Ativan and kava
Common Questions and Answers about Ativan and kava
avinza
Anyhow, onto my question... In addition to depression, I struggle with anxiety and take 1 mg Ativan as needed, up to 3x/day. The Ativan helps with the anxiety but I've noticed if I have to take it for a few days in a row it really seems to affect my mood, in that I often feel even more depressed than I did before taking it.
Nor should you add anything to your current regime without the knowledge and consent of your doctor. As an example, the poster states that Kava Kava is good for anxiety and that may be very true, but it is totally contraindicated while taking Ativan. As is valerian, another very common herb known to help with anxiety.
The other word of caution is never attempt to wean yourself off any of these types of medication without the guidance of your medical doctor.
I'm trying to come off citalapram 40mg and want to try kava kava as a replacement but can I take them together?
I have the same problem with my sex drive, nearly non existent, seems to be the norm on these tablets. Any help would be appreciated.
hi!! I know that Valerian root works well for some, kava kava, ummm.. can't think of the others but I'm sure someone else will post. The Ativan may not be helping you too much since it is a short acting benzo. I was prescribed Xanax for almost a year and it didn't help too much with my anxiety, maybe for an hour or so after I took it. They switched me to Klonopin, longer acting and I've had ZERO anxiety/panic problems since.
For example, in natural medicine the thing to add would be passionflower and hops or kava or something like that, which if they work will do what lorazepam does without the addiction problem. There would also be dietary and exercise and meditation changes involved, a whole body approach as opposed to a one remedy cures all approach.
Yes, there are meds that can help you sleep. Talk to your dr about them. But you might want to try natural sleep remedies first. As well as making some adjustments in your sleeping habits. For instance, the bedroom should only be used for sleeping and sex. Nothing else. And make sure your room is as dark as possible when you go to sleep. Also, don't drink any coffee, or anything with caffeine in it, after 3:00pm. And if you don't exercise, you might want to start.
I have been treated with SSRIs and SNRIs for depression several years before I got Lyme. I was med free and doing great before Lyme. When I got Lyme, it caused anxiety/panic attacks. I never had panic attacks before.
In my experience SSRIs, and SNRIs don't work for my anxiety/panic. Before I got diagnosed they were trying to give me those with no success. I don't have much to complain about in terms of depression though.
What works for me for the anxiety and panic is benzodiazepines.
I don't want to mess with your head, but I'm going to have to in order to give my opinion here. GABA taken internally doesn't get past the blood/brain barrier, so it's not very effective in treating anything. Sometimes it also causes a bit of anxiety. If it's helping you, great, but that's most likely a placebo effect, which is the best medicine of all -- no side effects!
Sorry for sharing that. I'm sure that there are plenty of people who can benefit from the placebo effect. For people that have less intense symptoms that are more psychologically driven, the placebo effect can be very powerful (no sarcasm), and the hope that something can work can make someone feel better.
In my case, if I were given a placebo, I'd either know it was a placebo, or complain my drugs completely stopped working.
Passionflower is considered a systemic anti-anxiety herb, meaning regular use over a period of time helps the nervous system calm down. Quicker and stronger natural remedies would be kava and holy basil -- the first works on GABA, probably, and the second works on cortisol production, which creates the physiological symptoms of anxiety. Herbs that balance the adrenals, such as ashwagandha, might help as well. Valerian also helps some people.
I bought some kava kava and took my first dose, and wow, it really does work. It makes me feel more tired than when I take klonopin (maybe the dose?), but I feel so much better. I was surprised at how fast it acts. I combined a kava kava stress relief tea tea with 30 drops of kava kava root, and it took effect very fast (10 minutes or so). I was told that kava extracts can vary in quality and effectiveness, and it's best to go with a reputable brand in liquid form.
s Market yesterday, and picked up some Celestial Seasonings NightyNight tea and some Kava Kava. I read up on the Kava, and it is supposed to help with anxiety, depression, and insomnia... And since I have been trying like the devil to stop taking my tramadol on an (out-of-control) daily basis, I figured I would try something natural. The tea smells and tastes amazing, with chamomile, lemongrass, spearmint, and valerian root...
Try to find the studies by googling them. As to kava, there were five people who suffered sever liver damage and were taking kava. One was an Australian aborigine, I think, who was drinking buckets of it every day, so we have to kind of discount that one -- no one recommends drinking buckets of it. The other four were all using standardized kava, not a regular tincture or herbal tea or the traditional drink used in Vanatu.
Kava Kava is a great herbal anti-anxiety agent, but from what I understand it should NOT, EVER, be taken while you're still taking any kind of Benzo.
It doesn't help detox, but once you have gotten off of the Klonopin for good, it might be something to look into, to help you when anxiety does erupt.
My doctor at the time understood and put me on a beta blocker to keep my heart rate down and a very low dose of Ativan (.5mg). I did really well. I've never increased the dose and don't take it unless I'm feeling anxious about leaving the house. I got my life back at least for awhile.
Fast forward to last year when we moved to Texas. I haven't been able to find a supportive doctor yet. They hear I'm on Ativan and suddenly they think I'm drug addict.
Depends on the person. Depends on how severe the anxiety is. Kava is the closest herb probably to a benzo in effect. It comes in different forms. The traditional way to take it is a drink, which is how they use it in the islands where it's native. You can take it in a tea or alcohol tincture, but it tastes pretty awful. You can take the plain herb in a capsule. You can take the juice in a capsule.
If kava tea works, then your problem is very slight, because there's not much kava in it. If you want an appropriate amount of kava, Eclectic Institute, Herb Pharm, Gaia all make kava in various forms, tinctures and pills, standardized and not. Remember, if it tastes good, there's very little kava in it, it tastes horrible.
As for the Canada ban, it's kind of banned in the US, too.
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