Has anyone had any relief from herbal nervines?

Gem,

I would love to know how you got off your meds if you would care to share with us.

I have read up some on herbal supplements but due to my cocktail of RX meds I have stayed away from taking anything except Vitamins. I am sure others here use herbal products.

Kindly,

Kitt

Well, I was never able to tolerate any meds my PDoc tried on me.  I had negative reactions, side effects galore.  So they were easy to stop because of the short duration.  The only med I was on for a long period was Xanax.  It helped me tremendously but after 3 years i started having problems with depression.  PDoc thought Xanax was the culprit, so, with a long slow taper, reducing dosage by .25 every two weeks, I finally got completely off.  It was not easy mentally but physically the less I took, the better I felt and depression was no longer an issue.  I really cleaned up my diet, very little sugar, no caffeine, red meat only two or three times a week, lots of fruit and vegetables, never skipping breakfast, very little dairy.  I know this sounds awfully restrictive but getting creative with healthy foods can be fun!  I started walking 1 -2 miles every morning (sometimes I would cry my eyes out on my walk) but now if I miss my walk, I am out of sorts all day.  I also do like 10-20 minutes worth of exercises a day, anything, touch your toes, leg lifts, just moving.  I do very well with this regiment but I still have mood issues that flare up dispite my best effort, which is why I posted the thread.  I know it is not wise to take herbal preparations with prescription drugs, so now that I am off of the RX's, I am going to give herbs a try.  I think you really have to do your research and make sure you purchase a product from a reliable source but I think they have their place.  Some people believe that you can cure anything with diet and lifestyle changes and certainly this goes a long way but I also know that sometimes we all need a little help.  This week-end I am going to try some Valerian Root for better sleep (this is what they prescribe in European countries because it is non-addictive) and Passion Flower for heart palpations due to stress.

Good luck to all of us no matter what avenue we choose!

Gem

I used to use exclusively natural and holistic approaches to treating my anxiety until things got to a point where I needed something stronger. But I had had some success with a few different things. I've found some teas to be mildly helpful, such as St. John's Wort or Chamomile. I would usually have two cups a day in between taking other holistic meds. It made a difference, but certainly wasn't as strong as the allopathic (traditional western) medications.

I've also found GABA (which is what Xanax goes after), Inositol, Theanine (found in things like Green Tea), and Taurine to be helpful. Personally I like a product called GABA Relaxer that I found at a health food store. I also was given Magnesium and an herbal product called Serenagen by a holistic doctor. Although a lot of people find the magnesium helpful, I didn't like it as it rapidly increased my heart rate. The Serenagen though was mildly helpful, though I personally had better results with the GABA. I think it's like any other approach in that you have to find the right mix or the right approach for you.

Cln777, do you mind if I ask what part of the world you live in? Bach is considered the founding father of homeopathy. You may not find a professional who identifies as a "Bach provider" but you should be able to find a homeopath. It's an approach that's been in practice in Europe for some time and is quickly gaining popularity in the states.

For anyone unfamiliar with the concept of homeopathy... it's based on the concept that "likes cure likes". I like to use the analogy of an immunization to explain it. When you get an immunization you're not getting medicine to treat whatever, you're given a little bit of the actual ailment in a harmless manner so that your body's immune system learns how to defeat it. (I'm not a medical professional so there may be other immunization approaches that I'm not familiar with). Homeopathy is similar in that you are given something in a very diluted form so that your body learns to defend against it. You can find some Bach remedies (homeopathic stuff) in health food stores, but not at the potency you'll be able to get through a trained professional (as always check credentials). I went to a homeopath for about a year and believe it or not was actually given something that caused mild panic attacks so that I could better learn to overcome and prevent them. With time and as I grew stronger the potency was increased. Like I said... everyone has to find what works for them. Even though I'm not using that approach currently, I'm glad to have tried it.