Posted by KaraS on March 12, 2005, at 1:55:50
In reply to RE: LYRICA and the USA » KaraS, posted by Elroy on March 11, 2005, at 21:32:10
Hi again,
You've got me thinking more about GABA. Even though I have so many problems with anxiety, I was concentrating more on serotonin. The main reason for that being that serotonergic meds would completely control my anxiety and help a little with depression (though there was plenty of room for improvement with depression.) Other reasons were my experience with Neurontin and the difficulty of getting supplements past the BBB (as you indicated in your post).
I have Picamilon at home. I've tried it a couple of times. It had a very mild effect. I guess you have to take it consistently 3 times a day for 30 days to get the full effect. Then you're supposed to go off of it for a month or so as tolerance is easily developed. I haven't given it a full trial yet. Because of the fact that you can't use it continually, it seems to be more of an adjunctive therapy - not something you can rely on all of the time.
I'll have to take the Braverman test and see what it says about my GABA situation.
Again, your good response to Neurontin would seem to indicate that you're on the right track here.
K
> Couple of sites to check out concerning GABA.....
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> http://www.vcu-cme.org/gaba/gaba2_22.pdf
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> http://my.webmd.com/content/article/73/88950.htm
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> Did you say that you had tried Neurontin but had problems with it? Adverse side effects? Too swedating, maybe? The first two days on it - and the very first day was before I started the Selegiline combo - I had a ton of energy and vitality (so I can't credit that first day to the selegiline combo), but today there were two different times where I just couldn't keep my eyes open for anything!
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> Some of the reviews that I've read have indicated that several people had the symptoms fade out after the first few days....
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> Trying to find an easy way to increase GABA levels in the brain. GABA - the amino acid - is really cheap when bought in bulk, but GABA as an amino acid ahs a very hard time crossing thru the brain's blood barrier.
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> See: http://www.raysahelian.com/gaba.html
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> QUOTE: GABA is made in the brain from the amino acid glutamate with the aid of vitamin B6. GABA is available as a supplement in vitamin stores, but taking it in pill form is not always an effective way to raise brain levels of this neurotransmitter because GABA cannot easily cross the blood-brain barrier. Companies are searching for ways to place GABA in an oil base in order to ease its entry across this barrier. END QUOTE
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> QUOTE: GABA pharmacology-what prospects for the future? Biochem Pharmacol. 2004 Oct 15;68(8):1537-40.
> Following the recognition of GABA as an inhibitory neurotransmitter, the discovery of high affinity GABA uptake, and the characterisation of GABA receptors great progress has been made in developing GABA pharmacology. Tiagabide, the first marketed GABA uptake inhibitor may be followed by new and more selective uptake inhibitors. Knowledge of the molecular pharmacology of GABA-A receptors, both synaptic and non-synaptic, may lead to improved anti-anxiety/anticonvulsant agents devoid of the sedative and dependence liabilities of earlier compounds and new hypnotics. Gaboxadol (THIP) is an example of a novel hypnotic that acts on GABA-A receptors by a non-benzodiazepine mechanism. Exploiting neurosteroid interactions with GABAergic mechanisms also holds much future promise. END QUOTE
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> Possible modification that does easily cross the brain barrier?
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> http://www.antiaging-systems.net/picamilone-info.htm
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> http://www.horizonnutra.com/lpyro.html
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> http://www.thebullmagazine.com/magmain.php?issueID=4&pageID=65
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> Also, and this is interesting, but I definitely recall reading in a book on anxiety somewhere that we also have GABA receptors not only located in our brain, but in our stomach and chest areas... so maybe oral consumption of GABA does have some non brain related beneficial actions?
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poster:KaraS
thread:452259
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20050225/msgs/469943.html