Mental Health tryng to get rid of this anxiety for good is this a good stack

[alteredstatez]

I am currently prescribed klonopin 2 mg a day
my stack consists of l-theanine , kava extract , magnolia bark extract , rholdia ,I also take selank its anti-anxiety
Is there any other supplements i could add the herbs and nootropics are weak in ridding my anxiety

 

[Mysterie]

how long are you planning on taking k-pins?

for life?

also the only person who is free of the sensations of anxiety is a cadaver

 

[herbavore]

^I have to agree with mysterie that anxiety is a part of being human. Excessive anxiety can be debilitating but there are ways to change your relationship with it that will work better than any substance whether it is 'natural' or not. Mindfulness, meditation and CBT are all very effective for dealing with the habit of anxiety. It really is a thought habit. That's why it is so hard to change--because we love the familiarity of our habits even when they are self-destructive. Fear of the unknown is usually more intense than fear of the known.

Using non-drug methods to change your thinking (worried thoughts) is the most empowering thing you will ever do. It isn't instant and it takes patience and persistence but those aren't bad traits to develop either.

 

[SixBuckets]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking medication for life if it makes you functional and you are making an informed choice with knowledge of potential side effects.

There is also nothing wrong with choosing a medication free path if that's what you want and if you have sufficient support in non-pharmaceutical alternatives.

Don't listen to anyone who tries to tell you there's only one true way.

I'm afraid I can't suggest any non-pharmaceutical options, though. Good luck - anxiety is a monster.

 

[Mycophile]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking medication for life if it makes you functional and you are making an informed choice with knowledge of potential side effects.

There is also nothing wrong with choosing a medication free path if that's what you want and if you have sufficient support in non-pharmaceutical alternatives.

Don't listen to anyone who tries to tell you there's only one true way.

I'm afraid I can't suggest any non-pharmaceutical options, though. Good luck - anxiety is a monster.

I agree 100%.

Everyone wants to always say that it's always the right thing to not be on a medication for life because medications have side effects but you know what?

Crippling panic, anxiety and depression have side effects as well, some of which can make your life almost not worth living depending on your situation.

IF you can deal with your problems with a less addictive medication or for a shorter period of time than that's PROBABLY preferable but if you are comfortable with needing a medication for life, even a highly addictive one, then no one should try to tell you otherwise.

I was on Klonopin for 11 years and it helped me more than anyone knows and I still got off of it with ZERO withdrawal symptoms so it's not always as bad as everyone thinks or as difficult to get off of as some say, but everyone is different and some people get bad withdrawal so don't take my word for it.

 

[rolodex propaganda]

Benzos will only make anxiety worse in the long term as your brain adjusts

 

[Mycophile]

Benzos will only make anxiety worse in the long term as your brain adjusts

Not always true.

11 years on Klonopin and it didn't happen to me.

I'd say my anxiety now isn't as bad as it was when I first started it, though it's still not as good as I'd like it to be either.

 

[Mycophile]

how long are you planning on taking k-pins?

for life?

also the only person who is free of the sensations of anxiety is a cadaver

There is a difference between "being free of anxiety" though and having the kind of anxiety some people have.

If you have a panic attack everytime you leave your house or go out to a restaurant that isn't "normal" anxiety, and that is the kind of person who often needs medication.

 

[SixBuckets]

Benzos will only make anxiety worse in the long term as your brain adjusts

I've been managing a Valium script for twelve years. I take it 'as needed' and usually go through one bottle of 50 in approximately a year. My tolerance hasn't increased and my anxiety has massively improved, rather than getting worse.

 

[brink]

Would not recommend taking herbs and extracts as a daily stack due to liver loads. Natural isn't necessarily better, safer, or more healthy.

Yeah, try to position your life around things you love which are sustainable. Even having "a lot of nice things" can be become cause for anxiety. Responsibilities add up.

 

[herbavore]

I've been managing a Valium script for twelve years. I take it 'as needed' and usually go through one bottle of 50 in approximately a year. My tolerance hasn't increased and my anxiety has massively improved, rather than getting worse.

But this is not how most people on here use them. 50 pills in a year means that you are not building tolerance and you are using them in a very sparing and as-needed manner. I have nothing against medication used when it is truly helpful/needed. What I am opposed to is the first line of treatment mentality when there are so many effective therapeutic approaches that do not involve drugs. We live in a culture that pushes every drug from sugar to opiates on us for every single discomfort we feel, every pain no matter how temporary and every natural human emotion or rhythm (tired? have a Red Bull, can't sleep? take a pill). As a sufferer of pretty heavy duty anxiety including panic attacks I can honestly say that non-drug interventions have helped me more than anything else. Not instantly and not without hard work but the changes I have been able to make in the mind I came into this world with have shown me that changes in my own thought process is a true game-changer.

If I sound dogmatic, I don't mean to be. Everyone has their own unique journey to take with themselves. I don't begrudge anyone the decisions they make for their own health and well-being. I do think it is important to counter the over-emphasis on drugs in our culture but this should never mean outright rejecting them in every situation or for any individual.

 

[SixBuckets]

But this is not how most people on here use them. 50 pills in a year means that you are not building tolerance and you are using them in a very sparing and as-needed manner. I have nothing against medication used when it is truly helpful/needed. What I am opposed to is the first line of treatment mentality when there are so many effective therapeutic approaches that do not involve drugs. We live in a culture that pushes every drug from sugar to opiates on us for every single discomfort we feel, every pain no matter how temporary and every natural human emotion or rhythm (tired? have a Red Bull, can't sleep? take a pill). As a sufferer of pretty heavy duty anxiety including panic attacks I can honestly say that non-drug interventions have helped me more than anything else. Not instantly and not without hard work but the changes I have been able to make in the mind I came into this world with have shown me that changes in my own thought process is a true game-changer.

If I sound dogmatic, I don't mean to be. Everyone has their own unique journey to take with themselves. I don't begrudge anyone the decisions they make for their own health and well-being. I do think it is important to counter the over-emphasis on drugs in our culture but this should never mean outright rejecting them in every situation or for any individual.

Thanks for responding. That makes sense, and I'm glad you've found anxiety management responses that work for you. It's genuinely great that some people can manage anxiety without pharmaceutical intervention. The bit where my hackles raise is when those people start telling other people that that's the 'best' way to do things, when the person they're talking to may be literally unable to leave their house, or hold down a job, or have a conversation with anyone outside their immediately family. As you know, panic attacks are indescribably terrifying, and I really hate seeing people tell other people that they should just suffer through that agony until the 'talk therapy' kicks in.

If you're not one of those people, great! Everyone should make their own informed choices about how to manage their mental health and the more information they're given the better.

I'm also aware that most people on here don't use benzos the way I use benzos. I try not to swear at them for making it harder for people like me to access our legitimately needed medication.

 

[engineercchad]

I took klonopin for 20 years, along with xanax, valium, etc. etc.

Phenibut works reasonably well and so does pacimilon, bacoupa. If you've been taking it for several years, you'll want to look towards GABAergics to help alleviate the pain during the transition (or, if you have a doctor graceful enough to allow a sensible time for removing it, unlike some of us.... ). Some natural ones (from nature, unlike the phenibut and pacimilon) are valerian, kava kava, skullcap... there's a few others. Depending on your climate where you live, natural comes with the advantage of the ability to "grow your own!"

 

[Mysterie]

i think its worthwhile for me to ask questions as a devils advocate on a forum that is really happy to take any drug for any problem someone might have.

OP hasn't clarified how severe his anxiety is, or whether he can leave his house or not, so i'm not the only one making assumptions

 

[Mycophile]

i think its worthwhile for me to ask questions as a devils advocate on a forum that is really happy to take any drug for any problem someone might have.

OP hasn't clarified how severe his anxiety is, or whether he can leave his house or not, so i'm not the only one making assumptions

Yes I understand what you are saying, and I'm also not making completely bold assumptions, I just come from the experience of everyone telling me or others not to use any kind of addictive substances or benzos for anxiety when they can be very helpful at times if used properly.

 

[SixBuckets]

i think its worthwhile for me to ask questions as a devils advocate on a forum that is really happy to take any drug for any problem someone might have.

OP hasn't clarified how severe his anxiety is, or whether he can leave his house or not, so i'm not the only one making assumptions

Is this directed at me? I haven't made any assumptions and I don't think I said anyone else was. I'm of the opinion that no one but an individual and their mental health team can decide whether medications are the way to go. My objection is to "one true way" advocates.

For the record, I've never met anyone with an anxiety condition who describes it as "mild", even if an outside assesses their symptoms as not being as severe as someone else's.

 

[Mysterie]

im not a fundamentalist when it comes to rejecting all medication, i don't really think that daily use of benzodiazepines (for extended periods of time) is a suitable treatment plan for MOST people with anxiety disorders, my perception of treatment is something that helps someone to get better. thats my opinion.

i dont have a lot of faith in western medicine when it comes to psychological disorders, a lot of mental health diagnosis and medication come across as clap-trap to me. obviously there is a good stuff coming out of psychopharmacology in relation to depression/anxiety, its mostly novel treatments though

i have mild anxiety, it used to be worse, but as i get older i learn way to cope with it better.

 

[SixBuckets]

im not a fundamentalist when it comes to rejecting all medication, i don't really think that daily use of benzodiazepines (for extended periods of time) is a suitable treatment plan for MOST people with anxiety disorders, my perception of treatment is something that helps someone to get better. thats my opinion.

I agree that daily usage of benzos is not the best treatment path for most people, but they can be a useful tool in a treatment plan. Unfortunately, when it comes to a lot of mental illness, 'treatment' consists of symptom management and coping techniques, because we don't have a cure.

i dont have a lot of faith in western medicine when it comes to psychological disorders, a lot of mental health diagnosis and medication come across as clap-trap to me. obviously there is a good stuff coming out of psychopharmacology in relation to depression/anxiety, its mostly novel treatments though

It's an evolving field. Most of the work being done at the moment is in newer branches of the pharmaceutical tree - a lot of the old treatments haven't had any further work done on them in decades.

I'm a pretty strong believer in the medical model, as pharmacological treatment works very well for me, but I recognise that it doesn't work that well for everyone. I'm a big believer in treating mental illness symptomatically, though, not through by-the-book diagnostic prescription.

i have mild anxiety, it used to be worse, but as i get older i learn way to cope with it better.

That's completely excellent. Good for you. "Coping with it" is completely out of reach for a lot of people.