LorriK

I recently was suffering from multiple panic attacks per day. A friend of mine is really into herbal remedies which I am leery of. She talked me into a regime of 500mg 5HTP during the day and 750mg Gaba at night. My anxiety has all but subsided. You might research it for yourself. It works for me!

Dee74

Glad it's worked for you LorriK

I recommend everyone see their doctor before starting any supplements tho - whats worked for some may not work, or even be suitable for others

D

LorriK

Seeing your doctor before adding supplements to your daily regime is an excellent idea, thank you

RyanRed

I've been taking a supplement called "True Calm" I snagged from amazon. GABA is the main active ingredient in it. I must say it does put you in a relaxed state. I've mainly been taking niacin, and it seems to be doing wonders so far.

Here here for natural healing! :-D

-Ryan

SistahSober

How is you anxiety. I stopped drinking and it got a little better but I bought some GABA and hope it starts to work... Please let me know

JesseJe

Stopping drinking has surfaced some crazy anxiety that seems to come and go. I've always been quite anxious which is why I turned to alcohol to calm myself but it obviously only ended up making things worse.

My father takes 5 HTP which he says helps him. I started taking St John's Wort which is known to alleviate nervousness and anxiety. Will post back if it works!

Also never forget the power of deep breathing.

neferkamichael

Lorrik and all the contributors to this thread, thank you. I've been reluctant to use chemicals at all for these kinds of issues, but I'm gonna give it a try.

LolaR

What is HTP and Gaba ? Do you get it OTC ?

Shining~Again

yes - all are over the counter.

matt4x4

Eating correctly helps.
Drinking plenty of water helps.
Working out helps out a lot.
I try not to stay on the herbals for too long as they are not regulated or studied for long term affects on humans.
Walking helps.
Walking up stairs instead of escalator or elevator helps.
Stay away from processed foods.
Talking to strangers helps, basic "tourist" questions or "weather" questions.
Volunteering.

This is all basic stuff, no rocket science here.

Climber122

I'm not a psychologist, but I've just been reading a bit about this: GABA and 5-HT (aka the serotonergic system) are apparently major neurotransmitters in our brains, and both these are implicated in substance abuse and anxiety levels - in fact the two are related. Alcoholics often have anxiety disorders that get worse with continued use of the drug, and those suffering from anxiety often abuse alcohol in an effort to self-medicate.

For instance, long term exposure to alcohol lowers levels of key GABA neurotransmitters and may be responsible for the tolerance to alcohol's effects. For someone drinking compulsively to deal with anxiety, this is a problem because they would need more and more of the drug to counter the rising anxiety the drug and their disorder make worse! Of course this compounds not only the anxiety problem but also all the psycho, spiritual and physiological destruction alcohol abuse causes.

So apparently this is one direction researchers are looking to try and figure out the "brain mechanics" behind addiction and anxiety, and it seems they are directly related. In the meantime, abstinence from alcohol and therapeutic approaches such as 12 step groups, CBT, motivational interviewing and psychiatric medicines administered under the care of your physician care seem viable ways to consider a reprieve from both addiction and anxiety.