"natural" supplements for anxiety

[jdb7560]

I'm curious if anyone has tried the following "natural" alternatives for anxiety/stress and if you had any success with them:

L-Tryptophan
L-Tyrosine
Passionflower
Valerian
Kava Kava
St John's wort
SAMe
Vitamin B Complex
DL-Phenylalanine
Fish oil
GABA
Inositol
5-HTP
essential oils (aromatherapy)
calcium
magnesium


I'm not looking for a cure-all or a replacement to therapy. I'm just interested if any of these actually work a little and if there are any significant side effects.

Thanks!

-Joseph

[margypops]

5HTP and Sam-E definatly work, you think you have found the natural cure and you are fine for several weeks then headaches and nightmares begin, but then so does the SSRIs eventually, Sam0-E is very good and works and also 5HTP, I think they are worth trying and I dont think the effect is long lasting when you stop, unlike Lexapro and others, it all depends on the dose you take, there is a book called 5HTP and worth reading. Take a smallish dose and see .

[hitman60]

I tried GABA and St Johns Wort because I cannot take SSRI medications as they make me more anxious. The same thing happened with these two products.After 12 days of St Johns Wort, I was hypomanic, sweaty, anxious and fearful. So I do not like these products, although this is just MY experience.  If one is sensitive to SSRI meds these are not a good alternative. If one is bipolar St Johns Wort can throw you into a manic episode. So be very careful with this unregulated products.

[Brenndy]

Kava=good stuff.

[jdb7560]

Thanks GJ. As for changing my lifestyle, I was desperate. I had to do something. And yes, I am quite surprised the withdrawl was not too bad. I was expecting a nightmare. I'm still doing ok, but I almost had a full blown panic attack the other day. It took I had to stave it off. There has been progress though and I am thankful, but I know I still have a ways to go. I hope the best for you as well.

[AnxiousGurl]

Im glad to hear that your doing better and the withdrawl symptoms are minimal. It isnt easy changing your entire lifestyle, and it's something to be proud of, Im glad to hear some good news for a change. I hope the best for you.

[jdb7560]

Thanks everyone for your input. I've been trying a few of the suggestions. I'm also altering my entire lifestyle- eliminating caffeine and alcohol, paying attention to diet (more organic, natural), meditation, and exercise. So far, so good. It has helped me get off klonopin with very few withdrawl symptoms. Of course, I've only been klonopin free for three weeks.

[strangedork]

I take calcium w/magnesium, fish oil, vitamin b complex, and I still have anxiety.  :((  

[urdacrazy1]

Bok Flower? 10 minutes? Hmmmm. Sounds worth trying. When can I get that? Do you know if it has any side effects?

[AvaH]

A great calm herb is Bok Flower. You can put it directly under your tongue and it works within 10 minutes. I have tried Kava Kava and I did not like the sedated feeling it gave me. I have also tried St. John's Wort and it did not do much for me though others aware by it. Nerve Tonic is a good one that can be found through Dr. Richard Schultze's website.
Good Luck.

[AnxiousGurl]

I havent tried any of those.......but

I have tried L-theanine relaxation tea...(brand name:Suntheanine) .........It definately had calming effects and cleared my head a bit in my experience......I have to admit I feel better when I take that.

[TheMommy2]

About 5 yrs ago, I went on those as well as a change in diet, and excercise routine and a huge uptake in vitamin B-complex...

for 4 years I never had a single symptom of anxiety..not one!

Then I stopped doing everything..... It took 6 months to get to where I didnt have a problem and it took 6 months to get back to the problems again.

They can be extremely successful..but, I wouldnt stop taking meds until you are sure you have it under control.

[peggy64]

I tried a product called Calm Mind that had l theanine and GABA in it. It really did help.

[The_Mann]

No, but I just posted asking if anyone has taken Serenitol. I noticed on the internet it helps GAD and Fibromyalgia, I will let you know if I hear back from someone.

P

[urdacrazy1]

Nope too scared, lol. But I'd like to know if anyone else has.