Natural supplements for anxiety, insomnia?

[kimberly777]

I have lived with anxiety issues practically all my life and have learned to cope with them the best way I can. My family supports me and knows my little "quirks", so to speak. However, about 3-4 months a year I suffer from bouts of insomnia along with my anxiety/repetitive thoughts. If anyone has tried a natural supplement that helps with this please let me know as I have tried a few things with no luck. Thanks!

[thaidave]

this is all new to me, I mean anxiety and insomnia, but I have been trying green tea, camomile tea, St John's Wort supplements, fish oil capsules, organic food, exercise and stopping all bad (fun!) habits.....and eating about 3 or 4 bananas a day! its the best I have so far.......
Good luck...

[Rhetoric]

Here's a few that I take on a semi-regular basis...

~5-HTP: A precursor to serotonin, which is in turn a precursor to seratonin. Helps with mental and physical relaxation. Promotes a feeling of mental well-being and general mood improvement. 100 mg 2x a day. This product will increase your brain's level of serotonin for at least 6 hours after ingesting. (NOT to be taken in while taking SSRIs / SNRIs [prozac, paxil, celebrex, etc]. -- could cause Serotonin Syndrome.. a potentially life-threatening condition.)

~Valerian Root: Also helps with mental relaxation and anxiety relief. Like Benzodiazepenes, acts on the GABA receptors. (just not as strongly as Benzos). Its effects are subtle for me. A typical dose can be anywhere from 750 mg to 1.5 grams.. Maximum daily dose I personally take is usually ~1.2 grams per day.

~Phenibut: Provides mental and physical relaxation, relief of stress and social anxiety. To be taken for NO MORE than 3 days in a row with a 2-3 day wash-out period afterwards. I personally take for 2 days in a row, with a 3 day wash-out period... to avoid dependency. a typical dose can be from 500 mg to 1.5 mg. Can be readily ordered online.. ebay, amazon, suppliment / vitamin / healthfood sites. Comes in both loose powder to be mixed into water / fruit juice or in capsule form.

~Kava Kava: Provides mental / physical relaxation along with stress and anxiety relief. Can be used as a sleep aid or an anti-anxiety supplement. Never purchase any Kava related product if you are not 100% sure that it contains the root materials, as the other parts of the plant can cause liver distress / damage.

As I've mentioned before, I'm not a huge fan of the pharma industry, and will always go with a more natural approach whenever practical / possible. All of these mentioned products really help out quite a bit, but do not expect there to be as pronounced effect as with prescription drugs.. (except with phenibut and kava kava) Before taking any of these supplements, talk to your doctor to ensure no possible interactions with any of your current medications. I did plenty of research on these products before using them, as I do with any new supplement / medication. I want to know EVERYTHING possible about the products going into my body.

If you have any further questions on any of these, feel free to PM me. Hope this info helps!

[JaneB]

I'm with Rhetoric. The pharma industry has rarely done me any good. One note though, I'm pretty sure L-Tryptophan is the precursor to 5HTP. At least from what I've read. Either way, they both lead to Serotonin.

I have pretty good results with what I take after having gone the natural route. I take a multi vitamin (Centrum) and extra Vitamin C and I also take a supplement called Tranquilene that contains a full B Complex, Passionflower, magnesium, calcium, theanine, ashwagandha, GABA and one or two other things. It's pretty great.

I also make some kava kava tea in the mornings sometimes. To help me sleep... well I have two speeds. Valerian root extract in a dropper if I just need a little push. And Tylenol PM with a glass of wine when I REALLY need to be put out.

[Rhetoric]

Yes indeed. 5-HTP is a precursor to serotonin. Thanks for pointing out my typo.. hee hee. I was distracted and tired when I was typing that out. I fixed it. Yes, I also like to take the natural route whenever possible. Unfortunately for me, the supplements aren't always effective enough.

On the pharma industry thing, the problem with them is that they send their smiling sales reps to tempt doctors with kickbacks and free lunches. Then the brainwashed doctors get stuck on the "SSRIs / SNRIs fix EVERYTHING!!" train of thought. Gotta love it. Once the doctors have become "programmed" by the pharma company reps, they almost outright refuse to prescribe bezno-based medications on the grounds that they can be addictive when abused. OF COURSE they will become addictive when misused.

Here's a no-brainer solution to the benzo addiction possibilities -- Don't abuse them and take them only as directed. Problem solved. And these are the same doctors who swear up and down that SSRIs are not addictive. If going cold turkey off of a med causes any sort of withdrawal symptoms, that means the patient's body has become dependent / addicted to said medication. Not a hard concept to wrap one's mind around really. -- This is one of the main reasons why I will NOT take any more SSRI / SNRI medications. That, and the fact that they put me into a dizzying nauseated mental fog. Not a good thing for my troubleshooting occupation I have -- (IT support)

Sorry if I was ranting.. I've recently had 2 doctors try to push SSRIs on me. Both with identical unbearable side effects, further indicating to me that serotonin receptors are not my issue. Anyways, if anyone has any questions about any of the supplements I mentioned in my previous post on this thread, feel free to contact me. I'll answer your questions to best of my knowledge.

[paulo111]

Hi I found a natural supp that really works for me only just started it 3days ago and I feel alot less tense after the 1st tablet like 25mins later. The brand is (Fusion) anxiety and stress relief,it is a chinese medicine. Also try seredyn it does work but made me groggy and i felt out of it. thanks paul

[dp3360]

Valerian!!!!! I know somebody has already mentioned it on this thread but Valerian is (to me) a natural wonder! I only take Valerian extract drops because apparently the plant is revoltingly smelly. It works wonders, take the amount it says and you'll be off to sleep in no time (well, for me anyway...) Hope this helps

[iurod]

I use this product by Ortho Molecular Products called Natural ZZZ's. It has Valerian Root Extract, Jujube Seed Extract, Passion Flower Extract, and L-Theanine. It has worked pretty well for me.

ps. I have no affiliation with ortho molecular products

[JesusMyRefuge]

Thanks for the info. I'm new here. I have a question. Can I take supplements and herbs and still take Lexotan (Bromazepam, a benzo derivative drug) as and when I feel I really need it? I usu take 1/2 tablet (i.e. 0.75mg) like once or twice a week when I feel I really need it. I've started to take St John's Wort (500mg capsule every night) for the past week. Can I take that with this benzo (when needed)? Tks for any help.

[greggo123]

Does anyone know how to measure out phenibut powder. I got a jug on the Internet and took 4 mini scoops of it and was drunk and very nauseous/ vomiting next morning. I've heard 500 mg. discussed but how do you measure it or approximate it. My container is 500 grams!! And I don't have a scale..:((