Does anyone else try to go the natural way?

I take an antidepressant for generalized anxiety and that's all well and good, but what about panic attacks?
Does anyone have any success with natural herbs or supplements for a panic attack instead of taking benzos? Benzodiazepines, although helpful give me wicked stomach aches and some not so nice side effects so I have tried to ditch them altogether.

Being an organic hobby farmer and somewhat of a naturalist I am always searching for medicinal herbs and natural supplements...it has grown beyond the realm of self-help and into basic curiosity. I collect books and field guides on herbs, flowers, holistic medicine and natural healing approaches; these things fascinate me.

Anyway, here's what I have tried, please add any of your own:

-Bach's 'Rescue Remedy' which is a homeopathic flower remedy for severe stress and nervousness. I use an alcohol-free pastille and keep them in my backpack at all times. I chew one if I feel the anxiety coming on. You can get them in a tincture or gum and even lozenges for your pets! (Our pets get stressed too). I haven't felt any side effects from these and have been using them for over a year...pretty great to stop a panic attack dead in its tracks.
http://www.bachflower.com/

-Kava Kava which is a type of medicinal herb used to alleviate anxiety. I have tried it and it is soothing. Also, having it in a hot liquid form soothes physiological anxiety. However don't use it everyday for a long time, it can be bad for your liver. Kava works by stimulating norepinephrine in the brain (a common neurotransmitter that is targeted in anxiolytic medication). You can get it in tea or tincture form and I prefer the tea it tastes a bit like chocolate.

-Calcium+Magnesium supplement which is an essential for our bodies, but also works as a natural muscle relaxant. I use a liquid form for fast absorption and it also seems to calm my nervous stomach. It is not something you want to take in excess, because you can get too much. It also has a mild sedative effect and helps me relax enough for sleep. A lot of them come with Vitamin D, which is also helpful for stress/depression.
If I'm feeling particularly stingy I will buy a big bottle of plain old Magnesium-Chelate and take a couple before bed, works great.

-Valerian Root which is an herbal root used traditionally for sedation and sleep (it is non-habit forming). I use it sparingly (as it can also damage your liver over long-term use) but it does the trick quite well. I generally buy it in a powder in bulk at the health store and put it into vegan capsules. However, be forwarned that it tastes and smells like dirty old socks...but this one is definitely WAY up there in my arsenal of panic control. 1 x500mg capsule relaxes me, 2 gives me a nap and 3 puts me to sleep for the night. (this can also be found in a tea, but it tastes BAD), also great for muscle relaxation and insomnia, an anxiety MUST.

-Chamomille which is a flower of the daisy family. Has no known side effects and is great for moments of slight anxiety to calm and soothe the nerves and stomach. (Dont use it if you have seasonal allergies/ hay fever though..it is a FLOWER). There's been studies done on Chamomille's effectiveness for anxiety and insomnia and works GREAT to ease stomach tension/ stress. I buy the tea at the grocery store, you can get some with vanilla for added taste and aromatherapy.

-GABA which is an amino acid responsible for relaxation (the same stuff in benzos without the side effects..it is also non-habit forming). Whether it works or not (passes through the blood-brain barrier appropriately is questioned by scientists) however I have tried it and have felt a general sense of ease and relaxation while using it. I have also heard friends say that it works wonders for nerves and stress so it's worth a shot.

-Green Tea -yep you heard it right. Green tea has been used for hundreds of years for general health and wellness. I drink it on a regular basis, however I only recently discovered that it contains an amino acid called L-Theanine, which is used for anxiety and to promote general relaxation. You can buy the L-Theanine in a supplement form or just drink green tea throughout the day (tea does have diuretic properties and DOES contain caffiene, but less so than coffee). ALL black and green teas contain L-Theanine but greens have a higher concentration.

That's what I've tried and it seems to work if I get on top of it fast enough. Please add any recommendations or experiences of your own.
Also this is only my experience I am sharing, always check with your doc prior to any herbs or supplements and DONT take any of these and DRIVE unless you know how you will react. I once took Valerian and went skateboarding, that didnt turn out so well.

[Travelinglady]

Thanks for the suggestions!

["Tilly may"]

I tried the Rescue Remedy, tincture kind and it didnt do anything. i wish it would work.

[AngelWolf3]

OH thank you for this. i have been so hesitant to start on the meds for anxiety prescribed and am much more inclined to go the natural route...

I wish I had advice/suggestions for you though!

[-jimi-]

I can somehow understand herbal medicine. But homeopathy? How do they mean it gets stronger the more you dilute it? It seems really backwards.

Originally Posted by AngelWolf3

OH thank you for this. i have been so hesitant to start on the meds for anxiety prescribed and am much more inclined to go the natural route...

I wish I had advice/suggestions for you though!

I REALLY emphasize that these recommendations are supplementary and not intended to REPLACE conventional or professional treatment. I had great luck with a low dose antidepressant to minimize the amount of panic attacks I experienced. Perhaps you'd have the same luck. I use these methods in ADDITION to my regular medication (I limit the 'as needed' benzodiazepines because of side effects)

[AngelWolf3]

good point up there...I am just really wary about conventional meds, since I have had bad experiences with them, and I tend to be sensitive to a lot of things. But yes you are right...Don't worry, I was searching for natural routes before your post! It makes my searching easier and also helps me see what has worked for someone else if I choose to try!!!!

Tried out the L-Theanine first hand this week...it works...like whoa. It doesn't make me feel dopey or 'high' or 'spacey' (I only took 100mg). It just sort of helped me feel completely calm from the inside out. My crazy obsessive anxious fearful thoughts stopped and I could think more rationally.
I definitely recommend this.

[JadeAmethyst]

I have tried just about everything...and have found myself back in the doctor's office on Celexa and Xanax as needed. For the longest time I refused to take anything which only made things harder. I had a friend recommend Passionflower, but that didn't work for me either.

As for the Kava Kava I thought that was taken off the shelves a few years ago?

Not as far as I know, I get it at the health food store.

[BeeKeeper]

I love the rescue remedy gum! It's my replacement for Atavan, since I'm terrified of benzos. Plus the action of chewing gum is a soothing replacement for my old anti-anxiety self medication- smoking.

I used to take a herbal tincture called- I swear to god- Good Mood Tonic. It was helpful for a while.

[Erica71]

I too, find L-theanine to be helpful. Works for me.

[ajmich]

Thanks so much for this topic. Been browsing amazon.com for this sort of thing and there are so many, it's overwhelming. Putting together an order and this will be first time seriously trying herbals. Many years ago St. John's Wort was a bust when I was already major depressed, and that discouraged me from going this route. Some mild success with valerian capsules though.

[Patandorf]

Hello,

I'm looking into Kava and I am having such a hard time finding information about it. I'm looking at the capsules for now, but am open to other forms, but for now I want to at least try them, they may not be as potent, but It's just a warm up to see if it can do anything. I haven't been on it for a few day. Just started yesterday, but when looking for this the options were overwhelming. What percentages are optimum, what forums are good (the store also sells it in a liquid form and I would be open to that, It's just the starting amount and working up from there, those measurements are not so clear. There is just so much contradicting information out there that non of it helps. So I'm just wondering if anyone on here can give me some advice on it, It would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

[Little Lulu]

I am using Valerian for anxiety with good results. Other things I use: a support group that focuses on spotting thinking errors/healthier thinking, a mentor associated with that group that I can call when I have an issue (very helpful), journaling, and exercise.

I'm glad these things work for some of you but there is even less oversight and research on herbs and supplements than there is on prescription or OTC meds.
I wouldn't confuse herbal and natural with safe.
PERSONAL HEALTH - Herbal and Natural Don't Always Mean Safe - NYTimes.com
Herbal supplement dangers: FDA does not regulate supplements and they can be deadly. - Slate Magazine