I don't know how new theanine is ; I think it's pretty new. I'm always after a new supplement to see how it makes me feel with anxiety/depression. :) The evidence is quite clear that L-theanine use has an impact on ALL major neurotransmitters including acetylcholine which could explain theanine's memory-enhancing properties, (which we old gals can use) ;) dopamine - which may explain its euphoria/alertness enhancing effects, ;) GABA - with its relaxing but not sedating effects, and especially serotonin - which may explain why theanine use is supposed to profoundly reduce anxiety and allows one to concentrate/focus better via increased alpha-wave activity. :)
Has anyone ever tried theanine??

I don't know how new theanine is ; I think it's pretty new. I'm always after a new supplement to see how it makes me feel with anxiety/depression. :) The evidence is quite clear that L-theanine use has an impact on ALL major neurotransmitters including acetylcholine which could explain theanine's memory-enhancing properties, (which we old gals can use) ;) dopamine - which may explain its euphoria/alertness enhancing effects, ;) GABA - with its relaxing but not sedating effects, and especially serotonin - which may explain why theanine use is supposed to profoundly reduce anxiety and allows one to concentrate/focus better via increased alpha-wave activity. :)
Has anyone ever tried theanine??

HI,
Yes I have tried Theanine and so has my 10 year old. It works nice for a "gently calming" and NO it does not make you tired. I always keep it in our house and my daughter can safely take it for her anxiety as well. It does not help with severe anxiety, that I have found. I will be anxious to hear how it works for you. I know I went to a health food store to but it and it was double what I paid online for the top brand.
Best of luck! :wave:

I just can't wait to try it. I just read an article from Ohio state that said the brand Suntheanine is the only brand they tested that was the real thing.
It cost so much more I just bought theanine. One article said you have to wait up to 8 weeks for it to take effect. I don't like to bother with supplements that say that. I also can't figure out whether to take the 100 or 200mg capsules so I bought the 100mg :confused:
It is also supposed to increase memory . This will be interesting.

hey.. i just ordered some L-theanine also.. should be here sometime this comming week.. i'll also keep you guys posted on how it works for me... i want to try this before i go w/ the old paxil route...

Great! We can compare notes! I read it's more effective on an empty stomach so I'll take that into consideration. And I also read it doesn't work for STRONG anxiety (maybe he meant it won't stop panic attacks?) I find GNC Fish Body Oils with GLA relaxing. I can "feel" a slight calming effect.
It's supposed to be Major that we eat deep sea fish at least once a week but few people do (unless they happen to live on the coast?) Catfish, which live in murky, dirty water do not count! :nono:
If I do not notice an appreciable affect I'm going to bite the bullet and spring for Suntheanine :yawn:
Anyway, mine will arrive this coming week also :)

I take Essentail fatty acids to.. i ran out and i could tell i felt a little different when i wasn't taking them... they help w/ my depression i think...
L-theanine may also help w/ depression.. im getting it for the anxiety though.... i'll be fun to see what our results will be!!

I took an online test and it came up that I have "slight" depression. I Know that can cause anxiety. And both cause sleep problems. I am not sure what's wrong with me but a family member is mentally unwell . She has always kept the family in some level of turmoil and stress. I read that yoga , if practiced consistently, can stop these problems. I wonder if it's true? It's like a form of self hypnosis? They say you can't change others but you Can change how you react To them by changing yourself. At my advanced age it may be hard to change!! lol I mentally ruminate on this woman and the way she thinks and lives - thus my quest for the Happiness Pill. :confused: If I could only invent such a pill myself I'd drown my misery in world travel . lol You know, the Paris Hilton of the grandma set. :o

yeah, i think i have slight deperession to and you'll notice that the days you aren't depressed your probably not having much anxiety either.. they usually go hand and hand... if the L-theanine helps w/ the anxiety.. i still may choose to try paxil again just to fix the depression.. sometiems im not sure if im depressed or if im just sad because of other reasons.... i guess maybe trying paxil would help to see if im really depressed or not..

Paxil or Zoloft won't work for sadness. Depression is very different from sadness; it's almost painful. My problem is with occasional anxiety but you're right about the depression and anxiety going together. So I guess when I'm slightly depressed that is when I have the anxiety?? I'm not sure. But I DO know that I'm more apt to have anxiety when I'm tired. The three of them are really a pain :confused: In this world, people want to feel nothing but happiness. All day. And when they Don't feel that , they want a pill to fix it.
But life doesn't work like that. We are all going to have days when we feel better than other days. But when we're sad or depressed ? Have you noticed that's when everyone seems to be laughing and carefree? And you wonder how on earth they can laugh that much . :yawn:

got my L-theanine in today.. 100mg's capsules.. yipee

Great! Will you take one or two? It says if you're not ALREADY anxious or nervous you won't notice a thing. I think the effects last ten to twelve hours!! Hard to believe......keep us posted!!! :D

I'll prolly take 1 3x daily... than if no difference.. try 2 3x daily... i'll keep you posted!!!

don't expect a miracle guys.. theanine is a substance found in green tea and it's very mild in it's effectiveness. It'll make you a little more focused and relaxed but it's not sedative. For me at least it's hardly better than a placebo would be. It will not stop a panic attack though not even close. I've been taking it for a while as part of my mix of supplements but it is only very subtle in it's effects. If you guys wanna try something that gives bigger results I'd suggest looking up picamillon or phenibut. Those 2 supplements are more potent than theanine for anxiety. As always though start slow and don't take things without letting your docs know. Those 2 supplements are pretty potent.

Frank

I am glad I found this thread as I was wondering the same thing further down the board but noone seemed to know the answer. I am also planning to start trying L-theanine. Another thing I can reccomend is taking pure GABA capsules. If you open the capsule and take it neat I found it very effective for panic attacks. It tastes bitter but the effects are quite instantaneous. Only side effect I found my hands shook a bit after long term use. It is no longer on sale in health food shops in Canada or the UK as it is now deemed a drug that needs to be prescribed but you can get it in the US still.

Happy trying - I am always on the look out for natural solutions :)

Hi, I took 2 capsules yesterday 3 hours apart and it seemed to calm me after a stressful event. But what happened later really surprised me:
I had been grinding my teeth during sleep to the point of teeth soreness and a little jaw stiffness when I awakened. This morning? None of it. It actually stopped teeth grinding!
Today I'll try taking 200mg at once. Subtle is fine with me; I dont want a true sedative. They have withdrawal symptoms. I don't have panic anymore anyway.

GABA made my ears/head buzz. I didn't like it.
The mental effects of L-theanine were tested in a small group of volunteers divided into two groups defined as "high-anxiety" and "low-anxiety" groups. The volunteers were females aged 18 to 22. The subjects received water or 50 mg of L-theanine or 200 mg of L-theanine solution once a week. Brain waves were measured 60 minutes after administration. The 200 mg dose (dissolved in 100 ml of water) resulted in significantly greater production of alpha waves than was observed in subjects receiving water. Greatest production was consistently seen about 40 minutes after L-theanine intake. The effect was dose-dependent. The researchers regarded the significantly increased production of alpha-brain wave activity as an index of increased relaxation :D I have no idea why they dissolved it in water. :yawn:
I just took 200mg on a FULL stomach. After not grinding my teeth all night I feel I should take 100mg at bedtime.

ok; I've not heard back from anyone but I'm disappointed in theanine for anxiety. Didn't work :confused: It IS too subtle, that's for sure. All it does for me is stop teeth grinding.
I am going to an amusement park today with my daughter and I just took 200mg ; she has problems. And I tend to react strongly, physiologically, to the things she says but I don't want to go alone!
Anxious to hear from any more theanine users out there.

You said you have been taking it with meals? I think you're supposed to take it in between meals on an empty stomach for best effect since it's an amino acid. Decent doses of theanine is an additive in many japanese beverages so you shouldn't expect there to be huge effect for anxiety or panic attacks. At the most it gives you a clearer more mellowed out calm when you DONT have anxiety.

I would check out picamillon aka picamilone for the effect you want. I've never seen it in stores so you might have to go mail order.

{REMOVED}


Frank

no, I haven't taken it with meals. susan gene

Susan I thought I read you took 200 mg on a "full stomach". Try taking it on an empty stomach to see if it makes any difference.

Frank