Natural Supplements for Anxiety?

Hit me up with your suggestions!

Just know that I need something STRONG, as my anxiety is pretty bad.

Therapy (CBT and ACT) hasn't worked for me. Antidepressants don't work no more.

 

If herbs were strong, they would be illegal.

Try Reishi, Ashwagandha, L-Theanine.

 

I read somewhere that drinking Chamomile tea all day helps.

 

CBD oil would work wonderfully for my anxiety but unfortunately it spikes tinnitus for me. Finding the right dose and brand is tricky though.

Valerian root is a natural GABA drug, but you would need high doses.

L-Theanine and Taurine work for me in large amounts, they work on GABA.

Lavender pills have calcium channel blockers properties similar to Pregabalin.

Long term use of GABA supplements might be addictive, though; there are no studies.

 

Not sure if these are strong enough, but you can look into a natural vitamin and herb cream called Adrenacalm-SE that my naturopathic doctor recommended. I’ve found it helpful for sleep. Also progesterone cream could give a similar calming effect if your anxiety is from imbalances of cortisol or adrenaline.

Lastly, if you are willing to experiment check out the new thread on neuropeptides and a suggestion there for a natural alternative to Clonazepam.

 

Lavender is, in my opinion (and from my personal experience), effective for if you suffer from mild to moderate anxiety.

If your anxiety is severe (as mine became), then you are (again, in my opinion and from my personal experience) going to require a pharmacologically approved SSRI.

 

Just going to list the natural supplements I have to try and reduce anxiety.

• L-Theanine
• Taurine
• Apigenin
• Lemon balm
• Valerian root
• Kava (only sparingly as it will cause liver damage if used too much)
• Red reishi
• Ashwagandha (I don't take this daily either since there are lots of reports of anhedonia with extended use)

Kratom is good too but it can be addictive and it has bad withdrawals. I also have Phenibut but again it's very addictive, tolerance builds up too quick and withdrawals are very bad so I can only use it sparingly.

There's also a new coriander extract from Nootropics Depot which I just ordered. It's meant to be good for stress.

I use Melatonin for sleeping.

 

It seems that everything that can help tinnitus also can hurt it.

Hi all: I have been on Tinnitus Talk for about a year and a half. I started, as most do, due to getting tinnitus. To this day I don’t know exactly what caused it. Most likely due to high-frequency hearing loss due to my habits during my youth for loud bars, concerts and headphone use in the 70’s & 80’s. Although there are other “suspects”: COVID-19 vaccine (tinnitus 6 weeks after booster); abrupt stoppage of taking an SSRI I had been on for a long time (this was 6 months after the COVID-19 vaccine incident); chronic anxiety and panic disorder due to relapse after stopping the SSRI.

Anyway, I have gone through the usual process of doing research to try to find something, anything that could help (mind you, mine is admittedly more mild/moderate than many stories I’ve read on here). However, it seems all potential options that present some hope for relief, at the end of the day, seem to also ”cause or exacerbate” tinnitus for some. From my research, the following have helped some, and hurt others:

• SSRI & SNRI medications
• Beta blockers, namely propranolol
• Benzodiazepines
• L-theanine (as a supplement & in green tea)
• Turmeric/curcumin (totally confused as to how this could cause or make tinnitus worse)
• Ashwagandha
• CBD (isolate, full spectrum, and broad spectrum)
• NAC
• I’m sure I’m missing some here

I know that most of the examples related to these are more anecdotal vs. clinically researched (causation vs. correlation), with the exception of the actual pharma meds (SSRIs, beta blockers & benzos). However, even the clinical data on some of those is either inconsistent or non-conclusive. Regarding propranolol, sites like PDR.net & Drugs.com, two of the leading drug information sources, do not list tinnitus as a side effect for propranolol (but they do for other beta blockers like metoprolol).

The end result of all of this for me is that, unfortunately, I am so fearful of making my tinnitus worse that I won’t even try any of these options. And the frustrating thing is that one or some of these may actually help. But the negative stories that some people have (albeit the very small majority of people) have made me too paranoid to try anything. So I am in this endless loop of having tinnitus and anxiety/panic disorder that both feed off each other every day. I don’t know which is causing which. And the medical community is about a half step from being totally useless.

I would appreciate anyone’s thoughts, opinions, suggestions, etc. on this. Thank you.

 

I think that there are a few levels of effort to help relieve the suffering. First up would be to address the basic lifestyle choices that can be the foundation of the best possible health and coping skills:

1. Eating a varied diet with the least amount of processing possible/practical. I find that when I cook a variety from scratch, I feel and sleep better, have more energy and I am in a better mood. My ear pain is also better. This also helps to minimize deficiencies that may need supplements.
2. Work to get good sleep by following the usually guidelines for time, temperature, screens, etc. Add masking if that works for you.
3. Get adequate exercise which helps a number of things. Optimizes happy chemicals, you sleep better, etc.
4. Learn techniques to help relax and get centered. Yoga, mindfulness, talk therapy, etc. Difficulty handling tinnitus goes hand in hand with anxiety, depression, OCD, etc so improving one can help the other.
5. I think that where some people get a positive response from dosing something, it is because they were deficient to begin with like vitamin B12. Studies show a 40% reduction in perceived tinnitus volume, but only if deficient to start with. After eating right, a multivitamin or some targeted vitamins or minerals can help. If you can afford it, some testing can help find these deficiencies. If not, there are a few that very common deficiencies that can help like a high quality Magnesium.

After that then you get into more dramatic therapies which as you point out can backfire. We live in a society that has an attitude of better living through chemistry, drugs for all ailments, quick fixes, etc. These more basic things can have a dramatic effect on what ails us, they do for me. They take time and effort and sound old timey and low tech so are assumed to be of no value in the modern world. Not so in my opinion. If you feel compelled to try more, then I would start with things that are food or components of food like ginger, those would likely be the safest.

George

 

I wonder the same thing. But supplements are not regulated so whether or not one will increase tinnitus is unclear.

 

I have been dealing with my tinnitus for about a year and a half now. It started out quite mild and pretty much unilateral, but has slowly progressed to be bilateral and as a high-pitched electrical-type sound that has a reactive component. Like most people on here, I have done a ton of research as to what could potentially help either reduce it or temper my emotional reaction to it.

I would say the two things that have piqued my interest the most have been L-theanine and CBD oil. L-theanine from all of the information out there on it and how it helps with anxiety. And CBD oil, based on some available information, and also from recommendations from two audiologists whoa also have tinnitus.

My issue is there are stories from some people who have had their tinnitus exacerbated by both L-theanine and CBD oil (I know some negative experiences with CBD oil may have to do with the THC content involved).

My question is to people who have had their tinnitus worsen from either L-theanine or CBD oil; what the effect temporary or permanent?

I would really like to try one or both of these, but I am too scared to do anything that could potentially make my tinnitus worse permanently. Thank you in advance for any and all responses.

 

I've tried L-theanine and a few different types of CBD (up to 60 mg or so), among THC and various other supplements, for sleep and anxiety. Well, I didn't get any benefit from any of them, but they didn't seem to affect my tinnitus, either. Even 50 mg Nortriptyline for 3 months and later on SSRIs for 7 weeks didn't seem to help with my anxiety, although the latter might have introduced some new intermittent chirping in my left ear.

 

Regarding this topic: if any of you are in the US, please take a glance at this thread:

Ghost Pipe Tincture Helps Me Not Care About My Tinnitus

It's available on Etsy. Please report back if you've tried it.

 

Quick question re: CBD Oil and Tinnitus Spikes

I’ll get right to the point. I’ve had tinnitus (unknown cause) for the past 1.5-2 years. It has progressed from mild to moderate/constant. Hearing tests are fine (mild hearing loss at higher frequencies of 6 kHz - 8 kHz). I also have severe anxiety, over tinnitus and other things.

My audiologist (who I very much trust) has strongly recommended I try CBD oil.She uses and recommends a specific brand, and she doesn’t have any financial interest in it. She’s extremely positive about it. It is full spectrum with less than 0.3% THC. Of course, I’ve done my own “research” and have seen the stories of people who say that CBD oil spiked their tinnitus. I know that some of those cases involved higher THC levels. However, I am petrified of trying anything that could spike my tinnitus, and I mean everything. I won’t even take an Advil for a chronic headache.

As much as I’ve searched, I can’t find a definitive answer as to whether spikes from CBD oil are permanent or just temporary. I’m willing to risk a temporary spike to see if it can help with my anxiety, but certainly not if it’s permanent. Since THC spikes appear to be temporary, I would assume the same for CBD, but I know CBD acts on different receptors than THC.

Any comments, suggestions, insights, or experiences would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

I'm curious about this, too.

 

I've tried lots of CBD in oil and other forms, and it all causes a temporary spike. It's never been a long-term spike (a few hours at best), but what happens is my body feels relaxed, and my head gets louder. The idea of CBD was quite alluring, but it's off the list for good. I think you should try it anyway because everyone is different. Case in point: caffeine and wine don't spike my tinnitus at all, and neither does Advil.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my post. Your comments are just what I'm looking for. It gives me a little more optimism to at least try the CBD oil. I can deal with a temporary spike, especially if it does for me what my audiologist says it does for her. If/when I try it, I will certainly post about my experience. Thanks again and take care.

 

I’ve been taking L-Theanine during the night. I think it gives me a decent calming effect.

 

How much L-Theanine do you take, and does it spike your tinnitus? I've read that it spikes some people's tinnitus because of its effect on serotonin. Does it give you any calming or anti-anxiety effect, which it is supposed to have?

By the way, I read your success story, and it gave me some hope for my own situation. I've only been dealing with hyperacusis and TTTS for a couple of months, so I'm still on a very high anxiety alert about it. I'm trying not to obsess and deal with everyday sounds (primarily in the house, very little outside right now). I'm hoping that working on my anxiety and not over-protecting will start to show some results soon. That's why my interest in your experience with L-Theanine. I've been toying with the potential to try it, but with so many people saying it spikes their tinnitus, I have been reluctant so far. With both hyperacusis and TTTS, I'm not sure how/if reducing anxiety will work, though. The information available on TTTS isn't very promising, to say the least.

Thanks and take care.

 

I’ve been taking 100 mg per day for just two weeks now. I haven’t noticed any changes in my tinnitus. I take L-Theanine at night, I’ve been noticing that I’m feeling more relaxed and chill. My tinnitus fluctuates greatly, so it’s hard for me to tell if I’m spiking or not from these things.

If I’m being honest, I’m not particularly worried about supplements potentially causing spikes. After trying so many of them, the results have been consistent across the board except for NAC — it hasn't had any noticeable effect on my tinnitus, positive or negative.

I’ve had some success with NAC eliminating one of my reactive tones. But I can’t be too sure about it.