Three Supplements to Treat Severe Anxiety Symptoms

I occasionally mention there's a fair amount of overlap between tinnitus and Myalgic Enchalomylitis (aka as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). In tinnitus, there appears to be some kind of faulty interplay between the auditory system and the brain. In CFS, there appears to be a faulty interplay between the brain and the immune system, and/or endocrine system, and/or neurological system.

One thing that's common in both conditions is the challenge of anxiety. One man on a CFS forum I visit regularly had very severe anxiety, and tried many, many things over many years to try to help himself. He eventually found three supplements that when combined, work extremely well for him. -- I'll just mention this guy is extremely intelligent and well read. If you would be interested in just about any topic pertaining to conditions that overlap between tinnitus and CFS, he's the one to do a search on at Phoenix Rising.

From his correspondence with others since he posted his results, he says approx. 50% of people get similar results. It's a very popular thread over on the Phoenix Rising ME/CFS board. Thought I'd post a link for anybody here who's dealing with anxiety and would like to check it out. I'll paste his introduction below it. It's actually fairly long post, and a very long thread. A must reading for anybody looking to further their knowledge on anxiety and various ways to treat it.

Completely eliminated my severe anxiety symptoms with three supplements!

I had hellish, unrelenting generalized anxiety disorder for several years, and, having tried hundreds of supplements (as well as SSRI drugs and TCA drugs) in my frantic efforts to treat it, I recently found 3 supplements that seem to pretty much eliminate my anxiety!

• The first and most potent anti-anxiety supplement is N-acetyl-glucosamine (NAG), taken at a dose of 700 mg twice daily on an empty stomach; the dose can be reduced once daily after a few weeks. NAG should not be confused with glucosamine sulfate, which will not work for this anti-anxiety purpose. Note that NAG may be inadvisable in Lyme disease. NAG can also aggravate asthma. NAG is usually shellfish derived (however Swanson NAG is derived from fermented yeast, though Swanson say they cannot guarantee it is shellfish free). NAG should not be taken if you are on the blood thinner warfarin. Glucosamine and likely NAG also may raise intraocular pressure.

• The second most potent is flaxseed oil (aka linseed oil), one level tablespoon (15 ml) daily. 15 ml of flaxseed oil is 13,000 mg in weight. Flaxseed oil is best absorbed when taken with food. It is the alpha linolenic acid (ALA) in flaxseed oil that I believe has the anti-anxiety effects (flaxseed oil is 55% ALA; chia oil is 64% ALA).

• The third is the herb turmeric, at a dose of 1000 mg twice daily, best taken on an empty stomach (but if it causes irritation, take with food). This herb can be bought cheaply as turmeric powder for cooking. 1000 mg equates to just under one level teaspoon of powder. Turmeric is not to be confused with curcumin (turmeric contains curcumin, but turmeric has many other active ingredients, including: ar-turmerone, demethoxycurcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin, atlantone, and zingiberone; I suspect the ar-turmerone in turmeric may have the main anti-anxiety effect, as ar-turmerone is thought to reduce microglial activation). So don't buy curcumin thinking it is turmeric; they are not the same.

 

I just noticed a recent (impressive) reply to the above linked thread, and thought I'd post it here...

"Out of desperation, I tried the NAG, turmeric & flax seed oil combo this summer. It’s been about 8 weeks now and it is really working well for me. -- I developed terrible anxiety and panic attacks (without prior history) over a period of 6 months when my primary doctor was convinced I had uncontrolled depression. When she added a third Serotonin increasing med, I totally freaked out and had to take leave from work. I decided to stop all the meds and I got much better. The anxiety & panic slowly decreased (I used a benzo for a while) over a few months.

However, the anxiety still erupted sometimes, triggering all my other CFS symptoms and causing me to crash. Not having access to more benzo, I started trying different options until I found this original post. I’m not typically a believer that supplements are very useful, but I was really desperate. And it worked. The regimen also improved my gut symptoms and I can now eat without fear of spending the rest of the day in bed. My headaches and muscle pain have also improved. I am very thankful for this posting and all the information it included.

 

I am scared to take these supplements as I fear they will hurt my eyes (more specifically worsen my floaters), and I can't take that risk as my floaters are torturous enough as it is

 

Contrary to your fears, glucosamine is suggested against floaters as it enhances collagen. And flaxseed is high in omega 3 fats which are good for eye dryness (meibomian glands that produce oily substance of tear), which is triggered by many drugs we use for Tinnitus, such as antidepressants, anti-epileptics etc..

 

But what is glucosamine? That does not work for anxiety does it? I don't see @Lane suggesting it for anxiety.

I started omega 3 supplements a couple weeks ago, so I get enough of that now But I read it takes anywhere between 6 weeks to 6 MONTHS to see results (if it even works on anxiety/depression ect.)

 

Could NAC worsen eye floaters? Anyone? And are the three supplements safe for tinnitus? Turmeric is often suggested, I can't see flaxseed oil doing any damage, but how about NAC?
Edit: above it says "Glucosamine and likely NAC also may raise intraocular pressure" so I guess this might impact floaters negatively.

And this:
https://www.webmd.com/arthritis/news/20130523/glucosamine-supplements-tied-to-risk-of-eye-condition

 

Yeah, NAC I'm not gonna take. I am on curcumin/turmeric supplement for about a week now... still no difference in my anxiety levels, but it's also too early. It usually takes a little while to be fully absorbed in the body. Flaxseed oil is probably also harmless like you say, but I think it's the same as taking curcumin/turmeric.

 

Glaucoma does not cause eye floaters. And antidepressants are also likely to increase intraocular pressure, so no drug is safe...

 

@Lane could you please update your status: what did you achieve and what side effects did you experience?

 

@Lane, have you tried these yourself? Can you recommend any particular brand?

I usually use bio curcumin (the root) on dishes. I guess this is not the same as turmeric...

 

@Lane

Like Peter91, I’d also welcome hearing how you are doing on the supplements you recommended.
Also, I’m interested in knowing what brand of tumeric you use.

 

Hi @peter91 & @Cher2 -- Somehow I missed your inquires about how I was doing. For clarification, I've never had a serious anxiety problem. As such, I've never really felt a strong need to try some of the supplements listed in my original post. I posted it because I'd read so many stories on this forum of people dealing with severe anxiety issues.

However, I've been dealing with what I would call occasional anxiety symptoms, which got exacerbated after our house burned down last September. I wouldn't call it serious, but it's also possible it's affecting me more than I realize. So I am going to start on the 3 main supplements listed in my original post, and see how it goes.

Regarding the Turmeric question, my wife makes me large batches of a pre-made tea, which includes bulk Turmeric. So I don't take the capsules, but get my Turmeric in that tea. If anybody decides to try this, just keep in mind that Turmeric stains things very easily!

 

Lane, why do you follow CFS forums?

 

Hi @Uklawyer -- I got hit with CFS (severely) back in the 1980's. There was very little information available on it back then, and mainstream medicine dismissed it as "depression". With the advent of the internet, and forums dedicated to various health issues, I was able to connect with many others with CFS (originally called CFIDS, which stands for Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome). I was able to get a lot of information on what others with CFS were able to do for themselves.

I fairly early on oriented myself toward "alternative" type approaches, and was able to make a significant amount of progress using them. I'm currently much more functional than I was 40 years ago, and have made considerable progress in just the past couple of years. Since my onset of tinnitus on Feb. 3, 2018, I've drawn on a lot of my experience and approach toward investigating CFS into continually finding ways to better cope with tinnitus. Without question, my prior experience in dealing with the severe adversity with CFS has helped me deal with the severe adversity of tinnitus.

 

Holy shit, how the hell were you able to endure severe CFS for so long? I guess you haven't been able to work since, have you?

 

Hi @Sevv -- It's been almost 30 years since I last worked. But I've made enough progress in the past couple of years to reach the point where I feel I can work as much as 10-20 hrs./week--who knows, maybe more. As far as how I was able to endure severe CFS for so long, I made a fairly lengthy post here on Tinnitus Talk which touches on what that journey was like for me, and how I approached the feelings of suicide that is common for people with this health issue. -- Thanks for inquiring!

 

Holy shit indeed. Sorry to hear about that @Lane. I have had ME/CFS for about 20 years. Suffice it to say work and other parts of my life have been a struggle. I'll look for your other post, but you have clearly battled a lot and it is great to see that you are drawing on your experience to help fight this one. I wish you all the best. Happy to talk privately if it can help in any way. Best wishes.

 

Just ran across an impressive testimonial on how NAG was an almost miraculous supplement for one man's severe anxiety. Here it is:

"I just wanted to pop in and say that NAG has improved my quality of life dramatically. I had suffered from intense panic attacks for about five months, everyday. They worsened before bed and would wake me up in the middle of the night. It felt like my brain was just shutting down. Klonopin or Ativan only helped to take the edge off.

I was reluctant to spend more money on a supplement since I’ve spent so much already and few have helped at all. My first day on NAG showed a huge improvement. Within an hour all of the anxiety was completely gone. Now I take it every night before bed and haven’t had any issues. THANK YOU to all who recommended it! I originally heard about it from Hip. I can’t thank you enough. My life is so much better with it."​