Question on non prescription meds.

I dont know if this is the term I should use but does anyone use any homeopathic remedies for their anxiety? I was watching the doctors and I saw something about L-theanine, how it's suppose to help with that. Anyone ever try it? If so has it helped? Or anything really other then prescription meds! Thank you!

I use L-theanine pretty much every day. I take a smoothie to work with a baggie of supplements.

My anti-anxiety arsenal includes theanine 200-500 mgs, ashwagandha root 450-900 mgs, GABA 500 mgs(gamma aminobutyric acid) & 5htp -50-100mgs.

I also take a b-complex vitamin as they are known to help combat stress.

& Like firewalk above^ I take 2 vitamin d tabs- 2000 mgs (as recommended by my doc), though mine are in a fish oil supplement.

Hope you can find what works for you! Good luck!

Ah thank you both of you! I am going to try some of the stuff you guys mentioned! Thanks for the imput.

firewalk said:

and pretty much exercising 5 days a week: 1.5-2 hours of weight lifting 2-3 times a week, and 40 minute walks 1-2 times a week. My depression/anxiety has improved a lot, a lot! i think its mainly the weight lifting.

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Weight lifting has really helped me a lot. It has helped me more than going on walks, cycling, and other moderate exercises. It mostly reduced my anxiety--I am amazed at much it reduced my anxiety/anxiety related symptoms! I have been taking a break for awhile though since I overworked myself some/made some mistakes. One reason for this was because it helped me so much, I wanted to do it as much as I could as often as I could, and I didn't want to stop. So just be careful.

And yeah, as other people have said, supplements can help. Or, even better, a healthier diet.

Also, I have found that stretching (or yoga) every day helps with anxiety. I usually do it before I go to bed to relax and calm myself down.

Also, meditation helps me a lot! Even just doing it once a day for 5-10 minutes helps. I usually do a combination of breathing (focusing on your breathing) and mindfulness (focusing on everything that you can feel/hear/smell/etc) meditation. Lately I've been doing it more often--sometimes a few times a day for 10 minutes each--and I've been noticing it helping more.

I take a few supplements that my doctor suggested:
Vitamin B5 (aka pantothenic acid) - 500mg 2-3x a day
Vitamin B6 - 100mg once a day
Vitamin D - 1000IU 2-3x a day
Omega-3 (in the form of wild salmon oil) - 1000mg 2-4x a day
also,
Ferrous fumarate (iron) - 100mg once a day, due to an iron deficiency

I know the B5 is for anxiety. I think the B6 is mainly for depression. Omega-3s are good for mental health in general (among other things). I can't remember what the hell the vitamin D was for though. The iron I've been taking for years. Everything else I've been taking for a few months and I have been feeling somewhat better since then.

Disclaimer: I'm not suggesting anyone just go out and start taking a pile of supplements without talking to a doctor (or at least a pharmacist) first. These are rather high doses which you wouldn't normally get through diet or a multivitamin. Definitely worth considering though, especially if you're weary of prescription drugs or have had bad experiences with them.

wow. everyone has been more then helpful. thanks so much! I am going to write down everything you guys said and bring it in to my doctors. I would like to try some of these and see how much it helps. crossing my fingers it reduces my anxiety even just a little. but my main goal is to get off my meds compelety.

I tried a B complex (high in B3, B5, B6) also, it did actually help my depression and anxiety. Not taking it any more though. Taking enough supplements.

I've heard a lot of good about Gaba for anxiety.
I sometimes take L-tyrosine, but not so much for anxiety but rather for concentration and energy. It's something I re-buy because I actually notice a difference after I take it.

10,000 vit D every 2nd day, even though I don't realize a difference w/ or w/o it

B12, I had a defiency and now that I take sublingual B12 supplements, I don't get cold hands and feet and I am a lot more stable and energized (felt the different immediately after taking the first one) before taking I was anemic.

Omega 3, I haven't noticed a huge difference with this one but it has helped my skin, so heck, whatever, throw that in there.

Lastly eating low carb. My anxiety seems to completely vanish just 2 days into low carb. Unfortunately there is a low carb "flu" that occurs for a week-two ish when you start it, and it's always been too hard for me to get through, even with knowing that afterwards my anxiety / fatigue will probably be totally gone as long as I stick to it. So I have just instead opted for eating nothing sweet and cutting out grains, (the high GI carbs) which also helps a lot.

I agree with firewalk about exercise. It seems to be one of the best in terms of ratio of easiest:effective.

Can I buy most of this stuff online? does the brands matter? I am really interested in the L-tyrosine! Thanks for mentioning it.

I do go to the gym and it was helping a lot with my mood and anxiety. I just need to get back into it. Hopefully tomorrow I can pull myself together and start the day right.

For me all that homeopathic stuff doesn't work at all, not even in the highest doses, I wouldn't waste too much money on it.

None of the supplements mentioned are homeopathic.

homeopathic - definition of homeopathic by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

ho·me·op·a·thy (hm-p-th)
n. pl. ho·me·op·a·thies
A system for treating disease based on the administration of minute doses of a drug that in massive amounts produces symptoms in healthy individuals similar to those of the disease itself.

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Anyone interested in trying any of these supplements should definitely do some research, &/or ask a doctor about them.

Good luck, shakethelight!

I haven't tried the tyrosine, may give that a whirl next.

psych said:

None of the supplements mentioned are homeopathic.

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I don't think anyone ever said that they were, but shakethelight was also inquiring about nonprescription meds in general. Based on my limited knowledge of actual homeopathic remedies, they sound like a load of crap.

psych said:

Anyone interested in trying any of these supplements should definitely do some research, &/or ask a doctor about them.

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Yeah, my doctor suggested some supplements but I didn't start blindly popping pills without reading up on them first.

L-theanine definitely has a relaxing/calming effect, also I take Lithium Orotate, 5-HTP, & Grapeseed extract, you would be surprised at how well they work, & how quickly they can reduce anxiety & severe depression. I dunno why they have all these potentially dangerous medications when these things work amazingly well, are far cheaper & are actually healthy for your body. You can find more info on these things here if you are interested: JohnGrayMarsVenus - YouTube There's a video called 'simple ways of overcoming anxiety' where he talks about L-theanine, it's at about 4:40.

poisongodmachine said:

L-theanine definitely has a relaxing/calming effect, also I take Lithium Orotate, 5-HTP, & Grapeseed extract, you would be surprised at how well they work, & how quickly they can reduce anxiety & severe depression. I dunno why they have all these potentially dangerous medications when these things work amazingly well, are far cheaper & are actually healthy for your body. You can find more info on these things here if you are interested: JohnGrayMarsVenus - YouTube There's a video called 'simple ways of overcoming anxiety' where he talks about L-theanine, it's at about 4:40.

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Thank you!! I'm going to look into it now! and I agree. Ive been trying meds for yrs and yrs and nothing but bad side effects and sleepless nights is what i got from them.

awkwardamanda said:

I don't think anyone ever said that they were, but shakethelight was also inquiring about nonprescription meds in general. Based on my limited knowledge of actual homeopathic remedies, they sound like a load of crap.

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Yes, someone did. ->

Ignace said:

For me all that homeopathic stuff doesn't work at all, not even in the highest doses, I wouldn't waste too much money on it.

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I used to take OTC antihistamines for certain social situations before I went on Prozac, mostly for dates and class presentations. Never made a habit of it, though, and I wouldn't recommend using antihistamines like a Rx drug, so if I were you I'd go for the supplement approach.

I have in my bag of goodies for anxiety:

ashwaganda (sp)
GABA
L-Theanine (sp)
Vitamin B6
Valerian and Kava Kava
Passion Flower

Now, mind you I don't take them all at one time, but I these are what I have tried. GABA and Passion Flower have worked the best for me, personally. But with GABA, I only take 500 mg 1x/day.

Also, if you are able to get out and jog/run or just walk and do some simple exercise such as Yoga or try to meditate, that may help calm your mind.

Hope this helps and Good Luck

psych said:

Yes, someone did. ->

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Well, from that comment it really wasn't clear whether he was referring to supplements or not. He may have been talking about actual homeopathic remedies.

shakethelight said:

Thank you!! I'm going to look into it now! and I agree. Ive been trying meds for yrs and yrs and nothing but bad side effects and sleepless nights is what i got from them.

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You're welcome!, yeah you've gotta wonder why these medications actually have such bad side effects, also Melatonin is good for insomnia which is another natural thing, I use it & it definitely works for making you sleepy, although you would only want to take it just before bed as it can make you slightly disoriented, also things like 5-htp can apparently have adverse effects whilst on medication, there is a recommended protocol of things to take when going off medication john gray offers in a video called 'Lithium Orotate improves your mood' it's at about 8:45.

cowboyup said:

I have in my bag of goodies for anxiety:

ashwaganda (sp)
GABA
L-Theanine (sp)
Vitamin B6
Valerian and Kava Kava
Passion Flower

Now, mind you I don't take them all at one time, but I these are what I have tried. GABA and Passion Flower have worked the best for me, personally. But with GABA, I only take 500 mg 1x/day.

Also, if you are able to get out and jog/run or just walk and do some simple exercise such as Yoga or try to meditate, that may help calm your mind.

Hope this helps and Good Luck

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^Those three are my trifecta, & quite frankly the only things that have allowed me to work in a high stress environment like the one I'm in.

I had no luck with passionflower, but it may have simply been a substandard mix. I believe it was with skullcap and another herb. Might try it another time.

I like to use valerian root before bedtime, but am leery of reccommending it due to the funky smell. ::