Hey there Breacher, thanks for the question!
That's actually a question I've been asked fairly frequently over the years. The short answer is... somewhat. I look at anxiety in the different groups. What I call "casual" anxiety - people who get a bit antsy in certain situations - and legitimate anxiety - those of us with GAD, panic disorder or severe panic attacks caused by depression or other issues.
People with casual anxiety generally do well with standard "calming" supplements. The kind you'll find in the vitamin section of a pharmacy. Those are usually some kind of mixture of things like valerian, chamomile, lemon balm, lavender, etc. Administered to someone with legitimate anxiety will usually only result in some symptoms being magnified (particularly confusion and paranoia in my experience, though I have no evidence of such because like I said, plain old experience.) So for someone that's a bit antsy about social situations or had mild work related stress or something along those lines it's worth a shot.
Then there's vitamins. Vitamins B1, B3 and B6 actually helped me stop alprazolam for a few days several times. Vitamin C helps those out a considerable amount when taking B vitamins as well. Even higher doses of plain old vitamin C are helpful in that they calm the nervous system and have a mild sedative effect, though I won't delve into dosages. Anyone interested in that can find their personal ideal amount with a bit of googling prowess.
Another is natural GABA (neurotransmitter). A diet with a lot of GABA containing foods definitely works at least a noticeable amount in people with both forms of anxiety. Mackerel, soy, almonds and almond milk are just a few things off the top of my head that contain high amounts of GABA. There are also "GABA teas" available from health food stores and various sites, Amazon included, that are much more concentrated and are thus better to drink a bit of in the case of an attack than say chasing a tin of almonds with a few mackerel and glass of soy milk. I can say from experience that the teas do indeed work unless you're withdrawing from a benzo or having a SEVERE episode.
The next two i can't in good conscience recommend but will include.
I can vouch for kava personally. The problem here is that the FDA has issued multiple warnings about the effects of kava on the liver, even with extremely limited, short term use. It's use is also banned in the UK and several (possibly all) European countries. I personally believe that kava is totally safe and poses no threat to a person's health if produced TRADITIONALLY. Modern production methods are the problem causing part of the equation, in my opinion. I've already gone further on this than id like to have but if anyone would like to discuss this further, I'm game. Again, though, I do not recommend trying this unless you're familiar with traditional formulation and live in a place where it is legal.
The last thing I'll address isn't actually natural but instead produces a natural reaction in your body. Its called phenibut. It is a GABA agonist and while, again in my experience and opinion it can actually replace benzos if you're on a low dose or very early into treatment, I can't recommend it. It is not regulated and is sold as a nutritional supplement (GABA-A is actually a large part of lean muscle development) and also and a pseudo-natural treatment for anxiety and insomnia. This is far and away the most effective anxiolytic I've listed but I currently have a close friend who moved from huge doses of alprazolam to ENORMOUS phenibut doses and made out very well for around 6 weeks but has been exhibiting withdrawal symptoms of late along with some side effects. I honestly do not know how honest he has been with me about his use of other drugs and medications so I can't be sure about his problems. As I said, I have much personal experience with this supplement but for now I can't say I would suggest this to anyone.
Wow. That was another rambling post but I hope I gave you a bit of insight. If you'd like to know more about anything, feel free to ask!
Hey erol34, thanks for asking!
Is there any chance you could be more specific with your problem? Is it more trouble falling asleep or more trouble staying asleep? A combination?
In any scenario, I would NOT recommend any "z" drugs. Just awful and when you do sleep, there's absolutely NO restful sleep. I'll reserve my benzo suggestions until I have a better idea of what part of the sleep cycle is the problem. I will say, though, if you're familiar with "PM" pain relievers, you've probably noticed that the "PM" part of the pill is diphenhydramine.
That's correct for people that didn't know: Tylenol PM, PM cold and flu pills, virtually EVERY OTC "PM med" has only ingredient that makes you tired... BENADRYL. I'm not going to say it doesn't work but if it does work for you it doesn't work for more than 3-4 nights and ¾ of people that use it for sleep end up with a kind of antihistamine hangover. It's fairly unpleasant.
The upside? The alternative. I can only speak for the US but if you have a CVS or Walgreen's nearby (those are the only two places I know for a fact ALL carry it) you can get doxylamine succinate. It's another antihistamine so it's perfectly legal, it works quickly and stays in your system at a relatively steady level for 6 hours meaning it will let you fall and stay asleep... roughly 6-8 hours. Even if you don't have that long (need to be up early but can't sleep or some such scenario) it doesn't have a "druggy" feeling. You just... wake up.
The downside here is that it's not exactly common. You have to check all of the OTC sleep section labels. CVS carries store brand doxylamine tablets that are fairly cheap (something like $10 for 50) but as far as I know the only other option is (I BELIEVE) Unisom Sleep Gels. Those are about the same price for a dozen I think.
Anyway, if you want to specify further, I'll give you some banzo ideas. If not, good luck!
Hi again erol34, I have to apologize for my total ignorance as to how this forum works, I seem to have somehow edited your answer into the previous answer.I have not the slightest idea how to edit this but if you go toward the end there,you'llffind an answer to your question
That's actually a question I've been asked fairly frequently over the years. The short answer is... somewhat. I look at anxiety in the different groups. What I call "casual" anxiety - people who get a bit antsy in certain situations - and legitimate anxiety - those of us with GAD, panic disorder or severe panic attacks caused by depression or other issues.
People with casual anxiety generally do well with standard "calming" supplements. The kind you'll find in the vitamin section of a pharmacy. Those are usually some kind of mixture of things like valerian, chamomile, lemon balm, lavender, etc. Administered to someone with legitimate anxiety will usually only result in some symptoms being magnified (particularly confusion and paranoia in my experience, though I have no evidence of such because like I said, plain old experience.) So for someone that's a bit antsy about social situations or had mild work related stress or something along those lines it's worth a shot.
Then there's vitamins. Vitamins B1, B3 and B6 actually helped me stop alprazolam for a few days several times. Vitamin C helps those out a considerable amount when taking B vitamins as well. Even higher doses of plain old vitamin C are helpful in that they calm the nervous system and have a mild sedative effect, though I won't delve into dosages. Anyone interested in that can find their personal ideal amount with a bit of googling prowess.
Another is natural GABA (neurotransmitter). A diet with a lot of GABA containing foods definitely works at least a noticeable amount in people with both forms of anxiety. Mackerel, soy, almonds and almond milk are just a few things off the top of my head that contain high amounts of GABA. There are also "GABA teas" available from health food stores and various sites, Amazon included, that are much more concentrated and are thus better to drink a bit of in the case of an attack than say chasing a tin of almonds with a few mackerel and glass of soy milk. I can say from experience that the teas do indeed work unless you're withdrawing from a benzo or having a SEVERE episode.
The next two i can't in good conscience recommend but will include.
I can vouch for kava personally. The problem here is that the FDA has issued multiple warnings about the effects of kava on the liver, even with extremely limited, short term use. It's use is also banned in the UK and several (possibly all) European countries. I personally believe that kava is totally safe and poses no threat to a person's health if produced TRADITIONALLY. Modern production methods are the problem causing part of the equation, in my opinion. I've already gone further on this than id like to have but if anyone would like to discuss this further, I'm game. Again, though, I do not recommend trying this unless you're familiar with traditional formulation and live in a place where it is legal.
The last thing I'll address isn't actually natural but instead produces a natural reaction in your body. Its called phenibut. It is a GABA agonist and while, again in my experience and opinion it can actually replace benzos if you're on a low dose or very early into treatment, I can't recommend it. It is not regulated and is sold as a nutritional supplement (GABA-A is actually a large part of lean muscle development) and also and a pseudo-natural treatment for anxiety and insomnia. This is far and away the most effective anxiolytic I've listed but I currently have a close friend who moved from huge doses of alprazolam to ENORMOUS phenibut doses and made out very well for around 6 weeks but has been exhibiting withdrawal symptoms of late along with some side effects. I honestly do not know how honest he has been with me about his use of other drugs and medications so I can't be sure about his problems. As I said, I have much personal experience with this supplement but for now I can't say I would suggest this to anyone.
Wow. That was another rambling post but I hope I gave you a bit of insight. If you'd like to know more about anything, feel free to ask!
Hey erol34, thanks for asking!
Is there any chance you could be more specific with your problem? Is it more trouble falling asleep or more trouble staying asleep? A combination?
In any scenario, I would NOT recommend any "z" drugs. Just awful and when you do sleep, there's absolutely NO restful sleep. I'll reserve my benzo suggestions until I have a better idea of what part of the sleep cycle is the problem. I will say, though, if you're familiar with "PM" pain relievers, you've probably noticed that the "PM" part of the pill is diphenhydramine.
That's correct for people that didn't know: Tylenol PM, PM cold and flu pills, virtually EVERY OTC "PM med" has only ingredient that makes you tired... BENADRYL. I'm not going to say it doesn't work but if it does work for you it doesn't work for more than 3-4 nights and ¾ of people that use it for sleep end up with a kind of antihistamine hangover. It's fairly unpleasant.
The upside? The alternative. I can only speak for the US but if you have a CVS or Walgreen's nearby (those are the only two places I know for a fact ALL carry it) you can get doxylamine succinate. It's another antihistamine so it's perfectly legal, it works quickly and stays in your system at a relatively steady level for 6 hours meaning it will let you fall and stay asleep... roughly 6-8 hours. Even if you don't have that long (need to be up early but can't sleep or some such scenario) it doesn't have a "druggy" feeling. You just... wake up.
The downside here is that it's not exactly common. You have to check all of the OTC sleep section labels. CVS carries store brand doxylamine tablets that are fairly cheap (something like $10 for 50) but as far as I know the only other option is (I BELIEVE) Unisom Sleep Gels. Those are about the same price for a dozen I think.
Anyway, if you want to specify further, I'll give you some banzo ideas. If not, good luck!
Hi again erol34, I have to apologize for my total ignorance as to how this forum works, I seem to have somehow edited your answer into the previous answer.I have not the slightest idea how to edit this but if you go toward the end there,you'llffind an answer to your question