L Theanine - Any of you guys have any experience with it?

[EricHill78]

For the past couple weeks I've been taking L theanine to reduce stress/anxiety which I've been suffering from on and off again due to finances etc. It seems to be helping but part of me believes it may be psychosamatic. It's all natural which is great just wondering if anyone here uses it as well. A friend of mine at work gave me Xanax a couple times which did help a little but I don't want to be addicted to it. Any other supplements you guys could reccomend for stress anxiety? Thanks guys..

Here's a video about L Theanine if you've never heard of it before.

[Ansel]

I tried it recently but wasn't sure if it was working well enough to justify the price. I now drink lots of Lapsang Souchong tea and i find this works much much better for me - in fact, i recommend it to anyone and everyone. lol

[Corvus]

I've been taking 200 mg a day for the last couple of weeks to help with a mild case of anxiety. Seems to be taking the edge off.

[brant]

@EricHill78 ... thanks for bringing this up ... it would seem to me you needn't worry about becoming addicted since it is a natural supplement - but that's just my opinion - I understand your concern. I am looking at it as well and appreciate you starting this thread. Also, am looking at Lapsang Souchong tea, which I was not aware of, so thanks for that Ansel.

[Ansel]

I've been taking 200 mg a day for the last couple of weeks to help with a mild case of anxiety. Seems to be taking the edge off.

Good to hear :-)

I figured drinking tea would be my best way to get my theanine so i get it that way and make it strong. I get the quality brands which makes it a bit more of a ritual.

[LincolnSnuff]

I've taken Valerian Root supplements (450mg capsules dried root) to help with occasional insomnia, but as I was researching it I found that it is also an effective natural anxiety treatment. It's quite relaxing without being intoxicating at moderate doses.

[Ansel]

I tried valerian but maybe it was too high a dose. It sent me into a real deep sleep and then i was so lethargic with heavy legs the next day. I couldn't bring myself to trying it again.

[Ansel]

Prozac is the one they say that's for anxiety and from the sounds of it unlike Xanax but it's whether you want to go down that route - depends on how bad anxiety you're talking in.

[Ansel]

Or if your finances are that bad could you consider bankruptcy or sorting out some sort of repayment plan? That would be a good stress reliever.

[EricHill78]

I appreciate the input guys.. the valerian root sounds interesting. I have trouble sleeping often.

[sgreger1]

I have been able to successfully wean myself from 8x .25 mg doses of xanax a day down to 1 by reducing 1 dose every 5 days, everything was fine and I didn't even really notice the drop in dosage until I got to this last one. Now I am really starting to get anxiety again, but i'm not sure if it is because of something or if it is just something I need to put up with until my body fixes itself and the xanax is completely gone. I am not sure if what I am feeling is increased anxiety, or just rebound anxiety from the drug and partial symptoms of withdrawal, but if this stuff you mention works for anxiety I might take it to try and help me get off this last daily dose, I need something to take the edge off until my body can re-adjust itself. Never let your doctor put you on anxiety meds unless you have serious anxiety, I did not have anxiety until I started this pill and now I am pleagued by it.

They did my CT scans and found some nodules growing in my lungs, so I have to come back in a few months for them to see if it is in fact cancer or if they just so happen to have appeared there. The irony of me, the person who did not ever smoke cigarettes, getting lung cancer is almost too much for me to bare. Hopefully it's nothing. But now the wife is claiming that snus is giving me cancer lol. I should quit anyways, I use so little now that it's probably best to just quit, but I can't quite bring myself to stop it, at least nto untill I get this anxiety/xanax BS under control. I can't deal with the withdrawal from 2 things at once lol.

[brant]

I appreciate the input guys.. the valerian root sounds interesting. I have trouble sleeping often.

i use melatonin, 5mg, pretty often ... works and i don't feel lethargic in the AM

[LincolnSnuff]

sgreger1, Valerian Root will supposedly show up on a drug test as a false positive for benzos, i.e. Xanax. It works in a very similar fashion so I think it could help you in the end stages of getting off of the Xanax. I have never been prescribed Xanax, but I took it a couple of times when a family member gave me some for anxiety. 1.5mg Xanax at night before bed gave me terrible blackouts. I would wake up, but not remember the hour before I took it or anything after. I think it really is a devil's drug. The valerian root has never done this and I have experimented with taking up to four 450mg capsules (the bottle says you can take up to five at bedtime). Good luck with your quitting, and I'm sure the anomalies on your lungs are harmless.

Valerian with 3mg melatonin works wonders for me with getting to sleep. You just have to lay down within 45 minutes of taking the melatonin or you might just stay awake through the active phase and be back where you started.

[Roo]

I like xanax. For the record I guess. Perfect for long-ass flights, or sleepless nights. I am not very susceptible to addiction though. At this point in my life, that is a fact. Except for the obvious... snuuuuuuuuuuus

Edit: On topic, as for this L Theanin, I've only heard of it/tried it through one channel, one of my best friends. He shot himself in January. Of course I'm not drawing a correlation, I just think of him when I think of that. He was also a drug addict. So the all-natural treatment for anxiety was the least of his problems. RIP Matty K.