Relora, SJW, Anti-Anxiety meds - what works for you ??

Hello all,

A little background;
I am an anxious person.. Have been for as far as I can remember.
Little things are big things, I obsess over things, I worry A LOT...
As mentioned in a prior post, I had a recent setback at work and this triggered a flare for me (I believe)...

That being said;

My naturopath had given me Relora to try, an all natural anti anxiety.
I tried it but am not sure it is helping me much (am still very anxious)..
Has anyone heard of this or tried it?

He also told me to try st-johns wort -
I read that it helps in some cases for mild depression, but I am not depressed (am anxious , did I mention this already haha)
I tried for a month but did not see any improvement...

I also take klonopin (clonazepam) as needed, but its too addictive so cannot take it very often.

I recently stopped my lexapro (cypralex in canada) due to side effects that I did not want to deal with (my RLS was really bad, no sexual interest, fatigue, numb feeling, AND WORST OF ALL I WAS STILL VERY ANXIOUS - which was the only reason I went on it in the first place LOL)... I ramped down slowly, but the withdrawal was still pretty tough.. Its been 3 weeks I am off them now.. I have been on so many different anti depressents over the years (prozac, paxil, cymbalta, effexor, they all caused me side effects plus did not address the issues at hand - not for me anyways - I know this is very subjective and that they help others tremendously). Most of them also caused weight gain, which I am not willing to accept as I work so hard to stay slim and watch what I eat (for my health, colitis, and well being)...

I am trying some other things (CBT, meditation, reading, down time, etc) but too soon to tell...

SO here I am - in a flare and very anxious :-(
Any suggestions for moi ??
What works for you ??

Thanks so much for all your support

Thanks so much sherry,

I had actually tried some yoga but have lower back issues and it left me bed ridden for over a week..

I will check out an anxiety forum as well, great idea

Let me know what your therapist suggests RE something more long term

All the Best

My girlfriend suffers anxiety and like you searched for something natural without side effects. Theanine Serene with Relora helps and if you never heard of it here is a link:

http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/search/en/query.jsp?x=0&y=0&q=theanine+serene&intsource2=main&tab_selection=vitamins

She takes it at night to help her sleep but finds that it also calms her down the next day. Vitamin B complex can help. You are already taking a multivitamin but if you are taking Centrum or something with only the minimum amount of B6 and niacin then you may want to find a multi that has at least 25-50 mg of each of the B complex.

You are already taking magnesium which is good but calcium also helps to calm the nerves. Lemon Balm may also help but she has never tried it to verify its effectiveness.

I take fish oil for UC and to lower triglycerides (it really works) but fish oil is also effective for brain chemistry. Some prisons are giving fish oil to their inmates to help calm the atmosphere (it’s true, look it up). SAMe is very expensive but is supposed to be effective for depression. I know you don’t suffer depression but anxiety and depression seem to go together. It seems many foods that are good for your heart like fish oil, B6, niacin and SAMe are also effective for brain chemistry.

Exercise helps. I am an exercise fiend and when I got her off the computer to bike and hike with me she became less anxious. Of course exercise is a lot easier when you don't have UC.

Thanks SO MUCH everyone

I will definitely stick with some therapy, look more into yoga, and inquire about the relora/serene combo, amitriptyline

Great suggestions, very grateful to have this forum and all of you