Anxiety Support Group
Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...
My anxiety is the worst in the mornings. I will wake up about an hour before I have to get up and these waves of anxiety come over me. I do some deep breathing and doze off a few times before my alarm goes off and when it does I dread getting up. But sometimes, like today, I was watching tv and was so tired I started to doze off and then get these anxious feelings. I hate it!!!! It almost feels like my brain is swelled. Can't explain that feeling thats just how it feels to me.
After less then two weeks of one pill a day I'm going into REM sleep, even during afternoon naps. And dreaming beautiful happy dreams again, for the first time in many years. I'm calmer, happier, more alert and just feel better. Within about 3 days, I noticed significant improvement, and I' not kidding.
Two weeks I started taking the Serotonin supplement 5-HTP, or 5-hydroxytryptophan. 5-HTP is the precursor to the critical neurotransmitter serotonin, which forms the basis for SSRI antidepressants.
5-HTP supplements are available without prescription, and may be purchased in health food stores, or over the internet.
The chemical basis is tryptophan which is one of is one of the 22 amino acids in our diets. Tryptophan is found in most protein-based foods. It's plentiful in chocolate, oats, dried dates, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, red meat, eggs, fish, poultry, sesame seeds, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds,bananas, peanuts, etc, etc.
Despite popular belief that turkey has a particularly high amount of tryptophan, which it not really true. It's amounts in turkey is about the same as in chicken. I guess that belief came from the fact having a large turkey dinner often times makes people sleepy.
After the 2nd day of taking one 50mg pill daily I started to feel calmer, my blood pressure was slightly lower, and my mood was more stable. After about a week, I was sleeping better and eating more. Which caused me to make more frequent trips to the grocery store. A task I dreaded before taking the 5-HTP supplement.
After two weeks I can say in all honesty I feel better. I'm more focused, and calmer. I experienced no side effects, and the 5-HTP cost me less then $15.00 for 90 capsules, which is a three month supply, and this includes shipping, since I purchased it over the internet.
The only other ingredient in the pill is rice flower, and the capsule is made from gelatin.
Now a word of caution: DO NOT take 5-HTP if you are currently taking other medications, especially SSRI's or drink alcohol. Unless approved by your doctor.
Posted on 04/16/13, 08:47 am