Every review of GABA 500 mg pills starts with GABA’s famous effects of calming the mind, relaxing mood, and promoting better sleep.
However, these effects are generally attributed to the natural form of GABA which is already produced in the brain. This naturally occurring amino acid acts as a neurotransmitter which inhibits excitatory chemical reactions, resulting in calming, anti-anxiety effects.
But can this same effect be created by supplementing with manufactured sources of GABA?
Proponents claim that a jar of 500 mg GABA pills is the ticket to beating depression, anxiety, mood swings, and insomnia. However, the science behind this kind of supplementation may not add up.
This article will examine what is known about how these pills work, plus offer some viable alternatives that may deliver the same benefits that are promised by GABA supplements.



- Anxiolytic effects to reduce stress
- May improve sleep & anxiety
- Supports fat loss & increases HGH
Doesn’t The Body Produce Its Own GABA?
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Why would you need to buy GABA 500 mg pills when the body produces its own supply? In fact, Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid is one of the most abundant neurotransmitters that the body generates.
It is available in sufficient quantities in the cerebral cortex of most individuals (though GABA-deficiency is a problem for some individuals with anxiety and mood disorders).
Unlike other amino acids, which assist in protein creation, GABA’s main role is to inhibit the action of over-firing nerves.
It does this by balancing the stimulatory effects of chemicals like Dopamine, Glutamine, and Norepinephrine which stimulate the firing of nerves.
By calming these nerves and reducing the likelihood of them from signaling, GABA can contribute to an overall calming of all of the systems of the body and mind.
This functionality is built into all of us and is a natural release valve for stress. However, when you are deficient in natural GABA, feelings of anxiety and stress may get the better of you.
That’s why GABA pills have become such popular sellers lately, regardless of whether or not they deliver the same effects as organic GABA.
Why Do People Take GABA Supplements?
Symptoms of anxiety have become so commonplace in modern life that most people accept them as a normal part of every day and don’t look at them as a form of mental imbalance.
So, any new remedy which promises to alleviate the hyperactive thoughts, panic attacks, aches and pains, sleeplessness, and high blood pressure associated with anxiety becomes instantly popular.
As scientists discovered the links between GABA and the tranquilizing of stress responses, GABA supplementation became an instant hit.
GABA 500 mg pills became a go-to remedy for quick, calming stress relief. These pills, and the “extra-strength” GABA 750 mg pills, have been touted as the ultimate anxiolytic, not to mention the solution to insomnia.
There is also a sizable contingent of people who take GABA for physical fitness, on the knowledge that naturally GABA builds lean muscle and assists in fat burning.
Do GABA Pills Really Work?
The problem with GABA pills is that they may not be able to effectively mimic the effects of natural GABA produced in the body.
This is because when you take GABA itself as an oral supplement it cannot cross the protective membrane that separates the bloodstream from the brain (blood brain barrier) to any great degree. It has been seen that GABA pills, in any strength, cannot cross from your circulating blood supply into the cerebral cortex.
However, there are many positive reviews of GABA supplements online from thousands of people who claim that oral supplements work for them. It is possible that these effects are simply due to the placebo effect, but there are also other theories of how oral GABA supplements may be causing an effect in the body.
One hypothesis is that there may be personal differences in the blood-brain barrier permeability (whether naturally or due to conditions such as chronic inflammation) which may allow supplemental GABA into the brains of some people.
Another theory is that supplemental GABA may not need to cross over the blood-brain barrier at all to have an effect in the body, but instead can act on other GABA receptors in the body (specifically the receptors in the gut, known as the enteric nervous system) to cause an effect in the brain.
Both of these theories could reconcile the current scientific knowledge of GABA not being able to cross the blood-brain barrier and cause an effect, with the many anecdotal reports of supplemental GABA having positive effects. However, these theories have not been proven at this point, and would be good areas for future research.
Supplemental GABA is available as a dietary supplement only, and the FDA has not approved GABA as a drug to prevent or treat any conditions.
Is An Effective GABA Dosage Possible?
GABA supplements advise recommended doses between 2 to 5 grams per day. With increments of GABA 500 mg pills, that’s as many as 10 pills throughout the day.
Users who take GABA and feel none of its famous calming effects for this reason might continue to increase dosages to no avail. The only result of higher and higher doses will be more risks of side effects. While GABA is generally considered very tolerable, at higher doses some side effects like headaches, rapid heart rate, and tingling, itching skin occur more frequently.
Unfortunately for most people, simply consuming GABA 500 mg pills will not be effective for reducing anxiousness and stress. The answer for most people is to find other methods of increasing GABA other than via direct GABA supplements.
GABA agonists are compounds which are capable of crossing the blood brain barrier, and which bond specifically with GABA receptor cells in the brain and generate the same effects that natural GABA produces.
Some examples of these effective GABA agonists are Lemon Balm and L-Theanine. Of course, you can also attempt to boost GABA levels via food sources like beef liver, lentils, bananas, and some fish. But these GABA gains will be very mild compared to the power of GABA agonists.
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- Meyerhoff DJ, Mon A, Metzler T, Neylan TC. Cortical gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamate in posttraumatic stress disorder and their relationships to self-reported sleep quality. Sleep. 2014
Article last updated on: April 4th, 2018 by Nootriment