ill better stay away from drugs and herbs and stick to cbt therapy.
CBT is good, but it is not a be all or end all. While these drugs and herbs will force certain physiological reactions and bring your immediate benefits, CBT will only work as far as your own will power can take you.
The longer you've had SA, the deeper those issues are in your mind. You can only replace consciously arising thoughts, but not those unconscious thoughts and habits. This is why despite years of therapy in CBT, many do not recover or improve in their condition. I would say to a large extent my problem thoughts are also unconscious.
For some of us this is not just as simple as behaviour modification, we are naturally more prone to anxiety, due to a more disturbed central nervous system or chemical imbalances. I think in some people SA can also be genetically inherited.
So you could supplement CBT with other things. There are alternative medical systems out there that can offer relief. The most popular is herbology or homoepathy.
The human body is bio-chemical, it already produces certain chemicals, but there maybe chemical imbalaces. These can artificially be altered with drugs and other substances. Such as antidepressants raise the level of serotonin in the brain. Other psychoactive substances can give us euphoric feelings, mental clarity, super-confidence and enhanced senses, unfortunately most of them are illegal and harmful to our body and can further foster dependency.
Prescription drugs are usually safer, but also have unpleasent effects on our body. This is when natural medicine can step in. There are many herbs and plants in the world that have medicinal and mood-enhancing properties, that have been tried and tested for hundreds, even thousands of years(particularly in Indian and Chinese medicine) and were used to combat an assortment of ailments.
A lot of these natural medicines are been used today and it has flourished into a multi-billion dollar industry, and they have very little side effects, no addictive effects and a lot of benefits. A lot of them have also undergone extensive clinical trials and positive results have been yielded. So they DO work and it is really is worth trying them. If you are going to get relief from your anxiety, you'd be silly not to.
The ones worth trying for SA, are:
Kava Kava:
This one is suppose to work within hours on you and make you much more social and less anxious. However, as pointed out, it does carry a lot of health warnings and can cause liver damage(probably depending on the dose and type of us) It's only drunk on special occasions in the pacific Islands by the natives, so perhaps it is not a drug that should be used for long-term use.
There have been clinical trials conducted on it, and if used mildy(as any drug should be used) no side effects are reported.
http://www.clarocet.com/referencelibrary/kava-kava/safety.htm
Can Kava Kava cause liver damage?
Recent news reports about Kava Kava have indicated that users of Kava Kava in Germany may have experienced liver damage as a result of taking this natural herb. Analysis of these reported cases shows that most, if not all, are more than likely a result of other factors, such as pre-existing conditions and not related to the intake of Kava. Furthermore, detailed review of nearly 10,000 patients involved in clinical trials, case studies and post-use surveys suggests that the side effects of mild to medium Kava use are rare, mild and transient, often occurring in less than 2% of users.
Donald P. Waller, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Illinois at Chicago recently performed an analysis of the five studies that reported Kava Kava's toxicity in the liver. In his report on Kava and liver damage, which was issued to the FDA in February of 2002, Waller concluded that there is "no clear evidence that the liver damage reported in the United States and Europe was caused by the consumption of kava." Dr. Waller goes on to state that in many of the cases, the development of liver problems could be explained by the concomitant use of alcohol or drugs that have the potential to damage the liver.
Taking mild to medium doses of Kava Kava should not cause any adverse side effects, for the exception of light drowsiness and mild gastrointestinal disturbances.
Does Kava interact negatively with prescription drugs like SSRI's or Benzodiazepines?
Kava Kava has an excellent safety profile and is generally well tolerated if you are currently taking prescription drugs for anxiety or depression related symptoms. If you are taking a prescription drug and are concerned about potential interactions with Kava, it is recommended that you speak with your primary care physician before taking this herb.
An alternative to Kava Kava are the famous Ayurvedic herbs Ashwaghanda(winter cherry) and Brami(Bacopa) these are much more extensively trialed and little to no side effects have been reported. They are suppose to be very potent and have definite effects on altering mood and relieving anxiety. Brahmi is used in particulary to sharpen cognitive function such as concentration, focussing and memory and was apparently administered to ancient Indian students to aid their study.
Ashwaghanda:
This is also know as the Indian Ginsing, and is suppose to much more potent.
http://www.clarocet.com/referencelibrary/ashwagandha-root/
Ayurveda, a holistic system of medicine originating from India. The root of this small, evergreen shrub is primarily recognized for its adaptogenic properties. An adaptogen is a physiological agent that naturally increases the body’s resistance to physical and emotional stress.
Practitioners of Ayurveda traditionally prescribe Winter Cherry to promote gentle relaxation and emotional balance. In clinical study, Winter Cherry has been shown to provide positive support for:
Occasional anxiety and panic
Mental and physical fatigue
Depressed mood caused by everyday stress
Mild to moderate mood changes
Cognitive functions such as memory and attention
Immune system response
Research has shown that Winter Cherry is a safe, natural sedative that produces the most noticeable benefits following extended periods use (two to six weeks).
This sounds like the most promising of the herbs.
Does camomile count? Well, i drink camomile tea, but can't say I notice much.
Camomile is just a mild relaxing herb. It's not very potent, so it's not suprising you can't notice much.
