Anxiety disorders are the most common types of psychiatric disorder. The diagnosis is based largely on its symptoms. However, symptoms identical to those of a generalized anxiety disorder can be caused by a medical condition (for example, an overactive thyroid gland) or by the use of drugs (for example, corticosteroids, amphetamines, cocaine, certain stimulants, or excess caffeine).
   Patients with GAD experience worry or fear and a number of physical and psychological symptoms. The disorder is frequently difficult to diagnose because of the variety of presentations and the common occurrence of other medical or psychiatric conditions. The lifetime prevalence is approximately 4 to 6 percent in the general population and is more common in women than in men. It is often chronic, and patients with this disorder are more likely to be seen by family physicians than by psychiatrists.

There are several supplements and herbs that may help reduce anxiety and stress, including:

5-HTP  works by increasing levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved in mood balance.
Kava from the South Pacific islands can be used two or three times a week, the relaxation benefits are noticed within an hour.
Fish Oils  help stabilize mood. You can buy Fish-Oil supplements at any pharmacy, health food store, or online.
Valerian is able to reduce anxiety. For better sleep, try Good Night Rx two or three hours before bed.
Ashwagandha withania somnifera is an herb used for relaxation and stress reduction.

Muscle tension
What kind of herbal supplement or anything else might be good for anxiety involving muscular tension headaches and spasms. I experience this due to my GAD and panic disorder. The antidepressants have helped a lot with anxiety / panic but not with the tension and spasms. I take whatever supplement under direction of my medical doctor.
    Perhaps some of the products discussed on this page may help you. The occasional use of kava could be of benefit, perhaps passionflower, too.

Natural supplements that do not help
SAM-e has a great effect on me but even at very low doses of a quarter of a 200 mg pill it causes anxiety. Should i eat something with it or take more water or something?
   It is possible that taking a SAM-e supplement with food could help, but anxiety is a SAM-e side effect and one could take less of a dose or perhaps every other day. SAM-e, in high doses, may increase anxiety, do not take more than 50 mg a day or every other day if you are prone to feeling jittery.

I have tested ALC, choline and CDP-Choline for anxiety but they don't give me an overall calm and focused effect. Also tried St John wort but that gave me horrible effects even on a 10 mg dose. Then i tried vinpocetine-5mg, bacopa and fish oil and they gave me a very good serene and focused effect but that lasts for a few hours only. And i gathered that when i take anything that has to do with increasing only serotonin (but NOT dopamine or acetyl choline) it works wonders for me so i think i should start trying 5htp with a low dose of 10 mg as i am very sensitive to supplements.
   Some of the nutrients and herbs mentioned are not likely to cause relaxation, but perhaps the opposite.

I wanted to inform you that taking 2 capsules of tongkat ali herb caused me to have increased anxiety and aggressive behavior. High doses of pregnenolone do the same thing.

Natural Methods for Fighting Recession-Induced Anxiety, printed by permission from Ray Sahelian, M.D.
Many visit their doctors to get sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medications such as Xanax. However, you don't have to go the pharmaceutical route to get relief from sleeplessness and anxiety. There are plenty of natural alternatives. Exercise, deep sleep and yoga are consistent and proven ways in helping to reduce stress and anxiety. Meditation and prayer works for others. Kava is one of the most potent anti-anxiety herbs available over the counter. In a recent report, Australian researchers gave 60 adults with chronic anxiety symptoms either kava pills or placebo pills for one week. During the second treatment week, placebo patients were switched to kava and kava patients to placebo. Patients' anxiety symptoms declined on the kava extract, as did depression symptoms in some. The effects often begin within an hour or two after taking a capsule. However, there have been rare reports of liver harm when kava has been used daily. For this reason I suggest not taking kava pills more than 3 days a week. Another herb that I like is passionflower. The effects begin in an hour or two and include relaxation and sleepiness. Passionflower is quite safe and can be used on the days when kava is not taken. Ashwagandha is an Ayurvedic herb that many people find to be helpful in easing tension. Certain amino acids and related compounds are popular for stress relief including 5-HTP, GABA and theanine. I personally have not found GABA to be very effective although some users really like this supplement. Theanine is a good option when taken in the evening since it helps with sleep. 5-HTP helps to balance mood, reduces tension, and helps with sleep. The timing of these supplements depends on the severity of your anxiety. They can be taken during the day if you happen to be very anxious and alert. But if your symptoms are milder and you just need a natural pill to help you relax after work, these pills can be taken in the early evening. If you are still having trouble sleeping, I have formulated an excellent sleep product called Good Night Rx. A capsule is taken 2 to 4 hours before bed on an empty stomach and the vast majority of users find they get a deeper and more restful sleep with hardly any side effects. Wait at least a half hour after taking Good Night Rx before consuming dinner or a late evening snack.

Traditional medical treatment
 Treatment consists of pharmacotherapy and various forms of psychotherapy. The benzodiazepines are used for short-term treatment, but because of the frequently chronic nature of GAD they may need to be continued for months to years. Buspirone and antidepressants are also used for the pharmacologic management of patients. Patients must receive an appropriate pharmacologic trial with dosage titrated to optimal levels as judged by the control of symptoms and the tolerance of side effects.

Klonopin clonazepan discontinuation
I was put on clonazepan 0.5 mg for anxiety and then zoloft 50 mg for what my doctor called depression although I did not feel depressed. The reason was I has costochondritis and was having trouble getting a satisfied breath it seemed. no one would listen to me and said I needed a psychiatrist. I went along with this but that was in march 2010 and I have been wanting to go on natural supplements instead. The clonazepan 0.5 mg I have been on since march but I just started taking the zoloft 50 mg for 2 days. What do you have that I can take. I already take B vitamins and extra B stress complex, fish oil, COQ10. I really want to stop taking these prescription drugs.
    We can't give specific advice but you may wish to review the pages on anxiety and depression as alternatives and gradually make changes.

I have been on a benzo klonopin for 12 yrs, 0.5 which is a small amount...but still when I did two cold turkeys I had horrible anxiety stuff that felt like akathisia and reinstated both times. this last reinstatement was 0.5 again and did not get full relief from it and I am slowly water titrating off it down to 0.2. I am so miserable and uncomfortable feeling as tho I will jump out of my skin. I was prescribed this dang drug for perimenopause saying it was a mild sedative and I am in hell trying to rid myself of this horror. The phenibut I did use it in a product called Somatomax the thing is it helped me sleep so good and took my anxiety away but when I researched it I found that it hits the gaba b and some on the gaba a Klonopin hits the gaba A and I am worried if this phenibut will be harmful taking it for anxiety as it goes on the same gaba receptor as k. My doc says I can take Kyrica to help in benzodiazepine withdrawal as off label. it is used for anxiety in Europe but I am afraid if that will harm me while I am coming off the rest of this mess.

Zoloft use
I suffer from terrible anxiety and obsessive thoughts that just wont seem to go away. I am currently taking 100mg of Zoloft along with Buspar 30mg per day. I was wondering if it would be safe to combine inositol or perhaps another supplement along with my medication. L-theanine worked great a few times for me and i was wondering if there are tolerance issues with L-theanine where it would no longer work for me.
    Each person is different in their response to natural medications, and it becomes much more complicated when prescription medications are involved.

Anxiety alternative treatment questions and testimonials
So my medical problems can't be handled with allopathic medicine. I have researched my panic and anxiety problems from childhood, and suffered tremendously with anxiety all my life, including low self-esteem, shyness, medication with alcohol, fear and worry that can't really be put into a layman's reasoning because they wouldn't understand unless you've experienced, agoraphobia because of the depression of being tired of worrying about everything. Nonstop endless thinking in circles because the mind is driven by adrenalin your secreting yourself by trying to figure out your fears that are nothing more than being in the fight or flight mode. Years of study taught me this problem was genetic. My brother almost committed suicide, I used small amounts of alcohol, but not large because the problem would only increase 10 fold in the morning, so I learned to drink about 3 or 4 beers, and then fight my mind to try to stop because it felt so good. Having no trouble at all during the day, because I had my face in a blueprint all day, building high profile places where your attention was outside yourself all day, and there was no time to remember the fear you felt the night before, until you got off work. Well after I quit drinking 10 years ago I got on clonozapam, which helped more knowing a fix was available if needed that finding the cause. An Ayurvedic Dr., an M.D. in India had me take a combo of herbs from Himalaya Herbal Healthcare called Stresscare and bacopa which is the first time I've gotten some relief from something other than pharmaceutical drugs or alcohol. Bacopa is Bramhi and StressCare has a blend of many. Chyavanprash Concentrate - changed my mind, there are to many.  Its such of a long history of fear, worry, fear of anxiety, which means fear of the memory of those panic days. I haven't had a full blown anxiety attack which means the ER., but the fear of the memory, or fear of fear is just as bad, because your memory stays so clear of those days. A clue to you is ashwagandha triggers anxiety in me. I thought it would help, and MindCare by Himalaya also triggers anxiety, or the awareness of something chemically wrong, or to much of something in me, starting in my stomach.

Use of psychedlics
The hallucinogen psilocybin - known by the street name magic mushrooms - may help ease the anxiety that often accompanies late-stage cancer. Cancer patients given a moderate dose of psilocybin - a hallucinogen with effects similar to LSD - were less depressed six months after a single dose compared with a placebo. Archives of General Psychiatry, 2010.