I currently take 20mg sertraline and 1mg Clonazepam daily, with my only supplements being Magnesium Glycinate and ginger root.
I aim to come off of all my prescriptions, and I read about Black Seed Oil's (which I've used many years ago for opioid withdrawals) effects with GABA modulation, essentially repairing the GABA system while/after coming off of benzos.
I started small, taking 1/8 tsp of Heritage Store BSO. While it seems associated with a mood and energy boost, I sometimes get anxiety an hour or so after dosage. Like a jitteriness in the skull. When I tried it for a few days a few months ago, I even felt facial twitching. However, I was also on Baclofen and Depakote at the time.
Now, this could be nocebo, or anything, but I do wonder if the ACh inhibition is causing this (I've been sensitive to cholinergics in the distant past) or even an interaction with my sertraline? My functional medicine doctor said not to worry about CYP450 inhibition with my low dose of sertraline (and the side effects seem acute, anyway). Any idea if this is possible or just placebo? Any ways I can experiment further?
I do see promise in BSO, and possibly to my detriment, I am hoping it works out for me in regards to my withdrawals and eventually sobriety.
Thank you for any advice!
PS - I also considered Dr. Seeds BPC-157 for this same purpose, but the relative lack of studies worries me.