Stress Center Peer Support

I have been able to get off Ativan and control my anxiety with Kava Kava and L-Theanine. I also take GABA and sometimes Valerian root to help sleep. They have no side effects and really help. I had to take Kava Kava about 3-4 times a day at first, but now only take it in the am, which is my worse time of day.

Where can you find kava? I used to get it at walmart but it seems to not be available any more.

You can get it in the health foods section at Cash Wise grocery or on-line from Swanson's Health Products.

Was you able to take this along with proscription medications?

St. John's wort, and at a different time I used Rhodiola Rosea with some success.

When I was weaning off of Effexor XR years ago, the only thing that got me through it was The Road Back program. It's a natural medicine based system that helps relieve withdrawal from meds. That was one of the worst times of my life but it got me through. After that I was so terrified of any pharmaceuticals that I started exclusively seeing a natural medicine doctor. She put me on a high daily dose of Omega 3's, which really helped my mood and got rid of the "brain zaps." I still take those every day. You have to take a good quality one though, like Nordic Naturals.

I've also found that Kava really helps. I like the Yogi Stress Less Kava tea. Just smelling it is soothing. I also take passionflower, and have had some luck with Ashwaghanda for anxiety. Also, L-Tryptophan has helped somewhat with sleep and depression.

Overall, I think if you can avoid putting harsh chemicals into your body that are going to unnaturally alter your brain, you should try. Exhaust all the options before you sign yourself up to take meds that are going to cause an addictive reaction in your body. I'm not saying that will happen to everyone, but it happened to me, and had I known beforehand I would never have risked it. It truly is amazing what you can do with some supplements, diet, exercise, and therapy. There are studies out there proving that those things are just as effective as antidepressants.

I read that Lemon Balm is a very good natural herb to keep calm. Does anyone have any experience with Lemon Balm? I bought some, but am trying to taper off of Klonopin and did not want to take both at the same time. It seems with anxiety the more pills I take I wake up in the middle of night really out of it, confused, with anxiety.

Good Evening,

I recently started taking a GABA supplement. Although it is still early, I am seeing some interesting results. I feel a bit calmer after just a hour of taking the supplement. Its a low dosage of about 50mg mixed with b6 and some other calming ingredients. I was reading online that you can take up to 750mg of GABA during anxious times. Has anyone else had any experience with a GABA supplement? Please share.

Hi Flyguy,

Thank you for posting. I have had several clients use GABA with very good results. 50 mg is a smart place to start..many take up to 750 mg. It should not be mixed with with alcohol and/or benzodiazepines as it increases the effects. We always recommend consulting your physician or pharmacist when adding supplements to your regime.

Here is a great podcast and transcript if you're looking for more information on this topic.
http://balancedbites.com/podcast-episod ... udy-scott/