Vitamins for anxiety and depression

[meatball01]

Can anyone advise of good vitamins to take for anxiety and depression. I am starting to feel better and want to control by natural vitamins and exercise. Also has anyone tried 5-htp or any of the natural stuff? I can't take anti-depressants. I do take 1.5 mgs of Kolopin at bedtime which has finally started to help.

[Rej2323]

The vitamins B are really good

[horselover99]

Like the person above me replied the Vitamin B family is great for anxiety and depression. I also have used 5HTP, L-Thenine, and Ashwandha with pretty decent success.  I have heard that st Johns Wort is good for the depression side but it never really did anything for me. Oh, I also tried Valerian Root but that just made me tired. I'm glad you are looking to go natural too.  After years of being addicted to antidepressants I finally realized they were making my condition worse and not better.

[meatball01]

Can you get enought B vitamins from a one a day or do you need to take extra?

[Paxiled]

You need to take what's called a stress B formula.  It's formulated so that the B vitamins most involved with anxiety are at optimum levels.  Be careful with herbs such as valerian if you're taking klonopin -- they both affect GABA receptors.  Since you're only taking it a bedtime, which is odd since you most need to be anxiety free when you're out an about and benzos make terrible long-term sleep aids, you can probably take relaxant herbs during the day -- klonopin is usually taken twice a day anyway.  Good herbs besides valerian, which is a good sleep aid, are kava, passionflower, hops.  Along with ashwagandha, eleuthero is also a good adaptogen.  And again, if you're only taking klonopin once at night, you can probably take taurine in the daytime; it's the amino acid that manufactures GABA in the body.  There's a slew of stuff out there.  A good book for you is Natural Highs, by Hyla Cass, a psychiatrist at UCLA.

[gmichael66]

You need to take 3000 Mg(mcg?) Vitamin Co ras much as you can tolerate before diareah sets in.

Three times a day MAgnesium, 200mcg, and Calcium to help metabolize it.

I take sublingual B12 1000mcg, and a time relesed B12 tablet....

A good liquid multi

Chromium Picolinate, one tablet daily.

Water 8oz every two hours.

2 1200mg Omega-3

Flaxseed oil tablets, or liquid.

Chamomile tea.

Believe it or not, Bach Flower therapy for stress, they work...they really do.

Rest, lots of rest, and sunlight, lots of sunlight.....
Walk, one hour a day

Do NOT take Kava or Gaba if you take any prescription medications.

Also, St Johns wort, three tabs a day do wonders and can be just as effective without side effects for depression......

Take care, you arent alone
Geoffrey

[gmichael66]

also,
B-complex. The B6, and Pantothelic (sp) acids are very important.......

Sorry about my spelling guys

Geoffrey

[meatball01]

Thanks to all for the advice. I'm very sensitive to meds and don't want to take anything to undo the progress I've made in the last 5 months. I have an autistic nephew, bless his heart struggles with anxiety. He was prescribed vitamin B12 shots that made him climb the walls. My doctor told me a plain old one a day vitamin was all I needed. With the weight that I lost over the last 5 months I want to make sure I get all the vitamins I need for my body to heal.