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MedHelp Member's Question

What can we do after the intial detox to alleviate anxiety/depression?

by Rex1, Dec 04, 2002 12:00AM
To Forum PHD/Everyone:



Anyone have ideas on alleviating the depression and anxiety after an intial detox is complete?



I think is the key to relapse - keeping a positive mood. I have tried both 5htp and the L-Tyrosine, but these seem to make the anxiety worse - not better.



Any ideas would be most appreciated...



Rex
Member Comments (28)

by Bodymechanic, Dec 04, 2002 12:00AM
To: Rex
If you were not prone to anziety and depression before your addiction it should pass over the next 2-3 weeks. Both 5htp and tyrosine can make anziety worse.  If you insist using an herbal then valarian root may be a good choice.  St Johns Wart may work for you but it too may make your anziety worse especially during the initial course of treatment. The current medical treatment for what you describe would be 2-3 weeks of xanax along with paxil.  The treatment can be altered depending on your response but this is the typical starting place.

by Witchywoman, Dec 04, 2002 12:00AM
To: Rex
Actually I have to respectfully disagree with Bodymechanic on the 5htp making anxiety worse.  I do agree that the L-Tyrosine can make anxiety worse, as too much L-Tyrosine made me jittery. 2 caps of it I do just fine on though.



But 5htp is an amino acid that actually makes most people a bit sleepy. I ups your body's production of both seratonin as well as melatonin (melatonin makes you very very tired).  5 htp has been used to treat anxiety, and it was what saved me from suicidal depression when I was going through detox.



I suggest you read up on it on www.raysahelian.com  He is a medical doctor who has studied many nutriceuticals (including 5htp) extensively and has first hand research to report.



Everyone responds to things differently, so I'm not saying that Bodymechanic is totally wrong. Perhaps he knows of a person who got more anxious on 5 htp. But my experience was that it helped immensely with both my depression and my anxiety in those few nasty weeks post detox.  I also have several clients who take 5htp specifically for anxiety and are helped by it.

It is stellar for depression.



Another nutrient that is stellar for depression is SAMe. It helps with joint pain as well.  



I'm not a Doctor, but I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and work with a lot of Doctors, one of which often advises patients to use 5 htp and other nutriceuticals, so I can always ask him questions and repost, but I encourage you to read raysahellian.com and do research this stuff on your own as well.



thanks,

WW

by hippy, Dec 04, 2002 12:00AM
To: rex1
i have read post by  a few mmbers who said

kava kava was very effective,

you might want to look into it.

and if you are not going to take the l-tyrosine

you might want to see a dr. about an anti depressent

once they kick in they also help with sleep and pain.

peace!~~~~~

by OxyDout, Dec 04, 2002 12:00AM
I have been a few months sober now, I have not used one opiate and or other drug.  I have to say the depression is tough to beat as well as the anxiety.  AS ADDICTS we all tend to want to take something to make us feel less pain or less emotion.  In all reality thats not the most beneficial route to take.  Its my belief through experience that we need to SUCK IT UP, I don't mean that in any aggressive or disrespectful way, just that in order to get back on track you need to get through the initial 30 days with herbal solutions or nothing at all.  I found that a double dose of Melatonin sometimes helped a tiny bit, but seeing as weak as it is, it doesn't do all that much.  The 1 thing that helped me the most was keeping busy!!!!



We can't keep feeling sorry for ourselves, or telling ourselves that we have Knee pain, Back Pain or headaches, because the truth of the matter is, most other sober people experience a lot of the same pains and endure it by using advil or ibprofen.



This is not to say that the majority of people on this board are not in sincere pain, thats not my point at all.  My point is, regardless of the level of true pain, we all tend to make up a lot of pain in order to justify using.  



In the end you need to focus on yourself but in a more positive light, go for that 6am walk/run, make yourself go to the gym after work, spend more time with your children or significant other, DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY, but stay sober!!



I have successfully left the world of drugs, and if I can do it after the countless number of relapses then YOU CAN DO THIS, ITS DOABLE.



GOOD LUCK AND GOD BLESS,



GWH

by hippy, Dec 04, 2002 12:00AM
To: gwh
it is really good to hear you are doing well.

i was thinking about you.your words of wisdom

are well put , all the times i tried to kick the vikes my body would always start hurting in places i never hurt before.

i like to call my body the donkey, today i have to take the donkey for a run.

keeping busy is very important , just laying around

just intenseifies the depression and everything else.

always good to read you post.

hippy, michael

by Thomas02, Dec 04, 2002 12:00AM
As usual, Bodymechanic is full of it ...LOL. No, I suppose there are people that have paradoxical reactions to many substances, including 5-HTP. I've heard that serotonin-related anti-depressants such as Prozac can cause anxiety, angry outbursts, and spontaneous Michael Bolton karioke performances offensive even to sake-soaked Japanese businessmen.



I find myself agreeing with the omni-lovely Witchywoman. 5-HTP helped me cope with lingering anxiety related to benzo withdrawal. It's also an excellent sleeping pill for those of us trying to avoid even mildly addicting stuff such as Ambien. For depression, the standard recommended dosage of 100mg 5-HTP 3 times a day causes drowsiness for the first week or so, after which the effect diminishes.



Speaking of Japan, I found a Japanese study of anti-depressants on the net that achieved the same success rate with 5-HTP as with SSRI's Prozac and, if I remember correctly, Zoloft.



Thomas

by flashk, Dec 04, 2002 12:00AM
I am down to half a 5mg perc every twelve hrs. Last night was hell. My legs were in such horrible pain. For the anxiety I have been taking Kava kava {which seems to work}, bananas and valerian for the leg thing.Today is the first day I was able to get out and at least get some fresh air. Thier were times today that I saw light at the end of this horrible long tunnel. I have a question..after I take my last pill am I going to go through the hell all over again? I went from taking 8 pills a day to where I am at now in about 4 days. I pray that the worst of the WD is over. I hit a meeting last night which sitting through was absolute torture but I felt a little better afterwards for a little while. thanks to everyone and I hope that you all are getting some relief from this agonizing disease..

by Bodymechanic, Dec 04, 2002 12:00AM
To: Rex
I must respectfully disagree with Witch Women and simply say that there are no always and nevers.  5HTP is a precursor to serotonin and although it makes most people calmer there is more than a handful that it makes more jittery. I am among the unhappy few.  Not only does it make me jittery but I makes my insomnia much worse.  It has exactly the opposite effect on most people. It is just a matter of your own brain chemistry. I guess the point is that you have to use whatever works for you. Also, with any of these medications and especially herbal remidies, it takes a while for them to work. Sometimes a month or more.

by Thomas02, Dec 04, 2002 12:00AM
To: flash
You're going to feel like **** for a while longer. When you get those legs pains, climb into a hot bath right away. Hot soaks are very effective for the leg pains during opiate WD.



Thomas

by Witchywoman, Dec 04, 2002 12:00AM
To: Bodymechanic
I think we are on the same page my friend.  We both are saying different folks react differently to substances.



I'm very wierd with seratonin inducers.  Prozac made me exhausted, where it makes most folks a bit jittery.  But 5htp energizes me a bit, where it makes most folks sleepy (due to its melatonin enhacing properties....5 htp is the direct precursor to seratonin yes, but it also stimulates production of the sleepy hormone melatonin)  I don't respond to anything the normal way.  We all have to just see how our individual systems handle each of these things.  

The reason tryptophan makes folks sleepy is that it gets metabolized into 5htp and then into melatonin.  But it wouldn't surprise me if some folks got more anxious on 5htp. Bodies do different things.  



I just wish I had a body that could handle opiates without getting cravings for them that ruin my life! Dang.



love,

WW

by Rex1, Dec 04, 2002 12:00AM
Thanks for all the replies.



Today is one of those hell days - doom and gloom thoughts, no motivation to do anything, feeling depressed and nervous abouth the future, ect.



It is also the day that I have kicked out all, the last, the final, the complete, the total, the very last of my any of my pain killers, as I threw the Tylenol 4s in the garbage disposal - good riddens!



I think there was possibly a bit of relapse feeling when I kicked the norcos completely using the Tylenols just for pain. They are worthless anyway.



The one thing that gives me strength, at least I am hoping that this is true, is that time is on my side I suppose.



I have both the L-Tyrosine and the 5 htp. The L-Tyrosine was making me jittery, so I will go back to the 5htp and give it a try.



Here's to tomorrow being better than today!



I hope you guys are hanging tough!



Rex

by alchemist, Dec 04, 2002 12:00AM
I've been doing a little reading about why we go through withdrawal upon dextoxing (which coincindently is happening to me right now, I haven't slept in days)and I see there are 2 theories.



1.  The opiates replace natural endorphins and enkephlans(spelling?) in our body and when we stop the opiates are bodies go into "shock