Are there any "over the counter" medications to help me with physical stress related symptoms????

Hi, I don't know what you are dealing with as far as your anxiety goes. This progam and place of support a re wonderful as far as making the life and thought changes to understand and overcome anxiety. As far as over the counter meds.-- your Dr. may have a suggestion and if you feel you need a prescription to help you through this time, there is lots of info to be found.

If you go to a health food or natural food store, or even some drug stores you can find many herbal remedies, which may be worth a try- I would say do some research on the computer or see if the store has someone who can answer your questions. These are not "FDA standerdized" like regular medicine. Different people will see different results. St. John's wort is popular for mild depression, Kava for anxiety, Valerian for sleep. I carry a bottle of Hyland's Calms (mild homeopathic remedy for nervous tension) or flower essence Rescue Remedy is one a friend of mine uses. I tried the kava and st. John's wort, but needed something stronger, I think. I have taken Paxil (prscription SSRI) for several months and I'm now tapering off it. This program helped me most of all, but there's nothing wrong with helping yourself along with the right remedy or medication,as well.Also, there are naturopathic and homeopathic Dr. who may give you a free consultation if you don't want the traditional route. Good Luck and keep writing here!

Hi there, Although this isn't a "strong" herbal helper, I find it relaxing. Stash has a tea called "Sandman PM" and it contains camamile, St. John's Wort and kava kava. Even though there is minimal amounts in this tea, it is nice. If you are taking other meds, check with your Dr. that these herbs are OK. I also use essential oils like lavender, bergamot, and patchouli. Bergamot is great during the day (the same plant found flavouring earl greay tea (which you can get decaf)). Lavender is wonderful at night, in a bath, on your pillow as a candle, whatever! Anyway, hope this helps!

All the best
Dale

I started taking Vit B b/c it's supposed to provide your body with the extra nutrients you need which get depleted from your body due to stress. I only just started it a couple of days ago and I take very little b/c even taking a vit. makes me nervous!
So i'll keep you posted on whether or not I think it's doing anything.

Pretty much everyone here shares what has worked or not worked for themselves.

You can look around for post that address what "symptoms" you are talking about.

As for me as I was going off of Xanax I tried "One-a-Day" brand sleep aid that has KavaKava, Valerian Root, and Rosemary in it. I looked up both Valerian Root and KavaKava all over the NET to make sure neither would be harmful to me.

I did well with it, yet I had a friend of mine tell me she felt hungover the next day after taking KavaKava one night so you're pretty much your own detective.

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Always Hopeful, Betsy H.
Marietta, GA (East Cobb)

quote:

Originally posted by johnni:

Are there any "over the counter" medications to help me with physical stress related symptoms?

For me, valerian is worth its weight in gold when I've let myself take that one step too far to pull back, and feel anxiety spiraling its way in. As effective if not more so than any prescribed medications I've crossed paths with in the past, and with no side effects, to boot. I find it particularly helpful when I'm having a stronger than usual PMS phase, and to help me relax towards sleep.

I don't take it often. But like when you've got the flu and are counting down the minutes till the Tylenol kicks in, sometimes it does wonders for the moral just to know there's a remedy in the medicine cabinet.

Not that it actually hurts anything, beyond being unpleasant, to just experience the anxiety at that point - it's just anxiety - but hey, if I don't have to, why should I?

WayStone

What about that Sam-E product? I don't know anything about it, but I've heard it works.

ames