You asked about my more natural remedies. I actually went back to college in my early thirties to try and figure out some more natural ways to deal with my panic/PTSD. I got a degree in nutrition and food science and I use this background to help me deal. I am a big proponent of light therapy. Poor vitamin D levels can exacerbate anxiety. You can get it from a few foods but we are meant to naturally make it through sun exposure. My husband actually insists on my tanning once a week in the rainy season because long periods without sunshine really gets me agitated. During the summer, I am outside whenever possible.
Another food thing to follow is your iron levels. Long before anemia develops you can have behavior issues due to iron deficiency. First and foremost is anxiety and poor attention span. I have a terrible time getting enough iron from my diet so I take a supplement three days a week.
Many of the B vitamins also lead to anxiety like symptoms in deficiency. They are found in meats and fortified grains. If you don't regularly eat those, you might want to take a supplement.
I always recommend that if a client is considering a supplement that they choose a nice children's multivitamin that gives about 50% of what is required. You want to prevent deficiency but you don't want to add too much, they can have side effects in excessive doses just like they can in deficiency.
Going along with these dietary remedies, I had to give up caffeine and smoking. Both were beyond difficult to give up but the benefits were life giving. Both deplete the natural neurotransmitters and I need every last little bit I can get. It took me years to quit both but through the process, I could feel the difference in my mood and behavior when I slipped. After a while it became easier to not smoke or have caffeine because I knew that I would be able to sleep, able to cope, not have the awful circular thoughts that I could not escape.
Another natural remedy I use goes along with the light therapy. My circadian rhythm is very easily upset and if it gets out of wack then my anxiety gets out of wack too. I avoid screens and excessive light after 10 pm. If I can't sleep I cuddle with my dog, do self massage or get my yoga mat out and so through some stretches. I absolutely do not turn on the lights. Artificial light leads me to total insomnia and my panic goes haywire.
Finally, I do take kratom, kava kava and poppy pod tea from time to time. These are more for when I feel my stress level rising and I want to get some relaxation before I trigger panic. I know my triggers well enough to know that when a family cue or work situation comes up, I should take a tea to head off the spiraling thoughts. After years of dealing with this, I know when I need a destressor.
When I see clients, we always talk about what small change they can make that could make the biggest impact on their health. All the things above have helped me. I hope that among them you can find one little thing that might help. Anxiety and panic are all consuming so I hope you can find a one small change that can make some difference for you.
That's quite a handful of knowledge you have there, it's a powerful weapon.
My main issue with consumption is due to the withdrawals preventing me from eating regularly I will have to try some of these to throw into my daily life. I'm able to eat, but not very much. I assume it's just a normal symptom and I'm not too worried about it.
I too have to give up smoking, but not yet. I'll give up smoking after I'm done with this-- one step at a time. I used to be a heavy caffeine drinker but I no longer drink much caffeine at all, every now and then yes but not every day or every week. I do smoke a pack of cigarettes a day, that's one problem but we'll come to that when the time comes.
I never knew light could effect your anxiety levels, I'll have to dim some lights down when it starts to get dark seeing I am sensitive to light. That's one piece of advice that I can start doing right now.
I'm currently experimenting with Kratom, however it seems if I take a dose let's just say today I won't feel the same effects tomorrow. It's strange how that works and I honestly don't want to go up to a high dose and become addicted to another substance. I can feel the Kratom working at low doses (1.5-3 grams) and I think that's a safe place for me. I'm still in the experimental phase, I've made a few threads about Kratom and experiences with specific types however I struggle with consumption. People keep telling me to brew it as tea, I can't stand the taste if it's mixed with anything. I can however wash it down without an issue seeing all the Kratom I have a very finely grained.
The only downside to it is sometimes there's an unpleasant feeling in my throat that tickles, I assume it's some getting stuck or something along those lines. Gargling water or mouth wash seems to help with that though, not really an issue there. I assume finding the right strain for me would be ideal so I still have a lot to try. Issue is, as I said before the effects if taken twice in a 24 hour time frame for me personally are not the same. Is this normal? If so then I lost my luck trying to find a more natural alternative to benzos. If not, perhaps it's just the strain.
Either way, thank you so much for the advice and methods. I'll keep note of them all and start working on them slowly to see what fits me best.
Regards,
-VII
Keep on keeping on VII, you seem to be coping (just about).I've been through many wds over the years but only from opiates and I understand some of the symptoms you describe so well.Things can and will only get better and your right the week you've spent reducing and stopping certain meds can only help you and your reliance on the meds.As allways when you think you've got by the worst and you have a bad day this is the time when you can cave in and use your meds/drug that's creating the problems.Keep posative and keep safe is the only advice I can give really.
As far as im conserned your gp or health system has a duty of care for yourself especially if there is any danger from wds.There is a difference from someone seeking meds and someone NEEDING meds, and surely a gp can do a few tests such as pulse ect as someone suffering wds should easily be identified compared to someone seeking meds surely?.
Peace
Bliss....
I'm somewhat coping, there's always times I just want to give up but it's really not as bad as I thought it would be. Perhaps the hard part is over and it's slowly going down. Who knows, that could also be the tapering substance easing it up so much that I don't notice a difference. I mean yes, there's noticeable differences that have occurred since the last update which I'll be posting a bit later for everyone to catch up with the new symptoms that came along.
However, a family member told me "Addiction doesn't truly matter if you need the substance to get through your day, seeing you have an anxiety disorder you need medication to assist you with that". I see where the family member was coming from, so as far as I'm concerned I'm just trying to get on a very low dose as stated before (awhile back) that's safer. I don't think anxiety disorders that you've had your whole life just vanish over time, perhaps getting easier but it'll still be there I think.
Throughout the years, before I was even put on benzos I was being treated for an anxiety disorder which I was originally diagnosed with as a small child. As time passed by, things simply got worse with the disorder itself which doctors have confirmed that the disorder was not a false diagnosis. I had one false diagnosis where my doctors thought I had ADHD which was indeed false, that was found out later down the road to be Asperger's Syndrome, not ADHD.
You do have a point though, if someone is classified with the disorder and actually needs the medications on a daily basis (in my case, roughly 2-4 panic attacks on average daily) shouldn't be an issue but on the other end, some of the newer doctors refuse to prescribe such medications to people that actually need them even if your medical records state all of your disorders that require such medications to treat the disorders. I've ran into this problem a number of times which does make me worried, however there's bound to be a way for people that need the medications to be treated for the disorder in some way shape or form instead of doing nothing.
Regards,
-VII
I'm glad to read you're still going strong. I'm sorry I've been a bit quiet on this thread, but don't forget we're all here with you and here to help in any way we can.
As far as doctors go, yeah...I've had various experiences with them. I tend to find an understanding one, who inevitably retires. I do definitely find the young ones aren't as understanding...
One foot infront of the other, won't look back now. There's no reason to be sorry, I know you're a lurker more than anything but your support was always welcomed. I never forgot about you and the others that originally supported me when I started.
Well, it's not a matter of them not understanding I think they are taught something along the lines of "most people will abuse such substances, avoid prescribing these at all costs". I cannot say that's true or not seeing I'm not a doctor but none the less it's leaning towards that. I can see the newer doctors with less than 10 years of experience would be good for checkups and various other things but when it comes to medication for serious disorders I wouldn't go with a doctor that didn't have at least 20 years or more experience in the field.
Psychiatrists cost a fortune, but generally give you what you need. After seeing one you can most likely get your doctor to prescribe it for you from there so you don't have to keep seeing the psychiatrist costing you an arm and a leg depending on your insurance.
Thank you for the continuous support,
-VII
Thank you
@VII, that is plenty close enough to what I was asking for. I'm on the EC as well.
I'm sorry that I'm uncomfortable giving very detailed information but I hope you understand where I'm coming from. Perhaps you're having the same issues on the East Coast? Seems the West Coast is more lenient regarding prescription drugs. Not fully sure about other areas in the US, just in small areas in the East.
Regards,
-VII
as always.
