Glutamine/glutamate/glutathione- ?

[ShiftKicker]

Hello all-
At the risk of sounding like a total ignoramus, can someone help me understand the risks/ benefits of glutathione, glutamine, glutamate? I've searched for each term, but am having a very hard time wrapping my head around just what is good and what is bad. I also had a look at the ALSTDi site and was immediately intimidated by the expert scientific terminology
I took glutamine supplements, by way of muscle building supplements- and in combination with other supplements (nutritionist recommended)- for years when I was a high performance athlete. It was to help with muscle healing and recovery and overall immune wellness. I see that there is some pretty hard evidence that this substance is part of the MND mechanism in the fact it is excitotoxic ie- Very Bad). On ALSTDi there was also a somewhat panicked post recently, that was not really expanded, that GABA (therefore drugs like gabapentin) could also contribute to excitotoxicity as well- contrary to what I have read about GABA actually helping reduce excitotoxicity by clearing away glutamine/ate(?) in the brain.
I am trying to formulate a vitamin regimen that helps me stay healthy, but do not wish to inadvertently cause further damage to my already strained and struggling nervous system.
I was once extremely sharp, but am finding more and more that lots of Very Large Words all in one place and more than simple and short explanations cause me a great deal of anxiety and confusion. I don't know if it's age, disease or stress, but I'm not as smart as I once was, and trying to decipher the huge tracts of information and scientific studies out there is incredibly intimidating.
Simply put- are the substances glutamine/glutamate/glutathione good, bad, not significant, and should supplements and food containing any of those be avoided or sought after?

Thanks for any enlightenment!

 

[gooseberry]

They are neurotransmitters n that are needed in the brain. In als, for some reason, the enzyme mechanism that clears the excess from the synapse(where the nerves talk to each other) malfunctions and it accumulates there. Riluzole helps clear this excess.

 

[Nikki J]

Glutamate is what is toxic in ALS and as Steph said riluzo,e is supposed to help. Glutamine cycles with glutamate
Glutathione though has been proposed to be possibly helpful. The problem is that except for intravenous forms it penetrates the blood brain barrier poorly. People have tried ivs, suppositories and different oral preparations. I take an oral form liposomal glutathione recommended by my neurologist. It is horribly expensive and I can't tolerate the recommended dose so I am not sure it is worth it but who knows?

 

[notBrad]

I was told GABA is good, glutathione may or may not help (Nikki - I love to hear more from you about it).
As far as the mental side, I wouldn't sweat it unless it becomes out of control. You're under a ton of strain, no longer have the ability to work out hard (to clear the mind) and are most probably fatigued a great deal of the time. Who wouldn't have some mental slippage with all that?

 

[ShiftKicker]

Thank you-
So, glutathione is possibly good.
Glutamine/ate is to be avoided.
Got it!
Because I am currently only showing UMN signs, I don't think I qualify for riluzole- or, at least, I was not offered the chance at my last appt at the ALS clinic. I shall put it on my list of things to ask at my next one in November.