I was waking up with terrible thoughts of dread with muscles so stiff I couldn't roll over, much less get out of bed. It was like waking up in Hell every morning!
I came across a thread where people were having such good results with 5-HTP and saying it was better than Prozac.
So I bought some Irwin Naturals 5-HTP Extra at CVS for about $22.
This brand has other ingredients that I believe my body was missing, including L-Theanine.
5-HTP increases Serotonin Production which is good for both depression and anxiety .
L-Theanine increases Dopamine and GABA and lowers Norepinephrine.
I took a GABA Supplement also.
I also took Nature Made Sublingual (under the tongue) Vitamin B12 3,000 mcg. because B12 helps create Serotonin and Dopamine.
I believe that high Cortisol levels when awaking might also be a factor.
So I started taking Spring Valley Extra Strength Ashwagandha 1,300 mg.
I took Irwin Naturals Sunny Mood too.
Yeah, I tried everything under the sun because I hated waking up in Hell every morning.
The next morning after taking these supplements, I had only had some anxiety that lasted for about an hour.
This was about a 90% improvement overnight!
I am very happy with the results.
________________________________
I have used Lithium Orotate for years because it gives me a calming effect.
It penetrates the blood brain barrier easier that Lithium Carbonate.
It's over-the-counter and you can get 100 pills for under $20 on eBay.
It's a Mineral Supplement. Not a drug.
They used to put it in 7UP. That's where the "up" comes from.
Google Lithium Orotate on YouTube for information.
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That’s brilliant I tried 5 htp but they didn’t work for me I wish I’d known about all the other before taking citropram ilove hearing about people getting better gives me hope xxx
I had my bloods done and had a folate dificiency and low vitamin d which I’m on tablets for I know it could be something so simple but do you ever feel drs don’t listen to you xxx
Somewhere in the mix lies the solution....everybody needs differing amounts...and of course some are on different medications.....The group of foods that feed the brain need to be taken with these supplements...an oil....olive..coconut...fish...in order to increase the uptake via blood brain barrier....5htp..tryptophan....melatonin...all increase the serotonin levels but for those on Serotonin uptake inhibitors may need to find other solutions.Certain foods like walnuts are high in melatonin...so a little research may be all you need...best wishes.
5HTP and L-Theanine did nothing for me but it's most likely because I don't have a deficiency in the theanine and I take B Complex every day so my serotonin level is probably okay. However, I began taking several other herbal remedies that have eliminated the severe panic attacks I was having. Maca root, Rhodiola rosea, Ashwagandha, Damiana and Schisandra all work well. No panic attacks as long as I take one of any these every 8-12 hours every day. The reason I alternate between them is because some herbal supplements lose their effectiveness if taken every day. I found from experience that Damiana and Rhodiola are two that do.
I've heard GABA is also helpful and it's recommended for anxiety and insomnia. If your brain isn't producing enough GABA taking a supplement would probably help.
The best natural remedy for inappropriate levels of anxiety is practising acceptance. It is the struggle to think and feel differently that keeps most people trapped on the anxiety hamster wheel. It's like trying to feel sad when you are feeling happy. Accept your current state, let yourself think and feel the anxiety and allow the thoughts and feelings to be there and do nothing to change it.
To learn more, read and practice the teachings of Dr Claire Weekes. I'd recommend her book called Essential Help for your Nerves. This book helped me enormously in overcoming debilitating levels of anxiety.
That’s exactly what my therapist makes me do I have to sit with the anxiety and do what ever it is im fearing at that moment ,mines very complex so it involves me walking outside and sitting on the wall on my driveway until I either get bored or my anxiety decreases
Don’t get me wrong this is very very hard to do when even stepping outside sends my anxiety sky high , gradually over time it’s designed to develop new neuro pathways in the brain and that the learnt behaviour isn’t as bad as the anxiety always makes it out to be. Sometimes I fail and I’m pissed off all day but I try my hardest even if I have to walk out at midnight.
I have certain repeater words also that I have to say out loud in front of a mirror until my anxiety comes down or until I get bored .
If I may offer a little bit more advice. True acceptance means dropping all techniques (including mantras) or anything else designed to appease the symptoms because this is just another way of not wanting to feel the anxious energy within . To be free of anxiety, you have to feel it all willingly. This anxious energy cannot be released unless the person is willing to feel it. I got to the stage where I viewed the anxiety as an opportunity to move closer to recovery by going towards those fears. I had lost my fear of fear itself. Over time things became much easier. All those mountains caused by those anxious thoughts and feelings shrunk to molehill size or crumbled to nothing but I had to go through it all to learn that anxiety was just a confidence trick. One big bluff.
It takes time to develop a different attitude towards the symptoms and to let the storm rage within and to observe the symptoms instead of fighting and trying to run away from them. Anxiety thrives on avoidance and will not go away if you try to suppress the thoughts and feelings or through deliberate distraction. I'm afraid that there is no magic pills to make it all go away. Recovery through acceptance takes time but the mind and body is fully capable of healing and waiting to happen as soon as you give your mind and body the time and space it is craving for the natural healing process to take place.
I developed a fear of everything because I felt anxious all day, every day regardless of what I was doing. I took SSRIs, supplements, went to see therapists, hypnotherapists and counsellors but none of this helped me. I was doing everything wrong because I saw these as a method to get rid of the anxiety.
Don't get me wrong, talking about it does help. If there is a particular issue bothering you that caused the anxiety in the first place, a skilful person can help the sufferer develop a different viewpoint to the problem which is acceptable to the sufferer (acceptance at work again!) but many sufferers don't have a particular problem except the problems caused by anxiety which it is very good at doing!
Recovery comes from within, through acceptance of all the symptoms. No half measures either, accepting some symptoms but not others.
Like you say, its not easy but over time, an attitude of acceptance will pay dividends. In simple terms, it's about making your life bigger than anxiety and taking it with you. Not through gritted teeth wishing it would disappear but with a "so what" attitude and just letting it be there with zero resistance.
If you would like more information, have a look at some of my previous posts on this forum. The principle is all the same throughout all posts. Acceptance of the symptoms.
My advice is to accept that your mind will obsess for a while longer. I am willing to wager that all anxiety sufferers obsess about something or other. Your obsession just happens to be about numbers going round your head and kept going because it bothers you. My obsession was about my wife but all that just disappeared!
The root cause is all the same. It's just anxiety. Acceptance of all the thoughts and feelings instead of fighting them will resolve the problem. You literally don't have to do anything except to let that obsession do its thing and do nothing to change it. The mind will quieten down on its own without you trying to interfere and obsess about your obsession.
Thankyou very much mate I’ll give it my best shot We recently bought a puppy also , felt as though I was making great progress and now we have him im very anxious about getting everything just right majorly to do with the dates and numbers , counting etc
Like you said though OCD just latches on to anything.
Do you still suffer from your OCD ?
Sorry for asking a lot questions , you’ve gained my interest with your coping mechanism
Great move in getting a dog. Love my cockerpoo to bits! I don't have OCD or any other symptoms caused by anxiety. They all just fell away over a period of time.
OCD is just another by product of anxiety and should be put all in the same basket labelled "Anxiety. "
So long as you don't have any underlying problem causing you large amounts of stress that needs to be resolved first, acceptance will gradually make all symptoms fade away. Even when you are fully accepting it takes time for the mind and body to catch up but accept that too.
I must add that acceptance is not a coping mechanism. Its about having a genuine attitude of not caring about the symptoms. You just let them do their worst, to scare you shitless and do bugger all to change it and live your life as if you didn't have anxiety. It's about living alongside anxiety. Can you see the difference. People don't have to cope or put up with it because even that is a form of resistance, gritted teeth. Acceptance will cure.
Thanks everyone for your psychology tips.I really appreciate toe compassion and moral support.
My problem started about 6 weeks ago, when I was having a difficult time finding a room for rent.
But I found a room right away.
So I really had nothing at all to worry about.
My assumption was that there must some Chemical Problem that was triggered by the stress because it kept getting worse as time went on.
And the fact that it ONLY happened in the Morning, made me more inclined to think it was physical. (Maybe Cortisol)
I Googled my brains out trying to find a physical answer.
I was so desperate!
After trying all the products I mentioned, I felt much better in about 2 hours.
The VERY NEXT MORNING I woke up feeling 90% BETTER! YEAH!!!
So I don't believe I need any type of therapy or emotional support at this time.
I had a bit of anxiety for about an hour after waking up for the first 3 days.
But this morning I had no anxiety at all. YEAH!!!
I shared my experience because (based on my experience) these supplements might help other people who were not getting results with therapy alone.
Even people on SSRIs have said that 5-HTP worked much better for them because the SSRIs were not helping at all. (That's what I was experiencing myself.)
THANKS AGAIN EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND HELPFUL TIPS!
I really appreciate you all taking the time to reply with helpful tips.
I got so many replies that I don't have time to reply to them all.
Ideal if your anxiety is thought generated....but if its dipue to an imbalance of mineral or hormone...you can play this game forever and never move forward.....first things first...try magnesium....just that alone...will switch on dormant enzymes...i battled with this for 40 years until i moved tiwards magnesium......made a big difference all round...whats is there to lose if you already lost your peace of mind?
You may feel paralysed but if there was an emergency, you would move pretty sharpish! It's just anxiety making you think and feel that way and feeling tense all the time so muscles never get the time to relax and ache.
I know it will be almost impossible for you to try and relax but accept that too. My advice is to keep moving forward, one step at a time if need be and take the anxiety and all symptoms with you. I know it might seem very daunting but its not impossible. Anxiety is bluffing you.
Rather than worry and stress how you might be feeling, having a relaxed (dont care) attitude towards those pesky symptoms are the foundations of recovery and freedom from anxiety.
The fight or flight mechanism also has a freeze component....the body holds itself in check waiting for the danger to pass...often seen when animals try to cross the road when faced with oncoming headlights often stop moving.You must relearn how to relax.....whatever triggered your first full blown attack...is seemingly replaying when ever you feel helpless or anxious.
I use an accupressure point in my hand ...my thumb in the centre of my palm often works ...there are many...youtube them....one may help during your moment of feeling stuck....but really you may need to master regular relaxation and try using magnesium supplements...these help your muscles to relax...and calm your racing thoughts....find a safe place where you can be quiet and begin to practice these exercises....best wishes.
THANKS! I haven't heard anyone else mention muscle stiffness before. I was assuming it had to do with chemicals that keep your muscles from moving when you dream. But I guess that's not correct.
It's probably what you said. A Fear Response. That makes sense.
I'm still having mild anxiety for about an hour after waking up. So I still believe it's sleep related.
Cortisol may be a factor. I'm taking Ashwagandha which is supposed to regulate Cortisol that spikes when you first wake up.
I was hoping this thread would be more about physical remedies and not so much about Therapy and Support.
Maybe I should start a new thread and ask people to stick to more Medical Replies and not so much Therapy and Support.
I believe that both therapy and medication can be beneficial and that both avenues should be explored. Especially if one or the other isn't showing results.
Relaxation is a two fold thing......thoughts and feelings...mind and body.If you can get the mind to ease off ...the body usually follows...and vice versa.....if you can get the body to ease ...your mind follows...
Which is why breathing control helps....distraction helps....eating...sleeping....anything that alters the situation you are trying to stop.
Anyone can do this....but everyone is different...one main reason is age and fitness...other factors... diet and stress levels...then there is medication...dosage...so it seems like a complex situation...
But heres the thing...you may have tried all sorts of ways to escape from your feelings....and your mind keeps letting you know you are still anxious...you may use a pill to do this and when it wears off...you feel no further forward.....
One really quick solution is to take magnesium regularly as a supplement....it is an essential mineral that plays an important part in anxiety...it makes all the muscle groups relax....it helps the mind too...
It also restores about 300 enzymes in the body that often go dormant when people run low on Mg....which will restore brain neurochemistry....big pharma want you to take cocktails of drugs which magnesium can fix naturally....our forefathers lived long and healthy lives because the only thing they put into their bodies...came out of the ground....
I would certainly try magnesium glycinate at 350 mg a day....it is very well absorbed and will give you some relief whilst you begin thes known relaxation and breathing exercises....
Remember you are trying to get back control to shift from you flight and fright by using a method that you can control when things get on top......thats all.
Once you are willing to let these feelings run their course...no matter what....the reaction.....thise feelings begin to lessen..
I read you are on ativan...keep taking your medication until you have mastered or practiced these relaxation exercises....there are many on youtube..
I am sure you have heard of Dr Claire Weekes who wrote the best book on anxiety..."Self Help for your Nerves" it is available for free...google the title and add pdf.
Make a complete note of what is going on in your life....try to remove some of the things that you think is causing undue stress.
Ease off stimulants like caffeine...play station games....toxic people...somewhere in the mix of your situation...will be the antagonist...somewhere the solution....learn to be you...let go...like yourself...pamper yourself....that does not mean lots of chocolates...be kind to you...gradually you will get through this...and you will.
Have you talked to a doctor?Being a guy, we tend to look for physical answers to problems. Where women tend to lean towards emotional support and therapy.
In your case, the symptoms are so severe, I WOULD IMMEDIATELY SEE A DOCTOR. I don't like to use the word "psychiatrist" because it sounds like you're crazy.
You may have a purely physical Medical Condition that you don't know about.
I've taken Xanax before. And after I felt better, I stopped taking them. It seemed to break the cycle I was stuck in.
I've also taken Wellbutrin and Prozac. But not longer than a few months. If you're doctor prescribes an SSRI, make sure you start on a very low dose.
If you don't have medical insurance, a psychiatrist first visit is about $150 and medicines aren't terribly expensive.
It's a different mechanism in the brain. (I think)Once I get better and if I feel the morning anxiety coming back, I'll try taking one at a time to see exactly what my problem was. (That would be a lot less expensive too.)
I took ALL of them at once because I was suffering so bad.
I’m glad you got relief, I know how it can be. I wish the f d a would study and approve these types of supplements. The internet says some scary stuff about the 5 htp.
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