Herbal medications Vs Doctor Prescribed Meds

[Mary]

I have tried Prozac (years back) and had a bad reaction to it and also went into a deep deppression after going off it. Now I'm wondering if maybe herbal meds are the way to go instead? For one thing, little or no side effects..compared to reg. meds that have a 2 page list..Yes you get rid of the anxiety but you get diarrhea and headaches and may throw up or flip out and go more nuts.. :lol: Just kidding. But seriously there are a LOT of side effects! Also herbal meds don't need a prescription, you just go and get it at the store or online. I know medication may not be a permanent solution but it can be a temporary or "emergency" one. For example out of town relatives..lol!
What does everyone think about it? Is herbal better than prescribed "harder core" meds? And has anyone tried both? Not at once of course! LOL :wink:

 

[cLavain]

Well, herbal medicine sometimes have a small effect, but those herbs with really noticable effects are usually not legal and/or hard to get! Or maybe someone can recommmend something worthwhile? I'm don't think I can notice the effect of camomile, for instance.

As for prescription meds, then yes, they often do have a noticable effect, but usually comes with undesirable side effects as you say, often sexual! :lol: If you can keep it "natural" then it's probably best.

On the other hand, it's important to be sceptical about claims made by alternative medicine folks, they do have a product to sell, and it's often rubbish. :wink:

 

[Quixote]

Yes I'm afraid there really is a direct relation between the strenght of the desiderable effects, and that of the negative side effects. Everything comes at a price, unfortunately.

But in some cases, when you just need a little temporary help and not a cure, herbal stuff might work. Just go for known products and avoid those "miracle remedies" based on oddly named herbs, that are sometimes seen around.

Maybe even camomille works in high concentrations

 

[cLavain]

Maybe even camomille works in high concentrations

Another victim of camomille abuse...so sad... :lol:

 

[Quixote]

Quixote wrote:
Maybe even camomille works in high concentrations Smile

Another victim of camomille abuse...so sad... Sad

Oh I'm careful not to overdose. Just a few milliliters in my left arm's vein and I'm all set

 

[Mary]

O.k. guys cool it with the chamomile.. :lol: I am going to try that Serenity pill tooker mentioned on his post: A herbal supplement that has done me wonders, I think I read on their site that it started working within 10 days or so..and is all natural I believe. They are having a promotion right now on it where you can get it for only paying the shipping. The site is www.feelserenity.com
:wink:

 

[IceLad]

The key advantage for me with herbal remedies is that you don't need a perscription. That's why I've tried endless herbal remedies, yet only 2 perscribed medications. I just find facing the doctor so bad.

 

[garnet]

Anyone tried the Bach herbal remedies? They have a wee pocket-sized spray and you just spray it twice on your tongue when you feel nervous. They just have extracts of flowers and stuff so they aren't harmful if you need more than a few applications.

Camomile tea is gross...or maybe I'm not making it right? :lol:

 

[corrinaelizabeth]

i tried the herbal bach remedies but it tasted awful lol and didnt help me at all waste of money i would say 2 b honest

 

[Mary]

*chamomile tea is gross..or maybe I'm not making it right? :lol: quote.

LOL :lol: I put a lot of honey in it when I make it.. :lol: Anyway I just ordered the Serenity thing and hopefully it will work well enough and soon, I have to go see the inlaws again! :wink:

 

[garnet]

great stuff - honey should make it a bit more bearable!

:?: Anyone know of any good books on overcoming SA? I have only recently figured out that I have SA and would appreciate a bit of advice on good books or techniques they use.

 

[IceLad]

'Painfully Shy' is the best book I've read. There's also 'Overcoming Social Anxiety and Shyness' which is not bad. :?

 

[Septor]

I would recomend The Highly Sensitive Person from Elaine N. Aron.

 

[garnet]

Thanks you guys.

Local bookshop is going to earn a small fortune from me this weekend!

:?: Do any of you have any useful breathing techniques or visualisation techniques? I have read bits and pieces about visualisation but I just feel a bit silly doing it and deep down I don't think it will be any good. Any thoughts?

 

[Luckiecharm]

Please let us know how that Serenity stuff works out. For 'emergencies' like Christmas with the family (yikes!) I take Quiet Life. They've got Motherwort; Valerian; Hops and Passiflora. They're a little bit more effective than camomile but 100% natural.

 

[Mary]

Yes luckiecharm, I will let everyone know how the Serenity works..right now I am still waiting for my order to arrive and then its supposed to take like 10 days to a couple of weeks to kick in. But I'm still waiting.. :wink:

 

[young]

I was on different meds at different times. each one making it worse and worse. Until the last med I was on caused a huge downward spiral. That I'm still trying to climb up out of. Right now I have a prescribed tranquilizer that I take on an as needed basis. Like once every three to 4 weeks. So that's nice. It helps and it's good to know that it's there when I need it. But I'm trying not to become dependant on it. I've also done some herbal teas. Peppermint and Chamomile. I think someone said that it did nothing for their anxiety. You do know that Chamomile is an antispasmatic. It's really for your stomach not your anxiety. I've heard good success with St Johns Wort. But I also hear it can be addictive and excess amounts of it can be very bad for you.

But when it comes to meds and natural stuff you should try and get as much information that you can for it. Google it until your head explodes. The more youk now the better you are. And everything works different for each individual. What works for one, may make you worse.

 

[Mary]

I just wanted to tell everyone that I know I said I would come back and tell how the Serenity pill worked but now that I am pregnant I don't think I will be able to take it! 8O So I'm sorry about that..but its like the old saying goes, "do you want to make God laugh?" Then tell him YOUR plans for your life.." :lol: :wink:

 

[Chrysta]

I took some herbal stuff... ( it was a long time ago so I don't remember what it was) and it didn't do anything at all for me. I also took something that I found on the internet that said it helped 90% percent of the people that took it. Well that didn't work either. Then I went on Paxil and that didn't work to well.. a little but not much. Now I am on Lexapro.. which works for me very well.

So overall I would say prescribed medications would work better.

 

[tecknohed]

I've probably tried most herbal alternatives for anxiety and depression and can say one things for deffinite: I wasted a fortune!

I think only 2 did anything for me - St John's Wort & Korean Ginseng. St John's Wort was an excellent anti-deppressant, for a short while (@ 8 weeks). But you need to buy the correct stuff and take the right dose, which can work out very expensive.

And dont completely rule out taking hebal remedies with conventional meds. If you find an SSRI is really helping your SP but you cann't take the somnilence/drowsiness, try adding Korean Ginseng. Again, you need a good quality brand. I found it really helped, unfortunitely SSRIs didn't do nothing for my SP.

I've found no herbs that help SP directly, and the ones that have a calming effect can simply make things worse by slowing down the mind and making things like brain-fog worse. And if you have a tendency towards depression then stay away from formulas containing Hops which is a particularly strong depressant, long known to cause melancholy.