# hella anxiety meds



## yarn and glue

So, I am a guy who aims for sustainable, independent living as far as I can manage it, and as a result I have been highly resistant to commercial, non-herbal anxiety / depression treatments for as long as shit's been going on in my noggin. But there is a certain level of demented, shaking sleepless nailbiting that st. john's wort does not address and I am at the point of at least hearing folks out on their experiences with psych meds, albeit not ready to dive in headfirst yet without more research.

Good, bad, and ugly. Or more herbal suggestions. All advice welcome. I have primarily used st. john's wort and skullcap but while they do a nice job of soothing more minor spells, what I need during worse episodes is more of a "bludgeoner" than a "soother."

P.s. No heroin jokes tonight


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## angelenesdreams

i suffer waking with anxiety frequently during the night. it's at the point where i dread going to sleep because i know i'm going to wake at 3am with a head full of completely irrational fears. i worry about dying in car crashes, burning to death, getting caught in machinery at work, shit happening to my kids, etc. i'll go ahead and add that i'm on the low end of the autism spectrum, and anxiety goes hand-in-hand with the disorder. but i never used to be this bad, and it seems to get worse the older i get. =(

the only thing that's worked for me is weed. smoking before bed usually gets me through the night, and on the rare occasion i do wake up at 3am, i can just take another hit to relax and then i'm off to sleep again. i home-grow two plants at a time to keep in stock, but i fucked it up last time and lost them, so i've been out for a while, and had no luck finding a supplier. so now i'm just waiting for this grow to mature so i can get my life back to normal. 

i think it's a nice natural solution, as i'd really not rather into drinking or pills to sleep. however, and i'm not fond of this solution, if i feel overly anxious before bed, i'll take a dose of Simply Sleep, which is basically Tylenol PM without the pain killer in it. it works well enough, but i feel hung over in the morning.

good luck finding a solution that works for you. =)


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## wartomods

poppy tea


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## iamwhatiam

wow. i'm sorry to hear this man.
how long have you been having these issues? are there any things that set it off? anytimes of the year or places where the condition is worsened? what's your diet consist of?
what could be causing this? something traumatic that happened in the past?
have you considered hypnosis?
maybe you should go on a vision quest out in the wilderness somewhere for a few weeks..and do some strenuos fasting/meditation. maybe you're body/subconcious will be bestowed with some information to underlying problems when you're free from all the normal daily distractions and adulterants in your environment..... i dunno, just a thought.
good luck and best wishes to you~


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## adragonfly

Have your heard of EFT? (Emotional Freedom techniques)? i stand behind it 100% it has helped me out a lot, but its kinda weird to do lol. It is based on acupuncture points, so you think of the memory or mental image that is associated with a negative feeling (anger, worrying, anxiety.. etc) and then you tap various points on your body. www.emofree.com .

There's this book I bought that is awesome. i refference back to it a couple times a week. its called "The Promise of Energy Psychology"
The first half goes deep into EFT to learn how to use it well, and the 2nd half teaches energy fields throughout the body for better physical and mental health.


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## oldmanLee

If you get a chance,look up the training teq. of Mas Oyama,in particular his method of breathing.Found that it helps greatly,compleatly natural,takes up no space,and even now works when I get into the clusterf**k that is a large city and find myself a bit short-tempered.


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## toadflack

Valerian root and passion flower work for a lot of people

Massage therapy, shiatsu, and other forms of bodywork are widely used to diminish muscle tension, relieve stress, and improve sleep.


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## compass

meditation


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## yarn and glue

Thanks much for the thoughtful suggestions, everyone. The distraction of diligently researching treatments has been somewhat therapeutic in itself, as a reminder that I'm not the first fool in this position.


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## Mouse

HTP!! use it in conjunction with what you're already doing and it'll probably make a world of difference. 


I've always had bad anxiety issues. I'm a very high strung person and I worry about EVERYTHING

I used to be EXTREMELY resistant to non-herbal meds 

I am currently on Welbutrin for my problem but that's only because I'm also on Interferon with causes depression and mental shifts and even suicide. it works well but I hate that I'm in the situation of possibly becoming messed up from these happy pills. 

before I started with this medical drama I used to take this supplement called HTP. it's for depression but it's also a general mood stabilizer and helps keep you calm. w/in the first few days I was taking it I felt like I was so relaxed nothing in the world would upset me (it was Finals time at college and I had no stress, if that tells ya anything), after a week I normalized and it didn't make me feel so careless but still worked. 

if you buy it online it's a lot cheaper than getting it at a store. http://www.herbalremedies.com/natural-mood-stabilizer.html

there's also some studies that show that Fish Oil (omega 3 specifically) will help stabilize mood. americans eat too much shitty food and hardly any fish these days so it makes sense


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## angelenesdreams

also, i think the avoidance of _caffeine_ is highly recommended for anyone with anxiety issues. looking at my daily intake, well, i don't drink colas, but i do guzzle down at least 2 soup-bowl's worth of coffee in a single day, and that just needs to stop. couple that with some daily exercise, and i MIGHT just be able to sleep through the night.

yarn and glue...keep us posted on what you do and how it's affecting you. =)


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## KoffinKat

I can't speak up much for herbal remedies and meds seem to be somewhat out of they range of most so here are some self sufficent things you could try. Juggling. No I am serious. People who learn to juggle have a distinct difference in the "white matter" areas of their brain helping retain some of the plasticity that our brains had when we were all in our childhood. Overall it improves brain function. Also memory games and puzzles have shown to really help improve brain health in general. Try memorizing playing cards and gradually work your way up to memorizing the position of more and more cards. it's not just keeping your mind off things it actually helps the chemistry of the brain meats. Teaching yourself to be ambidexterous is another method that research says could improve cognitive ability and make it easier in the future to learn new skills and retain information. Best of luck.


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## finn

Well, street medics use a blend called rescue remedy, which is a homeopathic blend made from five flower essences. I will usually carry it for when I'm at some demonstration, since a lot of people swear by it, though I don't ever need to use it. It's a bit pricey and even comes in a skin cream version. It is a do no harm treatment for anxiety and panic, and I haven't heard of any contraindications or side effects.


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## Rick

I have been self medicating for years. What I do is smoke cannabis. I have my California medical marijuana card so I am all legal on that too.


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## Rash L

I do take a lot of pharmaceutical meds, and after more than a decade I have found a combination that helps with my more serious problems.... but I also believe in marijuana for anxiety, as well as cutting back on caffeine. Both work well for me, unless I havent smoked weed for awhile and then smoke a WHOLE lot at once in a pubic/semi-public setting.... but then again I do have social anxiety problems so that cant help. Smoking before bed makes it MUCH easier to shut my brain off and actually sleep. Sleepytime tea is great too, but mostly I love the smell and taste of it, a cup alone wont get me to sleep.

Like I said, Psych meds have personally helped me out a LOT, but to get to the point I'm at it has taken a lot of "trial and error" prescriptions, and its taken years and years to find a suitable combination for me. Problem is, eventually this combination will no longer work and I will have to go on the search for a new med/meds to stabilize myself again; no one knows if they will stop working in a week or 20 years, but it will eventually happen. Other problems with psych meds: cost, keeping up with prescriptions and being able to fill them while traveling, constant Doctor appointments (that cost money, and give you a responsibility/obligation to keep), and remembering to take the pills regularly and on schedule.


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## angelenesdreams

ArrowInOre said:


> .....OH and I hear that masterbation helps calm you down too...Just sayin'..



what's been sad is i've been a 'lil too depressed to diddle lately, my imagination is shot! 

but this is an excellent point here, as well as what oldmanLee suggested...penned-up aggression/stress NEEDS to be physically released on a regular basis, be it fucking, wrestling, boxing, firing a gun, fighting, screaming, exercise routine...whatever. we can't keep thinking that stress and anger and fear can keep piling on us like cake layers. eventually, we'll buckle under the weight. 


:club: RELEASE!


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## adragonfly

idk mannn...i'm skeptical of even using herbal medicine for anxiety. not that it wont work, but i see it as chemical dependency and i prefer to be autonomously happy.


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## Rash L

NegroCommando said:


> idk mannn...i'm skeptical of even using herbal medicine for anxiety. not that it wont work, but i see it as chemical dependency and i prefer to be autonomously happy.



but if you cant get yourself happy autonomously... wouldnt you rather be happy than miserable forever? Every living being is dependent on a few things.... nothing can live in a vacuum of time and space.


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## bryce

finn said:


> Well, street medics use a blend called rescue remedy, which is a homeopathic blend made from five flower essences.


 I second and third and fourth this so many times... I carry a bottle with me when I travel, i use it for acute panic//anxiety attacks. It's been very helpful for me when I start to get freaked out and I know the fear is rooted in something other than the present situation (like, going through security gates at the airport or sleeping my first night at a new camp spot). It comes in a tiny bottle, easy to carry around. And probably just as easy to acquire.

Haven't had much experience taking anything allopathic for anxiety, asides from valium a few times for acute panic attacks. I didn't like using it, but it definitely did what it was supposed to do. I was so calm!


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## wartomods

usually when i have anxiety attacks ( rarely) i let the anxiety take all over me and go to the extreme then i always feel better, it is worse if you are fighting it, just think you anxious because someone is gonna give a birthday cake or something.


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## Rash L

wartomods said:


> usually when i have anxiety attacks ( rarely) i let the anxiety take all over me and go to the extreme then i always feel better, it is worse if you are fighting it, just think you anxious because someone is gonna give a birthday cake or something.



this is the best way to cure (irrational) anxiety long term.... let it get to the extreme, examine the situation, and then let yourself calm down on your own. Your mind will realize there is really nothing to be afraid of, and it will re-program itself gradually.


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## genghis braun

I have mild social anxiety and Kava helps me out a lot. most natural food stores should have it.


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## hshh

The kava kava does actually work pretty well.


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## smellsea

i took psych meds for about a month, but apparently you need to take them for a longer amount of time for them to take effects, because i still felt like shit... i guess expecially when you don't have insurance, wink, wink.. har har. no, i just think they are placebos and the hospital i stayed at used humans as test subjects. standing in a line of people and watching some one say to them "now this is new, blah blah blah, side effects and so on" and they don't ask what it is, and just drink it down is fucking scary. i don't know, i don't think i took it long enough for it to do anything even if it would have. i owe the bill collectors four grand now.


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## smellsea

now i just smoke weed. hah.


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## Rash L

YAY weed!.... damn I wish I had some.


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## Loth Lorien

I tried to see if this was already mentioned but if sleeping is a problem melatonin can be something you could try. As far as anxiety I also didn't see something already posted about Rescue Remedy. I don't know where you live but here in Oregon you can just get it in the health food section at your local grocery store. I'll say it's not cheap but it WORKS! I also know it's safe because my vet has me give my pets a watered down dose before going. It comes in a small brown glass bottle with a dropper. It can also help you sleep.


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## mksnowboarder

Mmkay, let's get started.

The three primary anxiety disorders are believed to be related to seratonin levels in the brain. This is why SSRIs may be helpful in treatment. To treat anxiety, you need to either fuck with seratonin or with GABA-a.

5-hydroxytryptophan, or 5-htp is a seratonin precursor (and eventually a melatonin precursor if you're having sleep issues). It might help a little with anxiety, but I've never read of it really being used for anything other than depression. Won't hurt you to try, though. Seratonin is broken down into melatonin, which is a hormone which regulates the sleep cycle. Many people claim to get relief from it, but it doesn't do shit for me.

OP mentioned using SJW for anxiety. If you're using a cheap brand only standardized for hypericin, good. It's a dopamine beta-hydroxylase inhibitor (enzyme that breaks dopamine down into noripinephrine, which is one of the neurotransmitters that causes the fear-response). So that increases dopamine levels, which increases mood, and lowers norepinephrine levels, which lessens anxiety. The more expensive brands, however, contain hyperforin as well, which is a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. This would probably counteract the lowering effect of the hypericin.

I've heard great things about kava, but have never tried it myself. It increases GABA activity (like valium or other benzodiazepines), producing relaxation.

Valerian has an unknown mechanism of action. I've used it before, but found that it doesn't help with racing thoughts or anxiety, neither in the day nor when trying to sleep. It produces significant sedation, though, and if you're the kind of person who gets any kind of relief from a H1 antagonist like benadryl, it might work for you. It also works great for achieving vivid, memorable, or lucid dreams, especially when combined with melatonin.

Marijuana is also decent for sleep. It's really the only reason I ever smoke it, actually, other than nausea. However, it can definitely worsen anxiety, and even cause outright panic attacks.

Basically, the herbal shit works for some people, but not me. Anxiety sometimes requires the prescribing of benzodiazepines, which act on the GABA-a receptors in the brain.

For generalized anxiety disorder, you want something with a long half-life, such as valium (60hrs) or klonopin (~14hrs, iirc). For panic attacks, you want something like xanax or ativan. For sleep issues, you want something like temazepam, with more hypnotic properties than an anxiety benzo.

If you decide to go the pharmaceutical path, and lack insuance, you might want to look into phenazepam. It's an unscheduled benzo in most countries, and can easily/legally be sourced online.

If I missed anything feel free to ask?

mike


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## hardlyart

this is a really helpful and interesting post. i have been debating taking prescription anti-anxiety meds since last summer while i was on the road. i am totally against the idea of putting chemicals into my system so it is nice to see that other people feel the same and are also finding more natural remedies.

the yogi tea arrow mentioned is incredibly tasty by the way.

also, if anyone knows of any books that have herbal remedy recipes (esp with regard to anxiety) i would be really into reading it.


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## Rash L

I've recently been noticing that indica strains of weed are very calming (vs. sativas)... so if you have a choice... go indica. (not sure if this was mentioned previously?)

also, cognitive behavioral therapy. pick up a self help book. it works, but only if you try it.


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## anhelyca

Sad to hear that my friend, before going to the exact treatment of this let me first define anxiety. Anxiety is a generalized mood condition that can often occur without an identifiable triggering stimulus. Here are some treatment. Use anxiety or anti depressant, but of course you need to seek for medical advice coming from your doctor. Regular exercise that will lasted for 30 min. It helps to reduce panic attacks. The Taiji and Gong. it can help to relax your mind and body, and restore them to a healthier stat, balance up your body chemical and reduce your mind anxiety and stop feeding anxious sense to the body. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and this method can be used with drugs or without drug.I hope it will help you more.


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## waywardsoul

I take 1 mg of ativan daily, but I only started recently; the social anxiety I feel every day from being in high school was becoming debilitating so I'm ok with it. But generally (my parents have tried to get me to take ADD meds) I am against medicine. I'm trying to get some weed his weekend to see if daily use will work as well as the ativan.


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## waywardsoul

also try eliminating grain-based foods from your diet; this will help normalize your blood sugar and regulate mood (as well as many other bodily processes)
I would do this if I had control over the food that comes into my house, but I don't so I do the best I can.


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## beat_tramp

I have a tendency to be quite a nervous wreck of an individual and as of now I take all the free pills the doctors prescribe me (via Nashville Mental Health Co-Op) and try to obstain from ones they dont as well as alcohol and I tend to do pretty well going this route until I almost routinely frazzle my nerves again with a nightly bender or god forbid something like cocaine(shutter - it happened the other week,Im not proud of it,felt like it damn near killed me.)I take Depakote for bipolar,Atenolol for extreme anxiety/hypertension and Trazodone at night for sleep.Oh yeah and a Stacker or 2 in the morning to keep me just manic enough to feel high on life,creative and energetic.I plan on moving to Oregon(maybe Eugene,Portland,etc.) soon where Im sure Ill find another state funded clinic and theres no doubt my psychiatrist here will supply me with a months supply before I leave(for free/$4 generic prescriptions).The Atenolol is non-narcotic - its a beta blocker - its for high blood pressure and/or extreme anxiety(stage fright,etc.).For me it helps dull self-conciousness and of course keeps me from freaking out on the 6-1200 mgs. of caffeine I injest daily....But Im sure theres a healthier route than this ....


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## Desperado Deluxe

yea i like Valerian passion flower combo i found it hard to move after i drink this tea after some food in me and maybe a little ganja 
and i like to smoke a little mug wort sometimes to


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## BrittanyTheBananarchist

i take melatonin to sleep as well and it works fantastic. its not the type of thing that just knocks u flat on ur ass either. its more of a slow relaxing way off to sleep. once you are asleep you usually stay asleep well at least i do. another way i like to wind down before i sleep is read. reading can often times relax poeple depending on what your reading. as well as that i have to say less caffine in your diet and a healthy diet too. becuase what you eat often determines how your body is feeling. hopefully that can halp your situation. i also think that smoking weed before you sleep works really good too.
good luck!


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## Mouse

I need to start taking melatonin cuz I simply don't sleep at night. I'm a 4am-noon sleeper and that doesn't bode well with average life. 

anyway... I've tried passion flower extract lately and it seems to work alright but I can't stand drinking the stuff daily. they come in a pill form though.

I decided to stop taking the welbutrin now that I'm done my treatments and I'm regretting it. the shit really does help and doesn't seem to cause any adverse reactions. I mainly stopped because I know I wont have coverage forever and wanted to try other methods but they just don't work as well as the script med. only negative thing is you can't really get drunk (it blocks the effects and the SLAM your wasted and didn't realize it) and it made me flush super red when I have a few beers.


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## Deleted member 125

i have horrible anxiety thats only gotten worse as i get older. i find the best way to deal with it is just relax, close your eyes and get your head together. it sounds obvious but giving yourself some time everyday to just relax and tell yourself that you are going to be ok works wonders. oh and of course drinking obscene amounts of alcohol helps.


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## Dial

I don't recommend benzo's to anybody, under any situation. Morphine withdrawal is usually not life threatening, but benzo withdrawal can give you a seizure and kill you. When society crumbles, there will be two types of people. The dependent, and those profiting from the dependent.


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## Spacegrrl

I was prescribed melatonin to help with my insomnia when I was like 8, but I never took them. I used to smoke a lot of pot, but it made me paranoid so I cut down and now I hardly ever have it. The counsellor at my school is referring me to the mental health dudes right now...so yeah, it's not something I've really figured out yet. there's this free site called moodscope you should try out though. it gets you to track your mood over time so you can see what gets to you, I find it pretty helpful.


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## Ouija

I take medications from time to time but I've realized a great way to sooth feelings of anxst and fear is to find out what brings them on and put the reverse reaction on it. For example, I used to be quite social but the past few years have changed that tremendously so I'm not really up to talking much, however I like being around people who talk alot if their subject matter is interesting; which in turn brings out the jibber jabber in me which I really enjoy If youre traveling with someone who has a good head on their shoulders, ask em to tell you stories and make up games. When I was traveling with no meds this worked wonders. I will soon be doing the same again as I've been very stressed in my current living situation, although I'm looking forward to being without cash, less alcohol to fxck my already outta wack brain up lol


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## Ouija

so true


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## coaltrain26

use to take melatonin to assist with sleeping, i dont have sleeping problems as of late. ive always had social anxiety and have always been stressed in general, st johns works okay, cant take melatonin in regular activities cause it will make me sleepy, same with weed. i dont want to be shaken with anxiety but i dont want to be zombie tired either.... im thinkin of trying this kava thing? this threads pretty helpful.


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## panik

I have anxiety really, realllly bad, too. For years and years I've been self-medicating with alcohol because I basically can't be around people much, go into stores, travel or...live without some chemical help. It really sucks, and I'm trying to not drink (I'm a really stupid drunk and bad-off alcoholic, to the point of I needed booze 24 hours every single day). 
Right now I'm taking buspirone and paxil and trazadone at night, it's been like a week and a half though and I have basically just been being a hermit, so it's hard to tell if it's working. 
I've been reading stuff on here:Social Anxiety Forums .
One thing I'm going to look into is curcumin. I've read lots of good things about it.
Sorry I'm not much help but those forums really are.


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## coaltrain26

its really hard and it annoys the hell out of me. i drink to deal with it as well and for the last ten years or so have to have a couple just to feel comfortable around my friends and let loose. Now that ive realized that drinking is a problem and that i have been an adict and try to stop its like trying to learn all over how to be a person, and how to be friends and i still wonder how im suppose to act or behave around people. its actually quite depressing lol. its like the playground all over again.


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## mksnowboarder

Not sure how I forgot to mention l-theanine. It's an active ingredient in tea (green moreso than black) that produces relaxation and moderates the effects of caffeine (hence why you can imbibe more caffeine via tea than coffee without getting jittery).

It crosses the blood brain barrier to directly affect levels of dopamine, serotonin, and most relevantly, GABA-A. It works wonders for anxiety, and is the only OTC anxiety remedy that's had any positive effect for me.

mike


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## Heron

this thread has been interesting and i think important for a lot of people, including me. unfortunately, no magical cure seems to be lying about, so we'll just carry on eh.

i have bad anxiety often. lately it comes on at night almost as if on a schedule. like a lot of yall ive just been trying to self-medicate and find out what helps and just doing w/e i can. it's a concern because i plan to travel soon, and tho im no pussy when im 'normal', everything useful and good about me just melts when i go into anxious mode. (i guess it's general anxiety disorder?)

the only thing that works for sure for me is weed. i know some people get anxiety attacks from it, and im sure i could too if i smoked too much of some crazy strain, but a few puffs is the only sure remedy when my brain starts trying to eat itself or w/e. second to that, as others have mentioned, THEANINE! weed is often expensive and hard to keep around at all times, but theanine is legal and much cheaper, and found in green tea and tablets, which are particularly good. it can help anxiety in general but i don't think it barely ever just straight up removes it like weed does for me. but everything affects people differently, and take it from anyone who has used theanine that it's worth trying out, whether you get anxiety/panic attacks, or are just an alcohol or caffeine fan. (i think it has cool effects on alcohol iirc)

on the note of caffeine... if you're like me and others who drink 34906340 cups of coffee a day and sometimes that causes anxiety, (or just general overcaffeination) then theanine is a very reliable antidote. there's been times where im incredibly overcaffeinated and in a terrible environment and incredibly anxious, and taking 100mg theanine capsule made me sane in like 15 minutes.


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## kadenelias

uuuum...WEED. duh.


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## kadenelias

also this is strange and obviously everything else that has been said too (i.e. meditation, going and living in the forest for a while and forgetting your burdens, definitely martial arts, tai chi et cetera), but one thing that has helped my anxiety was bad trips on psychedelics - going crazy and back again and knowing you can find your way back not only builds confidence but also makes existing when your mind is normal and not being fucked with, so much easier. I'm a much calmer person post-acid than I was before acid.


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## panik

i have been sort of in panic mode lately and have made a kava root drink mixture a few times...it really kind of helped. the powder is what my mom happened to have ordered but you can get it in capsules and extract.
it definitely calms you down, but not to any point of feeling high or anything. also, it's an anesthetic and makes yer mouth numb heh.
i have tried basically all the drugs for anxiety/panic disorder that aren't narcotic over the years and nothing worked so far that I can tell. klonopin is the only thing that helped, and that is a.) hard to get prescribed and b.) very addictive, and the withdrawls are no fun (just like any other benzo).
having failed the whole settling down experiment I'm now about to head back out on the road and am definitely going to pick up kava capsules when I get the chance.
taking notes on all the other herbal stuff mentioned that I haven't tried to take into a health food store with me at some point.
has anyone ever tried kratom? people use it mostly for opiate withdrawls or to get high I guess. for me it created a mild euphoric feeling and definitely calmed me down, but the next day I actually had a hangover as if I'd drank hard the night before. 

oh and green tea huh?? that's awesome to know!
green tea and yerba mate together (with chamomile and spearmint) = 
i love making tea concoctions...cocktails...


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## Heron

kadenelias said:


> also this is strange and obviously everything else that has been said too (i.e. meditation, going and living in the forest for a while and forgetting your burdens, definitely martial arts, tai chi et cetera), but one thing that has helped my anxiety was bad trips on psychedelics - going crazy and back again and knowing you can find your way back not only builds confidence but also makes existing when your mind is normal and not being fucked with, so much easier. I'm a much calmer person post-acid than I was before acid.


 
you have a good point but there's also a flipside to that. for some reason shrooms give me the worst anxiety i've ever experienced. (just unlucky genetics i guess. funny thing is i can enjoy them fully as long as im really stoned the whole time/especially during the come-up.) although psychedelics and going through anxiety or whatnot can definitely strengthen your mind, it can also make your anxiety more prominent if you have a really bad anxiety attack during the trip. weeks after a really bad trip+anxiety attack, im still getting much worse anxiety than normal and i know it's from that.

i guess my point is that a bad trip alone can definitely be very helpful afterwards (or during. and people have different definitions of bad trips) but if you trip on something that also triggers horrible anxiety, then you're not only going to mindrape yourself for 8+ hours, but if you're like me, you're going to have your anxiety 'awakened' afterwards for quite a while, and that doesnt help for shit.

dont be afraid of psychedelix but also dont be like me and keep coming back to something when you know the results are gonna be really bad. listen to how things affect you. yeah.

and also on note of person i quoted... some acid would be great.


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## kadenelias

Heron said:


> you have a good point but there's also a flipside to that. for some reason shrooms give me the worst anxiety i've ever experienced. (just unlucky genetics i guess. funny thing is i can enjoy them fully as long as im really stoned the whole time/especially during the come-up.) although psychedelics and going through anxiety or whatnot can definitely strengthen your mind, it can also make your anxiety more prominent if you have a really bad anxiety attack during the trip. weeks after a really bad trip+anxiety attack, im still getting much worse anxiety than normal and i know it's from that.
> 
> i guess my point is that a bad trip alone can definitely be very helpful afterwards (or during. and people have different definitions of bad trips) but if you trip on something that also triggers horrible anxiety, then you're not only going to mindrape yourself for 8+ hours, but if you're like me, you're going to have your anxiety 'awakened' afterwards for quite a while, and that doesnt help for shit.
> 
> dont be afraid of psychedelix but also dont be like me and keep coming back to something when you know the results are gonna be really bad. listen to how things affect you. yeah.
> 
> and also on note of person i quoted... some acid would be great.


 
That's definitely true too, and I have made the mistake of keeping coming back to something that I know will have bad results (I'm learning to avoid that when possible). It's not a quick solution and can make it worse sometimes, but in the long run, at least for me, it has made me a stronger person. Part of me even enjoys having bad trips the way people like horror movies, even if it's something subconscious in me, & enjoys having negative experiences ...I know, I'm a strange person.


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## dharma bum

you could try a dose of some ayahuasca brew. i take it about 2-3 times a year and it helps a lot (with pretty much anything you need help with in your life). 
also, as mentioned earlier, poppy tea is quite relaxing.

if you're not into the mind-altering things, try taking apple cider vinegar. it has to be raw, unpasteurized, and with the 'Mother' in it. don't ask me what that is, but it's a must. i mix about 1-2 tbsp with a 8 oz of water and add some raw honey or agave nectar to taste.

also, check out www.earthclinic.com


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## travis

Liquor. In copious amounts. It's the only thing that helps me... pharmaceuticals make it worse. Weed makes it WAY worse, had to quit that all together. Could be psychosomatic, but I've been prescribed every drug ending in "pam" in existence at one time or another to no avail. Liquor, liquor, liquor. Probably gonna kill me eventually, but I'll have a better quality of life on the way.


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## outskirts

Fox Spirit said:


> yea i like Valerian passion flower combo i found it hard to move after i drink this tea after some food in me and maybe a little ganja
> and i like to smoke a little mug wort sometimes to


All good suggestions. If you can find pure valerian essential oil, that stuff is pretty strong and can come close to low dose valium when
used. Passion flower is more for anti-depression(natural MAOI), but depending on what is the root cause of ones anxiety, it can be of
great help. As for the ganja, well that could either help or hurt, depends on the individual and the nature of their anxiety, everyone is a little different on that one. Mugwort is good to, but like catnip, I find it more a sleep aid or used for anxiety that is costing you sleep.
Believe it or not but lavender is excellent for anxiety, just crushing and smelling fresh cut lavender can help calm the nerves
and even ease a headache. The combo of smelling it and consuming it have a noticeable effect. Pure lavender essential oil is even
stronger. Some other benefits of lavender is that it helps heal burns and can make the effects of opiates a little more pronounced.


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## outskirts

hshh said:


> The kava kava does actually work pretty well.


Kava does work well, but watch your dosages and frequency of use. If over used Kava can cause some toxicity issues in
the liver. Not good mixed with alcohol either. Kava is a good muscle relaxer though!


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## Desperado Deluxe

chamomile is good too


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## rick smith

explain your anxiety issues, in detail.


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## dylann

smoke weed!


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## Vonuist

I've been self-medicating with Sulbutiamine which is principally a nootropic but also has anti-anxiety and mood elevating properties, I was skeptical to start with but (and I say this as someone who has a lot of mental health issues and experience with many SSRIs tri-cyclics and so on) it actually fucking works.
It's very subtle, it just seems to make stress a lot less stressful and, if you combine it with a couple of strong coffees or an energy drink it's not unlike cheap speed.


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## Bent Spoons

Meditation, meditation, meditation has seriously helped me out a lot. I wouldn't use any substances. They always take as much as they give.


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## Peagreen

Exercise, meditation, and food. + to the no substance, whether allnatural or prescription, generally supplements are all placebo, and meds don't address the problem they just cover it up. I've tried both and the meds do work, for a time - so long as you keep upping the dose, eventually you'll hit a plateau and will be taking 150+ millis of an SSRI and poisoning the shit out of yourself and you will come to a crossroads like I did, which will give you two choices 1) keep upping into oblivion, or 2) realize that meds do a good job a temporarily making you happier, without actually fixing anything longterm. Sorry. Perseverance, and patience.


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## Sprouticus

heroin


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## cport420

Every single person in this thread either needs to buy or jack some fish oil capsules. I've had panic disorder for a decade. Even been house bound and couldn't drive for months at a time. Took benzos for a few years and was up to 5-7 Mgs a day of Xanax. When I came off of it over the course of a few months that was the closest I been to hell and I've quit IV dope a few times. I've taken Prozac, Lexapro , and now celexa. Diet is a big ass factor. Meditate, diet, only drugs is weed, daily excercise, CBT, and sleep is one way to stomp it out. Green tea or water. Fresh veggies and fruit. Real meats no fast food. No fake sugar. Raw honey instead. No stimulants at all. Spend as much time outdoors. No fake sugars at all. Use kava, valerian , wild lettuce, catnip, weed, aromatherapy, to help. Also learn progressive muscle relaxation and medatIon and do them several times a day.


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## Dishka8643

This may have been mentioned, but look into cognitive behavioral therapy.


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## cport420

Yep. CBT,PMR,and meditation.


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## cport420

Lots of weed.


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## beat_tramp

panik said:


> i have been sort of in panic mode lately and have made a kava root drink mixture a few times...it really kind of helped. the powder is what my mom happened to have ordered but you can get it in capsules and extract.
> it definitely calms you down, but not to any point of feeling high or anything. also, it's an anesthetic and makes yer mouth numb heh.
> i have tried basically all the drugs for anxiety/panic disorder that aren't narcotic over the years and nothing worked so far that I can tell. klonopin is the only thing that helped, and that is a.) hard to get prescribed and b.) very addictive, and the withdrawls are no fun (just like any other benzo).
> having failed the whole settling down experiment I'm now about to head back out on the road and am definitely going to pick up kava capsules when I get the chance.
> taking notes on all the other herbal stuff mentioned that I haven't tried to take into a health food store with me at some point.
> has anyone ever tried kratom? people use it mostly for opiate withdrawls or to get high I guess. for me it created a mild euphoric feeling and definitely calmed me down, but the next day I actually had a hangover as if I'd drank hard the night before.
> 
> oh and green tea huh?? that's awesome to know!
> green tea and yerba mate together (with chamomile and spearmint) =
> i love making tea concoctions...cocktails...


 
For me Kratom has been the I-cant-believe-this-actually-exists wonder-herb.It has become my drug of choice.Ive had heavy drug/alcohol habits but am a good quitter.ANd after detoxing or just taking my tolerance down - Kratom is all I ever need.This has a lot to do with having been-there-done-that too many times with the horrors of addiction....I too tend to self-medicate an anxiety disorder...The solution is to get to the root of the problem holisticly but if your just not willing to try that route yet then Kratom has no toxicity(it wont kill you or screw up your mind and body) - the withdrawal is tolerable,etc. The main problem is it is expensive.In Pheonix,AZ and Flagstaff,AZ they have these really great stores called something along the li8nes of "Happy Herbs" or "Happy,healthy,horny,high Herbs" or something (I still haven't figured the actual name).I was able to maintain a solid Kratom habit - staying off of street drugs/avoiding alcohol - for a month banging a handrum (busking). They also have abunch of other street-drug alternatives at those stores.(I now am dealing with life on the holistic approach - haven't had Kratom in acouple weeks.But Im glad theres something to relapse on that's not gonna utterly destroy me like dope and booze always does.)


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## cport420

Just to put this out there. Kratom is a wonder herb. But one that has the power of addiction. It'll only be around for so much longer but it tis a very cool herb. Withdrawls can be pretty intense from what I remember reading on the net. Phenibut is another herb that can and is used from over the counter herbalist. The Phenibut acts more on the GABA levels sorta like a benzo would act. Its also been called a wonder drug by people with anxiety or panic disorder. And just like the Kratom withdrawl symptoms are included.

Being someone that was on benzo's for a while and up to about 3-5 stix a day the GABA withdrawls that are from benzo's is the worse hell I've been through. Two years ago I quit iv opiates and it wasn't shit compared to those GABA type withdrawls.

Learning to cope with the attacks and the anxiety itself is the answer. I know that sounds stupid as fuck but it really is it. Anything you use as a crutch will after a while come back to bite you in the ass. Thats the one thing that I have learned over the years with dealing with this. And being on a benzo or simlarly destructive compound isn't realistic in some sense. And coming off of stuff sucks so bad. And very intense anxiety and panic attacks are withdrawl symptoms for damn near about everything.


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## 3rdEyeVision

yarn and glue said:


> So, I am a guy who aims for sustainable, independent living as far as I can manage it, and as a result I have been highly resistant to commercial, non-herbal anxiety / depression treatments for as long as shit's been going on in my noggin. But there is a certain level of demented, shaking sleepless nailbiting that st. john's wort does not address and I am at the point of at least hearing folks out on their experiences with psych meds, albeit not ready to dive in headfirst yet without more research.
> 
> Good, bad, and ugly. Or more herbal suggestions. All advice welcome. I have primarily used st. john's wort and skullcap but while they do a nice job of soothing more minor spells, what I need during worse episodes is more of a "bludgeoner" than a "soother."
> 
> P.s. No heroin jokes tonight


 
There are some on here that have recommended 5-htp. Don't use it. It needs more research and I can speak from personal experience of using pure natural 5-htp from the health food store I used to work at and it gave me stomach pains because most of the serotonin in your body lives in your gut and taking it totally disrupts the natural amount you have. Honestly man there is no herb or synthetic that will cure your anxiety. I have it from time to time, and I just let it rage through me and then flow out and it's over. Meditation is something that helps and I'm sure some others have stated this on here because you resist nothing and embrace everything. The psychedelic state doesn't let you have the choice of resistance or acceptance, it throws you into everything you are afraid of and makes you deal with it on a whole different level. So I would say meditation or psilocybin mushrooms. And I say this because I used to have high anxiety, OCD coupled with germophobia and it all disintegrated when I was blasted away in a psilocybin journey because it made me realize in an infinite universe these things are stopping me from achieving everything I can possibly achieve, that being true happiness and infinite love. Fear is a great thing because it teaches you fear is the only thing you really have to fear. We really only experience two emotions in life in my opinion and that's love and fear. Everything negative and hateful stems from fear. When you blast through it, you realize there is nothing to be afraid of and have anxiety over. You become a warrior and realize nothing can fucking hurt you. I'm not perfect and get overwhelmed sometimes but I just remember these lessons and it just melts away man. Take my advice strongly my friend, I assure you these two things are great tools.


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## 3rdEyeVision

Sprouticus said:


> heroin


 
LOL best one.


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## Deleted member 2626

what a great thread to bump. Man, others have dealt with this shit. Good to read. CBD and THC 1:1 is helping me i believe. First try last night, of proper dosage with valerian and lemon balm. slept great.


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