Battling anxiety the natural way.

Its been a month of my suffering from anxiety issues. Sports supplements and large doses of caffeine were the cause of my attacks. One day I took about 10, 20 oz. glasses of dark tea and had energy drinks that morning. I also took sports supplements such as creatine and NO2 for workouts. They kept me energized and also dependent. That night, I came to home to experience severe dizziness and fear of death. With my heart rate shooting through the roof, I headed to E.R to seek help. I was diagnosed with anxiety. I have recently been taking Xanax, Valium, and Ativa. They keep me feeling drunk and non-caring, but after stopping for a few days, my anxiety felt deeper then ever. These prescription drugs seem to be temporary, but I want to live my life normally again. I want to get back on track. I usually felt a constant dizziness and other anxiety symptoms.  I've been experimenting with herbs and so far, I have found two things: Pure Calm by NativeRemedies.com and regular St. John's Wort. I have yet to come to a concusion about whether they fully work or not, but so far, I've been feeling a little better. So my question is: What about you? Any experiences with herbal medicines, and are they working? What are you taking? Please give me your feedbacks. We are all battling this one day at a time.

[tom219]

I am battling the same thing as you are. I am 19 as well and in deep anexity issues, I have been battling with it for about 3 months the only relief I everyday is when I go to bed. I hate to say it, I just think positive and I am just waiting for the day it is going to leave me. I dont like to be on pills because I felt the same way as you did. Just keep thinking positive. That is what I am doing. All in good time it should just stop. Hope this helps. Tom

[sallyann27]

For what its worth this is what i use:

lavender oil sprinkled on my duvet
olbas oil sprinkled on my pillow
badger remedy sleep (natural) rub into my temples.
bachs rescue remedy for during the day.
lots of water, tea or herbal teas.

i don't take any medication and some days are better than others but essential oils are very soothing.

Lavender calms and soothes the mind.

Try burning incense in a room.

Drinking all those energy products is asking for trouble. you know that they will make you more anxious. one of the best energisers is water, this can be warm with a slice of lemon, but keeping hydrated is one of the best energizer. caffeine will merely de-hydrate you and exasperate these problems.

hope that helps and any other questions please send me a messge,
SA

[ILADVOCATE]

Some natural remedies are useful, a few are dangerous as you found (the two that were the most dangerous that I took were Tyrosine and Taurine, Taurine is the active ingredient in Red Bull Energy drink which they are trying to ban, that was the past, I of course would never experiment with an unknown quantity again), most are useless (vague claims such as "healing energies" generally the placebo effect) and some are useful. I don't know what the active ingredient in PureCalm is. St. John's wort which you are taking has been studied in Europe as an anti-depressent. Sam-e works the same way as well as rhodiola which I take for tardive dyskinesia. They all bring up the level of serotonin and that's the same thing that clinical anti-depressents do. So perhaps the problem is that considering that you find St. John's wort effective is that you have depression and this was never diagnosed. Regardless, any natural remedies should be taken under a doctor's supervision. Some psychiatrists will use natural remedies that are known to be effective as well as doctors.

[April2]

I'm trying to do things naturally too. So far a doctor told me to try deep breathing and exercise. I don't think most doctor's know much about alternative treatments, so I'm trying things on my own. Also, watch your diet, sleep and caffeine intake.
Best wishes.

[Dooges]

A question to you all.
I think taking the natural way to overcoming your anxieties is great. :)  Well done.
BUt the question I want to ask is,  Have you educated yourself on how anxiety works and effects your body and what you can do yourselves to help your body recover without taking anything. Understanding and acceptance is the first step.
Ask yourself this and answer it honestly. I can offer a good website and book to read that really helped me. Feel free to ask.

[beentrying2quit]

I've been fighting anxiety for several years and it is just now catching up with me.  The first thing I did was go to the doc and he gave me Lexapro and 3 weeks of Xanax.  I was unable to tollerate the side effects of the Lexapro so I took the Xanax as prescribed at .25mgs per day.  Sunday was my last dose and today I feel absolutely horrible.  

ANger, frustration, no patientence with anything, dont want to do anything, dont talk to the family and am just looking for a fight.  I was freaking out today and wondering why I was feeling this way and realized it was withdrawals from just 3 weeks of Xanax...I was amazed.

Anyway...I dont have any secrets to share..I'm just going to fight this thing and hope all gets better.

[ILADVOCATE]

Well standard anxiety is different from anxiety disorder but unlike schizoaffective disorder which I have which requires antipsychotics, anxiety disorder can often be helped with therapy and more importantly with behavioral psychology. There are some people who don't need medication. It depends on the severity. And for myself I have found guided meditation useful for anxiety and panic attacks. If you have some information that would be great but more importantly if you have anxiety disorder or had panic attacks and found some means to overcome them that's a specific non medicinal therapeutic technique the information would be very valid to all of us.

[greenlydia]

While I applaud everyone who attempts to deal with their anxiety/panic using "natural" remedies, I feel compelled to issue a warning. The myth that because something is "natural" it can't hurt us is wrong. The fact is, it can be lethal. If you are on ANY medication, even an OTC, and combine certain herbs with them, you could be risking your lives. The hospital I work at has a VERY large book that contains nearly every herb known to man..........and alongside those herbs are the list of medications you must NEVER mix with them.
For instance, I will use a drug most of us on this forum are familiar with, either because we've taken it or have heard so much about it.....................Klonopin, (clonazepam) perscribed for anxiety. One must never combine this med with kava, ginko biloba or ginseng. Two of these herbs will increase the central nervous system reaction to Klonopin and one of them will decrease it. Either way, not good. (In this instance, NOT lethal) My point being that virtually ALL medications come from "nature," with the exception of the new biologics, so adding some other "natural" remedy COULD result in disaster.
If you want to try and beat your anxiety with natural remedies, I would strongly urge you to seek out the advice of a professional Naturopath or Homeopathic doctor. Both have been trained in the safe use of herbal medicines.
Peace
Greenlydia      

[Dooges]

Here is a post I put on another web site called www.nomorepanic.co.uk  
I found this site extremely helpful in coming to terms with my anxiety disorder.

This being a member of No More Panic did 2 things for me, well 3 really.
1. Reading so many stories about the hell people go through with anxiety made me realise that I had to get help. My problem was health anxiety related and being scared of what symptoms I was having. Something different all the time, and as one symptom dissapperared another would show. I was scared frustrated, angry becuse I didn't know what was happening. And there lies the clue. I didn't know! I was seeing a phycologist who was telling me how I can change my thought patterns and positive thinking etc but she wasn't telling my why I was having these symptoms. These REAL symptoms. I had been to the Dr's and had all the tests ppl talk about on here I even ended up at a psychiatrist that charged $330.00 an hour. That was all good and I did learn a few things from him but they werent telling me why I was getting the symptoms. Not one of them.!!!
2. Next thing I did was by a book. Pretty simple really. One that is recommended in here I think. I was on holidays in Thailand where I think I reached my lowest point. I was in beautiful Koh Samui and I wanted to do was stay in the hotel room and be a recluse worrying about what dreadful disease I could be dying from. So I came in here to try and get some reassurance. I went into the chat area and some wonderful person, I forget who it was, recommended Claire Weekes " Complete self help for your nerves" This book, you could say, changed my life. Finally I was starting to find out why this was happening to me. While I was reading I could look back over the last 12 months and realise why I have ended up withthis condition. It was like a big blanket being lifted off of me.
3. Whilst reading a post in the health anxiety forum I read about a guy that had great benefit from another web site called anxiety centre ******* . Having joined this web site the take you on a course that is structured around CBT. And like Claire Weekes book it is big on the fact that understanding anxiety and how it effects you is one of the most important things to do before you can move forward into recovery.
For me I finally had the understanding. I have accepted the fact I have anxiety. I have tools to tackle PA's, and I know that I have to be patient and let time pass before I will be free of anxiety.
Now I can look forward to the future and know I'm goin gto be there with a smile on my face.
Thanks for reading
Dooges
p.s. The one thing that the psych told me to do, and it works for me, is that when I get a new symptom, or feel the anxiety starting to build I just tell myself " It's anxiety stupid " Simple but effective for me.

[margypops]

Try Sam-E or 5 HTP  Sam-E is sold in most drug stores and health food stores, start with a low dose though they do work but you dont stay on them forever you need a break in between, widely used in Europe ,google the name you will raed for your self, same with 5HTP although I think Sam-E is better.  

[KirstinMc]

Palpitations are short, abrupt periods in which the heart suddenly starts beating fast. If you’re in a sensitive state, this can ring alarm bells because you fear a sudden heart attack. The more you panic, the faster the heart beats. It’s therefore understandable why many people in this situation jump to conclusions and call for medical help. What you have to remember is that palpitations are perfectly natural and can often be caused by exhaustion or stimulants like caffeine. Your heart is an incredibly strong muscle, and it won’t stop or explode simply because it’s beating hard and fast. A healthy heart can beat fast all day long and not be in any danger.



Missed Heartbeats

The medical term for missed heartbeats is extrasystoles. A missed heartbeat is usually an extra beat between two normal beats. Given the pause that follows this premature beat, it just seems as if one beat was missed. And because the heart’s lower chambers fill with a greater-than-usual amount of blood during the pause, the next regular heartbeat can feel like a bit of a jolt. When you feel this sensation, you often freeze and wait in terror to see if your heart is in trouble.

Such missed beats are generally harmless. It can help to sit down when you feel this sensation, but if you wish to keep moving, do so. Exercise won’t cause the situation to get worse, and don’t convince yourself that going home to lie down is the only way to help the situation. If you retreat every time you feel an unusual sensation, that behavior can reinforce a negative idea that your home is the only safe place to be. Our hearts are not atomic clocks that always keep time; they speed up, slow down, or occasionally beat in an irregular fashion. People with anxiety are very keen observers of all bodily functions. From time to time, you may notice an irregular beat or two. This is nothing to get upset about.

Sometimes, individuals go through similar worries about their heart as they do with their breathing. People convince themselves that if they worry enough about their heart, or concentrate too much upon its actions, it may somehow get confused and forget how to beat correctly. It’s quite common for people who suffer from panic attacks to check in on their heart at regular intervals to make sure it’s still beating away.

If you simply can’t stop obsessing about your heart, here are some tips:

• Get a full medical examination. If you don’t, your mind will always bring up the “what if something really is wrong” card. When you get a clean bill of health, trust in the results and don’t second-guess them. If you really must, get a second opinion—but after that, stop doubting your good health.

• Remember that your body has incredible internal intelligence. Simply telling your heart, out of panic, that it might stop doesn’t mean that it heeds your fears. Learn to become more comfortable with your heart, and let it do its job. Listen to it when you’re relaxed and also when you’re exercising. The more comfortable you are with the diversity and range of your heartbeats, the more confidence you’ll have in it.

• Allow your heart to beat in whatever rhythm it sees fit. Don’t try to control the natural rhythms of your body by always insisting on a calm heartbeat. The more you allow your body to flow in the manner it so chooses, the faster it will return to a state of rest.

Very often, your heart only wants to palpitate a bit, thump a few beats harder. Why? That’s the heart’s own business. It’s your mind that interferes and panics, causing the adrenaline to kick off a longer cycle of rapid heartbeats. So from now on, make a verbal agreement with your heart that you’re going to stop interfering and obsessing over its health and trust in it 100 percent. Then hand over the controls. Let go to whatever way your heart wishes to behave. By allowing the sensations to happen and simply getting on with your day, you release the anxiety that you hold around your heart as well as the cautious monitoring of every heartbeat.

[KirstinMc]

Hi guys. I hope my post above helped a little. I found that it put some of my worries into perspective a little. Also I wanted to explain that another cause for severe palps can also be a depletion of Magnesium in the body so possibly a supplement may be helpful. I would also rec a Bach remedy called "Rock Rose" you can get easily from Ebay.

Hugs XX

[scaredjo]

hi firstly do you get chest pains with your anxiety? i think your above post was excellent it helped me. whats rock rose does that deal with anxiety? i use rescue remedy by bach is it the same kind of stuff

[kyval]

lol.. actually some of the first smiles i have had. at this moment i have a "lump" in my throat, am swimming from an anti anxiety med i was put on today, and went to have blood work done, a swallowing test and everything else the doctor would do to find out what disease i have, it is soooo hard to except that it is just anxiety and that the real symptoms i experience are just a magnification of anxiety, but, i want to believe that so, any advice u have, i would like to hear, cause u seem to worry yourself over the exact thing i do, health and disease, lol, i hope that don't exsist... btw.. blood was fine.. lol..

[KirstinMc]

Hey hun, I do get chest pains for sure but its the palps that are seriously getting me down. Rock Rose (I read a few weeks ago) is great for extreme terror. If you bob on Ebay you can get it on there, it a bach remedy.