Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I was on a high dose of benzos for 4 yrs and got off them 14 months ago. Withdrawals were absolutely horrific at the time but even after the first 2-3 months I had lingering serious side effects like: 1) Memory was completely shot which has also effected my IQ, ability to do math, word recall, etc. 2) Racing, anxious thoughts all day long that made me feel on edge 24-7. 3) I can't remember 1 day in the past year that I haven't been triggered to cry by something really not worth crying about at all. 4) Feeling a borderline panic attack everytime I open my front door in the morning. Like a minor form of agoraphobia. 5) Thinking at a fast pace about almost anything made me feel broken, stressed and emotional. 6) Pain. I NEVER remember being in pain when I was on benzos. In the 14 months since I've been off I get pain almost everywhere and it happens everyday. Either my lower back hurts, my neck or my left hip... and I'm only 36 and not overweight. I've also had serious cravings to use benzos over a year now though I haven't. Anyway, the GABA came and first day I took 750mg. I immediately went into what I now realize may have been the first "manic" state I ever experienced in my life. I just really can't remember the last time I've felt so happy and *fearless about life (more on "fearless" later). The next day I took 1000mg a bit later in the day and had no mania. My limbs got heavy which was nice as I can never stop moving and fidgeting, I felt relaxed, detached from my thoughts... I pulled my head away from the computer screen began to look outside... was overcome by a desire to sleep and passed out. About 3 hours earlier than normal which I didn't like. The 3rd day I woke up and thought "lets see how 200mg feels in the morning before the gym"... that was a great idea and I had one of the best workouts ever. Incredible endurance. The ritual I'm falling into dose wise now is 200mg in the morning then 400mg in the evening. Anything over 600-700mg the extra relaxation is not worth feeling mentally spaced out. But under 600mg everyday feels like truly a miracle for me. I'm 144lbs have been working out and eating health about a year now I should also mention. Anyway I'm started to notice some really weird things: 1) This would take too long to explain concretely with details but I'm beginning to realize that I think I do have some form of amnesia... and I'm only realizing how bad it might be now that all these weird long term memories are randomly appearing in my brain out of nowhere. GABA most definitely seems to impact IQ & memory. 2) Racing thoughts. I'm realizing another key role GABA seems to play. Racing thoughts have calmed down dramatically. And whats better is when I catch myself overthinking I no longer seem to care that I'm doing it. There's just no fear or anxiety attached to those thoughts. If anxious thoughts were a lawnmower.... always wanting to start and race in circles... GABA is like a broken sparkplug that simply won't allow it. If you asked me a week ago "how bad are your racing thoughts" 1 out of 10 I'd say "10". Now its around a 0. And I say that because I actually try now to stress myself out (in my head) and I just can't get those blades spinning which is AWESOME. 3) I have not cried once about anything since my first day taking this. Crying fits have completely & utterly stopped. 4) The though of leaving my house is no longer a thought I just leave my house and don't think about it. 5) I can now force myself to think at a high speed at work without feel like my brains broken. Getting "in the zone" use to feel like chinese water torture now I slip in that mindspace easy and enjoy it. 6) Finally, pain in my lower back & neck has vanished. The left hip doesn't feel perfect, maybe 70-80% reduction in pain with still some minor discomfort but I did NOT get GABA for pain and the fact it's worked this well this quick also amazes me. Long story shot whats impressed me the most isn't the anxiety or depression... it's the fear about life in general. The other day I was at the gym and caught a girl staring at me. Before I would NEVER stare back as I'd feel like a stalker. That day I stared back. Then when staring I thought "I care so little what I'm doing right now I might as well smile too..." and so I smiled... and as soon as I did she smiled back and asked "are you using that machine?" Now that may sound like no big deal but I can't remember the last time I locked eyes and confidently smiled at a woman like that. Thats a liberating feeling for a shy guy like myself. ;-)