In this post about tinnitus I referred to a report linking low GABA levels and tinnitus, and then forgot about until I tried it for sleep.
Read more: GABA, GABA, GABA, hey the ringing’s not so bad anymoreI used GABA supplements for nine months or so, in two different formulations, for sleep issues. The first time I tried plain old GABA, in maybe a 1,000 mg dose — I don’t piddle around — the ringing cut out completely, with a sort of wwwwwOP! sensation, for about a minute. It does that every 18 months or so anyway, but still.
From relaxed to too relaxed
The straight GABA made me sleepy but, as I mentioned here, made it hard to breathe. (Now I’m wondering if this was because I wasn’t taking it with a truckload of P5P. Yet another experiment to revisit.) So I switched to GABA Calm and settled on three tablets a night. More than three and I was a zombie the next day. The ingredients in one tablet are magnesium 5 mg, gaba 125 mg, glycine 50 mg, N-acetyl L-tyrosine 25 mg, taurine 20 mg. On two occasions I’ve quit taking it for a week or so. Both times, after two or three days, I was startled again by worsening tinnitus. It was as if it suddenly got significantly worse. The tinnitus had not disappeared on this supplement, but it had stopped being a distraction and I stopped thinking about it.
Reminder: stop-start produces valuable info
This is yet another demonstration of the valuable lesson I learned from my orthomolecular self-experimenting parental unit (OSEPU): evaluate a supplement by how you feel when you’re on it AND on how you feel when you stop it.
The sorbitol is a no-go
Unfortunately the artificial sweetener in this supplement is now a problem and I need to find a new GABA formulation.
Publish and update info
This post was first published on March 14, 2013 and updated in August 2023.
What time of day would you suggest taking GABA for tinnitus? Should it be taken with food?
I am considering trying plain GABA, no other ingredients, for my tinnitus. Does it work better with something else? Is there anything to avoid when taking it?
The majority of my GABA experiments were at night, since it made me drowsy. This naturopath’s blog entry has some info on substances that help/hinder GABA: http://www.denvernaturopathic.com/news/GABA.html. Good luck!
thank you very much for writing this info.
it would be more than great to know how did this finally worked in time after that years.
I started reacting badly to the sorbitol in the GABA supplement I was taking, and stopped the experiment. I have not tried again but really should soon.