting dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine without supporting GABA can actually increase anxiety. I’ve seen this backfire a number of times.
After seeing my post and our Facebook back and forth she decided to start back on the GABA products she had been taking: GABA Calm 1-3 tablets a day and if she is struggling terribly with morning anxiety, then 1/2 to 1 tablet as needed. In the evening she takes 2 capsules of Neurocalm which has 100 mg of GABA (and some other ingredients).
Kristin confirmed that, once again, GABA was helping to ease her intrusive thoughts, anxiety and physical tension, all low GABA symptoms.
I said to Kristin that I’d reach out to Doctor’s Data and have done so. I shared all this and I am hoping to hear back from them. I’ll keep you posted when I do.
Kristin has offered to share this blog with her integrative doctor who prescribed this test. I’m hoping she does and you do too.
I appreciate both these women sharing their experiences so I can share with you.
Urinary neurotransmitter testing falls short and other practitioners weigh in too
I find many functional tests extremely useful and Doctor’s Data is well regarded in functional medicine. However, I do find it very unfortunate that so many practitioners continue to use and recommend this test when it’s not useful, doesn’t correlate with symptoms and so often causes confusion, like in these instances (which are just two of many similar cases). By the way, they are not the only lab offering urinary neurotransmitter testing.
Be sure to read this older blog: Urinary neurotransmitter testing falls short where I share more about why I’m not in favor of this testing.
This feedback from Nora Gedgaudas, author of Primal Body Primal Mind sums up what I often hear from other practitioners:
I have considered the urinary testing approach and was even enamored of the concept at first. Once I looked into the idea more closely, though, it just didn’t add up for me. I have been using amino acids now to address issues of mood, health and cognitive functioning for over 20 years. I have never used anything other than mood/symptomatic screening to guide amino acid supplementation. Results tend to be uniformly good to excellent. The sheer overwhelming complexity of amino acid/neurotransmitter activity in the human body/brain-and the compartmentalized nature of the biochemistry of each seems to best lend itself to a more functional and symptom-related evaluation. Lab testing simply falls short of the mark here.
A colleague and good friend of mine, Dr. Josh Friedman posted this in the comments section of the above blog post (back in 2014), further supporting what practitioners are reporting about this testing:
About a year ago I got excited about urinary neurotransmitter testing. I had been using Julia Ross’ pencil and paper neurotransmitter deficiency assessment for many years with good success. Over the past year I have done the neurotransmitter testing on about 10 people with very inconsistent results. With 2-3 we hit a home run, where the recommended supplements were just the right thing to diminish the presenting symptoms. More often than not the recommended supplements seemed to give little relief or even make the symptoms worse. Additionally the testing and supplements are quite expensive.
I have since given up on the testing and as I have found the pencil and paper NT deficiency sheet to be a more effective guide to treatment. When I am unable to make progress I will often turn to serum amino acid testing and the neurotransmitter markers on the Organic acid test offered by many functional medicine labs. In addition to information about neurotransmitter functioning, the Organic Acid Test provides information about other factors involved in mental health symptoms including levels of the yeast Candida, the bacterial infection Clostridia and others.
Of course, I wholeheartedly agree with both of them.
As you can see from these two cases (and the many others in my book and on this blog), using the low GABA symptoms and a trial of GABA is best. It’s the most effective way to determine if you need GABA initially and to monitor how it’s helping. It also doesn’t cost you anything more than your time and the GABA product/s.
Resources if you are new to using amino acids as supplements
If you are new to using any of the 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 serotonin and low GABA).
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 you done urinary neurotransmitter testing and did any of it correlate with the neurotransmitter deficiency symptoms?
Have you been told to stop GABA that was helping to ease your symptoms – based on labs showing high GABA?
If you’re a practitioner I’d love to hear your experiences using the urinary neurotransmitter testing.
If you have questions please share them here too.
What I find is that when metabolites are coming out in the urine (ie the marker is very high) it often means the body is burning through its resources fast…. which can mean the body needs more. So an elevation might indicate that the body is just flushing through and experiencing a functional deficiency. I don’t do urine testing for neurotransmitters but I do use the markers on the OAT alongside the awesome questionnaires you have made available. But the bottom line is that these are all just tools to help make an educated guess about how to do a trial. It’s the trial, as you say so often, Trudy, that will give the answers. But yes… the urine tests are super confusing for many! I’ll be interested to hear people’s experiences here.
Jess
There is no research or clinical evidence to support this for the urinary neurotransmitter test: “an elevation might indicate that the body is just flushing through and experiencing a functional deficiency.” And the lab is not interpreting it like that – they report it to be high and the advice is to stop GABA supplementation to use theanine.
I’m so glad you use the questionnaires. I’d actually say it’s more than an educated guess because these questionnaires and doing a trial of GABA (or one of the amino acids) have been used successfully for over 25 years. And yes it gives you and the client answers – and hope too.
Glad to hear you find the urinary neurotransmitter tests confusing too. But it’s more than that – it’s an added expense for a test that is not consitent or helpful, and that money could be better used elsewhere.
i recently had a stool sample done through Biomefx and was told my gaba production in my gut was nil. i am on clonazepam for anxiety and trying to get off and that could explain why i’m still having the nerves instead of feeling calm? any thoughts on what i can do to help increase gaba while tapering clonazepam? thanks much Trudy.
Barry
This is another lab that I don’t find of value in determining levels of GABA (in the gut or elsewhere)
I have my clients gets nutritionally stable (see below) before they start to taper and we use the symptoms questionnaire and a trial of GABA.
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/
It’s a comprehensive approach – amino acids AND diet. What is your diet like right now – gluten-free, sugar-free, caffeine-free, eating protein at breakfast for blood sugar control, real whole foods, grass-fed red meat, wild fish, fermented foods etc?
My book does have an entire chapter on the amino acids and many folks do really well implementing on their own. My online GABA Quickstart group program is helpful when you have questions and need guidance (and moral support/encouragement). More here about the program and purchase info https://www.anxietynutritioninstitute.com/gabaquickstart/