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Misc Good, non-addictive anti-anxiety drugs ?

velmwend

Bluelighter
Joined
Jul 1, 2012
Messages
806
Do these exist? 8(

You see, I don't want to take benzos - I don't want to take anything I could become dependent on. I need to stay away from *anything* addictive - no compromises. =D
 
Look for GABA at the health food store. It really works for promoting a relaxing state. I took it for sometime after I stopped a anti depressant. I had no anxiety attacks while on the medication.

Drugs that act as allosteric modulators of GABA receptors (known as GABA analogues or GABAergic drugs) or increase the available amount of GABA typically have relaxing, anti-anxiety, and anti-convulsive effects.[36][37] Many of the substances below are known to cause anterograde amnesia and retrograde amnesia.


A number of commercial sources sell formulations of GABA for use as a dietary supplement, sometimes for sublingual administration. These sources typically claim that the supplement has a calming effect. There is some disagreement as to whether or not these claims can be backed up scientifically. For example, there is evidence stating that the calming effects of GABA can be seen observably in the human brain after administration of GABA as an oral supplement.[47] There is also evidence that GABA does not cross the blood–brain barrier at significant levels.[39]

There are some over-the-counter supplements such as Picamilon that cross the blood–brain barrier as a prodrug that later hydrolyzes into GABA and niacin.

source
 
gabapentin and pregabalin are fairly decent, and have a much lower liability for abuse than benzos.
 
Personally, i find aniracetam works rather surprisingly well for anxiety. It doesn't last more than a few hours, but also doesn't impair cognition in any noticeable way. Supposedly it works through the 5ht-1a receptor, dopamine receptors, and atch. I take it daily with alcar and citicholine and it works well enough that i could replace .25mg etizolam in the morning for anxiety as that was unsustainable and diminishing in effectiveness. I feel it has potential for anti-depressant affects too, at least in my experience. Daily aniracetam and 2-3x weekly noopept has really improved my mood/anxiety and at the same time focus, memory, and mental stamina. Nothing more i could ask for in an anxylotic really, if it was more effective in anxylosis it would be damn near perfect. Not everyone responds the same to it as i do though. Still it drastically reduces the need/dosage for traditional gabergics to help with anxiety imho, while not causing, and i think counteracting some of the mental impairment that comes along with alot of anxylotics.

Magnesium supplements can calm the nerves as well. Great for sore muscles, and a wound up mind after a long day at work. Taken before bedtime it can help with sleep as well.

I also used honokiol extract from magnolia bark for several months, and it did work rather well for anxiety. Its a gabergic (gaba-a) I think i may just revisit this one and magnolia bark extracts, kinda forgot about them until just now.

Lemon balm, more specifically the rosmarinic acid in it acts as a gaba-transaminase inhibitor, basically doing what maoi's do to monoamines, with gaba. The tea of fresh leaves of it tastes great, and i use it infrequently for stress/anxiety to keep tolerances for everything down. I'd say it has anti-depressant effects as well imho.

Kava is good, but i find its a bit more harsh on the body than other natural/less addictive alternatives to benzo's. I enjoy it on occasion, but it can be a bit too much an leave a nasty hangover if you over do it. At low doses though, its a mild anxylotic though. A bit too sedating for me personally. And its not good for your liver to consume daily or in large amounts imho/e.

Picamilion looks interesting, and I've always wanted to get around to trying it.
 
Great advice, thanks guys! aniracetam, picamilion and GABA sound good! Daytryptr, I forgot how relaxing lemon balm tea is. :)
 
My advice: green or black tea (hot preferably, and not too strong... relaxing if done nicely - green tea should be prepared like any other herb tea, avoid boiling water because it destroys the "good stuff"), mild sedative herbs like catnip, lemon balm, mint, chamomile, and so on (tea made with hot (NOT BOILING!) or fresh herbs eaten raw). Magnesium supplementation may help too.

Valerian root can be an OK sedative/anxiolytic too.

Hot showers and baths can do a lot for relaxing the body and mind - especially if you have some mineral bath salts to add to your soak. (not the fucking "bath salts" that are stimulanting - I mean Epsom salts). Mangesium is actually absorbed transdermally so just dump a few tablespoons of epsom salts (magnesium sulpahet) into your bath and have a good soak. You'll com out loose and limber and hopefully quite relaxed.

Try to get the right balance of sleep and activity. Physical excercise may help a lot if you are primarily chairbound most of your day.

If you eat a lot of junk food, or eat poorly (less/more often than you should, or lack of vegetables and fruits), dietary adjustments can help. Also be sure to take vitamin supplements, doubly so if you are a vegitarian/vegan.

I have heard rumours that buspirone (5-HT1a partial agonist among others) is sometimes Rx for General Anxiety Disorder. The literature reports it's fairly effective but I have hard everal people tell me it's shitty. But docs also rx are things like hydroxyzine that are essentlally just sedative-hypnotics for anxiety, so take that with a grain of salt. Corollary: try diphenhydramine or promethazine.

Kava Kava is a GABAergic like a mild version of alcohol/benzos - it would form dependency but nowhere as severe as benzos do.

GABA itself has only mild peripheral effects, but it's worth a try to see if it works for you. Picamilon & other true prodrugs may be more effective.

Ashwaganda has been found to be just as effective as lorazepam in rats - that may help too.

Another more obvious way to repair your problem is discoover what your stressors are and work to confront them.

Whatever you do stay off the benzos
 
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if you're gonna go the RX route i think baclofen is vastly preferable over all the first gen. antihistamines. they do very little for me, wheras baclofen produces a noticable anxiolysis, that still feels nothing like a benzo, and i'd venture so far as saying that baclofen has about no addiction potential, yet produces none of the negative side-effects i associatiate with shit like hydroxyzine and promethazine.
however, regular long(er) term use of baclofen will result in a withdrawal syndrome comparable to alcohol, benzos and GHB. i don't know how far tolerance is a problem (apparently tolerance doesn't build to its spasmolytic effects) but yeah.

i should probably add that it takes rather high (75-150mgs) doses of the stuff to notice anything at all.
 
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I've found Gabapenten to be a wonderful little Swiss Army Knife of a pill. Ive never found it to be addictive in anyway. It works for neuro pain, anxiety, depression, warms you up, I was able to take it as needed (though, I don't recommend this as I'm not a physician), it helped me gain a little weight and gave me a nice, fuzzy-but still clear headed feeling. I could sleep on it, it wasn't speedy, nor did it make me drowsy. I loved it, but after a few years of being on it, it made my gums recede as many ni-convulsants do. I stopped taking it because if that and my mouth returned to it regular pretty state because I guess I ceased using it quickly enough after noticing that. I've heard thy kava kava can be relaxing. I, personally found it too sedating so I never took it more than twice. Having said tar, I don't ave much knowledge or experience itch kava kava. Just be careful taking kava or valerian root with other drugs. Dangerous results can occur mixing them.
 
Doctors will tell you buspar or wellbutrin but really there is not one. Benzos of all kinds are the best for this. Just don't get carried away with it. I have been on xanax at a high dose 4 2mgs a day and detoxed with kolonipin quite painlessly.
BTW for real anxiety do you guys really think that these natural supps work?? I'm skeptical.
 
^Yes, and when you say "real" anxiety, it's downplaying other people's mental health conditions. I'm guessing you meant for severe anxiety, and yeah, supplements can still help, they may not solve the problem, but any anxiolysis is welcomed.
 
some great stuff to be going on with here. Hmm..."Real anxiety", haha. I suppose what you're referring to is different levels of anxiety. I can see that. Unfortunately I'm one of these people who's mental health problems have caused innumerable problems in life, but the scripts have too. One of those frustrating scenarios. I can't remember the last time I had a proper sleep but, do you know what - after 3 years prescribed zopiclone, I found 500mg spirulina an hour before bed to be more effective for me. How mad is that! One example of the many surprising and wonderful excursions into the natural world.
 
Doctors will tell you buspar or wellbutrin but really there is not one. .

Jeez Louise, Wellbutrin was like dirty speed for me. I'd be up at 4:00am on a work day combining fuckin bottles of shampoo together to "make room" while cleaning obsessively. I vacuumed the walls on that stuff. For me, it was as far away from an anti-anxiety medicine as one could get! My house looked amazing though. Ew, and Buspar...I was given that once with Serzone aka Nefazodone (both new meds, both started at the same time-bad idea, btw) and I hallucinated for about 8 hours straight. It was like the strongest LSD I ever had and one of the worst trips ever. When I worked in Pharmacy years ago, this combination wasn't known to be dangerous as they were both brand spanking new, however, I personally warned a few people about the combo. Some patients ignored my warning, as Im not a doctor and they later relayed to me that the same thing happened to them. I know you didn't say that combo, but my person opinion is to be totally suspicious of Buspirone aka Buspar at all costs. Again, I'm not a qualified doctor, just someone with some pretty strange luck. You know those "<2% of the population reported these symptoms..." kind of warnings? I'm that chick that's skewing it. I'm the 2%er of drugs.

See page 9. http://packageinserts.bms.com/pi/pi_buspar.pdf
 
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I think I saw Sekio mention lemonbalm. I've seen some studies that show it has some appreciable affinaty for GABA a receptors. I'll see if I can dig a link up.
 
What is a good dose of Ashwagandha to produce an anxiolytic effect?
 
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