Alternative

Hi everyone, i'm new here.
What i am looking for is an alternative to taking drugs for my panic attacks, it can be anything, herbal, acupuncture etc.
I have to take strong pain killers for a back problem, so don't really fancy taking any more drugs although my Dr has prescribed me something called Cerox i think, it's off the top of my head and i can't be bothered to look up the proper name. Anyway if somebody is going the alternative route, what works for you, any advice would be very helpful, thanks.

Hi there - have a read of the Natural Remedies website page on the left for advice

if you have been given seroxat you could read other peoples experiences with it to help your choice. I chose the meds - but I wish you well seeking an alternative that works for you x

Thanks for the info , it's vert much appreciated.

Hi,

There is a herbal supplement tablet called St Johns Wart for anxiety that helps mildly. There are drops you can put under your tongue called SOS drops that are very good. You only use the drops if you are feeling panicy & they work nearly instantly. It helps a fair bit.

Hi,

I have tried quite a few of the natural remedies both on their own and alongside medical treatments. What i have found to be very helpful is hypnotherapy - it relaxes you and leaves you feeling full of confidence. It is not the cheapest therapy in the world, im sure prices vary, but i chose to see a woman who runs the Scottish School of Hypnotherapy and is very well respected in her field at a cost of £80 per session and had fortnightly sessions. After the 1st one i felt very relaxed and a lot calmer, she also gave me CD's that i listened to religiously each night, so i became more and more intune to her voice. I had about 8 sessions in total and went from being almost housebound with agoraphobia and panic to being able to travel about 30 miles on A roads now. I still cant do motorways or cities just yet but it is a definite improvement after 3 years of not going further than about 1-2 miles of the house.

However i found the best combination for me personally has been - exposure work with a nhs psychiatric nurse making me face situations that make me panic - an anti depressant called citalopram works well for me and it is a good one for anxiety as well - i have low dose diazepam that i carry with me as a safety net and thankfully very rarely take them only if i am completely unable to control the panic. Also i have been seeing a psychologist through the nhs to talk about everything that has contributed towards my current conditions of bipolar disorder/anxiety/agoraphobia/depression.

I think different things work for different people it really depends what your main problem is. But i do think that natural remedies can work. Someone else suggested St Johns Wort which is a herbal anti depressant used by thousands of people that you can buy in boots, holland & barrett etc. It is more for mild depression/anxiety. There is also rescue remedy which can be used as drops/spray etc and i carry a spray bottle in my bag to use when i feel panic coming on before i turn to diazepam. It can be helpful.

I tried reflexology, acupuncture, indian head massage, reiki, hot stone therapy all to help as a relaxation technique and whilst they were all quite relaxing the one i found most helpful of all was hypnotherapy. It relaxes you and at the same time uses suggestions and imagery in your own head while you are in a kind of sleepy dream like state (although still totally awake) to fill you with confidence and belief in yourself. For me it has been wonderful.

I think if your main problem is anxiety then finding some good talking therapy - ask ur gp to refer you for counselling to get to the root of the problem and talk about it - combined with maybe hypnotherapy to relax and make you feel good and help biuld your confidence in yourself - and maybe some st johns wort or rescue remedy to use in crisis moments. Oh and as far as im aware you cannot use st johns wort with a prescribed anti depressant, but you can still use rescue remedy.

Anyways im going on a bit here but you should have a read through the natural remedies thread on here, i found it really helpful.

Emma :hugs: