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- Vitamins, Nutrients, Herbs and Supplements (https://www.neurotalk.org/vitamins-nutrients-herbs-and-supplements/)

- - 5htp (https://www.neurotalk.org/vitamins-nutrients-herbs-and-supplements/8746-5htp.html)

is it true that 5htp amino acid enhances GABA? i was recently tapered down off my benzos & now am feeling quite anxious without them. id like to know what can give u the same calming effect?

No, 5htp won't do anything for your GABA levels. 5htp will increase your serotonin levels, if you have enough b6 and niacin in your system.

You might try supplementing some glutamine. Most amino acids should not be taken long term without consulting with a medical professional because taking one or two amino acids may cause deficiencies of other amino acids over time.

But glutamine is a non-essential amino acid which is used as the only energy source for your GI track. I don't think that taking glutamine should be a problem because this amino acid is often used for GI problems especially leaky gut and ulcers, but other problems related to GI healing. Of course you should be taking a multi-vitamin besides the glutamine at the very least.

I take one gram of glutamine in between meals (in capsule form). You can try the capsules (500 mg.) or the powder which has a slightly sweet taste in water. But the powder may be hard to take a relatively low dose like one or grams. The powder is great for taking several grams at a time. And the powder is best for your GI track because when you mix it with water you can feel it soothe your GI track as it go down. The powder is good to have on hand if you have any type of GI problems that require healing the lining.

Glutamine in high doses can cause a manic episode in some people. But that might require more than 6 grams per day. Taking a high dose at night (several grams) before bedtime may also cause alertness and interfere with sleep. It is probably best to take several smaller doses throughout the day instead of one big or two big doses per day.

http://www.vitaminstuff.com/glutamine.html
Inside the brain glutamine may be converted into glutamic acid, another amino acid that helps sustain proper brain function; it also increases levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an amino acid that acts as a neurotransmitter in the body. L-glutamine supplements may improve mental function and have been used to treat epilepsy, depression, schizophrenia, and senility. Glutamine is also an important source of energy for the nervous system. If the brain is not receiving enough glucose, it compensates by increasing glutamine metabolism for energy. Glutamine users often report more energy, less fatigue and better mood.

Glutamine is good for you your brain because the brain uses only two sources for energy, glucose and glutamine.

This is an interesting question...

Here is a really good article that explains some of the neurotransmitter
issues.

http://www.mcmanweb.com/article-236.htm

Of course, not everything is as simple as it can seem. Many neurotransmitters
have alternate effects on other ones. For example, high serotonin concentrations in the brain, tend to downreglulate dopamine over time, so
effects can be secondary.

Here is a quote from that website:

Quote:

Gerard Sanacora MD, PhD of Yale has used magnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure GABA in the brain, finding that those with melancholic depression show low GABA concentrations in the occipital cortex, while the depletion is not as pronounced for those with atypical depression, indicating a diagnostic potential for subtypes of depression (March, 2003 American Journal of Psychiatry). Before and after scans of eight patients who had ECT found a doubling of GABA, and similar scans of patients on SSRIs showed a slow rise in GABA levels in nine of 11 of them.

Typically SSRIs which raise serotonin in the synapse are used to treat anxiety. Some people do well on 5-HTP and others get agitated on it. Alot depends on dose.

Here is an interesting site explaining neurotransmitters...
https://www.neurorelief.com/index.ph...=149&Itemid=48

Quote:

Taurine is an inhibitory neurotransmitter involved in neuromodulatory and neuroprotective actions. Supplementing with taurine can have a specific effect on GABA function.There are two primary ways in which taurine affects GABA.; First, it can inhibit GABA transaminase, an enzyme that metabolizes GABA. This allows GABA to stay in the synaptic cleft longer to bind to the postsynaptic receptor. Second, taurine can bind to the GABAAreceptor mimicking the effects of GABA. By helping GABA function, taurine is an important neuromodulator for prevention of excitoxicity. Excitability occurs when glutamate binds to its receptor, in this case, the NMDA receptor. Once glutamate activates the NMDA receptor there is an increase in intracellular Ca++ causing depolarization or cell excitability. With glutamate release, there is also simultaneous GABA and taurine release. When the inhibitory neurotransmitters, GABA and taurine, activate the GABAA receptor, the result is an increase in intracellular Cl- ions. This results in hyperpolarization which reduces cell excitability. Thus, the overall effect of taurine supplementation is to support GABA function. The relevance of GABA support is to prevent overstimulation due to high levels of excitatory amino acids. Therefore, taurine and GABA constitute an important protective mechanism against excessive excitatory amino acids. Similarly, taurine is increased in response to the exposure of free radicals elucidating its neuroprotective actions. Exposure to free radicals increases glutamate excretion, further potentiation NMDA receptor activation. Taurine modulates this effect to prevent cell excitability by keeping the cell hyperpolarized. The supplementation of taurine can help alleviate some excitability issues associated with elevated excitatory amino acids as well as play a role in regulating the effect of free radicals.