Natural Remedies

Has anyone here had any success with natural herbs or supplements in place of benzodiazepines? My psych doc has reduced my clonazepam to 15 pills for 2 months. I’m over it and looking for natural remedies. I’d appreciate any feedback or other self help remedies that have worked for anxiety. I’ve tried so many but have yet to find something that really works for me.

[LilyAnnepuppy]

Welcome to the community. I don’t have anything to offer. Just wanted you to know you’re not alone.

[Hidden in reply to LilyAnnepuppy]

That’s plenty to offer!!! Words of encouragement are best, I don’t have those much in my circle. So, thank you. You are not alone either. 😊

[Agora1]

Hi Jessrey26, I personally have never been too keen on taking natural herbs or

supplements that claim to relax the mind and body. But that's just me. I take other

medications that may interact with a so called natural method.

That is the reason, I found ways to control Anxiety w/o having to ingest anything.

And that is Meditation & Breathing exercises. With these 2 tools, I went from 5 years

of Agoraphobia and intense Anxiety, to once again being able to gain control of my

life. I was weaned off 30 years of Xanax and replaced it with a SSRI (Lexapro) I'm

clear headed, feel great and life is good again. Wishing you well on the journey

ahead. Keep us updated. xx

[Hidden in reply to Agora1]

thank you for your response. I had no idea people were responding. This brings great joy that people really do communicate on here. I’m super new and this was my first question. I will definitely try these 2 more often and hopefully I can have a success story like you. Thank you, have a great day.

[Agora1 in reply to Hidden]

Jessrey26, oh yes, people really do respond on this site. By others telling of

their journeys, you get ideas in how you can help yourself. There is no

right or wrong but only what can help YOU. xx

[piu_1961 in reply to Agora1]

Does this mean that Lexapro is working for you and you have combined it with life long skills of meditation and breathing practices? This give me a lot of hope.

[Agora1 in reply to piu_1961]

Absolutely piu..off benzos completely...for me it was the key in going forward.

We are each different in what we respond to. xx

[ElephantsHear]

you might want to do research/ consider Valerian Root. It makes me sleepy, but helps a lot of people with anxiety. Good luck.

[Hidden in reply to ElephantsHear]

Thank you for responding. How much do you take? How often? And do you take anything else?

[blueslite]

Hi Jessrey26 and welcome! I take several herbal supplements that I've found prevent the panic attacks I used to have. They don't do anything else though, like give me energy or make me sleepy the way they might with some people. All they do is stop me from having panic attacks. But I still have a lot of anxiety - I'm afraid of a lot of things due to current problems in my life. The panic attacks were really bad and I never knew why I had a feeling of extreme fear. And the physical symptoms were terrible. With the anxiety I seldom have physical symptoms but I'm just afraid of....everything. Without that feeling of extreme fear.

I take several herbal supplements because 2 of them lose their effectiveness if taken as a routine like 2-3 times a day - rhodiola and damiana are the 2. The others are maca root, ashwagandha, and schisandra. I alternate between them and take one every 8-9 hours. I haven't had a panic attack in about 3 years. I suggest you look them up and research them thoroughly before trying anything. Although they have no effects on me other than preventing the panic others I've read say they do and they are used for different things - energy or sleep and other things. A good site to look them up on is draxe.com or earthclinic.com

[Hidden in reply to blueslite]

my goodness, thank you for all your detailed information. I’m grateful and appreciate it. I will definitely do the research and see what works. It’s the panic attacks I have trouble with the most. I don’t want traditional medicine in my body. I know there are natural remedies that do the same as these prescribed medications. I know it’s a lot of personal research and individual results. Thank you for giving me a place to start. Have a great day!!

[Nothing_but_books in reply to Hidden]

Hi Jessrey. I'm struggling with anxiety and panic, and I've never found anything that really manages the symptoms. Sometimes at night I'll make golden milk and it helps reduce pain and seems calming, but it doesn't always work.

I wanted to respond to what you said about preferring natural remedies. Be careful to research whatever you consider taking, and check your sources. Remember, arsenic is completely natural, yikes! There are good and bad things out there.

Finally, dietary supplements aren't regulated. Look for USP or NSF for assurance the products contain the ingredients on the label, in the declared potency and amounts.

[Hidden in reply to Nothing_but_books]

Thank you for your input. It is scary trying to figure things out. Thank you for the information on assurance of the products.

[Nothing_but_books in reply to Hidden]

You're welcome. Seems like the anxiety monster 🧛‍♂️tries to make everything scary.

[blueslite in reply to Hidden]

You're welcome! I hope you find something that works. Like I said, they're a preventative in that they prevent the panic attacks as long as I'm taking them. I go to alternative remedy sites for information but I also use medical websites, although they usually try to scare you off from using alternative remedies. LOL Another site I think is good is healthline.com Good luck!

[Hidden in reply to blueslite]

Thank you

[NorwegianWood]

Walking has shown to be as effective as anti-depressants. 30 minutes 6x each week. Rain or shine, get out there. The mere act of muscles working adds 'feel-good' endocrinal hormones to the blood stream - This is from research in roughly the last ten years. journals.physiology.org/doi...

[blackcat64013]

Hi, I hope your good doctor has arranged a good plan to manage your meds. No-one should go cold turkey.

Dr Harry Barry has written excellent books for anxiety and depression. The language is easy to understand and covers alternative therapies and self care recommendations. You can also find him on You Tube.

I hope you find something that works for you, fingers and paws crossed 🐈‍⬛

[Hidden in reply to blackcat64013]

Thank you very much for your kind words. I have never heard of him. But, I will definitely be looking him up now as I’m on YouTube already listening to Dr. Berg about the 7 healthiest foods lol. I don’t stop trying to figure out a formula that will work for me. Thank you for your information. Have a great day. 😊

[piu_1961]

Please try Ashwagandha. Has given relief to many I know including myself. Also, ask your doctor for propranolol to be used ONLY as needed.

[Hidden in reply to piu_1961]

Thank you for responding. I order this online drink mix Ka’chava I should receive it Thursday. It has ashwagandha as one of the ingredients. My goodness it was over $100 but the reviews were amazing. Hopefully it makes a difference for me. If you know anyone who’s tried it please lmk. Also, if the drink ends up not showing any results. I will definitely try what you suggested. My mother actually takes propranolol 3 times a day for anxiety, plus buspirone and for some reason she still suffers. I guess it all has to do with our genetics and such what works for some won’t work for others. Thank you for your information. Have a blessed day!!

[designguy]

You might consider using CBD, it's now legal in a lot of states in the US. I also found a CBD tincture that included valerian and some other herbs for sleep that helped. You might also check out the book "The anti-anxiety food solutions" by Trudy Scott, you can find it on amazon, it's got good info about natural supplements, food and diet for anxiety/depression. I've also found valerian root tincture helps with sleep and anxiety some.

[Hidden in reply to designguy]

Thank you for your response. I live in Texas and those shops are everywhere. Do you know the name of that CBD tincture? I will definitely order the book today, as I am in the process of changing my diet and switching from commercial products to natural. I’m in the middle of an overhaul right now lol. Thank you again, have a blessed day!!

[designguy in reply to Hidden]

One was CBD Hypnos Tincture and the other was CBD Heka Tincture both from Sun God Medicinals

[Hidden in reply to designguy]

Thank you

[Toddzen]

Valerian root capsules, Magnesium Glycinate, CBD are a few choices. I take these at night. I have tapered my Klonopin from 2mg to 1mg daily. Having trouble sleeping through the night. This is a common withdrawal symptom when reducing Klonopin. Getting completely off Klonopin can be hell. I've done it.

[Hidden]

That is my goal!! Thank you and congratulations for getting through it.