GABA: Benefits, Side Effects, Best Time to Take It & More

GABA

(Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid)

Evidence: Low
Possible Benefits: Reasonable
Safety: Reasonable

What is GABA?

Gamma-aminobutyric acid, also known as GABA, is an inhibitory neurotransmitter often used as a nootropic or a sedative. It can induce relaxation and improve sleep quality, especially in people experiencing lots of stress and anxiety. Unfortunately, supplemental GABA doesn’t efficiently cross the blood-brain barrier. This article is about the main benefits of GABA, its potential side effects, the best time to take it, and more.

Possible benefits

All of the potential benefits mentioned below are dose-dependent. As with other nootropics, there is a sweet-spot dose that allows you to get most of the benefits without causing meaningful side effects or tolerance buildup in the body. We will discuss the best dosing protocol later in this article.

Major benefits

Calming effects – This nootropic can reduce stress and anxiety and promote calmness and relaxation. That is especially helpful when you take the supplement before bed or after a stressful situation.
Improved sleep quality – When taken before bed, GABA can make it easier to fall asleep and increase sleep quality and duration. This benefit applies mainly to people who struggle with insomnia or other sleep disorders.

Minor benefits

Neuroprotective effects – The supplement likely has a mild neuroprotective effect, but more research is needed to determine why and to what extent this is the case.
Improved socialization – Because of its calming effects, GABA can make it easier for you to socialize and connect with other people. The supplement can be a safer replacement for alcohol or other substances in social situations.

Possible side effects

The side effects below are dose-dependent. The risk for them increases (often linearly but sometimes exponentially) as you increase the dose. Some of the side effects only apply to very high doses.

Addiction – The supplement can be addictive and even cause symptoms of withdrawal after one stops taking it.
Neurotransmitter imbalance – Taking one neurotransmitter can contribute to an imbalance in other neurotransmitters. It is not clear whether or not this is a concern with supplemental GABA but assuming it crosses the blood-brain barrier and increases GABA levels in the brain, it may cause an imbalance. At the same time, GABA supplements might fix an imbalance caused by too little GABA (such as in the case of Schizophrenia, etc.)
Sedation and sleepiness – GABA can make you tired and sleepy, so it’s best to take it when you want to sleep or relax.
Allergic reaction – An allergy to this nootropic is rare but possible.
Nausea – This side effect is most common when people take the supplement on an empty stomach.
Diarrhea – You can usually prevent diarrhea or stomach discomfort by taking this supplement with a meal.
Toxicity – While acute toxicity is extremely rare, taking high amounts of this nootropic could lead to chronic toxicity and cause health problems over time. Regularly taking high doses can also cause the body to develop a tolerance to the supplement. To prevent chronic toxicity or the buildup of tolerance, staying below 3000 mg in a day is best unless you have a great reason to take more.
Contamination – Contaminated supplements are uncommon in the USA and other well-regulated countries. However, if you wish to buy products from China, India, or other countries without strict regulations, beware that the supplements may be contaminated. Either way, you need to choose the brand you order from wisely. Always read through some reviews for the specific product before you buy it. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has the power to regulate dietary supplements but can only do so after they have been on the market for a while. That’s because supplement companies are not obligated to announce to the FDA when releasing a new product. The FDA has to discover the product and test it for potential impurities, which can take a lot of time. During that time, the supplement can be sold on the market even if it’s impure. Also, supplement companies can change their manufacturers without announcing it to the FDA.

Who should not take GABA?

You should probably avoid taking GABA if you:

don’t experience much stress or anxiety and already sleep well
are allergic to this nootropic
experience a severe adverse reaction after taking the supplement
are pregnant or breastfeeding (while it can be safe to take this supplement during pregnancy or breastfeeding, it can put some unnecessary risk to the child)

Who will benefit the most?

You should consider taking the supplement if you:

have difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep
have Schizophrenia
experience lots of stress and anxiety
have a high budget for supplements and are willing to experiment with a variety of them (assuming you don’t fall into any of the categories that should avoid this supplement, GABA appears relatively safe and is unlikely to do more harm than good for most people)

How much GABA should you take?

The sweet spot typically ranges between 500-2000 mg daily for most people. This amount should provide most of the benefits without meaningful side effects.

The higher end of this range usually provides slightly more benefits in the short term. If you plan to take this nootropic for a longer time (multiple months or years), the lower end is probably a better way to go since it is safer and you would develop tolerance faster if you were to take higher doses.

The upper safety limit for this nootropic is not well-established. To stay on the safe side, don’t take more than the recommended dose unless you have a great reason to do so. Higher amounts may cause problems if you take the supplement for a prolonged period.

Like most other nootropics, it is best to cycle GABA and take about two days off weekly to reset your tolerance. That will allow you to keep getting the benefits in the long term.

Best time to take GABA

The best time to take this nootropic is when you want to calm down, such as before something stressful or before bed.

GABA is water-soluble, so you don’t have to take it with food to absorb it well. Taking the supplement with food is better if it causes stomach upset when you take it on an empty stomach.

However, because it is often best to take this supplement before bed, it’s usually best to take it without food to prevent any problems associated with eating late.

If you take this nootropic on an empty stomach, the short-term effects will kick in faster and be more pronounced.

Interactions

Nitric oxide
Nitric oxide significantly increases the uptake of GABA by helping it cross the blood-brain barrier. Nitric oxide levels can be increased in a variety of ways, such as by combining garlic with cacao and dietary nitrate from beetroot, spinach, or other sources.
5-HTP
This combination can greatly improve sleep quality, especially if you are under a lot of stress.
Sedatives
Combining GABA with other exogenous sedatives can cause too much sedation. This combination also increases the risk of a neurotransmitter imbalance and other problems.

Phenibut vs. GABA

Phenibut (β-Phenyl-GABA) is similar to GABA as far as the effects. It mainly acts as an agonist of the GABA(B) receptor but can also influence GABA(A) and dopamine receptors.
Supplemental GABA does a similar thing except it does not have a direct influence on dopamine receptors.

The main practical difference between the two is that phenibut is more effective at crossing the blood-brain barrier, which makes both its pleasant effects and side effects more pronounced.

Phenibut is generally more pleasant than GABA but also has a much worse safety profile at regular doses. It is also illegal in many countries. GABA is also cheaper per dose and generally a much better choice.

Where to buy GABA?

In most countries, Amazon is the best option for ordering GABA and other nootropic supplements. They offer some very affordable products backed by many positive reviews. Also, you can choose from a wide range of brands without having to search through other markets on the Internet.

Some brands display the dosage per serving instead of per pill or capsule. Therefore, you may accidentally buy something less potent than you intended. Do not fall for this marketing trick.

FAQ

As with most other nootropic supplements, it is best to cycle GABA and take a break from it for about two days per week to reset your tolerance back to baseline. That will keep your body sensitive to the supplement and allow you to keep getting the benefits in the long term.

All of these options are fine. The two most important things to consider are the price and dosing. Powders are almost always the cheapest form. However, you may need a highly accurate scale to dose them correctly (preferably 0.001g). You can get one for as little as $20 from Amazon. Dosing the powders also takes time which can add up over months or years. The disadvantage of capsules is that they are often made of bovine gelatine, which rarely comes from ethical sources.

Absolutely. The best time to take this nootropic is before bed because it has a calming effect and can improve sleep quality.

This nootropic should not become harmful once it exceeds the expiration date. However, it can lose potency over time. Keep this supplement in a cold, dark, and dry place so it remains as potent for many months or even years.

While acute toxicity is rare, taking very high amounts of this supplement could lead to various problems over time. High doses can also make you develop tolerance much faster than lower doses.

While you could safely take higher doses, there is usually no point in taking more than 3000 mg of this nootropic daily. This amount should give you most of the benefits without meaningful side effects.

The half-life of this nootropic in the body is about 5 hours. The supplement stays in your system for a little over a day after you consume it.

Many cognitive benefits will become notable right after you start taking the nootropic. As for the long-term benefits, you need to take the supplement for about 2-4 weeks to begin noticing most of them.

Most GABA supplements on the market are vegan-friendly, but always check the label to make sure. If you buy the supplement in a capsulated form, beware that the capsules often contain animal-based gelatin. Instead, find a brand that puts its products into cellulose capsules.

No, it does not. The supplement should not interfere with fasting in any significant way.

References

Most of the information in this guide is based on scientific research that can be found and verified in the PubMed medical library. We highly encourage you to use the library to verify anything you read in this article. We excluded from consideration studies that are either confounded or have a high conflict of interest.

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