# Are GABA supplements addictive **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 19, 2012, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gaba-supplements-addictive/644489 "2012-12-19T04:07:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gaba-supplements-addictive/644489/1 "2012-12-19T04:07:15Z")
I have been having a lot of stress, so I bought a supplement called Pharmagaba, which is supposed to be a form of GABA which can cross the blood brain barrier. I took a chewable pill and I feel pretty good. Relaxed, fairly happy, etc. It could be placebo, but it is pretty nice. So if drugs like benzos or barbituates work through the GABA receptor by opening the channels and they are highly addictive, what about GABA supplements themselves? Any proven risk of addiction or withdrawal? ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gaba-supplements-addictive/644489/2 "2012-12-19T04:12:45Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > I have been having a lot of stress, so I bought a supplement called Pharmagaba, which is supposed to be a form of GABA which can cross the blood brain barrier. > > I took a chewable pill and I feel pretty good. Relaxed, fairly happy, etc. It could be placebo, but it is pretty nice. > > So if drugs like benzos or barbituates work through the GABA receptor by opening the channels and they are highly addictive, what about GABA supplements themselves? Any proven risk of addiction or withdrawal? I was just googling and I’m unclear what exactly this stuff is, if it is GABA it isn’t going to cross the blood brain barrier. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gaba-supplements-addictive/644489/3 "2012-12-19T04:28:36Z")
> **[GABA Supplements That Pass the Blood-Brain Barrier | Livestrong.com](https://www.livestrong.com/article/492571-gaba-supplements-that-pass-the-blood-brain-barrier/)** > > GABA, or gamma-aminobutyric acid, is such an important neurotransmitter that your brain would rather make it itself rather than bring it in from the outside. Nature has erected a barrier between the central nervous system and the bloodstream that... > [@](#): > > Supplemental GABA Derivitives > Though nature may limit GABA from crossing the barrier, chemists have found a way to create GABA-like supplements or analogues that can cross the barrier and function like GABA in the brain. Phenibut, or beta-phenyl-gamma-aminobutyric acid Hcl, is a designer GABA analogue. Chemists added a 6-carbon ring to GABA that enables it to cross the barrier and act on GABA receptors. Another GABA analogue supplement is picamilon, or nicotinoyl-GABA. Picamilon is made by adding niacin to the GABA molecule. Once picamilion crosses the barrier, the niacin molecule is cleaved off, leaving pure GABA. I don’t know if Pharmagaba does something different. No idea, it just seems like it worked. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gaba-supplements-addictive/644489/4 "2012-12-19T04:38:31Z")
Yea I know about GABA analogues like phenibut and baclofen that definitely do cross the BBB, and all seem to have some kind of withdrawal if you do searches online. But I wasn’t clear on what is in Pharmagaba, but if it is crossing the BBB yes it is probably addictive in some sense. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gaba-supplements-addictive/644489/5 "2012-12-19T04:48:23Z")
I’m guessing that it’s phenibut. In which case, yes—it can be pretty addictive. If you get hooked on the stuff and try to go cold turkey, you’ll be barely able to sleep at all for about two weeks. The anxiety can be intense. In my opinion and personal biochemical experience, it’s as addictive (if not more) than Xanax. Break open a cap and taste it. Is it sour? Then see if it dissolves instantly in water. If it meets both criteria, my money’s on phenibut. You can use it once in a while for sleep when needed, but don’t go overboard. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gaba-supplements-addictive/644489/6 "2012-12-19T04:51:08Z")
I hope one of the board’s pharmacists come in for a more educated answer, but my initial answer is to be very, very careful. A sudden drop in GABA can cause seizures and some of the yuckier symptoms alcoholics sometimes experience when they quit cold turkey. I’m concerned that if a person takes an exogenous source of something that triggers GABA receptors, the body may produce less GABA on its own. Which could be troublesome should they then stop taking the supplement and the body needs some time to adjust. > **[How to Videos, Articles & More - Discover the expert in you. | ehow.com](https://www.ehow.com/)** > > Learn how to do just about everything at ehow. Find expert advice along with How To videos and articles, including instructions on how to make, cook, grow, or do almost anything. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gaba-supplements-addictive/644489/7 "2012-12-19T05:03:23Z")
Damn. I was hoping this was something I could take everyday. Looks like i’ll have to take it once a week, at most. I’ll save it for when my anxiety, stress and destructive thoughts are truly out of control, and even then only take half a chewable tablet. Thanks for the info. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gaba-supplements-addictive/644489/8 "2012-12-19T05:48:25Z")
It’s not that great anyway after you take it a few times. The first time you ever take phenibut, it’s like the Second Coming. You feel a wonderful, relaxed euphoria, followed by ten hours of the best and most restorative sleep you’ve ever had in your life. After two or three subsequent uses, it never happens again. It’s still a fantastic sleep aid, but only if used very, very infrequently. But that first-time nirvana never happens again. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gaba-supplements-addictive/644489/9 "2012-12-19T05:57:37Z")
Damn. It wasn’t as great as all that, but it was pretty good. It was better than being mildly drunk or high on pot. I felt comfortable and relaxed in my own skin which is something I haven’t felt in a while. I should start taking my adaptogens again, maybe that’ll help me through this bad patch. ---
**Author:** ![jacobdouglas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8c91f0/32.png) [@jacobdouglas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacobdouglas)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gaba-supplements-addictive/644489/10 "2012-12-19T06:02:32Z")
Which adaptogens do you prefer? ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gaba-supplements-addictive/644489/11 "2012-12-19T06:23:02Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Damn. It wasn’t as great as all that, but it was pretty good. It was better than being mildly drunk or high on pot. Might not have been phenibut then. You mentioned a _chewable_ tablet. Phenibut is incredibly sour—it’s unlikely that it would be marketed that way. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gaba-supplements-addictive/644489/12 "2012-12-19T13:21:12Z")
> [@jacobdouglas](#): > > Which adaptogens do you prefer? Ashwagandha and bacopa. Rhodiola seems to make me feel tired during the day. **Washoe** this is the product I bought, it is a flavored chewable tablet. Tasted fairly decent. > **[Amazon.com: Stress-Relax Chewable Pharma GABA 100 mg by Natural Factors,...](https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Factors-Stress-Relax-Supports-Relaxation/dp/B000R8IPR0)** > > Buy Stress-Relax Chewable Pharma GABA 100 mg by Natural Factors, Non-Drowsy Stress Support for Relaxation and Mental Focus, Tropical Fruit Flavor, 60 Tablets on Amazon.com ✓ FREE SHIPPING on qualified orders I can’t find info on it, so I don’t know what makes it able to cross the BBB. ---
**Author:** ![deltasigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e5b9ba/32.png) [@deltasigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deltasigma)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gaba-supplements-addictive/644489/13 "2012-12-20T03:56:12Z")
For relaxation, try 500-1000mg of chelated magnesium, but becareful because for some people, more than 500mg can cause diarrhea. You will tolerate to it but initially you’ll just want to melt into your sofa. However as you tolerate to it, you may find that you feel less stressed. Magnesium is one of those nutrients that is very difficult to get the full daily value of just from a healthy diet. It has to be the chelated type though to insure maximum absorption. For something more along the line of a nutraceutical, try [phosphatidyl serine matrix.](http://www.sourcenaturals.com/products/GP1865/) I take 2 500 mg capsules and it mellows me out pretty effectively. Valerian is also effective but this induces production of the liver enzymes [CYP1A2, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17214607) and may act to inhibit others so be careful if taking any meds. Also it’s known to have some toxicity with long term usage. However it’s very effective if you get a tincture with skull cap, passiflora and hops. Sometimes magnesium or a couple other things will be added.