Anyone use GABA for sleep?

Posted by aethos @aethos, May 16, 2022

Does anyone here use/ has used GABA for sleep? I have weaned my self off Ambien and would like to do the same with trazodone.

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Hi @aethos, We added to your title to better describe your discussion so members who have tried it can share their experience with you. Here's some information I found on the product.

Effects of Oral Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) Administration on Stress and Sleep in Humans: A Systematic Review: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7527439/

How did you learn about GABA?

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John, I read about it online, can’t remember exactly where…. and would like to get off trazodone, have been using it for 32 years, needless to say, it doesn’t work very well, taking 100-150 mg

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I tried it and didn’t like, headache the next day all day long. Best to taper off trazodone and not replace with another pill I suppose.

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Anyone taking GABA for sleep?

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@cmd

Anyone taking GABA for sleep?

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CMD, I moved your question about using Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) to this discussion that @aethos recently started.

I'd also like to tag fellow members @lolaemma @supporthusband @martiesowers @tsc @williambogle who have mentioned trying GABA to help with sleep so they can share their experiences.

According to this article:
https://www.healthline.com/health/gamma-aminobutyric-acid#effectiveness
"Not much is known about the effectiveness of GABA supplements. In fact, experts don’t know how much GABA actually reaches the brain when consumed as a supplement or food. But some researchTrusted Source suggests that it’s only small amounts."
"For Insomnia: In a small 2018 study, participants who took 300 milligrams (mg)Trusted Source of GABA an hour before going to bed fell asleep faster than those taking a placebo. They also reported improved sleep quality four weeks after starting treatment. Like many other studies looking at the effects of GABA supplements in humans, this study was very small, with only 40 participants."

@cmd, was GABA recommended for your insomnia?

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@colleenyoung

CMD, I moved your question about using Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) to this discussion that @aethos recently started.

I'd also like to tag fellow members @lolaemma @supporthusband @martiesowers @tsc @williambogle who have mentioned trying GABA to help with sleep so they can share their experiences.

According to this article:
https://www.healthline.com/health/gamma-aminobutyric-acid#effectiveness
"Not much is known about the effectiveness of GABA supplements. In fact, experts don’t know how much GABA actually reaches the brain when consumed as a supplement or food. But some researchTrusted Source suggests that it’s only small amounts."
"For Insomnia: In a small 2018 study, participants who took 300 milligrams (mg)Trusted Source of GABA an hour before going to bed fell asleep faster than those taking a placebo. They also reported improved sleep quality four weeks after starting treatment. Like many other studies looking at the effects of GABA supplements in humans, this study was very small, with only 40 participants."

@cmd, was GABA recommended for your insomnia?

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Ok

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Hi @cmd, I used to take Gaba because it was calming, but I haven't used it for a long time. I took a high dosage of prednisone for a while and could only sleep about two hours. I found reading a book and drinking lemon balm tea helpful for getting back to sleep. Also, there's an exercise where you remember your childhood home and start walking through it. I usually could not make it out of the kitchen before falling asleep. Dr. Andrew Weill advocates breath exercises for better sleep. You can google those. Good luck!

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I have used 25 - 50mgs. of Trazodone for sleep and it seems to have stopped working, I have been on it for two (2) years and when I up the dosage, same result.

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@cmd

Anyone taking GABA for sleep?

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Started 200 mg of pharma gaba two nights ago and it has made a significant difference. Years I took small dose of lorazepam and weened off last year and been trying more natural solutions to no avail. I am hopeful with gaba!

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After my stroke on Christmas Eve, 2018, I couldn't sleep, mainly due to pain.

I tried gaba a couple of years ago. It didn't seem to help much.

But in fairness, I've tried everything I could think of, and nothing helped much.

Well, except for hydrocodone. I had a couple left over from some dental work. But I won't be able to get any more of that, now that opioids are public enemy number one.

And I'm still not sleeping well.

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