Anxiety disorders are the most common types of psychiatric disorder. The
diagnosis of an anxiety disorder is based largely on its symptoms.
However, symptoms identical to those of an 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, or
excess caffeine).
Patients with
generalized anxiety disorder experience worry or anxiety 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. 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
generalized anxiety disorder, they may need to be continued for months to years.
Buspirone and antidepressants are also used for the pharmacologic management of
patients with generalized anxiety disorder. 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.
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.
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. .
SAM-e, in high doses, may increase anxiety. Do not take more than 200 mg a day.
Natural Methods
for Fighting Recession-Induced Anxiety, printed by permission from Ray Sahelian,
M.D.
It seems like every day I receive at least one e-mail from an over-tired,
over-worried person asking about herbs that can treat anxiety and help her
sleep. Due to the difficult ongoing recession, stress and tension are
commonplace. According to a poll by the American Psychological Association, 80
percent of respondents reported significant stress from the economy. And the
National Sleep Foundation's 2009 Sleep in American poll found that nearly one
third of people surveyed weren't sleeping well due to increased anxiety. Many
are visiting 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. If you
temporarily need additional help to help you relax, there are several options to
choose from. 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.
Anxiety alternative treatment questions
Q. 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 serine 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 5 to 10 mg as i am very sensitive
to supplements.
Q. Since childhood I’ve had a problem with anxiety. Panic
attacks when I was 10, and in my 20’s left some bad scars. If I feel even a
little tense and anxiety sets in, I feel terrible. Psychiatrists just want to
give you benzodiazepines, which work but I think this is trauma related, and
when I talked to my holistic Dr., he said to work on the adrenals, and
pantothenic acid mellows that anxiety down, a little. Can you add to that. That
you – anxiety is a terrible feeling.
A. Some of the nutrients and herbs listed above may be helpful for
natural anxiety treatment.
Q. 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 laymans 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. I nailed it down to dumping to much adrenalin, due to my brain always thinking to much. As a child, I was always on my bike and skinny as a rail. Anyway fight or flight is what I told an Ayurvedic Dr., an M.D. in India, and she said it was't adrenalin, it was to much cortisol. So she 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 (Bacopa monnieri), 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. However in all my studying and research there are constants, like I am so self aware, no ego, just years of practicing it. I know its so uncomfortable that I know there something physical going wrong. To much adrenalin which the parasympathetic nervous system is supposed to handle is what I thought it was, but 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.
Q. 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?
A. 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.
I'm wondering whether it is safe and effective for one who
is taking drugs for depression and/or anxiety to take some of the supplements
for those problems at the same time.
This is too broad a question, rather this should be a case by
case basis and much depends on the individual being treated, which drugs are
being used, in what dosages, time of day, what supplements are being used, in
what dosage, time of day, the severity of the depression and anxiety, etc.
I wanted to inform you that taking 2 capsules of tongkat ali herb caused me to have increased anxiety and aggressive behavior.
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 ....I reinstated to 0.5 again and did not get full relief from it and I am slowly water titrating off it...down to .220 of the mess and doing this for 7 months to get this far. the lower I go ..the more anxiety / akathisia...that inner restlessness that makes ya can't sit still is coming on strong and 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. I know my brain is trying to heal from the gaba A receptors being damaged by the k and so if I am using phenibut won't then my gaba A receptors get confused when they have phenibut in there and then my brain will not heal as much? seems after I use it one day ..the next day I have double anxiety and afraid to use it anymore. I see that it also can cause tolerance and withdrawal. can u help me here? Also do u know what I can take to help in benzo wd that is natural? My doc says I can take Kyrica to help in benzo wd as off lable 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?
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.
What kind of Herbal supplement or anything else might be good
for Anxiety involving Muscular Tension headeaches 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.
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.
PLEASE HELP 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.
Brain chemical that plays a role
Rats bred to be highly anxious have very low levels of a brain chemical called
fibroblast growth factor 2 or FGF2 compared with rats that are more laid back.
But when researchers improve the anxious rats' living conditions, -- giving them
new toys to explore, an obstacle course and a bigger cage to live in -- levels
of this brain chemical increase and they became less anxious. Javier Perez of
the University of Michigan study was published in the Journal of Neuroscience.
In a prior study of people who were severely depressed before they died, Javier
Perez found the gene that makes FGF2 was producing very low levels of the growth
factor, which is known primarily for organizing the brain during development and
repairing it after injury. The brain chemical may be a marker for genetic
vulnerability to anxiety and depression. But it can also respond to changes in
the environment in a positive way, possibly by preserving new brain cells. The
study was funded in part by the Pritzker Neuropsychiatric Disorders Research
Fund, which wants to patent the molecule.