# Anything I can buy over the counter for an anxiety attack?



## meco1999 (May 28, 2011)

I've been having a bad anxiety attack since Tuesday, and I was wondering if there's anything I can buy over the counter at, say, USA Drug that would help? Herbal, anything really. Not alcohol. :blank


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## RelinquishedHell (Apr 10, 2012)

Alcohol, cuz the herbal stuff doesn't really work.


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## MsDaisy (Dec 27, 2011)

A glass of Cabernet Sauvignon does the trick for me.


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## JakeBoston1000 (Apr 8, 2008)

i have tried every herb you can think of for anxiety and sadly none did anything at all.


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## RelinquishedHell (Apr 10, 2012)

paulallan said:


> i have tried every herb you can think of for anxiety and sadly none did anything at all.


I have tried L-theanine, KAVA KAVA, and GABA. They had no effect, I just take 1mg of Klonopin as a PRN, it's the only thing that works for me at the moment.


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## loophole (Apr 15, 2012)

no insurance? no dr? ..... over the counter not gonna do much...


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## istayhome (Apr 4, 2012)

You can buy phenibut online, that's probably your best bet. Damiana tea is also extremely relaxing and a strong sedative. Best herbal I know of. Valerian tea might help. 

Ehhh, the herbs have never helped panic attacks for me. If you need a legal supplement Phenibut will really do the trick. It takes a few hours to kick in but works just as well as a benzo for anxiety relief I think.


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## ricca91 (Mar 11, 2012)

Personally I would go with valerian root. Just make sure it is standardized to 0,8% of valerenic acid... For me 900 mg do wonders for anxiety and muscle spasm, I would compare it to 0,5 mg of klonopin (for me). Your mileage may vary.

Other anxiolytic supplements include hops, passiflora (make sure it is standardised fot vitexin), relora (make sure it is standardized for magnolol and honokiol) and kava kava (make sure it is standardized for at least 30% of kavalactones). That's what comes to mind right now... take care!


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## ahmad (Jun 27, 2010)

omega 3 , vitamins , may be.


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## istayhome (Apr 4, 2012)

ahmad said:


> omega 3 , vitamins , may be.


Suggesting vitamins for acute panic attacks is kind of degrading. It's like when I was severely agoraphobic and my doctor suggested breathing exercises. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can cause serious problems but taking a vitamin won't stop a panic attack.


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## Mr Happy (May 28, 2012)

http://www.rockwellnutrition.com/DopaBoost-Capsules-by-Designs-for-Health.html


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## Mr Happy (May 28, 2012)

Suggesting that vitamins are a "degrading" suggestion to the treatment of ANY condition, is degrading to the power of nature. Have you done full research of all possibilities? There are synergistic combinations of natural ingredients that are extremely potent when intelligently combined. 
Adding Green Tea Extract (EGCg) to 5-HTP greatly enhances its effectiveness. As well as Velvet Bean Extract (Mucuna) and EGCg is another potent combination. All ingredients easily found at online health stores. Take Green Tea Extract 30 mins before you take either 5-HTP or Velvet Bean Extract. Green tea works as support of sustained Dopamine production, leading to feelings of joy and calmness i.e Powerful, natural, anti-Anxiety medication.


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## istayhome (Apr 4, 2012)

Mr. Happy. I have no doubts about the "power of nature" Though I would refer to it as having a knowledge and understanding of our natural world and it can harm or hurt us. 

What I wrote, if you read it, is that suggesting taking vitamins to overcome an acute panic attack is demeaning to the sufferer. I have often found "natural" cures for my problems. But when suffering from an acute panic attack taking a vitamin isn't going to stop that panic attack. If I was suffering from panic attacks and given that advice I would certainly feel like whoever gave me that advice didn't give a damn about me.

I have actually tried the suggestions you mentioned and it isn't in the ball-park of powerful anti-anxiety medication. Assuming it did act as a strong dopaminergic it would be contraindicated while experiencing an acute panic attack.


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## Cletis (Oct 10, 2011)

Valerain, Kava Kava, Passion Flower, Chamoile(sp?). You can try an OTC sleep aid but they're only good for sleep not anxiety. Benadryl might help some.

Most OTC stuff is weak and won't do much for severe anxiety. You'll need prescription drugs for that. Good luck.


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## Porterdog (Sep 17, 2010)

If you looking for OTC, benadryl and DXM are the best anxiety relievers for me. 
dont try herbal remedies, they're expensive and aren't regulated by the FDA so most of the time all you get is junk plant matter with none of the active chemicals.


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## riptide991 (Feb 1, 2012)

ThatOneQuietGuy said:


> I have tried L-theanine, KAVA KAVA, and GABA. They had no effect, I just take 1mg of Klonopin as a PRN, it's the only thing that works for me at the moment.


Well GABA can't cross the Blood brain barrier so it's useless. It does give a slight flushing effect in large quantities which kind of helps to relax. I'm talking 3 grams - 6 grams at once. L-theanine may help but only for those who drink coffee and are anxious as a result of too much caffeine. The studies done really showed that it counteracted the effects of caffeine hence why green tea doesn't make you jittery. Kava Kava I found that it was highly dependent on the source. I got this really concentrated one from gaia herbs one time and at first I noticed it slightly having a calming affect but i found in time it got to a point where it made things worse.

The only thing natural that helps me is exercise, jogging in particular.


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## riptide991 (Feb 1, 2012)

Mr Happy said:


> Suggesting that vitamins are a "degrading" suggestion to the treatment of ANY condition, is degrading to the power of nature. Have you done full research of all possibilities? There are synergistic combinations of natural ingredients that are extremely potent when intelligently combined.
> Adding Green Tea Extract (EGCg) to 5-HTP greatly enhances its effectiveness. As well as Velvet Bean Extract (Mucuna) and EGCg is another potent combination. All ingredients easily found at online health stores. Take Green Tea Extract 30 mins before you take either 5-HTP or Velvet Bean Extract. Green tea works as support of sustained Dopamine production, leading to feelings of joy and calmness i.e Powerful, natural, anti-Anxiety medication.


The theory behind EGCG is that it inhibits decarboxylation, but it would have to be ingested in insane amounts to match the effects of the flawed in-vitro study. Thus 5-htp is more likely to be converted to serotonin in the peripheral system. You will not get much crossing the blood brain barrier. The studies on 5-htp which were done with agents which prevented decarboxylation still yielded poor results and in insanely high amounts. To take these amounts would cause more harm than good with the 5-htp converting in the peripheral system. I tested this theory with 600mg/day at one point. It had a slight positive effect but it diminished after about 2 weeks.


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## riptide991 (Feb 1, 2012)

istayhome said:


> Mr. Happy. I have no doubts about the "power of nature" Though I would refer to it as having a knowledge and understanding of our natural world and it can harm or hurt us.
> 
> What I wrote, if you read it, is that suggesting taking vitamins to overcome an acute panic attack is demeaning to the sufferer. I have often found "natural" cures for my problems. But when suffering from an acute panic attack taking a vitamin isn't going to stop that panic attack. If I was suffering from panic attacks and given that advice I would certainly feel like whoever gave me that advice didn't give a damn about me.
> 
> I have actually tried the suggestions you mentioned and it isn't in the ball-park of powerful anti-anxiety medication. Assuming it did act as a strong dopaminergic it would be contraindicated while experiencing an acute panic attack.


Don't underestimate the power of the mind. Keep in mind that most people who claim herbs and vitamins work are experiencing a placebo effect. It is well known that the body is an efficient machine and you will be paying for expensive urine. Anything that has a therapeutic effect has to be classified as a drug and then tests must be done by FDA to verify its safety data. Anything natural that has worked has been taken off the market. Ephedra is a very natural substance with therapeutic effects and naturally it was banned and is now only available via prescription.


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## Sumguy7 (May 15, 2012)

kehcorpz said:


> Ephedra is a very natural substance with therapeutic effects and naturally it was banned and is now only available via prescription.


Not true.

And to answer the OP's question, phenibut. It's a drug that's easily available in the US and effective at reducing anxiety.


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## riptide991 (Feb 1, 2012)

Sumguy7 said:


> Not true.
> 
> And to answer the OP's question, phenibut. It's a drug that's easily available in the US and effective at reducing anxiety.


Which part is not true?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephedra_sinica

It's prescribed for treating breathing problems, blood pressure, etc..

It's banned in Canada, and from the bodybuilding forums people are insisting its banned in the US. Pseudo-ephedrine in decongestants is legal but the ephedrine alkaloid is much more powerful and oral versions are available for prescription here.


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