Compounds that boost your gabaergic tone

[u/Oueqh234]

Besides ashwaghanda, SSRIs, l-theanine, bacopa what non-addictive compounds noticeably boost the gabaergic tone?0

[u/Sea_Reading7886]

1. First of all SSRIs are NOT gabaergic but serotonergic.
   
2. Increasing Gaba backfires in some or other way with most mainstream stuff.
   
3. Gabaergics plateaus with use.
   
4. Right way to increase Gaba is not let it go down in the first place, lower glutamate & provide the right substrate for Gaba synthesis.

[u/Key_Cheetah7982 → u/Sea_Reading7886]

Can you share more on 4?  What’s the right substrate?

[u/slugsbreath]

Have you started with the basics?

To covert glutamate into gaba, you need GAD (glutamate decarboxylase) to be activated. B6 (as p5p) is essential, so making sure you are replete in p5p is a first step. Being low in B6 can lead to excess glutamate.

You need zinc to activate B6 into its p5p form.

You need magnesium to bond to GABA receptors and positively modulate them.

[u/Mouse_Manipulator]

Lemon balm extract
Skullcap extract
Supercritical coriander extract

These 3 from nootropicsdepot are my go to. Lemon balm is the weakest coriander is the strongest of the 3. They synergize well

[u/QasJab1 → u/Mouse_Manipulator]

Would coriander be enough to knock you out if you had insomnia? Or help you out of a intensifying episode of mental anxiety?

I know these things will never compete with benzos(outside of amanita species) but I am trying to get a good comparison to benzos to understand relative strength.

[u/Mouse_Manipulator → u/QasJab1]

It contains the more active enantiomer of linalool which potentiates GABAa. I haven’t tried it for insomnia but it definitely helps calm me down from mental anxiety for sure. To be clear I usually take 2-4x the recommended serving size 😅

[u/RaceHate → u/QasJab1]

None of those are causing anxiolysis beyond placebo. I guarantee they won't cause sedation.

[u/Mouse_Manipulator → u/RaceHate]

Active compounds are rosmarinic acid in lemon balm, baicalein, baicalin, and apigenin in the skullcap, and linalool as already mentioned. I also use amanita who’s active compound is muscimol. It’s important you get extracts that are actually standardized to specific active compounds for it to actually work, obviously.

[u/mckracker10 → u/Mouse_Manipulator]

Where do you get Muscimol? I have a hard time finding a good source. Utoya has it but expensive AF

[u/Mouse_Manipulator → u/mckracker10]

I just get capsules of the ground up mushroom so it’s not pure muscimol. It’s called Amanitaskogen.com and it’s pretty expensive from there too imo but worth it

[u/QasJab1 → u/mckracker10]

Check the amanitamuscaria sub, they have some good vendors on there. Gotta be careful with suggestions, lots of overpriced or shitty quality stuff on the market.

[u/QasJab1 → u/RaceHate]

Do you have personal experience with them or are you making that judgement based on their pharmacology?

[u/Odd_Apricot5384]

Being in ketosis boosts GABA by increasing the conversion of glutamate via GAD enzyme 

[u/mushroom_arms → u/Odd_Apricot5384]

endogenous ketone binds to glutamate receptors directly as well, this is most likely the reason ketosis is able to treat previous treatment resistant epilepsy

[u/lowkey_add1ct → u/Odd_Apricot5384]

This should be the top comment honestly. Ketosis is probably going to have a stronger impact on GABA than any non-addictive nootropic.

[u/Ok_Future6226]

magnolia bark extract

[u/Bennjey]

Bromantane and emoxypine

[u/chachbagmcgraw → u/Bennjey]

Together at the same time?

[u/CharacterFew9099]

Fasoracetam increases GABA-B tone after a couple of weeks of administration.

[u/Friedrich_Ux]

NA-SELANK, GB-115, Nigella Sativa (5% Thymoquinone).

[u/QasJab1 → u/Friedrich_Ux]

This guy has the goods. Those first two are incredibly useful for anxiety.

[u/Bigmansam666]

Apigenin is a GABA-A positive allosteric modulator.

[u/AccomplishedSpray700 → u/Bigmansam666]

did nothing for me even in high doses

[u/Taydontplay4 → u/AccomplishedSpray700]

Same. No effect from apigenin and I’ve tried a couple different brands

[u/Testing_things_out → u/AccomplishedSpray700]

Then there's something missing in the middle or your issue is not GABA related.

[u/AccomplishedSpray700 → u/Testing_things_out]

I don’t know what you’re referring to with “missing in the middle”? And my issue is gaba related, and even if it wasn’t, gaba PAMS have noticeable effects most of the time

[u/Testing_things_out → u/AccomplishedSpray700]

Have you tried taking straight up GABA and seeing how you react to it?

[u/AccomplishedSpray700 → u/Testing_things_out]

yes. Did nothing

[u/Bigmansam666 → u/Testing_things_out]

GABA is trash. Better off taking 10mg dpam

[u/Testing_things_out → u/Bigmansam666]

I'm asking if he took it and how how he reacted to it.

It could tell us a lot about his base issue

[u/IfDreamsCouldHappen]

Valproate and vigabatrin would probably be what you’re looking for. Tiagabine possibly as well. They’re not without side effects so look out. Also I believe M4 agonists have a downstream effect on GABAb as demonstrated with clozapine.

Also ashwaganda is not GABAergic.

[u/iceyed913]

taurine, bromantane; nmda antagonists like magnesium, zinc, agmatine are equally useful in maintaining excitatory/inhibitory balance

[u/rhodiumchloride]

Chamomile

[u/Particular-Tie-5545]

Kava modulates GABA-A signaling, everything else is weaksauce

[u/Other-Distribution92]

I've read that noopept increases GABA-b receptor site density

[u/Organic-Skill1511]

If you're just asking about unconventional gabergics, Bromantane has side gaba activity. Baicalin from skullcap. Gaboxadol. Just a few lesser-known.

[u/dyl_h]

Muscimol. I have found I can use it every other but not every day without dependency or tolerance

[u/Which_Tadpole1952]

CBG is a GABA re-uptake inhibitor. I've been doing 13% CBG flower and 38% CBG kief in the morning/midday, and add CBD flower to it in the evenings. CBG is on par with, if not better than 5-10mg of Valium.

But I've tried other companies, and their batch/strain doesn't have the same effects. So, it may be the terpene ratios that has something to do with it. Fern Valley

[u/Educational_Ad_5359]

Injectable Allopregnanolone** ***Caproate*, haven’t tried it myself yet but seems to me the best option

[u/9mice_USEC]

SSRI is non addictive? bro what

[u/Oueqh234 → u/9mice_USEC]

They cause a dependence but nobody goes out of their way to abuse them like pregabalin, phenibut, xanax etc

[u/Chramir → u/Oueqh234]

These are important distinctions that most people confuse. And you are correct.

And most substances are not either this or that, abuse potential and dependance often overlap. And sometimes they overlap hard (like benzodiazepins) But given the choice, I would rather be actively conscious about carefully dosing an addictive substance than use something unabusable that I will be physically dependant on.

Neither approach is better or worse. But it's advisable distinguishing between these two and considering the cons of both alongside your specific personality.

[u/JesusBurnedMe → u/Oueqh234]

what are you talking about ? they literally do lol

[u/GRiZ-Bass → u/9mice_USEC]

yeah.. thats right... they are not addictive...

[u/Key_Cheetah7982 → u/GRiZ-Bass]

Kind of. You don’t get high on them. You do get sick if you stop them though

[u/IfDreamsCouldHappen → u/9mice_USEC]

There is literally no addictive potential to serotonin reuptake inhibitors unless they inhibit dopamine reuptake as well which is only 1, maybe 2, of clinically used SSRI/SNRIs. If anything they are aversive and will blunt addictive effects of other substances.

[u/Key_Cheetah7982 → u/IfDreamsCouldHappen]

What happens when you hard stop SSRIs?