Gabadone is a proprietary combination of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), GABA and choline forumalated in low doses for effects on sleep. Secondary ingredients are: grape seed extract, hydrolyzed whey protein, valerian extract, ginkgo biloba, glutamic acid, and cocoa. This study sought to investigate the combination’s effect on sleep parameters. Eighteen patients with sleep disorders received 2 capsules of Gabadone or placebo at bedtime for 1 week. In the active group, the baseline time to fall asleep was 32.3 minutes, which was reduced to 19.1 after Gabadone (P = 0.01 compared to baseline, and p=0.02 compared to placebo which showed no significant improvement). In the active group, the baseline duration of sleep was 5.0 hours, and this increased to 6.83 hours after Gabadone (P = 0.01), while there was no significant change in the placebo group (p=0.01 between groups). Objective measurement of parasympathetic function as measured by 24-hour heart rate variability also improved in the active group compared with placebo. An amino acid preparation containing both GABA and 5-hydroxytryptophan reduced time to fall asleep, decreased sleep latency, increased the duration of sleep, and improved quality of sleep. (Am J Ther. 2010 Mar-Apr;17(2):133-9.) PMID: 19417589
