Completely eliminated my severe anxiety symptoms with three supplements!

[Wayne]

Hi @Hip,

My best guess is that generalised anxiety disorder is probably as difficult to treat as severe tinnitus/hyperacusis. For those with severe tinnitus, calling it "ringing in the ears" vastly understates the true dimensions of what it is, and how it can lead to intense despair and suicidal ideation.

My own take on a variety of severe conditions, whether tinnitus, ME/CFS, generalised anxiety disorder, etc., is that it's highly unlikely there's ever going to be a single silver bullet to effectively treat it. -- More than like it's going to require a large number of non-silver bullet approaches that complement each other to eventually give a a modicum of relief. That's what I had in mind when I suggested the Tone Pacer Pro might be helpful in that regard.

 

[Gmorl69]

Update
I’ve stopped the gabapentin and the mini shaking type fits when falling asleep have gone
I have switched back to pregabalin (lyrics) temporarily. These cause a numbing and unpleasant affect and mushy headaches.
I’m only using 50mg at night.
But I’m very sensitive to these.
Plan is to slowly reduce and stop.
I might try lyrica CR (at lowest dose 80mg) (extended release lyrica which may stop the withdrawal issue that occurs the next day)
I’ll most likely try 25mg lyrics tonight.

I was off the lyrica or any Gabapentinoids for six months this year but was eventually unable to function due to the stress and anxiety levels.
Still looking for a solution.
As far as the gut health I’m going to try

Bacillus Coagulans Probiotics

This is said to be the only bacteria strain that can survive the stomach acid.
Also as you mentioned
Bimuno Daily Prebiotic

These two ideas (I think bimuno is similar to to the sun fibre) are ingredients of gundry MD’s biocomplete 3 latest formulation on sale. his last formulation ‘total restore’ had NAG and l-glutimine but at amounts too small to do anything.
Has also butyrate in the biocomplete 3 capsules that is designed to survive down to intestines and repair holes in gut lining.
There’s a video that interesting here

He comes up with some good ideas but they don’t ever prove out to be effective.

I’ll try the 3 ingredients separately and get from other sources

thanks for your endeavours on the anxiety front
I’ve got some KAVA ordered but it’s only the NOW brand off iHerb app
If you can suggest a good type it would be very useful
THANKS
GregM

HI HIP,
Thanks for sending the Kava supplier and type,
This is on my list as soon as funds become available. Just to update you, on restarting the pregabalin at 50mg at night (very low dose), I experience the fits (myoclonus) only short shaking fit of 1-2 seconds. Also horrendous stomoch gargling and stomoch upset so it appears my body has totally rejected these gabernergic type medications now. ( including Gabapentin).
I’ve gone back onto the mirtazapine for slight anxiety relief at 7.5-10mg at night. This is a rare antidepressant that helps without the seratonin over stimulation I’ve got from all the others I’ve tried especially SSRI and SNRI’s.
The mirtazapine seems to harden you up a bit or helps strengthen your boundary’s so external circumstances effect you less or you can shrug them off a bit better.
It helps me cope better with the stress and anxiety but is not ideal.
I’m coming to the conclusion more and more my issue is with a gaba/glutimate imbalance or over stimulation of the NMDA receptors.
As you’ve explained raising Gaba will reduce the glutimate like a see saw effect.
Which may explain why the pregabalin was so effective initially 3or 4 years ago.
The one supplement I’ve found that seems to be hitting the target although weakly is the NAC. Which I believe reduces the glutimate.
I’ve yet to add taurine to this which I’ll start tomorrow.
As I might have mentioned I used to have a dependency on alcohol for many years (I was most likely self medicating with it for the anxiety)
I managed to stop it about 4 years ago with the help of AA. But I believe I was only sucessful because I began taking the pregabalin at that time. Without this I think my chances of stopping would have been scant.
Another point I might not have mentioned is I’ve got a very high intake of nicotine. Where my alcohol consumption was low by comparison to. My nicotine level would be on a par with some of the AAers drinking.
When I was smoking I was able to go through 100-200 roleups per day. I now vape and no longer smoke tobacco, but my intake of nicotine is just the same. I would consider myself a nicotine addict and a servere one.
I have always questioned if this high nicotine intake (approx equivelent of 200mg per day) has some bearing on my mental health issues but I’ve never been able to stop due to the severity of the withdrawals.
I recently came across an article of a heavy smoker who was put onto Acamprosate for Titinus and naturally stopped smoking after a few months.
He has a website so that other may find this as a help for them to quit smoking.
The Acamprosate is used mainly for people with alcohol dependency who have already stop drinking and it’s suppose to balance up the neurotransmitter and help with staying free from relapse of drinking.
It is suppose to stimulate Gaba receptors sensitivity and reduce the glutimate and NMDA excitation. ( in a similar way for the NMDA blocking effect of memantine plus some gaba affect too)
Where nicotine is said to do the opersites.
Therefore I’m quite interested in it from a double perspective or even triple and think it may help reduce anxiety.
Here are some more details of above attached.
His website is https://www.campralquitsmoking.com/
I strongly believe I can find a solution to my anxiety issue. A couple of months ago (when I had been off the pregabalin for 4 months I became so anxious and stressed GAD I was no longer able to carry out even the most basic duties and resorted to drinking for one day. Then I realised this wasn’t going to get any better on its own and restarted on mirtazapine and lyrica. The next few days were perfect ( just like a perfect day) .I was a normal person again and imagined this is what it’s like for other. If I could remain like this anything would be possible and I would cirtainly be able to be much more productive and achieve more.
Unfortunately the lyrica rebounded very quickly feeling hyper stressed after it had worn off so was having to take more and more and often.
Im interested in the Acamprosate and wondered if you have any ideas about it or if you have ever tried it.
Thanks
Greg Morl

 

[Gmorl69]

Hi @Hip,

My best guess is that generalised anxiety disorder is probably as difficult to treat as severe tinnitus/hyperacusis. For those with severe tinnitus, calling it "ringing in the ears" vastly understates the true dimensions of what it is, and how it can lead to intense despair and suicidal ideation.

My own take on a variety of severe conditions, whether tinnitus, ME/CFS, generalised anxiety disorder, etc., is that it's highly unlikely there's ever going to be a single silver bullet to effectively treat it. -- More than like it's going to require a large number of non-silver bullet approaches that complement each other to eventually give a a modicum of relief. That's what I had in mind when I suggested the Tone Pacer Pro might be helpful in that regard.

I’ve heard Acamprosate can help titinus

 

[zuperhero]

@Mary -- I just ran across a technique I discovered many years ago, and had completely forgotten about. I just tried it again, and I'm able to notice a very noticeable calming effect almost immediately. It made me wonder if you or others would find it helpful for anxiety and/or sleep. It's basically touching your thumb with your middle finger on both hands, and then interlocking them as shown below.

View attachment 48044

thanks, im cured from cfs

but seriously
@Gmorl69 if you have problems with histamine be careful with Bacillus coagulans it might increase level of it

 

[Gmorl69]

I have not really done enough experimentation with different types of kava to know which might be the best for anxiety. There are many different kava chemotypes, detailed in this post.

I get reasonable calming results from the Borongoru kava and also the Pouni Ono kava I bought from Kalm With Kava. But whether there might be better chemotypes for anxiety, I do not know.

Note: if you want to take kava orally as powder, you need the micronised form.

Note: not all US suppliers will ship to the UK, since selling kava is illegal here.

HI HIP,
I tried to order the KWK (kalm with Kava) but it not delivered to UK from what I can see.
It’s very hard to get at moment.
Do you know where I can order it from
Or if your in UK where are you presently obtaining it from
I’ve been taking kava NOW capsules I got off iherb but their very low potency but I’ve had no issues with it and it working in the correct way for me.
Thanks for all your help
Greg M

 

[Hip]

Do you know where I can order it from

I have not ordered kava for some years, so I do not know if there is anyone who still ships to the UK. Kava is illegal here in the UK, so the only way to buy it is to order from a country where it is legal. So you may have to email some suppliers and ask if they can ship to the UK.

 

[Mary]

@Hip - I wanted to let you know I've experimented with NAG for sleep, and it's been helping me! I took too much initially - I was pretty cavalier, treating it like some other amino acids I've taken where if I take a couple they don't affect me too strongly. I forget the dose I started out with, 2 a night? Anyways, I took too much and combined with some of the other things I take for sleep, I was left feeling tired and drugged all day so I stopped it.

But I've restarted, cautiously, taking one 750 mg capsule in the middle of the night, and it's helping. I am so glad you posted about this! I've also started taking a CBD product called Delta 8. I'm in Texas now and THC and medical marijuana are not allowed and the Delta 8 is supposed to be the closest thing to THC. Anyways, I like it better than THC products I used in California, and it's helping (calms me but doesn't make me high) and the NAG and the pose described in this thread which I've restarted doing - and if it ends up revving up my thyroid again, I'll trying tweaking my thyroid medication.

So last night I had the best sleep I've had in several weeks, actually felt like I slept!

Also, your NAG helped me one night when my severe insomnia was due to MSG issues (MSG in one of its many iterations) - I could almost literally feel the wiredness decreasing - I wish doctors were better educated about sleep and neurotransmitters etc. -

 

[Husband of]

I find youtube guided breathing videos helpful in the evening to calme me and help my sleep. I use 4,7,8 exercises and also 6.6.

The 4,7,8 is breathing through the nose for 4 seconds, holding the breath for 7 seconds, and exhaling for 8 seconds through pursed lips. The 6.6 is a 6-second inhale through the nose and a 6-second exhale through the nose. Breathing exercises like this increase parasympathetic activity and, in my case, lower blood pressure.

Through reading James Nestor's Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, I learned about the importance of nasal breathing on the nervous system, among its other benefits. I've trained myself to breathe through my nose all the time unless I'm changing the litter box or opening the cats' canned food. Then I mouth breath because that makes odors less bothersome.

I also tape my mouth shut at night to ensure nasal breathing, which I learned from the book, too. This has really helped me with sleep and allowed me to use a nasal cushion CPAP mask, which is much less intrusive than a full face mask.

Intrigued by this, as I've started reading a book about breath.

have you found over time all of your changes to how you breathe and various exercises has improved MECFS symptoms or otherwise had long term effects?

 

[perchance dreamer]

ntrigued by this, as I've started reading a book about breath.

have you found over time all of your changes to how you breathe and various exercises has improved MECFS symptoms or otherwise had long term effects?

I have fibromyalgia rather than MECFS. Even though the 2 conditions have some overlapping symptoms, I do not experience PEM, which seems to be a hallmark of MECFS.

That said, here is what I've noticed over time with nasal breathing, including mouth taping at night, and breath exercises. My blood pressure had been a bit high, and went back down to my usual low/normal. My sleep is better with nasal breathing, and the breath exercises help with this, too. I have mild apnea, and although I still need a CPAP, the number of apnea events has gone down. Also, I wear an oxygen monitor at night, and my nightly 02 has improved quite a bit.

The great thing about nasal breathing and breath exercises is that it's free. I do use a cloth tape on my mouth at night to ensure nasal, rather than mouth breathing while I sleep, but a roll lasts for months. Youtube has a galaxy of breathing exercises that are free, my favorite being from Take a Deep Breath.

 

[kewia]

HI HIP,
I tried to order the KWK (kalm with Kava) but it not delivered to UK from what I can see.
It’s very hard to get at moment.
Do you know where I can order it from
Or if your in UK where are you presently obtaining it from
I’ve been taking kava NOW capsules I got off iherb but their very low potency but I’ve had no issues with it and it working in the correct way for me.
Thanks for all your help
Greg M

It's forbidden in Germany, too.

But we get it homeopathic (>= D5), may not be as strong as real powder though.

 

[Gmorl69]

HI Hip,
To give you an update I’ve got the Perphenazine from a private doctor so am going to try it tomorrow.
I’ve found the trifluroperazine has supplemented the clozapine so I’ve been able to reduce the clozapine by over half and will replace it completely with either Perphenazine /melperone/olanzapine or quetiapine XL
Things have greatly improved. The clozapine has kept me in a bubble for last 5 years.
I am buying kava every month and this has been very effective for anxiety and has allowed me to easierly transition between medications.
It’s non addictive to me with no side affects.
Thankyou for suggesting it
It’s been a major help and I’ve seen considerable positive chances since drinking it.
Once I’m stable on a new medication regimen I’ll just drink it socially once a week like normal people drink alcohol
Greatly appreciate your help
Greg morley

 

[Hip]

I am buying kava every month and this has been very effective for anxiety and has allowed me to easierly transition between medications.
It’s non addictive to me with no side affects.
Thankyou for suggesting it

I am glad that kava helped.

 

[Gmorl69]

HI Hip,
To give you an update I’ve got the Perphenazine from a private doctor so am going to try it tomorrow.
I’ve found the trifluroperazine has supplemented the clozapine so I’ve been able to reduce the clozapine by over half and will replace it completely with either Perphenazine /melperone/olanzapine or quetiapine XL
Things have greatly improved. The clozapine has kept me in a bubble for last 5 years.
I am buying kava every month and this has been very effective for anxiety and has allowed me to easierly transition between medications.
It’s non addictive to me with no side affects.
Thankyou for suggesting it
It’s been a major help and I’ve seen considerable positive chances since drinking it.
Once I’m stable on a new medication regimen I’ll just drink it socially once a week like normal people drink alcohol
Greatly appreciate your help
Greg morley

HI HIP,
I have been using the Perphenazine a few weeks now and I’ve found it can’t replace the clozapine as it has very little antipsychotic effect but it tones down the stelazine over stimulation very well.
I’ve managed to get back to work since using it. 2 x2mg at night and 2x 2mg in the morning.
The specialist pharmacy I used to get it came out very expensive at £200 for 200 x 2mg.
I know you sent me a list of pharmacies that could supply it.
I have obtained a proper precription for the Perphenazine via my private doctor which I can repeat.
Do you know of any other pharmacy’s that could supply the phenalzine at a more reasonable price as my money supply is very limited at the moment. It should be a relatively cheap generic drug.
I also have the prescription from a doctor so that should increase the places I may be able to get it.
If you can find any, I can send this to Nick Goodman my pharmacist who can then order it from them.
Thankyou for you great help
Greg Morley

 

[Hip]

Do you know of any other pharmacy’s that could supply the phenalzine at a more reasonable price as my money supply is very limited at the moment.

The only pharmacies I know are those listed on the first post of the pharmacies thread. You could check those. It's also worth search Google, and a Yandex search sometimes finds sellers.

 

[Gmorl69]

It's forbidden in Germany, too.

But we get it homeopathic (>= D5), may not be as strong as real powder though.

HI,
Can you tell me where you order the homeopathic kava from
Thanks
I need a cheaper supply
At present it cost £90 for 500g

 

[Gmorl69]

HI,
Can you tell me where you order the homeopathic kava from
Thanks
I need a cheaper supply
At present it cost £90 for 500g

HI HIP,
Thankyou for giving me the advice about googling bulk powder Kava (I use the brave search engine that uses google but bypasses the filter google direct uses)
Previously I have been ordering it from a guy who sells it in the UK for pet supplies
It’s for human consumption really and has been very good quality.
He charges £90 (free postage) for HALF a KG
By doing the search you told me I’ve inadvertently found out where he gets it.
It’s called the KAVA DEPOT.
I realised it’s where he gets it because the names of the four I’ve got are all named exactly the same at the KAVA DEPOT.
The cost at the KAVA DEPOT is £90 for ONE KG
So it’s half the price.
Only problem is it’s £70 postage or delivery charge.
But if I buy it in bulk let’s say 7kg at a time I can get the half kg for £55
There’s also others for £35 for half a KG which have had good 5 ***** reviews that I would be confident buying again the postage of this one was also high £30
But potensially if I buy in bulk I can make a considerable saving.

Thankyou again for your great help.
The KAVA has been a very fortunate find and I can contain it easily to weekend use (unlike the alcohol.)
AL
Greg Morley

 

[Hip]

But potensially if I buy in bulk I can make a considerable saving.

You might want to check that the kava you are planning to buy is micronised (ground into a very fine power), as this can be taken orally as a powder. If it is not micronised, then you really need to make it into a tea, which is not as convenient, otherwise the active ingredients are not efficiently extracted from the powder.

If you try to take non-micronised powder directly orally, I think you would only get a weak effect.

 

[Gmorl69]

HI HIP,
Thankyou for giving me the advice about googling bulk powder Kava (I use the brave search engine that uses google but bypasses the filter google direct uses)
Previously I have been ordering it from a guy who sells it in the UK for pet supplies
It’s for human consumption really and has been very good quality.
He charges £90 (free postage) for HALF a KG
By doing the search you told me I’ve inadvertently found out where he gets it.
It’s called the KAVA DEPOT.
I realised it’s where he gets it because the names of the four I’ve got are all named exactly the same at the KAVA DEPOT.
The cost at the KAVA DEPOT is £90 for ONE KG
So it’s half the price.
Only problem is it’s £70 postage or delivery charge.
But if I buy it in bulk let’s say 7kg at a time I can get the half kg for £55
There’s also others for £35 for half a KG which have had good 5 ***** reviews that I would be confident buying again the postage of this one was also high £30
But potensially if I buy in bulk I can make a considerable saving.

Thankyou again for your great help.
The KAVA has been a very fortunate find and I can contain it easily to weekend use (unlike the alcohol.)
AL
Greg Morley

Hi

 

[Gmorl69]

Hi HIP
Do you know anything about Stablon/Tianaptine
Thanks
Greg Morley

 

[Gmorl69]

HI HIP,
I found these Tianaptine in my safe but can’t remember why I bought them
But I’m sure there was a good reason
Did you mention them in any of your posts
Thanks
Gregory Morley