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I'm going to have a fairly stressful weekend next week and I wondered if there was anything herbal (or at least over the counter) I could take for anxiety and/or to help me sleep. But I'm on Citalopram and Propranolol so I know a lot of things are a no-no.
when I was on citalopram 30mg per day, I wanted to take something that helped me sleep, what with citaloprams sleep side effects. so I looked into valerian, its a herb that you can get in most forms, teas, capsules. I asked my pharmacist about it and he looked into his big book of drugs and told me that its fine but try just taking one to begin with(I had capsules) and the only thing i needed to look out for was possibily a headache. I Never had any problems with them though.
You can get Valerian tea, ive seen boxes of that with the brand name 'Dr. Stuarts', and you can get Valerian capsules (which can be broke open to make a tea). However I can't understand why you'd ever want to - as the main drawback of valerian is it smells and tastes a bit like sweaty socks. Which is why I went for the capsules, you just swallow them down and don't notice (just dont snifff the bottle!). All in all its not quite as good as a benzodiazepine or a sleeping tablet but they definately have a calming effect.
you can get bottles of valerian capsules from holland and barret for about 8.99 I think.
of COurse discuss it with a good pharmacist or your doctor before takingthem, and make sure that it wouldnt interact with any other meds you might be on, I doubt Valerian would, but its always best to be sure.
Theres another Tea by Dr. Stuart as well called 'Tranquility' which help you get a good night's sleep too, they're only about 1.50 for 20 teabags and nowhere near as vile tasting as valrerian.
Hope this helps
Dan
I've always grown a lot of my own herbs for enjoyment and dabbling in the kitchen. Any of the aromatic herbs are useful for stress or anxiety. Just crush lavender, rosemary, thyme or sage in your hands and inhale. Lavender is supposed to be good for sleep, and rosemary for remembrance. Pack a muslin bag full with whatever helps and place it under or in your pillow. Chamomile (Chamaemelum Nobile) is a well known and safe sedative taken as a tea.
Thanks for your replies. I bought some Kalms (and Kalms Sleep), Rescue Remedy and Nytol Herbal. I also bought some lavendar 'pillow mist' - thought it might be worth a try.
It turns out I can't take the Nytol though because I'm taking Propranolol - I was so busy checking I could take them with Citalopram I didn't even see that.
I'll give the Kalms a go - hopefully that will help.
one of kalm's ingredients is valerian i think too.
Yep, it is. I just hope they work.
I was told by my Dr when I was on propranolol not to take Kalms. I take them sometimes now because not on propranolol any more but am on citalopram. I also have Valerian root which I take and I find it very helpful for sleep.
Jannie
Gosh Jannie,
Just read your post I take propananol and didnt know you couldn't take kalms with them....thankfully I only took the kalms once last week and felt they didnt make much difference.
After a pretty rough week I have my appointment with my GP tonight so hoping we can resolve this awful anxiety problem once and for all!!!
Have a good day. JO.xx
Morning Jo
I know, I was quite surprised when one of the Dr's in my practice told me that. I thought anything herbal would be fine but she told me not to take Kalms with propranolol. Maybe ask your Dr, sometimes they do vary!!!
I'm sorry you are having a rough time lately Jo, perhaps your Dr will help you this evening, let us know how you get on.
All the best to you, off to work now, what happened to the weather!!! :-)
Jannie x x
Try a nice cup of camomile tea, I've been having a few cups over the past few days and it's quite nice and it does help you relax. It's caffeine free and you can usually find a box of teabags in most supermarkets. I got a box of 20 teabags for £1.20 from the Coop. It seems to have helped a little in reducing my anxiety over the past day or two and I can actually get back to sleep when I wake up in the middle of the night.
I took a couple of Kalms Sleep last night (half what they recommend),they seemed to have worked and I've been fine. Does anyone know what the problem is if you take them with Propranolol? Like, what are they supposed to do...
I'd ask your doctor or a pharmacist to be really sure, but chances are you'll be ok. I'm on propanolol and they are just a way to reduce the adrenaline, they only affect the physical symptoms of anxiety. There are certain things you should avoid when on beta blockers but I don't think stuff like Kalms has the sort of chemicals that would cause any problems with prop.
A pharmacist would be able to advise you on that though, pop into Boots or Lloyds and just ask, they'll be more than happy to offer advice.
Correction: After reading the Cit Survival Guide it seems Kalms may not be the best thing to take with Cit, it might be ok with Propanolol though. As quoted from Psychopoets guide:
"Kalms - Used to lessen mild to moderate stress and anxiety. Available from supermarkets and pharmacists. Some No More Panic users have reported that Kalms (which contain valerian) are effective against anxiety when taken at HALF the stated dose, but taking Kalms is not recommended if you are also using citalopram. Kalms contain a small amount of valerian extract. See valerian extract below.
Side effects: See valerian extract below.
Citalopram safe: No - see valerian extract below."