Trying to do this without meds!!!

[StopTheMadness]

Has anyone been managing this without any meds? I really hate taking pills. It's not that i'm against them. It's just i am really phobic of taking any med and i want to beat this on my own

[j2005]

Yes, I've resisted meds and have improved wonderfully these past two years . I always felt meds mask the problem, I want to work through the anxiety not medicate to hide it, often creating more problems.

-James

[fisher]

Hiya,my anxiety started 9 yrs ago and i was bad with my anxiety my doc gave me citalipram i took 1 tablet and i felt awful so i got through it without,oh i did buy aconite which is herbal it helped me but no i just think with me meds would of made me worse and as u say they only mask the problem,meds are ok for some people but i just think u are putting chemicals in your body what always give u side effects,i only get twinges of anxiety now and again so you can do it x

[StopTheMadness]

Ok good to know im not trying this alone. My xanax really helps when i feel i cant do it anymore and i once managed to go 7 months but sometimes i felt completely exhausted from anxiety and really felt like i could have used some relief.

What are yall doing? I meditate with relaxation exercises, i've been through counseling, i exercise a LOT. Is this all i can do?

Also, have yall ever tried l theanine supplements? I heard they were good but im even nervous about some supplements after the evening primrose adventure.

If u have gone a while without meds and are doing good, what is your secret?

[Enduronman]

1.meditation=great
2.excercise=great
3.counseling=idk
4.I take over 20 diff herbal supplements each day. No anxiety specific meds until bedtime then 2 to 3mg xanax to shut me off.

theanine is a great choice but there are many more that need be added to get the effect you're looking for.

E-Man.

[StopTheMadness]

Thanks. How do u know which herbs to take?

[Enduronman]

Um..because I've been studying, learning, researching remedys or herbs or meds useful for treating anxiety for a veryyyyyyyyyy long time! Not only do I endorse "Herb Club" for anxiety but I'm also a user..LOL! It really depends upon what your actual symptoms are as the mixture of things different in effect from each individual person. Plus, herbal remedys are not as "pronounced" or "precise" as an actual chemically engineered lab experiment if you know what I mean here.. What are the troubleing occurences or ailments of yours?...Then we figure it out..

E-Man.

[AceParadox]

I'm doing this without meds as well. Though, if I can't find some herb to help me rid of these nightmares, I may consider it. I've beaten anxiety in the waking world with sheer mental strength, optimism, and supplements (Maca root [for energy], MAgnesium, Amino acids, TEA :D) now it's only in my sleep where I get anxiety. And I'm not sure what to do about it.

All the stuff your doing is good though. Exercise, meditation (I probably need to start doing this, not much time though), Theanine is found in green tea too, which is what I drink so I guess I can say it works great.

[StopTheMadness]

Eman can u help me figure out what to take?

An update: i usually do REALLY well most of the time with no anxiety. I took that evening primrose last week and i have been dealing with panicky feelings in my body ever since. I havent had a solid week of anxiety in years.

Please help me! Not a happy camper at all right now

[StopTheMadness]

It's like, when i went off of xanax i suffered thru a really rough 3 months. That was followed by a pretty easy five months and without meds. Then i took the primrose oil for three days, which ended up with me feeling like a manic, and now a straight week if dealing with anxiety.

During the good five months i still had it just not every day. I just want it to be gone :(((

[Enduronman]

Lets see here. Some will promote kava kava as it has been used to calm and sedate for probably centuries but it kinda got a bad wrap because a couple of doofuses took too much of it. You can order it online however as it too was one of my first attempts at self medicating with herbals. My anxiety was WAY to high to control with it but yours doesnt appear to be as intense as mine was. (divorce, 3 kids, 1bd apt, paying a house payment too, $320 a week in support, and spending my whole retirement)..It was bad lets say..
1. kava kava
2. ginger
3. siberian ginseng
4. korean ginseng
5. L-theanine
6. L-tyrosine
7. L-glutamine
8. Vit B complex (low dose)
9. valerian
10. passion flower
11. clean up yer diet, if its a mess
12. get 8 hours of sleep
13. excercise for 40 mins each day if you can

Start there, then call me in the morning. LOL!

E-Man. :)

[StopTheMadness]

Btw i started taking my xanax again prn two months ago during a particularly exhausting week of pms anxiety. I dont know why but i suddenly found myself feeling like even tho i was terrified of taking a pill, the anxiety would progress to a full blown attack. So a friend from back home on the phone convinced me to take my meds cuz she thought i was being ridiculous. As soon as i took it i freaked out. But in 40 mins i suddenly felt completely normal and kicked myself in the butt for not taking it sooner.

My hair is falling out and my back is always sore. I think i am making myself ill!!!!

[Enduronman]

UHH>>YUP! you are..

14. throw in some omega 3,6,9's too then. (fish, flax, borage oil).. SO YOU CAN KEEP YOUR HAIR!

The (E) thingy..:)

[StopTheMadness]

Ok i already have 11, 12, and 13 down. I work out a lot. To try to get rid if panic. There have been times when i literally wanted to murder anxiety (if it were a person lol) because i walked/sprinted 8 miles a day and STILL had panic later that night!!! I was like, seriously my body doesnt have any more energy juice left but i'm still gonna find a way to muster the energy to go out of my mind at bedtime?? Great!

i am working at a very physical job which has built muscles and toned me and i lift and get cardio alllll day and i love it. I feel energetic and strong. I also am strict about Bedtime lol. I like me some sleep!

I eat lots of vegetables and lean meat like turkey. I dont drink, smoke, no caffeine.

How much mg of vit b is a low dose? I dont wanna take too much and give myself problems.

Nothing in there is going to mess with my estrogen huh?

[Enduronman]

Hey Kev! Did you get all that stuff put together and it left you with heightened anxiety you say??.. Hows it going overall??..

Hey Madness! The only reason I say (low dose) on the B vitamins is they can and will cause flushing, hot feeling, increased heart rate, a type of nervous energy that isnt pleasant, and possible nausea too. If the bottle says 100% of recommended daily allowance, then you're good to go with a full tablet. If it says like 6000% of one of the B vits and then 1600% of another, then break them into thirds. The body can not utilize it anyway and it will pass but it will almost assuredly cause stomach upset.. Yer looking for a B complex vit in the 100% RDA range, just read the labels and you'll be fine..

[Enduronman]

Do you have the ginger yet and did I also suggest turmeric also??...The ginger will ease the dizziness and the turmeric will ease the neck tension as well..

E-Man..

PS: what is your BP normally?

[StopTheMadness]

Hi kev. I do take a benzo prn now that i've re-overcome my fear of meds lol. I do get dizzy a lot when i have anxiety. I also dont take anti-depressants. Mainly because they make my anxiety go thru the roof and also because i'm not depressed at all. In fact, i would say i'm not stressed out either. Which is weird cuz i have anxiety. Buy when i have anxiety it's never when i am stressed. In fact, when i am actually in a stressful situation i am too focused on fixing the problem to have anxiety. I get panicky when i try to relax. It really confuses me!

Eman, about the vit b... That's why i've avoided it. I really dont want to get the flushing and increased HR. in fact, if i got tablets that said 100% i would be leery enough to insanely cut them into quarters and just take 1/4 a day til i felt safe enough to work up to a whole. Sick huh?? Thats how i am with meds. Even vitamins. It seems like every time i trust something enough to take a full dose, i end up being the one in a hundred to get anxiety as a side effect! For me it has been a side effect of ssri's, birth control pills, evening primrose oil, alcohol, and anything else normal people take. Except xanax. I trust xanax because it has never given me a problem.

I feel like this condition has changed my personality. U know my friends used to think of me as some kind of fearless warrior (lol!!) Now i'm that person who has to go into the bathroom at work to take a chill pill and meditate. It fricking sucks cuz i dont feel like myself anymore!!!!

[StopTheMadness]

Wait the ginger and tumeric for me or for kev?

[Enduronman]

Ginger and turmeric for Kev.. Those are facts about the B vitamins. Also, there really are no other vitamin supplements that would cause that kind of issue or any issues for that matter except for the B vitamins.. and also try to avoid vits with iron in them. We all get enough iron, and too much iron can be dangerous. Ginger is a calming herb with motion sickness preventative ability. Hence=dizziness.. The turmeric is used for pain.

E-man..

[StopTheMadness]

I should mention that i am sometimes covered with bruises head to toe for no reason and my mother has been hospitalized for low iron and needed a transfusion. Maybe i should get it checked just incase?

[Tristanayoubi]

Yup! completely "cured" my anxiety without medication.

[dazza]

Fight or flight activity throughout the body & mind can be severely intense. It's meant to be.
Horrifying... utterly terrifying... take your worst fear and multiply it by a million.

There have been many times when my mind & body have just got so out of control that I simply couldn't have handled it without medication. Full stop.

No form of breathing exercise or feckin' chamomile tea could have helped these "simulated death" experiences.

Meds were NEEDED. Not wanted, but NEEDED.

It's ok, though. Meds help you learn about your condition.
When they kick in and you feel the calm... you can understand, criticise & analyse what just happened.

Just knowing you have meds in your pocket is often a great comfort.

Don't be affraid of meds, but equally... don't abuse them.

[Jude84]

I felt like I could calm down and analyze the problem when I was taking a turmeric ginger hibiscus tonic combo.

Like Stop the Madness, I too don't feel depressed or even stressed. It's the feeling of knowing you have nothing to be depressed or stressed about but there is this little nagging feeling that something is wrong. It's when I try to force the calm that it gets a but worse.

Would you say I was medicating myself while on that combo? It did feel like I had things relatively under control. Getting off of that though was bad I think.