Natural L-Theanine for Anxiety, Panic Attacks and Depression

Many people take the natural supplement L-Theanine for anxiety, panic attacks, depression and other mood disorders.

Whether symptoms are mild or severe, almost everyone has experienced some form of anxiety. In fact, anxiety disorder is so widespread and so varied, there are literally hundreds of known symptoms.

What generates these symptoms? In addition to social factors, anxiety is caused by chemical processes in the mind. Using natural supplements like L-Theanine for anxiety and depression may stop these neurological impulses at their source.

This article will discuss using L-Theanine for anxiety, the supplement’s connection to the neurotransmitter GABA, as well as some common dosages.

L-Theanine

Amino Acid

Focus

Stress

Brain Function

How It Works:

• Supports focus, attention & mood
• Helps to reduce stress & anxiety
• Neuroprotective & increases NGF

Dosage:

Between 100 - 250 mg per day

Safety:

Rated Possibly Safe

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Do You Suffer From Anxiety?

The term “anxiety” is used casually to indicate general stress or anxious feelings. It is also however, a clinical term and medical diagnosis.

Do you chronically suffer from classic anxiety symptoms like restlessness, trouble sleeping, and unmotivated irritability? Have you ever had a panic attack? Do you regularly experience sweating, nausea, and heart palpitations when under pressure? Do you suffer unfounded fears of social situations that inhibit your enjoyment of life?

If the answer is yes, you may benefit greatly from supplements that can balance your mood and reduce anxious feelings. Specifically, using L-Theanine for anxiety is considered a natural option that has shown effectiveness in some research studies.

L-Theanine for Anxiety

L-Theanine is an amino acid that is found in green tea and was first identified by Japanese scientists in 1949. This widely-consumed component of tea has been indirectly delivering benefits to humans for thousands of years. Now, we are able to isolate this compound to maximize the benefits it delivers.

Using L-Theanine for anxiety promotes the production of several key neurochemicals which fight anxiety responses, including GABA and Serotonin. These neurotransmitters regulate the “fight or flight” stress reactions of the sympathetic nervous system and have a calming inhibitory effect on the mind.

Similar to L-Tryptophan in structure, L-Theanine is a Glutamine analog which also generates alpha brain waves. These are electric impulses in the mind which accompany states of deep relaxation and mental focus. Their presence can also regulate the over-activity of beta waves, which prompts feelings of hyper alert wakefulness.

An overabundance of beta waves can create the sensation of fear and anxiety. Taking L-Theanine for depression, general anxiety disorder, or social anxiety may help keep those beta waves in check.

L-Theanine and GABA

GABA is one of the body’s naturally occurring amino acids, which works to relax over-firing neurons in the brain. (Weightlifters may know GABA for its other main purpose – boosting muscle tone.) GABA’s role as a neural calming agent classifies it as a anxiolytic, meaning any type of compound that naturally reduces anxiety symptoms. There is only one problem with taking GABA for anxiety.

According to current scientific knowledge, when taken orally as a supplement, GABA cannot cross the blood-brain barrier on its own to any great degree and perform the duties that natural GABA can.

There are theories that some people may have more permeable blood-brain barriers that allow GABA into the brain, or that supplemental GABA may be able to interact with GABA receptors in the gastrointestinal tract to cause mental effects. However these theories have not been studied at this point and both would be areas of future research.

Because of this debate about efficacy, many people will turn to GABAergic supplements like L-Theanine instead of straight GABA supplements. L-Theanine is psychoactive and can pass the blood-brain barrier, at which point it then can interact with GABA receptors as well as stimulate GABA production. This is the main reason why people take L-Theanine for anxiety and panic attacks.

While the research on L-Theanine use for anxiety has been promising so far, more research studies, especially large-scale double-blind placebo-controlled trials, are still needed. At this time, L-Theanine is available as a dietary supplement only, and the FDA has not approved L-Theanine as a drug to prevent or treat any conditions.

L-Theanine for Anxiety Side Effects vs Prescription Drugs

For many people, the main selling point of L-Theanine for stress relief benefits is the lack of side effects.

In study after study, including recent work done at the NYU Langone Medical Center, L-Theanine has been found to cause no significant side effects, tolerances, or addictions. It is gentle on the system and easily tolerable for most people.

In some cases, the excessive consumption of green tea as a vehicle for L-Theanine has generated secondary side effects like diarrhea and irritability, but these are not considered serious risks, and are easily mitigated by drinking less tea and taking L-Theanine supplements directly.

On the contrary, conventional Western medicine’s approach to medicating for anxiety often comes at the price of very significant side effects.

Common therapies such as MAO inhibitors, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), and Serotonin Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs) can produce an increased risk of suicidal feelings in the user, as well as dizziness, liver damage, and cardiac problems. Benzodiazepines are sometimes also prescribed, and can cause seizures.

Compared to these possibilities, supplements like L-Theanine for anxiety are appealing to many people as natural alternatives.

L-Theanine for Anxiety Dosage

What’s the right dosage of L-Theanine? That depends on a few factors like body weight, sensitivity, and how acute the symptoms of anxiety are. It is recommended to speak with your doctor to determine the best dosage for your individual needs.

It is commonly recommended to start with a low dose, between 50 mg and 100 mg, and note effects. Most users report that they feel the effects of the supplement within 60 minutes.

Many users note that higher doses of L-Theanine, around 400 mg, produce a more relaxing effect and can induce feelings of fatigue and sleepiness. The lower doses are better for supporting periods of intense concentration.

Every individual should patiently and thoughtfully assess their own body’s needs when figuring out the proper dose. A daily regimen of lower doses, taken at a regular time, should equip the brain with the right neurochemicals it needs to balance the mood.

Taking L-Theanine for general or social anxiety may help enhance the mood and relieve stress without the risk of side effects, or the high costs of prescription medications. Speak with your doctor to determine if using L-Theanine for anxiety may work for you.

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