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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.

  • 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 :) 

  • in reply to Kate Kestrel

    If it helps, the main company making anti-anxiety medication is Pfizer. LOL

    I absolutely agree about trying to be as natural as possible. I had so many problems growing up as well physically that I avoided drugs until a certain point. However, a few things changed my mind. The kind of stress I was encountering was giving me headaches daily for almost 2 years. The GP suggested the meds are the better evil between them and a stroke. I agree. 

    They are highly addictive which is why they're a Class C in the UK and I"m not sure if you can only get them from private. But I've also never had a problem with addiction and it just may be from being too analytical - which are the brain waves responsible for anxiety. haha. But I have noticed over the years the drugs can cause anxiety if taken more than 3 days in a row. Just like caffeine - 3 seems to be the magical amount of days. But the week I took them daily simply meant I needed to make hard changes to my lifestyle. I do find them imperative when I can't shut this brain down though anything else - especially if it's past midnight. 

    Natural things are killers too, though! The wrong mushroom, improperly / uncooked bamboo, all herbs or vitamins at too large a dose can cause kidney or liver damage. Mercury and naturally radioactive rocks are harmful. One really need to be mindful of turmeric for instance! Or drink enough water to flush out vitamin C. CDB can lower the immune system. I have noticed Vit D boosters + a few cups of coffee do give me anxiety. So there's something there (at least for me).

     But all drugs are inspired by something in nature. Once I started thinking about this, throwing one micro dose when needed into my year at the odd occasion felt less overwhelming. 

    The research is becoming more clear about why autistics are prone - not to emotionally driven anxiety - but physiological and how there is this out-of-control acceleration which can cause anxiety. I think it's imperative we have access to things which help.

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