With Anxiety usually depression goes along too.

3 of my friends had anxiety and severe depression all their lives. They hated medication.

They sat down together and began to look for alternatives.

Many stores have Vitamins. But a health food store probably has the best selection.
There's bottles actually designated for anxiety and depression. They are already mixed as far as several needed vitamins per pill.

They also looked on the internet about foods and herbs.
They changed their diets and now say they are completely changed. Two had been suicidal before.
1 had severe migraines most of her life. She never gets them now.

There's regular foods that calm you down. Certain foods help produce Dopamine and Serotonin. The feel good chemicals in your body.
There's foods that also make anxiety and depression worse. Some foods actually block the dopamine and serotonin from entering your bloodstream.

Just go on the net and read about the foods and herbs.

It takes longer to work than meds. But obviously.... It can make a change.

They leaned on each other for support. It would be good to find a person you can also support and be supported while changing your diet.

Good luck...

Thank you for the advice. I too have searched the web for dietary changes and different supplements. I also have depression, and have tried almost everything, including cutting out caffeine, but nothing has made a difference.. hoping to talk to a pharmacist to see if the have any recommendations.

Sugar seems to be the root of all evils. Specially for anxiety and depression.

And they say, chocolate makes you feel good.....liars! lol

I have tried alternative supplements. The one that worked best for me was 5htp. It helps to boost serotonin levels. The important thing to keep in mind is that it can take 2-3 months to start noticing benefits.

Also only try one new products at a time. Or else you won’t know which one is working.

There have been some newer studies done on fish oils. It can be beneficial in many ways. It helps with depression, cognitive ability, a good friend of mine owns a health food store. She uses Gabba for anxiety. Feel free to hit me up,with questions on the message app if you would like to

Vitamin supplements didn't work any better for me than medications. A consistent, healthy diet and self-care make a huge difference, but the supplements didn't make a dent. They felt like just more pills to swallow.

Breathing and grounding exercises are my go-to tools for anxiety. When my anxiety hits, I invariably find that my breathing is rough and ragged. I tend to hold my breath allot when I am anxious. My thoughts tend to either go into repetitive, racing thought loops or they shut down completely. The grounding exercises help even out that rocky ride.

Gentle support while you find what works for you, RippinKitten.

I am 57 years old and suffered from anxiety and panic attacks for as long as I could remember. It wasn't until 5 years ago when I quit smoking that all hell broke loose and that is when I recognized what I had.
I went to doctors, 2 hospitalizations, all kinds of drugs, therapy, acupuncture, hypnosis, and tried a few vitamins here and there (5htp was one).......nothing seemed to help.
When diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I decided to take control of that and was forced to change my crappy diet (waaaayyyy too many carbs and not enough of the good foods such as fruits and veggies). I was addicted to the junk foods cuz they were convenient and yummy.
I did get my diabetes under control, but still suffered from anxiety.
I did learn that walking regularly and stretching, deep breathing......and a good diet seemed to improve the anxiety, but still had that little bit of anxiety running in the background. I was not able to access or pinpoint the exact trauma from my past as I had millions of horrible things happen to me and that list grows all the time....uuuggghhhh.
So I had to go a step further. I threw away my cholesterol meds and diabetic meds which were making me sicker and went to my health food store (I frequent 2 of them.....GNC is NOT one of them). I started reading further on health (mental and physical), I have 40 years of human physiology under my belt and 4 years of brain study too......so I know how the body works.
If your nervous system is not working properly.....then the body is sent into a tailspin and Anxiety is right there at the top of the list of ailments.
Also if your body is not in balance with the right amount of vitamins and minerals (81 essential ones)......anxiety and panic attacks!!!
I recently went to a more plant based diet, but noticed something was off......anxiety, my blood pressure shot up, eye twitching, muscle spasms in the joints, insomnia, canker sores, brain farts, nausea.......so I went to my doctor and she did a blood test to see which vitamin or mineral I am low on. I am suspecting B12 which usually is a biggie for diabetics.
The one most ppl that suffer from anxiety is in need of is B12, potassium, and magnesium. However, you could be missing more or be out of balance, so it is a good idea for the doctor to run a blood test for vitamin deficiency.
Medical doctors are not a big fan of vitamins unless you are low. They won't even check for that (you have to ask your doctor to check for B12 deficiency as it is not one they check for regularly). If you have anxiety.....bam......anti anxiety drug without so much as a blink of an eye of concern that a deficiency may contribute or be the culprit altogether.....very sad.
Rebuilding your balance of vitamins and minerals is not a quick fix. It does take a few weeks to a few months to rebuild, especially if it's potassium as too much too fast will kill you. It is better to eat foods rich in potassium.
It is also good to take QUALITY vitamins over the crap at Walgreens or Walmart. I know they are more expensive to go to a health food store or "the vitamin shoppe", but this is your health.....your life. If you total up all your doctor visits, the co pays for the visit and your meds, the medical insurance premiums, and your deductibles, you would see that several vitamins are by far cheaper than all those little leaks that never got you better. I am saving $2,000 this year for taking a health discount program and using vitamins over pharma stuff that didn't do a damn thing, but made me sicker and had awful side effects that I am still dealing with.

You also have to make sure you drink plenty of fresh water, walk or do some kind of exercise, turn off negative media, drop or spend less time with negative people....that includes relatives, deep breathe, and meditate daily in conjunction to the vitamin regimen. This will be a lifestyle and not a thing until you feel better. It is essential you stick with it consistently and not slack off.
You have to give it time. DO A LOT OF RESEARCH and talk to the ppl at the vitamin shops, health food stores as they have a wealth of knowledge and can steer you in the right direction. I have only bought a few things that didn't work, but that is no different than trying to find the right anti depressant.

Well, that is my shiny nickels worth today.
Take what works for you and leave the rest.

Sending love and light for an anxiety free life :)

Thank you all for your suggestions! Yes Seamus, chocolate makes things worse, haven't had chocolate in 2 months :( I'm familiar with breathing and grounding exercises..the breathing helps, but grounding seems to cause more anxiety (which is strange.) I have heard good things about 5-HTP, but also have heard that it can cause anxiety too... Going to the dr on Friday and will be requesting more blood work to see if anything sinister is happening (low this, high that) it's unfortunate that my dr isn't all that proactive in my recovery, so I'm kind of on my own in terms of finding solutions. The only solution my psychiatrist had was to strip me off my meds and get a job! Yah, a job will help my agoraphobia! (Moron!) Try to exercise and limit sugar and bad foods. Also under extreme stress, so I have a feeling that my cortisol levels are off the charts, and wouldn't be surprised if I'm suffering from adrenal fatigue.. hopefully after I get some tests done I will have a better understanding of what's going on.. so very grateful for all of your support.. I don't have many people to talk to about this.. so thank you again..

I'm wondering why your doctor stripped you of your meds? While many helpful suggestions have been made, medication is an important tool for some people. At the very least, you should have been weaned off your meds slowly and monitored. Are you completely against trying meds again? Untreated severe anxiety can also make you very sick with adrenal fatigue. Perhaps it's time to look for a new doctor?

I was on effexor for 15+ years, I experienced a "poop out" and saw a psychiatrist for help, I tried MANY different medications, but the side effects were awful.. she basically"gave up" and said not to take anything at all and get a job.. (wtf!? Lol). I've tried to get a referral for a different psychiatrists, but was denied!! My only other option see a psychiatrist that isn't covered by my health care plan and I don't have the financial means to do so. I weaned myself off my meds gradually, but experienced MASSIVE withdrawal for about a month and a half, and now I'm going through extreme relapse.. the only "help" my dr can offer is "if you feel like you're going to harm yourself, go to emerge".. what the hell are they gonna do? Give me an Ativan and send me on my way!?.. I've gone to emerge several times due to my anxiety, and that's all they've ever done. I'd love to get a new dr, but where I live, there is a huge shortage of drs, and I'm lucky I even got the one I have, even though she's pretty much incompetent. The only person that is actually helpful is my counselor, but she can't prescribe anything or refer me to any other specialist. I feel like I'm on my own to figure this out.. the only thing that helps is benzodiazepines, but my psychiatrist told my dr not to prescribe them to me. (I do have a prescription for Ativan, and only take them as a last resort, but that doesn't help me day to day.) I'm very aware of their addictive properties, and only take them when needed, so it's not like I eat them like candy just to get "high".. I realized they are only meant for a short term "fix", bit C'mon.. drs prescribe opiates like they're candy, and they're extremely addictive! I must look like a junky or something!? Lol. (I don't think I do, and apart from weed, I don't drink or experiment with drugs!) I personally believe that my psychiatrist judged me on a personal level and I guess she thinks I'm full of shit!? At least that's how I interpret it.. it's getting to the point where I have to actually hurt myself to get some help..it's sad that even health care professionals don't take mental illness seriously.. if there's no blood or broken bones, you must be fine.. the struggle is real..lol