[Guest]

I would like to find an authoritative source for safely combining prescription drugs with herbal remedies. Not hear say! Not anecdotal accounts!

Are there experts somewhere who address this subject?

I am taking three drugs currently. Two for hypertension and Xanax for anxiety, mild depression etc. I would like to find herbal remedies to take which would allow me to supplement my Xanax and thereby help reduce the amount that I am taking. I have been taking it for twenty years so I am habituated. I am taking a total of about 2mgs per day. Recently my dosing schedule is as follows:

Around two in the afternoon I will take 3/4mg and then in the evening around seven I will take 1-1/4mg. (one and a quarter mg) This allows me to take a short nap before dinner. And also gives me a good night sleep.

I would like to find some herbal remedy perhaps some sort of tea that i could drink which acts similar to Xanax (GABA) and all that, so I could more easily reduce my dosage level, (which by the way is relatively small) My tolerance doesn't seem to be increasing but that may be in part because I don't feel that much anxiety anymore nor do I have panic attacks except in specific situations like stuck in heavy traffic or in wide open spaces. Both of which I try to avoid. Also I am taking a moderate dose of atenolol (a selective beta blocker) for hypertension which acts to block adrenaline so the two (Xanax and atenolol) work very well together.

So I have no complaints in that regard and although I think my doctor is a reasonable man (i.e. he has been willing to prescribe a drug that is effective for me regardless of the seeming medical political pressures for physiciains to prescribe SSRI drugs, but my prime motive is to avoid as much as possible involvement with the medical and pharmaceutical establishment. Because of my habituation to Xanax I am sometimes treated as though I was a criminal. If my doc moved out of the area or I left I am afraid that many doctors would not be as compassionate or understanding of my situation as he has been over the years.

My cousin has been taking Benzos for thirty years and has similar concerns. You know doctors too grow old and die.

I have been thinking recently that my habituation to Xanax may not simply be physical but "structural" in that the building up of tension between dosages is relieved by the medication and this provides a consistent dependable feeling of feeling complete. During doses One beigins to feel something missing then at a certain time one swallows a tablet and the tension is relieved and an equilibrium is once again established.

If the same effect could be achieved by something i purchased at the health food store that would be ideal.

I am mainly concerned about combining the three drugs I am taking with herbs because of the hypertensive (atenolol) that is why I feel I need "expert" advice rather than hear say and anecdotes.

Can anyone direct me towards who might be an expert in such matters. I mean which kind of specialist?

Thanks
john

 

[livinginhell333]

does xanax count as a benzo?

 

[Guest]

Yes livinginhell333

Xanax is one of the drugs in the Benzo family.

 

[Martinelv]

There are several herbal medications which, allegedly, relieve anxiety. The most common of these is Valerian Root, which you can buy from any herbal store. It acts (weakly) on the same GABA receptors as benzodiazepines, so in theory is should relieve anxiety. As far as I know, it's perfectly safe to use with other medications, except, of course, if you have some serious physical condition - where you should consult your doctor first.

There are others, such as St Johns Wort, Devils Claw, and Kava Kava, wich are anti-depressants with anti-anxiety effects. However, these DO interact with other medications, so check with your pharmacist first.

 

[dakotajo]

Wow, Martin, you really know your shit!

 

[livinginhell333]

i can't have fun anymore or get excited about anything or happy, how would i be able to have some fun or get excited about something? maybe alcohol would do the trick just to have 1 nite or 2 of fun, not like excessive drinking. but does drinking cause you dpers to have a little bit of fun at least, and enjoying some company?

 

[Martinelv]

Joe - sarcasm doesn't suit you mate. Or, maybe it does.

:wink:

 

[stickdude]

but does drinking cause you dpers to have a little bit of fun at least, and enjoying some company?

when i drink, yes, i do enjoy life a lot better. but this is no way a treatment to fix your problems. the next day after drinking is always the worst for me also....heightened dp, dr, and anxiety. i usually hesitate a little before drinking because i think about the day after effects.

 

[danny]

absolutely stickdude, for me yes drinking brings temporary relief for like 2 hrs or so, but then it takes me days to bring my anxiety level down from override to a tolerable amount. I'm t-total now and intend to stay that way indefinately.