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GABA


dut

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Hi- for those of you using GABA-

 

How effective has it been for sleep, especially staying asleep?

 

For how many days/weeks was it taken before any effect was seen?

 

And has anyone seen the opposite effect to that you expected eg a ramping up in hyper/anxious behaviour or a wrosening of sleep?

 

thanks :-)

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I think I only remember one person ever mentioning GABA on here and I believe they used it as a test to see if there wa a breech in the BBB.. Something about the way the child reacts to it helps determine if there's a breech. Did a chiropractor suggest it? I can be way off. I'll try to find wher I read that.

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Hi- for those of you using GABA-

 

How effective has it been for sleep, especially staying asleep?

 

For how many days/weeks was it taken before any effect was seen?

 

And has anyone seen the opposite effect to that you expected eg a ramping up in hyper/anxious behaviour or a wrosening of sleep?

 

thanks :-)

 

I learned something interesting about GABA from our herbalist. She gives what she calls the GABA challenge test when she suspects a problem with the blood brain barrier. She gives the GABA and if the patient feels any sensitivity to it (relaxed, calmer etc) she knows the patient has an BBB issue. She told me the GABA molecule is large enough that it should not be able to pass across the barrier and if it does and an effect is felt it's a not a good sign. The first order of business she would recommend with someone who does respond is switching to a gluten free diet. Just thought I'd throw it out there in case your kiddo sees a benefit from the GABA. I've never cross-referenced this information, just passing on what a very bright practitioner told me.

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I used to take it with 5HTP with breakfast and lunch, but 30-60 minutes before the meal, to help with absorption, as taking amino acids with a meal means it will compete for absorption with other proteins. That's one of the supplements I stopped needing about a week ago. But, honestly, I was still reacting to it, it just wasn't helpful. When I needed it, it turned me from anxious/depressed to less so. Now when I don't need it, it was turning me loopy.

 

Michael

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Thanks for the responses.. interesting the BBB issue. I had read about that but hadn't done the math and thought of it as a test for BBB integrity! I asked 'cos my terrible sleeper ds2 has been using it on recommendation from the ped. He was only on it for 3 nights but his sleep got worse and so did his behaviour but it could have been coincidence.

 

Interestingly, my dd6 asked if she could have it. She is usually a good sleeper but has said recently (super tail end of episode) she has been waking a couple of times a night. She says, that since she's been using it, she hasn't woken at night. Hmmmm, BBB integrity not so good?

 

I'll also re-post on the TS/tics board too, thanks Faith.

 

:-)

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Hi Peglem - yeh, I used valerian for my ds2 for 11 days at the lower end with no effect and on day 12 I upped it to the higher end, he still woke up 8+ times and was just a horror the next day with lots of bad behaviour.. 2 year old stuff but LOTS of it. Not sure if it was the valerian but am thinking now that it was as he seems to react not so well to the GABA too. I am going to re-try the GABA just in case it was coincidence but I don't hold out much hope - ho hum.. decent sleep will just have to remain a distant memory for both him and me.....

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Hi Peglem - yeh, I used valerian for my ds2 for 11 days at the lower end with no effect and on day 12 I upped it to the higher end, he still woke up 8+ times and was just a horror the next day with lots of bad behaviour.. 2 year old stuff but LOTS of it. Not sure if it was the valerian but am thinking now that it was as he seems to react not so well to the GABA too. I am going to re-try the GABA just in case it was coincidence but I don't hold out much hope - ho hum.. decent sleep will just have to remain a distant memory for both him and me.....

Boy, I'd sure be staying away from that stuff!

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We used GABA about 4 months ago - got it from a compounding pharmacy thru our enviro doctor. I had wanted something to calm DS - he started 3rd grade in a class with none of his good friends and was stressed, and ticced more as a result. I found it did relax him a bit. He sleeps really well so no change with that. Didn't know he had PANDAS at the time and had no idea you could test out the BBB permeability with it. Now that we're done with steroids, I was planning to get him back on it anyway, so will watch more closely this time and see if it helps again.

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Peglem - it just feels like "what's another bucket of water to a man drwoning at sea"! The 8+ times a night waking has been our norm for the last 6 months or so (I got sacks under my eyes to rival Santa's) so feel, maybe stupidly, that giving gaba another go may be worth a chance... just in case it was coincidence. The bummer was that in the week and a half before we have the gaba a go he was down to 4ish wakes a night... just so desperate to try anything and many people rave about gaba and valerian....

 

any other ideas on sleep I'd happily try from folks.....

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Hi Dut,

 

Are my suitcases as big as your sacks! Do you use epsom salt baths?

 

When dd is in PANDAS mode we use e.s. bath followed by a massage, and we have an allergy air purifier plugged in day and night in her bedroom. This has gained us more sleep unless she has a cough.

 

Good luck

 

Jules.

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Hi Dut,

 

Are my suitcases as big as your sacks! Do you use epsom salt baths?

 

When dd is in PANDAS mode we use e.s. bath followed by a massage, and we have an allergy air purifier plugged in day and night in her bedroom. This has gained us more sleep unless she has a cough.

 

Good luck

 

Jules.

 

How about melatonin in addition to epsom salts baths?

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30 minutes prior to bedtime, we give our 10 year old son (80 lbs):

-Melatonin 3 mg

-L-tryptophan 500 mg

-Advil 200 mg

 

We started Melatonin 1 year ago; made huge difference with sleep onset, less need for elaborate rituals, less "bad thoughts" as he was falling asleep; but still not a simple bedtime.

 

Added L-tryptophan in November for sleep and mood.

 

We added Advil in December, and it has made the biggest difference of all. He had a horrible relapse after H1N1 in October- 6 weeks later it still hadn't resolved and we were finally coming to the conclusion that this might be PANDAS. We gave him azithromycin (5-day Z-pack) and then started Advil, and we've had the best 3+ months we've had in 3 years! He's had 2 small colds with a brief spike in all behaviors and complaints (including more trouble falling asleep for a few days), but everything is resolved within one week and then he's back to the NEW baseline... which is a boy we've not seen often in 3 years... just calm and lovely!! (hadn't realized that gentle/loving soul was still IN THERE... we'd been mostly dealing with reactive, oppositional, unpredictable boy... apparently, his "Mr. Hyde".)

 

Last night he forgot to take these bedtime pills, and after an hour of trying to fall asleep unsuccessfully, he realized that he'd forgotten and jumped up asking for them! We all see a dramatic difference on the rare occasion that they are forgotten. With the pills, we have 10 minutes to snuggle, tuck him in, kiss, and close the door... within 5 minutes he's asleep... amazing!!

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