# GABA side effects and can it be addictive **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 27, 2017, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaba-side-effects-and-can-it-be-addictive/797408 "2017-09-27T12:41:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/77aa72/32.png) [@Nando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nando)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaba-side-effects-and-can-it-be-addictive/797408/1 "2017-09-27T12:41:58Z")
I am brand new to this forum and unsure how to search. On Google I saw there has been a conversation about the supplement GABA. I am having serious side effects and what seems to be withdrawal after taking it for six months for anxiety. I would like to read the previous posts and don’t know how to access. Any help or experience with GABA is appreciated. Nando ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaba-side-effects-and-can-it-be-addictive/797408/2 "2017-09-27T13:04:51Z")
Reported for forum swap. **Nando** , these types of questions usually end up in IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaba-side-effects-and-can-it-be-addictive/797408/3 "2017-09-27T13:35:12Z")
> [@Nando](#): > > I am brand new to this forum and unsure how to search. On Google I saw there has been a conversation about the supplement GABA. I am having serious side effects and what seems to be withdrawal after taking it for six months for anxiety. I would like to read the previous posts and don’t know how to access. Any help or experience with GABA is appreciated. > > Nando Here’s a search I did on Google for you, so you could see all the threads at once: [https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=site%3Astraightdope.com+GABA&oq=site%3Astraightdope.com+GABA&gs\_l=psy-ab.3..0i71k1l4.0.0.0.285154.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0....0...1..64.psy-ab..0.0.0....0.zTSZ1jOl\_-o](https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=site%3Astraightdope.com+GABA&oq=site%3Astraightdope.com+GABA&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0i71k1l4.0.0.0.285154.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0....0...1..64.psy-ab..0.0.0....0.zTSZ1jOl_-o) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaba-side-effects-and-can-it-be-addictive/797408/4 "2017-09-27T13:42:37Z")
I’m not sure I understand your question. You access the previous posts by clicking on the blue underlined words in your Google result. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaba-side-effects-and-can-it-be-addictive/797408/5 "2017-09-27T13:49:38Z")
Yeah, I didn’t get that either, **Chronos** : that someone would know how to search with Google but wouldn’t know to click on the links, but hey, whatever; I tried to help with a perma-link to the Google search results for “site:straightdope.com GABA”. ---
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaba-side-effects-and-can-it-be-addictive/797408/6 "2017-09-27T14:38:05Z")
And here we are in IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaba-side-effects-and-can-it-be-addictive/797408/7 "2017-09-27T14:40:02Z")
It is not believed that GABA, taken by mouth, actually crosses the blood brain barrier. If it does, it’s in very small amounts. If you took some form that does cross the barrier, somehow, then it very much could cause dependence, and you need to go off it very, very slowly to avoid causing problems. As in, decrease by a tenth every six weeks or so. Sure, maybe that’s overkill, but this is one case where it’s much, much better safe than sorry. I unfortunately know from experience when it comes to messing with the GABAergic system. (Still, you’re probably better off than me.)