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Natural/herbal remedies for anxiety - do any of them actually work?

Kate Kestrel

Hello everyone,

Before I go ahead and potentially waste money on products that don’t work - has anyone tried any herbal/natural remedies for anxiety that actually work? In the past I’ve tried a few but never found they made any difference. I can’t take anti-depressants as I experience terrible side effects to them - so need to try something else. 

Has anyone had any success with things like Valerian and Passiflora etc? That kind of thing? 

I don’t want to make the mistake of wasting money I can ill afford to lose just because I’m at the end of my tether and desperate for anything that might work. 

And for anyone else who is struggling with anxiety - sending best wishes to you because it’s so hard isn’t it? Really tough when it’s bad. 

thanks 

Parents

  • Herbal remedies are something one has to try to see what works, from my experience. I'd be mindful of too much Vit D. For instance, Ashwaganda OR mushrooms. Not both. These things can help over time

    I know I've mentioned a few times on here, but when it's really bad I've found the only immediate solution is alprazolam (Xanax), which you can get from a GP. It's not a long-term solution, but it can be beneficial in a micro-dose as and when needed. It's not necessary or helpful to take it daily. Just don't mix it with grapefruit. 

    I've been digging into some research on this, and hopefully with a team, will be able to show how this is necessary for the autistic brain, and why it's a unique situation. Too much stress, in my experience has a worse effect on health.

Reply

  • Herbal remedies are something one has to try to see what works, from my experience. I'd be mindful of too much Vit D. For instance, Ashwaganda OR mushrooms. Not both. These things can help over time

    I know I've mentioned a few times on here, but when it's really bad I've found the only immediate solution is alprazolam (Xanax), which you can get from a GP. It's not a long-term solution, but it can be beneficial in a micro-dose as and when needed. It's not necessary or helpful to take it daily. Just don't mix it with grapefruit. 

    I've been digging into some research on this, and hopefully with a team, will be able to show how this is necessary for the autistic brain, and why it's a unique situation. Too much stress, in my experience has a worse effect on health.

Children
  • in reply to JuniperFromGallifrey

    Thanks for your reply. Why do you say that about vitamin D? Funnily enough I’ve been taking a Vit. d supplement for months as I was told it was protective in terms of Covid. Can it cause anxiety? 
    I must admit I’m nervous of things like Xanax. Is it addictive? 
    All through my life I’ve tried to avoid medication where possible. I’ve always been a great believer in a healthy diet and exercise, and living in the country away from pollution etc. 

    I was feeling pretty desperate when I tried anti-depressants and they were a disaster for me - and this confirmed all my concerns about prescription medication. 
    when I was a toddler i spent a lot of time in hospital and I think maybe this has affected my nervousness and aversion to medical environments an treatment. Plus I don’t trust big pharmaceutical companies. So I admit I’m somewhat paranoid about prescription medication. 

    I’ve had such a rough few months of terrible anxiety though and am so worn out.

    I’m in my mid-fifties and am tempted to try HRT - some people find this helps with anxiety.

    I don’t know. You just get to the point where you feel just carrying on with such high levels of anxiety is simply unbearable. There’s not much to lose - at least it starts to feel like that. Mind you I thought that when I tried anti-depressants and they made things so much worse! 
    Thanks for the advice :)