16 replies to this topic

[Alpha-Frequency]

Hello!

I am curious if you folks have any ideas which supplements/foods/herbs have been really, REALLY effective in treating panic attacks (for my father)
I have found Inositol to be only partially effective....but Gaba, L-Theanine and, suprisingly TAURINE has proven to work positively.
Any info you might have on what to try would greatly appreciated!
[lol]

Edited by hell noir, 24 July 2007 - 01:53 AM.

[Alpha-Frequency]

Thanks!
Remember to never let doctors convince you to get him on Prozac!!

[ikaros]

Remember to never let doctors convince you to get him on Prozac!!

Why not?

[abelard lindsay]

Take Piracetam and GABA at the same time. 1/2 tsp of each together is usually enough to calm me down enough to get work done.

[mentatpsi]

Look into 5-HTP (http://en.wikipedia....droxytryptophan).

[drmz]

Maybe worth looking at is the book " Brain lock" from Jeffrey M. Schwartz
I'm reading " The mind & the brain" , it's about self directed neuroplasticity in OCD patients (among other subjects).And so far it seems like he found a good therapy to get OCD under control without RET or drugs

[speda1]

Fish oil, vitamin D, 5-HTP

Avoid all stimulants including caffeine.

[stargazer]

Hell noir and wonder, take your respective family member and go see a doctor if you havn't already.

[Spiral Architect]

Thanks!
Remember to never let doctors convince you to get him on Prozac!!

Why? SSRIs are the only long lasting, effective treatment for OCD.

Apologies for the accidental thread necromancy.

Edited by Kane, 09 January 2008 - 09:11 PM.

[Yearningforyears]

my ocd has disappeared completely since taking piracetam and aniracetam (not diagnosed, but I have been obsessed with my
hair since at least 11 years. Now I just don´t give a damn =) I could fix it like forever and check it all the time. Sick... Free at last!

[ajnast4r]

perhaps st johns wort? worth a shot before a pharma ssri, since the side effects are almost non existant w/ sjw
http://www.biopsychi...m/stjohnocd.htm


pharma grade sjw only, not cheapy herbal extracts.. perika is what i use
http://www.iherb.com...c...d=4561&at=0

[lucid]

Try meditation, that should help with anxiety. Its not vodoo, there are some good studies showing a plethora of benefits from meditation. If you are mellowed out and at peace; its hard to be OCD at the same time.
Taking some real drugs supplied by a shrink may help you get to a state where you can develop good mental habits: meditation etc...

[tham]

OCD has been linked to histadelia.

http://forum.lowcarb...ead.php?t=64775

Supplements include methionine, calcium, magnesium,
zinc, manganese. Folic acid and B12 is to be avoided.

The foremost authority on the orthomolecular treatment
of histadelia, OCD and similar problems is probably
Carl Pfeiffer's center :

http://www.hriptc.org/


Patrick Holford, who follows the same principles, also wrote
about it in his book "Optimum Nutrition for the Mind". He
has a practice in the UK :

http://www.patrickholford.com

[Mixter]

Strattera seems like a catastrophic idea in such cases, it increases levels of norepinephrine.

OCD has very solid links to serotonine deficiency, but behavior therapy is also shown to be very effective.

Regarding serious, clinical anxiety: If ashwagandha, gaba and the other 'sedative' supplements that
restore GABA don't work, there seems to be no way around medication. The protocol at
www.lef.org regarding anxiety seems to express that, as well. It mentions beta-blockers and
azipirones (e.g. "Buspirone"), which don't have the tolerance/addiction of benzodiazepines.
I guess benzos are still widely prescribed but they are just an emergency brake, and will
cause tremendous problems (GABA receptor downregulation -> dependence) rather fast.

[edward]

Strattera seems like a catastrophic idea in such cases, it increases levels of norepinephrine.

OCD has very solid links to serotonine deficiency, but behavior therapy is also shown to be very effective.

Regarding serious, clinical anxiety: If ashwagandha, gaba and the other 'sedative' supplements that
restore GABA don't work, there seems to be no way around medication. The protocol at
www.lef.org regarding anxiety seems to express that, as well. It mentions beta-blockers and
azipirones (e.g. "Buspirone"), which don't have the tolerance/addiction of benzodiazepines.
I guess benzos are still widely prescribed but they are just an emergency brake, and will
cause tremendous problems (GABA receptor downregulation -> dependence) rather fast.

Thats pretty much what I have been told and read. OCD is a serotonin issue, not a GABA issue, with some behavioral issues thrown in. Successful treatment of real OCD has a high success rate: SSRI and behavior modification or cognitive therapy or whatever flavor of retraining your brain you choose. Granted there are supplements that have been shown to increase serotonin or postively affect the serotonin system: tryptophan, 5-htp, St. John's Wort, SAMe, Rhodiola etc etc., my personal philosophy is that if your "disorder" or "disease" is clinical, as in affecting your daily life then the best course of action is to seek modern medicine. Then once you have fixed the disorder you can go about tweaking your nutritional, lifestyle and supplements. Then over time perhaps you can begin to (under the care of your medical practitioner) reduce the dosage of whatever pharmaceuticals you are on. For me things like OCD, or Panic Attacks, or depression if at a certain level need to be taken care of quickly so as not to alter the flow of your life (my opinion), if you lose your job, flunk out of school, have to go to treatment or whatever over such things then things are going to get a lot worse.

Now if someone has "OCD tendancies" or "a little anxiety in certain situations" or feels just "a little blue" or whatever then perhaps tackling that issue with supplements or lifestyle is the way to go, but again if you are "clinical", that is if your problem affects your functioning in daily activities (you can't compensate for it) then save yourself time, pain and more problems and go see a professional.