But several clinical trials suggest that GABA isn’t linked to severe side effects, except for low blood pressure. In a small study of 40 people with insomnia, 300 milligrams of GABA one hour before bed for four weeks improved sleep quality by reducing sleep latency . While GABA is a naturally occurring chemical in your brain, it’s also widely available as a supplement. However, in supplement form, only minimal amounts of GABA can actually cross the blood-brain barrier and have any effect on the brain. Advanced alcoholism may require a period of withdrawal and detox. This condition is serious but can be managed safely in many residential treatment facilities.

It’s amazing to me that I drank for years without understanding anything about the connection between GABA and alcohol. GABA is perhaps the most important neurotransmitter involved in alcohol addiction, and also intuitively the easiest one to understand. People who drink to relax are essentially drinking to activate their GABA receptors.

• The Food and Drug Administration classes GABA as “generally recognized as safe” to use as a supplement and food additive.
• If they support using GABA supplements, they will advise the person on how to do so safely.
• However, there are important implications to consider long-term or excessive alcohol use.
• Interactions between GABA-boosting substances and alcohol will usually involve heightened effects of intoxication.

Alcohol withdrawal syndrome is classified in stages and you can move into more intense stages of withdrawal quickly without treatment. Some doctors use gabapentin and other medications to help treat alcohol withdrawal and alcohol use disorder. There’s still much that’s not understood about GABAergic neurons and GABA activity.

What medications target GABA?

They also include rice, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and spinach. While the exact cause of autism spectrum disorder is still unclear, animal and human studies have found associations between abnormalities in GABA activity and ASD symptoms. There seems to be a relationship between GABA and how a person with autism has limited interests or difficulty with social interaction. GABA activity helps you have a healthy response to stress by preventing neurons from sending out messages that would “fire up” the body.

Like many supplements, people may use GABA for various reasons. But there are several clinical trials assessing GABA for the following potential uses. This article discusses what you should know about over-the-counter GABA supplements—their potential uses, side effects, and interactions. Verywell Health’s content is for informational and educational purposes only.

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Continued exposure to alcohol over time candesensitizethe GABA receptors. This desensitization may cause people to feel increased stress or anxiety, which may make them want to drink more frequently. Tolerance to alcohol is built over time and can lead to dependence or addiction. MANY people who are deficient in natural GABA production have trouble sleeping.

Problems with the perfect sobriety gifts signaling seem to play a role in disorders that affect your mental health or your nervous system. And though GABA supplements are used to lower stress and anxiety and combat insomnia, evidence of these benefits remains limited. As an inhibitory neurotransmitter, GABA reduces a nerve cell’s ability to send and receive chemical messages throughout the central nervous system. GABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in your brain, stopping the chemical messages from passing from nerve cell to nerve cell. Glutamate, on the other hand, is the main excitatory neurotransmitter in your brain, permitting the chemical messages to be carried from nerve cell to nerve cell. However, even if supplements are third-party tested, it doesn’t mean they are safe for all or effective in general.

This means they are unlikely to have any effect on the body. In this article, we examine how increased levels of GABA may impact the brain and body and whether taking GABA supplements could have the same benefits. Even though GABA supplements can be purchased without a prescription, it is still a good practice to talk with a doctor before starting to take any new drug or dietary supplement. The doctor can discuss sleep problems, the safety of different sleep aids, and any other steps that may improve sleep.

Michelle Pugle is an expert health writer with nearly a decade of experience contributing accurate and accessible health information to authority publications. The following doses are based on amounts that have been investigated in scientific studies. In general, it is recommended that users begin with the lowest suggested dose, and gradually increase as needed. One small study of 13 adults showed GABA to be effective as a relaxant and anxiety reliever. Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

A small-scale study found that taking a 300 milligram dose of GABA before bed for several weeks was well-tolerated and reduced the time required to fall asleep. Evidence points to a need to take GABA supplements for at least one week to influence stress levels or sleep. Some evidence indicates that GABA levels from supplements may rapidly decline in the body, which could explain their limited effect on sleep later in the night.

After I quit drinking, I embarked on a mission to discover the best possible way to live without alcohol. I eventually realized that we view external reality through the lens of our own biochemistry. Cleaning up our lifestyle – and making time to immerse ourselves in activities that we love, on a regular basis – is a crucial part of alcohol recovery. Interactions between GABA-boosting substances and alcohol will usually involve heightened effects of intoxication.

Sleep Solutions

The potential side effects of GABA supplements haven’t been properly studied, so it’s hard to know what to expect. In one study from 2003, daily consumption of a fermented milk product that contained GABA reduced blood pressure in people with slighted elevated blood pressure after two to four weeks. Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Relaxation and immunity enhancement effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid administration in humans. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission Here’s our process. [Functional involvement of diazepam binding inhibitor in the establishment of drug dependence]. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Because there is limited information about GABA supplements, there are no guidelines on the appropriate dosage to take for any condition. If you choose to take a GABA supplement, follow the directions on the label.

In general, to safely take natural medications like GABA, inform your healthcare providers and pharmacists about any medication changes. Speak with your healthcare provider to help you weigh the benefits and risks of GABA while pregnant or breastfeeding. There are numerous small studies about GABA’s effects on lowering blood pressure. This may have something to do with each study’s different GABA dosages and dosage forms—like soy sauce, fermented milk, and specific GABA tablets.

Daily drinking can have serious consequences for a person’s health, both in the short- and long-term. Many of the effects of drinking every day can be reversed through early intervention. Sandra Hearth is the creator and writer behind “Wellbeing Port”, a blog dedicated to promoting healthy living and personal wellness.

After treatment, we will work with you to ensure a smooth transition to less intensive, supplementary levels of care. Gamma-aminobutyric acid is a neurotransmitter, or chemical messenger, in the brain. Potential benefits of GABA include lowering blood pressure, reducing muscle spasms, and managing mood.