# A combination that has worked for me



## derbs (Mar 17, 2014)

I have tried various supplements in the past but have recently found a combination that seems to be helping with social anxiety the most. This consists of passion flower, theanine serene with relora and st. john's wort. 

Specifically, I take the passion flower potent natural sedative from New You vitamins which contains 450mg per capsule. I take 1 of that along with 1 or 2 pills of the theanine with relora which is manufactured by source naturals. 

This is the combination I was taking for the past year, however I recently discovered that adding St. John's wort to this combination really helps with more socially anxious situations. Interestingly, I was looking for some prescription medications for social phobia and saw that Zoloft (an antidepressant) is used for this type of condition. St. Jonh's wort has been proven to be effective for moderate depression so I thought it would also help with social anxiety. 

I've been using this combination for the past 3 weeks and I find that it really helps in social situations. I have found that the effects last for approximately 5 hours. You can take one pill from each supplement however I have also tried different combinations such as 2 St. John's wort (300mg each) or 2 theanine with relora. The passion flower might make you too sleepy if you take 2 so I would only take 1 of that. All these combinations have been very effective for me.


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## MrKappa (Mar 18, 2013)

There may be contradictions between those styles of medications.

It is a very popular warning that MAOIs and SSRIs should not be mixed.

So be careful, the symptoms you need to be aware of is called Serotonin Syndrome.

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

St. Johns Wort is a mild MAOI
Passion Flower is a mild MAOI

Zoloft is an SSRI.

I understand you may mot be combining the two, but I saw them mentioned next to each other so.

If it helps, I'm trying out a new combination as of last week, and this morning experienced a quick burst of low blood pressure, tingling sensation in my forearms, hands, and head. That's the blood rushing back into the brain, after oxygen deprivation. I am using a slightly different theanine than you, in combo with a few other ingredients, and had consumed a large amount of Carob powder on a breakfast cereal minutes before the mild semi-fainting experience. That's not serotonin syndrome, only pointing out that mixing stuff carries some minor risks. Often people do not mention the contradictions on the web.


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## derbs (Mar 17, 2014)

Yes, I'm aware that St. John's wort interacts with many prescription anti-depressants and should not be taken together. I do not take any other medications or supplements except a multivitamin and fish oil. I should also mention that St. john's wort can make your skin sensitive to sunlight so using sunscreen might be necessary


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## derbs (Mar 17, 2014)

MrKappa said:


> If it helps, I'm trying out a new combination as of last week, and this morning experienced a quick burst of low blood pressure, tingling sensation in my forearms, hands, and head. That's the blood rushing back into the brain, after oxygen deprivation. I am using a slightly different theanine than you, in combo with a few other ingredients, and had consumed a large amount of Carob powder on a breakfast cereal minutes before the mild semi-fainting experience. That's not serotonin syndrome, only pointing out that mixing stuff carries some minor risks. Often people do not mention the contradictions on the web.


Right, combining even natural supplements can be dangerous. I tried to find out as much as I could before trying that combination, especially for the theanine with relora since it contains 4 or 5 other ingredients. So far, (3 weeks including the St. john's wort) I have only experienced positive effects. Out of the 3 supplements St. john's wort seems to have the most interactions with other drugs so that's the one I'd watch out for if I were to take anything else.


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## MrKappa (Mar 18, 2013)

I hear the stuff works great with some people. I remember taking St.Johns, and feeling a strange bubbling sensation in my head, and I decided that I didn't enjoy the feeling. Also, plenty of people have warned me about the stuff, however, in hindsight, I may try them again in the future, as now I am starting to question whether or not that bubbling sensation was in fact an increase of blood flow into parts of my brain, potentially pushing more oxygen into it.

http://www.herbalpalace.com/bulk_herbs/st_johns_wort.html



> The pain relieving properties of St. John Wort have been beneficial in easing the vocal pain and laryngitis associated with fibromyalgia. It is said to relieve tension headaches, because the herb relaxes blood vessels and increases blood circulation. St. John's Wort may relieve those headaches that accompany hay fever.


Not the best source, but I trust it enough.

Ginkgo does similar things, only mostly around the eyes, in terms of blood circulation, to my memory.


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