Anxiety/mood supplements for my S/O

[ThePiper]

My GF has been considering going back on ssris. She took them for several years starting in high school, then got off them a year after i met her. Has been off for years now. She has some ocd type issues and a little depression but the big issue that it all stems from is social anxiety. Both of us are hesitant about the ssri because of the side effects and the need to take them every day. From my angle, the ssris effects scare me. Crying for no reason and then other times an inability to feel emotions. Feeling of unreality, stimulation and general loopiness. I worry that it creates a situation where one is not mentally "behind the wheel." I feel the same way seeing people who drink too much alcohol and it's a little funny because I used to drink too much too. Now that i see things more rootedly, it deeply concerns me to see the lack of cognition that goes on with alcohol and strong medications.

She tried a free sample of this supplement for anxiety and stress last week that was helpful at least so far, it has some good looking standardized extracts in it like reishi, rhodiola, schisandra, ashwagandha, vitamins. All things that are great for your body and mind. I am interested to help her find something that she could cycle this with to maintain benefits of mood and anxiety.

Has anyone tried SAM-e? I have heard mixed things about it but some are positive.

She finds kava helpful but it doesn't last all day for her and frankly she is breaking the bank for me because shell drink up to half a cup of dry root equivalent every single morning before work. I am going through probably 3 or more lbs of kava a week including my own daily use. She would like to take it occasionally before work or recreationally but not every day.

She cannot take cbd products because she is looking for a new job that she will hopefully be less anxious and unhappy in.

 

[Zac Imiola (Herbalist)]

Why no cbd for new job ?

If she abstain for a day or two before their wouldn't be a chance thc would show up.

However that's not the issue obviously.
She needs to work out the core issues around the social anxiety and use an herb or food depending on her energetics.
I recommend learning the doshas from ayurveda and matching her to one.
Follow the recommended diet/herb remedies in accordance to that

 

[tarragon]

I have not tried SAM-e, but I have been having great success micro-dosing Banisteriopsis Caapi. It is the aya of ayahuasca without the Chakruna,so no dmt, just the Madre healing vine. It is very safe. Can be given to children, pregnant and nursing mothers with no ill effects. And it can be life changing. Like kava, the effects can vary and it may bring up stuff that needs to be looked at, but the Madre is very gentle and life affirming. I get mine from Tammy Miller at MysticPlanet.shop. She imports a concentrated paste from Peru and rehydrated it and puts it in dropper bottles. Her source for the paste was rated by the medicine hunter as one of the cleanest purest and most elaborate processes he has seen. You take five drops under the tongue once a day. Some people do twice a day, or what ever. I seem to be doing every other day, but then, I am also drinking kava. She will also sell you the paste in bulk which you can rehydrate yourself and share with friends. It is really quite nice! A one ounce bottle is about 40 bucks and with daily dosage, that lasts about 3 or4 months.

 

[tarragon]

Oh, I guess I should say what it does. It makes me feel peaceful and centered alive happy and safe. As far as bringing stuff up, maybe an idea will pop into my head and I will say, oh, that's an idea, maybe I will work on that manana. And then whatever it is gets worked on, sort of naturally. Like I said, very gentle. Hard to explain, but it really makes me feel like I walk this earth, if that makes any sense....like I am connected to life and everything is fine.

 

[ThePiper]

I've heard good things about caapi and the before but aren't you supposed to abstain from most things while taking it? Kava being one of them? Basically mini dieta?

Also my S/O refuses to take the risk on cbd even though I have explained things to her similarly. I have however heard people reporting that certain cbd products caused them issues after as much as 4 or 5 days. She would probably rate cbd below kava and this current supplement she takes anyway. She does prefer things that keep her alert or an invigorated mood.

 

[schatz]

My GF has been considering going back on ssris. She took them for several years starting in high school, then got off them a year after i met her. Has been off for years now. She has some ocd type issues and a little depression but the big issue that it all stems from is social anxiety. Both of us are hesitant about the ssri because of the side effects and the need to take them every day. From my angle, the ssris effects scare me. Crying for no reason and then other times an inability to feel emotions. Feeling of unreality, stimulation and general loopiness. I worry that it creates a situation where one is not mentally "behind the wheel." I feel the same way seeing people who drink too much alcohol and it's a little funny because I used to drink too much too. Now that i see things more rootedly, it deeply concerns me to see the lack of cognition that goes on with alcohol and strong medications.

She tried a free sample of this supplement for anxiety and stress last week that was helpful at least so far, it has some good looking standardized extracts in it like reishi, rhodiola, schisandra, ashwagandha, vitamins. All things that are great for your body and mind. I am interested to help her find something that she could cycle this with to maintain benefits of mood and anxiety.

Has anyone tried SAM-e? I have heard mixed things about it but some are positive.

She finds kava helpful but it doesn't last all day for her and frankly she is breaking the bank for me because shell drink up to half a cup of dry root equivalent every single morning before work. I am going through probably 3 or more lbs of kava a week including my own daily use. She would like to take it occasionally before work or recreationally but not every day.

She cannot take cbd products because she is looking for a new job that she will hopefully be less anxious and unhappy in.

Hello Piper, just saw your post and I do not post much since it takes forever since being diagnosed with parkinsons. But you might want to check out P.A.N.D.A.S. they can be leftover from a strephtococcis infection and the symptoms you describe sound a lot like them.I just stumbled onto this through my online researching and it seems to be more common than we are being made aware of. I wish I could recommend an herb or something else at this time as SSRII's are very bad and recommend any form of alternative.

 

[ThePiper]

It seems pandas features episodic problems and physical symptoms like tics. She has no tics and the social anxiety seems to be the source of the ocd coping mechanism

 

[schatz]

It seems pandas features episodic problems and physical symptoms like tics. She has no tics and the social anxiety seems to be the source of the ocd coping mechanism

Just trying to help, symptoms don't all have to be same they can manifest differently in differerent people. Its another issue to look at maybe?

 

[tarragon]

I've heard good things about caapi and the before but aren't you supposed to abstain from most things while taking it? Kava being one of them? Basically mini dieta?

Also my S/O refuses to take the risk on cbd even though I have explained things to her similarly. I have however heard people reporting that certain cbd products caused them issues after as much as 4 or 5 days. She would probably rate cbd below kava and this current supplement she takes anyway. She does prefer things that keep her alert or an invigorated mood.

Like any herbal medicine it works better if you dieta. The dieta is important if you are doing ceremony where you will be ingesting large amounts, but for micro-dosing it is not strictly necessary. I have not found much info about combining kava with caapi, but I do it and it works just fine, so far. At some point I will set aside kava for a while and just use the caapi to see if it makes any difference.I have done that already for a few days at a time, but am curious about long term. So, the caapi is great. It gives an overall sense of wellbeing. If I take it in the day it is energizing and if I I take it at night I get a good rest. I feel more positive and optimistic. Also more productive because I am not all the time paralyzed by anxiety now. It is good. Some people say it makes them sleepy. If that happens, one can lower the dose or take it at night. I doesn't make me sleepy, but does help me sleep.

 

[tarragon]

Another thing to note, building a healthy gut biome with a plant-centric diet can really help improve mental health and relieve anxiety. Some say our gut is our primary brain and has a big influence on our other brain(s).