Anyone Have Luck Finding Anti-anxiety Answers?

skycop00

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A friend had a poor reaction to gaba, but some luck with l theanine for awhile. He is now begging for something that he can try to provide releif. I shared some threads on serotonin and endotoxin. Ideas would be appreciated if.you found something that worked for you. He is on TRT and estrogen control with arimidex.
 

DaveFoster

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Just posted something on my log about this:
Log 8/29/16 Time: 2:25 PM Thyroid dosage: 12 mcg T3, 12 mcg 24

After a few days of metronidazole and cephalexin, I am experiencing a profound mood boost and sense of peace, contentment, and desire to help others. My starch consumption has been zero, and I have been taking about 16 mg cyproheptadine, >3.5 mg mirtazapine, one capsule of Jarrow's S. Boulardii for candida, and cascara sagrada for its laxative effects. Additional supplements include a baby aspirin, a B-vitamin complex (haidut's Energin), methylene blue (200 mcg), vitamin E (400 IU/day), vitamin D (2000 IU topical), and topical K2 (4.5 mg). Food for the day includes some pot roast (meat only), milk, sugar, and coffee.

My uplift in mood occurred briefly after my third bowel movement of the day. The profound effect of these aforementioned variables upon my subjective well-being lends credibility to the idea that the gut is deeply tied into various inflammatory conditions and associated mood disorders, and that through its regulation of inflammatory biomarkers, it plays a central role in depression, as stated by many others. Accordingly, the use of antibiotics, antifungals, and laxatives may well be a superior treatment option for depression, anxiety, and associated mental illness. My positive mood correlated with an increase in temperature and pulse, 98.7 degrees Farenheit and 93 BPM, respectively.

Alternatively, the addition of mirtazapine could be solely or mostly responsible for my positive mood.
 

Koveras

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I think limiting lipolysis and fat oxidation is very helpful
 

InChristAlone

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I get good results with cyproheptadine. I think my anxiety/fear is a serotonin issue in my brain (not so much my gut because bowel movements are the best they have been in my life).
 

Koveras

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Off the top of your head what would a solid game plan look like that a layman could understand?

I guess eating sufficient calories, eating with a higher meal frequency and avoiding fasting, eating a higher carbohydrate + lower fat diet, avoiding excessive caffeine and stimulants, avoiding any exercise other than easy walking if the issue is severe.

---
If he's on TRT and arimidex and into the fitness scene some of that may be a hard sell. Body comp goals may have to take back seat for awhile if they are present. Not much stimulates anxiety like the combination of an alpha antagonist (like yohimbe, stimulates lipolysis), a beta agonist (like ephedrine, stimulates fat oxidation), caffeine, a calorie deficit, a low carb diet, and stressful and prolonged exercise.

Drugs that reduce stress and anxiety tend to block fat oxidation (beta blockers like propranolol) or block lipolysis (like clonidine)
 

tara

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I guess eating sufficient calories, eating with a higher meal frequency and avoiding fasting, eating a higher carbohydrate + lower fat diet, avoiding excessive caffeine and stimulants, avoiding any exercise other than easy walking if the issue is severe.
+1

And possibly yoga or similar.
Attend to breathing/CO2.
Get enough magnesium.
Sunshine.
Sleep at night.
 

DaveFoster

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Other important things; eat plenty of salt, eat mostly solid foods, and fat can help balance your blood sugar between meals (chocolate for example). Make sure it's mostly saturated.
 
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skycop00

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I guess eating sufficient calories, eating with a higher meal frequency and avoiding fasting, eating a higher carbohydrate + lower fat diet, avoiding excessive caffeine and stimulants, avoiding any exercise other than easy walking if the issue is severe.

---
If he's on TRT and arimidex and into the fitness scene some of that may be a hard sell. Body comp goals may have to take back seat for awhile if they are present. Not much stimulates anxiety like the combination of an alpha antagonist (like yohimbe, stimulates lipolysis), a beta agonist (like ephedrine, stimulates fat oxidation), caffeine, a calorie deficit, a low carb diet, and stressful and prolonged exercise.

Drugs that reduce stress and anxiety tend to block fat oxidation (beta blockers like propranolol) or block lipolysis (like clonidine)
Perfect, yes he is a mountain biker and runner (tough mudder). I will forward this and its always good from others...lol..Thanks again...
 
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skycop00

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A copy of what my friend is going through....

I recommended bag breathing and sugar so far...

"Weird thing is I'm good 90% of the time or more. Like I said, when it hits, it hits hard and fast. I need something fast-acting I can take when it starts to keep it from turning into a full blown anxiety attack. Once it does go full blown it takes a long time to calm down (sometimes most of a day) and I feel like I have a hangover afterwards. I can tell when it starts that it's going to escalate"
 

tara

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Immediate food/foody drink + a gentle walk with the mouth shut?

On rare occasions when I had trouble a few years ago at night, I found I could not sort breathing/CO2 levels unless I got up and moved. And it always coincided with fuel deficit, so both were needed for me. If it tends to happen at night, consider a chin strap or tape to keep mouth shut while sleeping.
I think getting adequate alkaline minerals can also be helpful for this.
 

Koveras

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A copy of what my friend is going through....

I recommended bag breathing and sugar so far...

"Weird thing is I'm good 90% of the time or more. Like I said, when it hits, it hits hard and fast. I need something fast-acting I can take when it starts to keep it from turning into a full blown anxiety attack. Once it does go full blown it takes a long time to calm down (sometimes most of a day) and I feel like I have a hangover afterwards. I can tell when it starts that it's going to escalate"

Sugar and proper breathing are probably the sanest/safest things to recommend acutely.

Attack that comes on quickly like that could be related more to noradrenaline input, but all the previously mentioned factors still play a large role.

There are many factors/pathways that influence sympathetic vs parasympathetic, or excitatory vs inhibitory, output from the central nervous system.

3 general scenarios could lead to anxiety:

1. Hyperactive excitatory response

2. A combination of hyperactive excitatory and hypoactive inhibitory responses

3. Hypoactive inhibitory response


My guess is the consistent physical and lifestyle stressors are wearing down the inhibitory side of things for your friend with many acute exacerbations of the excitatory

The balance of excitatory/inhibitory is influenced by many, many variables. Excitotoxic stress, inflammatory stress, oxidative stress, nitrosative stress. Improving any one or any combination of those variables is likely to offer some degree of relief. There is no shortage of things that may help or hinder to some degree.

Again, acutely, sugar and breathing.

Sanest long term options - some of the dietary and lifestyle changes that allow recovery of the inhibitory system. Maybe this individual needs an "off season".

Would also caution this individual, because ED is sometimes associated with TRT, AIs, and stress - that nitric oxide could be one of those "hindering factors".

"Hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is accepted as one of the fundamental biological mechanisms that underlie major depression. This hyperactivity is caused by diminished feedback inhibition of glucocorticoid (GC)-induced reduction of HPA axis signaling and increased corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) secretion from the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and extra-hypothalamic neurons. During chronic stress-induced inhibition of systemic feedback, cytosolic glucocorticoid receptor (GR) levels were significantly changed in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus, both structures known to be deeply involved in the pathogenesis of depression. Cytokines secreted by both immune and non-immune cells can markedly affect neurotransmission within regulatory brain circuits related to the expression of emotions; cytokines may also induce hormonal changes similar to those observed following exposure to stress. Proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) are implicated in the etiologies of clinical depression and anxietydisorders. Prolonged stress responses and cytokines impair neuronal plasticity and stimulation of neurotransmission. Exposure to acute stress and IL-1β markedly increased IL-1β levels in the PFC, hippocampus and hypothalamus, as well as overall HPA axis activity. Repeated stress sensitized the HPA axis response to IL-1β. Inflammatory responses in the brain contribute to cellular damage associated with neuropsychiatric diseases related to stress. Physical, psychological or combined-stress conditions evoke a proinflammatory response in the brain and other systems, characterized by a complex release of several inflammatory mediators including cytokines, prostanoids, nitric oxide (NO) and transcription factors. Induced CRH release involves IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-α, for stimulation adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) release from the anterior pituitary. NO also participates in signal transduction pathways that result in the release of corticosterone from the adrenal gland. NO participates in multiple interactions between neuroendocrine and neuroimmune systems in physiological and pathological processes. Neuronal NO synthase (nNOS) modulates learning and memory and is involved in development of neuropsychiatric diseases, including depression. Nitric oxide generated in response to stress exposure is associated with depression-like and anxiety-like behaviors. In the central nervous system (CNS), prostaglandins (PG) generated by the cyclooxygenase (COX) enzyme are involved in the regulation of HPA axis activity. Prior exposure to chronic stress alters constitutive (COX-1) and inducible (COX-2) cyclooxygenase responses to homotypic stress differently in the PFC, hippocampus and hypothalamus. Both PG and NO generated within the PVN participate in this modulation. Acute stress affects the functionality of COX/PG and NOS/NO systems in brain structures. The complex responses of central and peripheral pathways to acute and chronic stress involve cytokines, NO and PG systems that regulate and turn off responses that would be potentially harmful for cellular homeostasis and overall health."

Cytokines, prostaglandins and nitric oxide in the regulation of stress-response systems. - PubMed - NCBI

Biological markers for anxiety disorders, OCD and PTSD: A consensus statement. Part II: Neurochemistry, neurophysiology and neurocognition. - PubMed - NCBI
 

jyb

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I think limiting lipolysis and fat oxidation is very helpful

Promoting at least some saturated fat oxidation was the turning point for my lifelong anxiety, by eating somewhat more fat than what I get from "just" whole milk or butter used as seasoning. Seeing the number of anxiety complaints people are reporting following low fat diets even on this forum, I think the poster may want to keep that in mind if attempting it. I find that gelatin and animal protein (from protein rich sources like cheese for example) are useful on top of that. They prolonge satiety in addition to lowering anxiety, I think both are sort of related. Drugs like cyproheptadine are also powerful, unfortunately the side effects can be quite strong and so it may or may not be useful. I found some herbs like cascara are surprisingly powerful too and without such side effects.
 
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raypeatclips

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Promoting at least some saturated fat oxidation was the turning point for my lifelong anxiety, by eating somewhat more fat than what I get from "just" whole milk or butter used as seasoning. Seeing the number of anxiety complaints people are reporting following low fat diets even on this forum, I think the poster may want to keep that in mind if attempting it. I find that gelatin and animal protein (from protein rich sources like cheese for example) are useful on top of that. They prolonge satiety in addition to lowering anxiety, I think both are sort of related. Drugs like cyproheptadine are also powerful, unfortunately the side effects can be quite strong and so it may or may not be useful. I found some herbs like cascara are surprisingly powerful too and without such side effects.

+1 on saturated fat. Low fat diets <15g made me feel awful. I think the side effects of cyproheptadine are over exaggerated however.
 

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