complicated GABA confusion --- can anyone help???

[Guest guest]

I took my son to a neurologist the other day because I thought he

was having seizures from l-carnitine. He would get where he would

seem like he was going to 'pop' and then tense and then do spastic

movements with his limbs and look all weird in his eyes. Turns out,

the neuro doesn't feel it is seizures because he is responsive

during the episodes and because the movement occurs on both sides of

his body. He felt that it was some sort of underlying movement

disorder that presents itself only when the biochemistry in his

brain is a certain way (and his supplements were causing the levels

to be such to bring it out).

So I did an internet search for movement disorder and found that it

is caused by problems with not enough GABA. According to labs, my

son does favor glutamate and needs more GABA. So this part made

sense.

However, when I looked up the things that have caused him problems,

they actually help with GABA levels. Things that caused problems:

magnesium citrate (made his arms shaky enough to freak out my

husband who is usually pretty mellow), zinc sulphate and/or l-

carnitine, pycogenol (made him wake up in the middle of the night

screaming and crying with lots of anxiety). And so ...

I don't get it. I would think he would be shaky all the time and

then when I gave him these supplements he would be better due to

helping GABA levels. But instead the opposite happens.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I guess I can try GABA and

if he gets the seizure looking thing again I know that increasing

GABA is the cause. But then I am still confused as to why and what

to do since GABA is supposed to be calming and help movement

disorders and not cause them.

Thank you.

Michele