Anyone tried St. John's Wort supplement?
 

If so did it work out for you?

Don't mess with St John's Wort. Try or keep on with the L-Tryptophan and L-Theanine. They support your brain's neurotransmitter system in a way you brain understands. St John's Wort bypasses the brain's system. You can overdose on S J W.

What is your current daily vitamin and supplement regimen ? Please list it all so we can help you tweak it if needed.

I'm currently l-theanine and b complex to help with the anxiety.

St. John's wort behaves as SSRI except without the side effects and withdrawals. At the moment I'm experiencing high anxiety and I want to take the remedy route and therapy before the meds.

St John's Wort increases serotonin without regard for how much you need. L-Tryptophan helps your brain properly produce and regulate serotonin. L-Tryptophan is better and safer than St John's Wort. Plus, it is impossible to properly measure the dosage of St John's Wort .

Stay away from St John's Wort.

Get started with a B-12 (methycobalamin) two or three times a day. How about the rest of the regimen ? You need the D3 and anti-oxidants. B-Complex is just for the minor amounts of B's other than the B-12 and B-6. There is not enough B-12 in a B-Complex to make a difference.

I agree with Mark that St. John's Wort should be avoided completely.

There are other methods of decreasing anxiety that are much better than St. John's Wort.

The latest concussion research has indicated that a great number of people who don't recover within the first year after a concussion are suffering from pituitary gland or stalk damage or dysfunction that was caused by the concussion. Some experts even think that hormonal imbalances are what cause PCS altogether - but that they resolve themselves in most people within the first year after the trauma.

The pituitary gland secretes hormones that humans need in order to function physically and cognitively.

St. John's Wort has proven to interrupt the hormone or endocrine processes which effects the hormones that humans need for cognitive and physical functioning in addition to it affecting other brain systems that should not be messed with, especially not after a brain injury.

Point taken.

Mark and everyone else what's your thoughts on passionflower supplement?

Arty,

What do you have against L-Tryptophan ? Try it for a week before trying something else. Your body knows what to do with L-Tryptophan. Passion flower is foreign to your body.

L-Tryptophan is not a drug. Your body is already using it to make serotonin. It is in milk, turkey and many other foods.

It's funny that you should ask about that... I almost included it in my post...

I did try using a Passionflower tincture and that worked pretty well for me. But then I had to abandon it because I started having reactions to wheat that were finally determined to be a wheat allergy (that I am convinced was caused by the concussion) and the tincture used a grain alcohol as a base.

I also tried to use 5HTP and that didn't work well for me... but I know that it's worked wonders for many others.

I should have probably tried the L-Tryptophan "Straight Up", but at the time, my acupuncturist recommended the 5 HTP apparently because many of his other patients raved about it.

You know what's worked the best, though? Xanax. I got it from my Dr. and when I get very seriously anxious I take one and I'm all better VERY soon. Much sooner than the Passionflower worked.

I think everyone is different and what works for me might not work for you.

Whatever you decide to use though, make sure your Dr. knows about it. And not all Dr.'s know every little details about every little supplement and I'm not even sure enough research has been done about Passionflower to be able to know you're really safe taking it. So keep that in mind when you're experimenting with different things. Maybe keep a log or journal so you can keep track of what works and what doesn't.

L-Tryptophan is a precursor to 5-HTP. L-Tryptophan is better used by the body as it is used to produce the needed neurotransmitter serotonin, melatonin and various other needed compounds. 5-HTP is only used to produce serotonin. Plus, L-Tryptophan is only converted to serotonin and others as the body needs them. 5-HTP can cause an excess level of serotonin, which can be problematic.

L-Theanine is used to produce GABA, a needed neurotrasnmitter

The third important neurotransmitter is Dopamine. Food sources of dopamine increasing tyrosine include almonds, avocados, bananas, dairy products, lima beans, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds. Caffeine provides a short term increase of dopamine but the effect ends quickly. Dopamine levels can be decreased by an anti-oxidant deficient diet, so vit C, vit E and the other anti-oxidants are needed.

Arty,
I fell and hit my head on 07/26/14. I am interested to see your progress as we have all the same symptoms. You haven't posted in here in a while so I hope to hear from you and see how you are fairing with the anxiety and if you ever decided to take medications for it. Thanks.

RAllen,

It is a futile effort to try to compare symptoms and recoveries.

You are still at only the one month mark.

Mark,
I'm at a very dark place in my life as I went from a fully functioning adult to suffering from
constant panic and anxiety with no relief. I can't eat or sleep. I look to these boards for comfort especially when I see someone who has had similar issues after a concussion. It's hard enough to convince a doctor that this really isn't me so when I'm on the boards asking it's only to see what treatment has worked and to see if any progress has been made. It's not a comparison and I wish you would see it as such. I'm desperate. I understand one month is early but when you have been in fight or flight mode for 32 days, it seems that the body and mind can't tolerate too much more. I'm searching for help not discouragement.

I take Inositol powder for anxiety.
It's helpful for me. It just seems to take the edge off.

I find St John's Wort quite strange in its effects.
It certainly elevates mood but seems to increase anxiety.

Edited to add: I forgot something as usual...

Inositol is harmless. Worth a try.

I haven't tried L-Theanine yet although I remember that mrsD recommended it to me years ago. There's only so much money to go around on supplements. They're very expensive here where I live and so I usually buy them from the US.

There have been many other posts about L-Theanine on the forum/s.

If you want to search the older posts here for more information, you can use the forum search feature.

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/search.php

PhamaGABA is another anti anxiety supplement.

Everyone is different. What works for one might not help someone else.
I see that even in my own family.

RAllen,

Have you been seen by anybody about your meds besides the in-patient psychiatrist ? You really need to find someone who deals with concussions. Try calling the Sports Trainer department of a local college or high school and ask who they use for concussions.

If you have severe anxiety, self treatment is difficult.

I'm sorry you are suffering. You should see a psychiatrist regularly until you are out of the woods. Short term help i.e. Xanax until the long term stuff kicks In would certainly help your symptoms.
Getting doctors to believe the effects from a tbi is difficult, but be persistent in that this is not who you normally are. a psychiatrist who deals with tbi victims would be great but I know they are probably easier to find In the city where I live, but it doesn't hurt in trying to find one.
You will be ok again, there is no reason to suffer so much until then. Please keep us in touch.

Mark,
I was in the ER twice for MRI, CT and labs (all clear). I've followed up with another psychiatrist and have a call into a psychologist. I am taking a low dose Zoloft in the mornings which I have just been on for a little over two weeks. I will say that I am much better than I was, but I still have hours during every day where the anxiety seems debilitating- don't even know where it comes from. Sometimes its there upon rising in the mornings. I'm not sleeping well so I think the two go hand in hand.

You seem to be very knowledgable and I appreciate the prior advice. I have been lurking these forums and was hoping you (and others with similar symptoms) could weigh in on advice and help. I don't know where to turn next. I was never like this before. It seems my anxiety and insomnia are feeding each other, but I don't know which one came first after the accident.

Could it be that the concussion caused the anxiety? I'm not experiencing any other symptoms, not even headaches. My vision is a little more blurry than it was and the ability to concentrate is gone, but I chalk that up to my anxiety. I've read that the first 4-6 weeks on SSRI's can be hell as they cause worsening of symptoms before getting better. I would love more input from you.

I know that God has a plan and I'm trying to have strength through Him. I also find this website to be of comfort, just to know there are others that have advice and their time to offer. It's been therapeutic for me in a way. I took this semester off from nursing school which was a heart breaking decision.

Thank you for responding.

Thank you for your kind words and advice, markneil. Unfortunately, taking the benzos wasn't helping at all. It would knock me out for a short spell but as soon as I would come to, the "feelings" were back threefold. I'm praying this breaks. I'll say a prayer for you too. Hope you rest well. Thanks.

I wonder why you are being prescribed a slow acting SSRI rather than a quick acting anxiolitic (anti-anxiety med). Zoloft takes 2 weeks to start to take effect. A benzo like Klonopin or Xanax will give you a quick benefit. I had extreme anxiety issues last fall due to an extreme stress event. My doc started me on Klonopin while the Celexa (SSRI) took weeks to take effect. Read my signature.

Benzos are to be respected and hopefully not used for long term. But, for short term, they can be worthwhile.

A concussion can change the way the brain tolerates stress and sensory stimulation. It helps to reduce both.

I keep the left over Klonopin available for 'just in case' situations. I have used it a dozen times at a half dose.

I wonder if a psychiatrist or psychologist is the best. A psychiatrist with experience with concussions may be helpful.

For anxiety, very low dose Propranolol, which is a Beta blocker, can be a safe alternative to some of the medications that have dependency or rebound issues.

Where I live, Psychologists don't prescribe medications but Psychiatrists do... not sure how it is in the States.

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy can also be very helpful for lots and lots of issues, including anxiety, pain, depression etc.. Often when used in combination with a medication it is very helpful but some people just do the CBT without the medication.

This is just my opinion, but I wouldn't be visiting a Psychiatrist for TBI/PCS related anxiety or depression, but that's just me. I would see a Psychologist if needed. I like their more practical approach and they show that there's light at the end of the tunnel (so to speak).

Hi Mark,
I'm sold, added the L-'s to my grocery list....but i think i saw something some where that you shouldn't take one of those with SSRI's, or maybe with tricyclic antidepressants. do you know anything about that?

many thanks for your great expertise in this dept