Reducing anxiety without prescription medication

Rastas

Rastas

New member
I'm not expecting a great response from this thread, just putting it out there incase there are some individuals who have some good methods they use to do what the subject suggests.

Among a host of other first world mental issues I have, I suffer from anxiety. I go through bouts and it comes and goes in waves. What I hate, however, is when I'm bulking and struggle to eat as constant anxiety absolutely kills my appetite.

I don't want to rely on prescription medication to treat this issue. I've abused these drugs before and I don't want to end up doing this again as it is a vicious cycle. I just hate that I struggle to put weight on because I can't eat, or vomit afterwards. I'm not a hard gainer. I don't think anyone is. And I'm not just using this as an excuse for my lack of gains recently. Today I'm 240lbs @ 15% BF, 5'11" but I know I could be bigger.

Does your appetite suffer for this or a similar reason and what have you done to combat it?

My goal weight is 255lbs by April to cut for a September show.
 
Megatron28 said:
Most effective treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy. I would encourage you to tackle it now. It is only going to get worse as you get older. It is like leaking plumbing. You hope it will fix itself but it never does. Just gets worse and worse.

Therapy for Anxiety Disorders: Cognitive and Behavioral Approaches
Click to expand...

Thanks Megatron. Looks like I've got some reading to do. It would be good to sort this out. I've dealt with this issue for the last ten years, been prescribed boat loads of medication (name a psych drug, I've been on it) but I really want to get this problem resolved without a temporary band aid fix. I genuinely appreciate your reply.
 
You're welcome. Good luck. It is hard work to cure anxiety. You are going to have to leave your comfort zone. A skilled psychologist can really help you with this. At least get you started down the right path.
 
Megatron28 said:
You're welcome. Good luck. It is hard work to cure anxiety. You are going to have to leave your comfort zone. A skilled psychologist can really help you with this. At least get you started down the right path.
Click to expand...

It took me years to even realise there was anything wrong. I used to all of a sudden have extreme trouble breathing, stomach pains and then throw up for no reason. I'm very much a typical bloke so I never saw anyone about it, I didn't have a GP to see because I never went to the doctors. Then as I got older I learned what was going on and today, I'm at a point in my life where I need to try something different. Like you said, time to step out of my comfort zone. I've seen a few psychiatrists who just want to pour pills down my throat but never a psychologist.
 
I don't even know you, Megatron, but even talking to someone about it online and the concept of learning and employing CBT makes me feel less tense. Bizarre.
 
What makes you anxious?

For therapy, they try to get you to basically conquer your fears. For example, if you gwt anxious leaving the house then you first work on stepping outside. Then walking to the street. Then walking around the block. Then driving a mile. And so on. At the same time, you work on dealing with the "negative talk" that goes through your head. All the "what if..." questions you ask yourself.

It takes time and work, but you can do it. Sometimes taking SSRIs at the sae time as getting therapy can help you "break" the connections that make you anxious. It can make it a little easier.

Think of it perhaps like getting a cortisone shot for a tendonitis. It will make you feel better while it is in effect. But once it wears off the pain is back. You need to do physical therapy while the cortisone is working so you cure the underlying problem.
 
Megatron28 said:
What makes you anxious?

For therapy, they try to get you to basically conquer your fears. For example, if you gwt anxious leaving the house then you first work on stepping outside. Then walking to the street. Then walking around the block. Then driving a mile. And so on. At the same time, you work on dealing with the "negative talk" that goes through your head. All the "what if..." questions you ask yourself.

It takes time and work, but you can do it. Sometimes taking SSRIs at the sae time as getting therapy can help you "break" the connections that make you anxious. It can make it a little easier.

Think of it perhaps like getting a cortisone shot for a tendonitis. It will make you feel better while it is in effect. But once it wears off the pain is back. You need to do physical therapy while the cortisone is working so you cure the underlying problem.
Click to expand...

Therein lies the problem. I have no idea what causes the anxiety. Sometimes I become incredibly antisocial and don't want to leave the house or see mates. I just want to do my own thing. Seeing my family helps though because we are so close-knit. I'm yet to speak to anyone whilst on medication. I've pretty much been on every SSRI there is. It's an issue because if I'm on an SSRI, I have to be on an antipsychotic (I go manic without. I love it but I just become ridiculous). If I'm on an antipsychotic I have to be on a mood stabiliser. Then I'm on benztropine for agitation, Klonopin for panic attacks, Seroquel for sleep, the list goes on. I'd rather be on nothing. Just a little bit of the Seroquel to help me sleep and Klonopin when/if needed. It's not good because I don't know what I'll be like today, tomorrow, next week, but I actually have a personality and I'm not a zombie.

I'm definitely going to look into CBT. Thank you again, Megatron. Your replies are always very informative :)
 
Rastas....

Are you on TRT or cycle ?
I too have had anxiety for years. The SSRI (Paxil) worked for me with the occasional mild dose of klonopin.
I recently noticed my anxiety get worse with addition of HCG while on TRT...
I usually never had anxiousness while on either one.
I lowered my dose from 20 mg/day to 15 mg/day of Paxil...this could very well be the cause.
I also felt horrible anxiety when I crashed my E2 with ADEX....
 
APOLLON said:
Rastas....

Are you on TRT or cycle ?
I too have had anxiety for years. The SSRI (Paxil) worked for me with the occasional mild dose of klonopin.
I recently noticed my anxiety get worse with addition of HCG while on TRT...
I usually never had anxiousness while on either one.
I lowered my dose from 20 mg/day to 15 mg/day of Paxil...this could very well be the cause.
I also felt horrible anxiety when I crashed my E2 with ADEX....
Click to expand...

I'm on cycle at the moment (after one year off) but I know this isn't the cause. If being on cycle made me feel like this I would stay natural. I've felt this way, on and off, for years. Honestly, PCT doesn't change my mood and neither does the level of testosterone I use. The latest issues started about six months ago and have been quite persistent since then. I do have my days where I feel great and can get all my calories in, which is good. For example, I ran Trenbolone and Halotestin during my contest prep last year and felt great. No anxiety, plenty of motivation and always hungry. I'm contemplating using an SSRI soon and have taken Megatron's advice on board. I'm going to look into the CBT he recommended. I'm nearly 30 and for years I just went with the 'harden the fuck up' approach, kept things to myself and didn't talk to anyone (I didn't even have a GP) but eventually things just got out of hand and I had to take some form of action. Recent blood work showed everything was spot on, so I'm not suffering from low levels of testosterone or high estrogen etc.
 
Anxiety is a son of a bitch.....

if at all possibly, pinpoint the trigger for it when it comes about and try your best to confront it..

I've found that avoiding what it is that's lighting off the anxiety only prolongs and even makes it worse...

depression is regrets from what's happened in your past, and Anxiety is the fear of what's going to potentially happen in your future...

one way to stop the reverberation of the thoughts that race through your head when anxiety hits is to surrender to what's causing it and admitting to yourself that there's (in most cases) nothing you can do about it...


Apathy (learning not to care) is the best weapon against anxiety...



and yes I've dropped a boatload of weight in the past from not eating because my mind was racing with thoughts that seemed to matter at the time but in reality really didn't...

anxiety is the biggest con job a person can ever pull on themselves..



either way good luck and hope ya feel like yourself soon !
 
Last edited:
I too suffer from Anxiety issues, and some other mood and behavior disorders and CBT has been my path to a much calmer and happier existence. With working with a psychologist as well as some group work has helpoed me get to the root of, most, of my underlying issues and I have learned to cope, manage and change my perspective regarding a lot of the triggers. SOME anxiety can also be due to chemical imbalances, which only medication can be prescribed for. I understand you not wanting to be reliant on a pill to solve your problems, etc., however, sometimes there are things can only be treated by providing the body what it lacks naturally. This means chemicals in the brain.
I too have suffered with drug abuse and addiction and understand the fear of taking a medication, however, if prescribed properly, in the right dose, its not going to be an addictive thing. You are providing what your body does not provide for itself naturally. If you were to discuss your prior substance abuse and concern with a doctor, that is ALWAYS taken into consideration.

Also, never give up on the simple things, such as Meditation. Meditation is a skill, and like any skill needs to be practiced to become efficient at it and for it to become effective. Start out with just a couple/few minutes at a time, then let that time expand into 10 mintues, then 20, then 30, etc., etc. There are also breathing techniques that can be learned to help with anxiety from the onset. YOGA!!! This helps a lot with my stress and anxiety. Baths, soothing music, and certain aromas and scents can even be used to help calm oneself. I know some of this sounds a little "hippie-dippy", because that's what I thought about it until I tried it and it worked for me.

There are many of ways to combat your anxiety, and a lot of testing things out to see what works for you and what doesn't. I wish you luck with this part of your health endeavour and hope you find what works for you. It's a balancing act. It will come in time.

Namaste
 
how is your sleep? If I don't get at least 6 hours I'm out of it the next day. Dizziness and panic feelings being the biggest pain in the ass.
 
RatSlam said:
Also, never give up on the simple things, such as Meditation. Meditation is a skill, and like any skill needs to be practiced to become efficient at it and for it to become effective. Start out with just a couple/few minutes at a time, then let that time expand into 10 mintues, then 20, then 30, etc., etc. There are also breathing techniques that can be learned to help with anxiety from the onset. YOGA!!! This helps a lot with my stress and anxiety. Baths, soothing music, and certain aromas and scents can even be used to help calm oneself. I know some of this sounds a little "hippie-dippy", because that's what I thought about it until I tried it and it worked for me.

There are many of ways to combat your anxiety, and a lot of testing things out to see what works for you and what doesn't. I wish you luck with this part of your health endeavour and hope you find what works for you. It's a balancing act. It will come in time.

Namaste
Click to expand...

Thanks for your insight, RatSlam, it is greatly appreciated. As of about 3 weeks ago I've started getting acupuncture done and seeing a chinese medicine doctor. I've started using a practitioner prescribed probiotic as well as a glutamine based blend that helps your gastrointestinal lining. I'm drinking an array of herbal teas and have actually slept for the past two weeks without taking Seroquel or Saphris, which I haven't been able to do in over four years. After much research and speaking to the right people (you boys included) it is pretty evident that my gut and emotional health are WAY out of whack. I've dropped around 7kg (16lbs) in the past month which I feel is just fluid. I was pumping in the calories and the weight wasn't going on like it should. I've reduced my calories to almost half and I feel a lot better. I'm only going to the bathroom maybe 4 times a day now when it used to be 10+. I know ideally it should only be once or twice, but clearly I'm betting there. I also haven't touched Klonopin for weeks. This is so good. Yoga is next on the cards.
 
corvettels3 said:
how is your sleep? If I don't get at least 6 hours I'm out of it the next day. Dizziness and panic feelings being the biggest pain in the ass.
Click to expand...

As mentioned in the post above, I usually take drugs to sleep so I can get my eight hours in. I've gone drug free for two weeks and my sleep varies from 3hrs to 7hrs. It is often broken but I wake up and I'm awake. I'm not groggy or disorientated like I used to be. I can survive off 3 hours no problem though. (On paper) I have bipolar disorder so maybe this is why I don't ned to sleep much. My chinese medicine doctor is convinced all of this can be treated with acupuncture and herbs.
 
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