The Anxiety Merry-Go-Round

[quincy]

I have seen threads on this topic before but thought I would bring it up once more for feedback.

Just prior to my dx I was taking the xanax I had sitting in my medicine cabinet more often than I preferred.

It was just a small dose but by the time I was told I had Celiac I had to take it every day but found it backfired on me by the next morning.

I would wake up with the worst dizziness and brain fog. I was told to stop using my very small dose of xanax and was given Klonapin instead!!! But that does the same thing to me... oy. don't doctors have anything else in their arsenal for us Celiac sufferers?

has anyone gotten stuck on this merry go round? the smallest dose makes me drowsy and the hangover is horrible. feels like I am walking on a rocking boat which lasts most of the morning and afternoon. you have to take more to get over the rebound hangover and that is not good at all, or tolerable.

I wish there was something better, even a natural supplement to control the bouts of anxiety until my gut heals. I would venture to say I am very low on seratonin but cannot tolerate the SSRI's

any comments advice please post!!

[Looking for answers]

SAMe and St. John's Wort are both effective for anxiety issues and are natural. SAMe is even beneficial for the liver as an added bonus. Oh, and check out 5-HTP.

Also because you're unlikely to be absorbing nutrients with a damaged intensinal track, I would suggest liquid vitamins and sublingal vitamin B to ensure you have the right balance of vitamins and minerals to regulate your biochemistry/anxiety.

[Skylark]

Ugh. I know more about anxiety than I'd like from personal experience. So sorry to hear you're going through it too.

Someone who can't tolerate SSRIs should not take St. John's Wort. 5-HTP may be helpful, but it's more antidepressant than anxiolytic.

I'd strongly recommend you look into inositol and fish oil. Inositol works wonderfully for anxiety in some people and fish oil is helpful for pretty much all psychiatric disorders. You may also be B-vitamin deficient from malabsorption, which doesn't do good things for the mind and body. A high quality B-complex supplement may help as well.

As far as prescriptions, you might ask your doctor about Buspar.

[conniebky]

Ugh. I know more about anxiety than I'd like from personal experience. So sorry to hear you're going through it too.

Someone who can't tolerate SSRIs should not take St. John's Wort. 5-HTP may be helpful, but it's more antidepressant than anxiolytic.

I'd strongly recommend you look into inositol and fish oil. Inositol works wonderfully for anxiety in some people and fish oil is helpful for pretty much all psychiatric disorders. You may also be B-vitamin deficient from malabsorption, which doesn't do good things for the mind and body. A high quality B-complex supplement may help as well.

As far as prescriptions, you might ask your doctor about Buspar.

[conniebky]

I know exactly what you mean, Quincy. I have had a bottle of valium in my purse for years. I get 100 at a time, rx'd for 3-4 daily, PRN, so I don't know the math, but the bottle I have right now I've had for EVER and I haven't put a dent in it until recently.

When I feel that feeling coming over me, the dizzy, fuzzy, pukey feeling, I'll take a half for a fourth. However, I have noticed this last (bad) week that I've been having that I have been taking more, like I can tell when it wears off, and you are right when you said you feel like you're on a rocking boat, like the floor moves under you, I know exactly what you mean. Take some more, that feeling stops. I talked to my dr about this also, because I have a person that I know that was making six figures a year, got addicted to rx drugs and is now on disability, has gained 200 pounds and is a mess. So I'm scared of that, so if there is something else, it would be good.

I take fish oil, but when I have to be at work and have to be on my toes, friendly with other people and try to hide how awful I feel, it helps. Don't get me wrong, I take at most one a day, in little pieces at a time, but I think those kind of drugs are dangerous. I think they are addictive because of the wear off effect is so awful, not because the person taking them is just having fun and being chilled out and happy all day. I think they are not good drugs and they are doled out far too often.

[knittingmonkey]

I wish there was something better, even a natural supplement to control the bouts of anxiety until my gut heals...

any comments advice please post!!

Your replies are full of advice for nutritional supplements, and I'm inclined to agree that they would be very suitable for your situtaion. However, which one(s) should you take? One can't answer that definitively without knowing more about you. I can tell you that I had great success with supplements after reading Julia Ross's book: The Mood Cure. She really takes you through a process of sorting out your symptoms and feelings and leaves you knowing what you need to get better. She's very sensible, and has a very successful recovery clinic.

Good Luck!

[ravenwoodglass]

I have seen threads on this topic before but thought I would bring it up once more for feedback.

Just prior to my dx I was taking the xanax I had sitting in my medicine cabinet more often than I preferred.

It was just a small dose but by the time I was told I had Celiac I had to take it every day but found it backfired on me by the next morning.

I would wake up with the worst dizziness and brain fog. I was told to stop using my very small dose of xanax and was given Klonapin instead!!! But that does the same thing to me... oy. don't doctors have anything else in their arsenal for us Celiac sufferers?

has anyone gotten stuck on this merry go round? the smallest dose makes me drowsy and the hangover is horrible. feels like I am walking on a rocking boat which lasts most of the morning and afternoon. you have to take more to get over the rebound hangover and that is not good at all, or tolerable.

I wish there was something better, even a natural supplement to control the bouts of anxiety until my gut heals. I would venture to say I am very low on seratonin but cannot tolerate the SSRI's

any comments advice please post!!

Name brand Xanax is not gluten free. However alprazolam, the generic form can be found gluten-free. I have PTSD and have been on it now for over a year and a half with great success. I have my pharmacist check it at each refill. I now only take 1/2 or 1/4 tab unless I have a excaberation where I need more. The med and a good psychologist and psychiatrist have helped a great deal. I don't tolerate the SSRI's either, they actually make me worse. So do antidepressants. I am now able to lead a pretty much normal life after I bottomed out to the point where I couldn't even go into my own yard.

[quincy]

Name brand Xanax is not gluten free. However alprazolam, the generic form can be found gluten-free. I have PTSD and have been on it now for over a year and a half with great success. I have my pharmacist check it at each refill. I now only take 1/2 or 1/4 tab unless I have a excaberation where I need more. The med and a good psychologist and psychiatrist have helped a great deal. I don't tolerate the SSRI's either, they actually make me worse. So do antidepressants. I am now able to lead a pretty much normal life after I bottomed out to the point where I couldn't even go into my own yard.

thanks for the feedback. I am still waiting for my lab work to come back for iron, copper, and vitamins. I know for sure that my D is quite low and am taking 50,000 IUs for that.

the dizzy feeling has returned after going away for a few weeks. the anxiety is almost unbearable but I refuse to take benzodiazopenes anymore, they have a terrible after effect.

I am looking into the different remedies everyone has mentioned. Thank you!

[StacyA]

Look into magnesium supplements - 'nature's tranquilizer' - it's a smooth muscle relaxer - not that you get an immediate effect like with a benzo. It can be added to your daily routine.

You can also try Valerian Root as needed - I have Spring Valley brand that states it is gluten free - but the first few times you try it be at home for the evening just in case it makes you drowsy (it doesn't make me drowsy if I use it - but it has that potential - it's supposedly more potent as tea than in pill form).

Also never underestimate the benefits of plain old multivitamins for anxiety management.

[Skylark]

Go easy on Valerian and Kava. Both are hard on the liver. It is unwise to use Valerian daily. Passion flower (P. incarnata) leaf and root extract is another anxiolytic but I don't know much about safety. The fish oil and inositol I mentioned are considerably safer than herbals.

[quincy]

Go easy on Valerian and Kava. Both are hard on the liver. It is unwise to use Valerian daily. Passion flower (P. incarnata) leaf and root extract is another anxiolytic but I don't know much about safety. The fish oil and inositol I mentioned are considerably safer than herbals.

for some reason i have been unable to tolerate fish oil, though I used to be able to with no problem. I am hoping that it wont give me D in the future so I can get my HDL's back up again.

I will try the b vitamin group which I believe is where inositol comes from ?

[Skylark]

No, inosital is sugar. It used to be considered a B vitamin but that was before it was discovered that the body can make it. It is not generally included in B vitamin supplements. There are a number of old psychiatric studies using 12-18g a day of inositol supplementation that showed significant effects on anxiety, panic disorder, OCD, and depression. 12g a day is the generally recommended amount but I'm not a doctor so you should do some research and determine what you personally feel is safe.

Also, I believe there are algal DHA supplements available if you can't tolerate fish oil.

[StacyA]

Go easy on Valerian and Kava. Both are hard on the liver.

There is a warning issued in the U.S. against Kava Kava because of liver damage - so it should be avoided altogether. I haven't seen the same warnings about Valerian, unless there's been new data.

[VioletBlue]

The FDA Kava Kava warning was based on spotty data at best and is laughable when compared with the FDA's treatment of acetaminophen. Kava Kava has a long history of safe use with few truly well documented cases of liver damage: Open Original Shared Link

By contrast acetaminophen is well documented as a cause of liver failure but the FDA has never said a word about it nor issued a warning. Tylenol is freely available thanks to Big Pharma and their friends at the FDA no matter how many people it kills each year. Acetaminophen is the leading cause of substance induced liver failure.

I have used Kava Kava in the past for anxiety. It is effective to a degree for me though thanks to the FDA it is hard to find in it's pure form; it is usually found now as an add on in natural anxiety relieving compounds.

Also keep in mind that some SSRi's were not designed or intended to be used sporadically. Many of them do have an adjustment period of a week or two while the brain becomes used to the changes in serotonin levels. So you need to ask your doctor if sporadic use is best or if you should be taking it every day and allowing your brain chemistry to become acclimated. The side effects usually go away after a week or two of constant use.

There is a warning issued in the U.S. against Kava Kava because of liver damage - so it should be avoided altogether. I haven't seen the same warnings about Valerian, unless there's been new data.

[Skylark]

There is a warning issued in the U.S. against Kava Kava because of liver damage - so it should be avoided altogether. I haven't seen the same warnings about Valerian, unless there's been new data.

It's just like what VioletBlue is saying with Kava. Valerian has a long history of safe use with occasional, low doses. My understanding with Kava is that some non-traditional drugstore preparations were causing problems, particularly if parts of the plant other than the root were included. Also, people tend to think that is some is good, more is better and that causes problems with herbs. (Medicines too!)

There is a series of case studies on Pubmed of people with acute hepatoxicity after using high doses of valerian for extended periods of time. It is probably most worrisome in people with liver damage.

"Liver damage warning with insomnia remedy"

Open Original Shared Link

I just don't like to talk about herbal remedies as if they are completely safe. A lot of people think "natural" means safe and that's very misleading.

Excellent point about acetominophen. It's probably more toxic than either kava or valerian.

[ravenwoodglass]

It's just like what VioletBlue is saying with Kava. Valerian has a long history of safe use with occasional, low doses. My understanding with Kava is that some non-traditional drugstore preparations were causing problems, particularly if parts of the plant other than the root were included. Also, people tend to think that is some is good, more is better and that causes problems with herbs. (Medicines too!)

There is a series of case studies on Pubmed of people with acute hepatoxicity after using high doses of valerian for extended periods of time. It is probably most worrisome in people with liver damage.

"Liver damage warning with insomnia remedy"

Open Original Shared Link

I just don't like to talk about herbal remedies as if they are completely safe. A lot of people think "natural" means safe and that's very misleading.

Excellent point about acetominophen. It's probably more toxic than either kava or valerian.

What I bolded is important for us. Celiac can cause liver issues, especially when we are still getting gluten. Many script drugs do also so doctors will routinely run liver panels before prescribing those drugs. If you are taking an herbal preperation do have your liver panels run and if those are off choose a different drug/herbal rememdy.