One study pitted kava against two popular anti-anxiety drugs (buspirone and opipramol) and found that kava worked as well as either of them. While you can get l-theanine from drinking tea, it’s not practical to rely on tea alone to reduce anxiety. Not only does l-theanine relieve anxiety by increasing levels of GABA, but it also brings about a relaxed brainwave state similar to that experienced during meditation. There are many excellent reasons to trade your Xanax for natural alternatives if at all possible.
Breathing exercises
- Whether it’s walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, dancing, or weightlifting, personal preference plays a crucial role in adherence.
- Going one step further, the real quest is to discover the root causes of symptoms and address those with non-pharmaceutical methods.
- As a result, probiotics can influence the production and modulation of these neurotransmitters (54).
- Cutting back or eliminating caffeine can serve as a natural approach to reducing anxiety, making it a lifestyle alternative to medications like Xanax.
- It is a blessing from nature that these straightforward, but powerful alternatives exist.
- The University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) stresses the importance of taking herbal supplements only under your doctor’s supervision.
You can reap the benefits of exercise for your mental health with just committing to a brisk walk a few days a week, a bike ride, or even a dance homeopathic xanax class (or a dance party in your living room). They’re not regulated in the same way as prescription medications, so their potency, purity, and safety of herbal supplements especially can vary significantly between brands and products. Additionally, these treatments may interact with other medications or health conditions and could be harmful to you. It’s crucial to consult with a health-care professional before starting any holistic treatment.
Depending on your circumstances, the trade-off might be worth it to manage anxiety symptoms naturally. Numerous studies show that L-theanine can simultaneously enhance mental acuity and reduce stress 6. Studies corroborate that Xanax tends to be as effective as Valium (diazepam) for treating clinical anxiety disorders, but it’s not without drawbacks. Due to a high potential for drug abuse and addiction, Xanax is a controlled substance in the United States. Purchasing Xanax online without a prescription is a) a federal crime, b) highly unsafe, and c) more likely to cause problems than solve them.
Expert care for anxiety is here. See if Talkiatry is right for you.
This can create a vicious cycle, because anxiety itself can be exacerbated by poor sleep quality. One way to approach getting better sleep is taking steps to prepare yourself to get the best sleep possible. In your brain, there are communication centers called neurons that send messages to each other using chemicals called neurotransmitters.
What conditions are benzodiazepines used for?
But beyond its aromatic allure, lemon balm has a longstanding reputation in herbal medicine. Similar to Passion flower, Valerian root affects GABA levels in the brain. By inhibiting the breakdown of GABA, Valerian can help calm anxiety (5). Passion flower can be safely combined with other natural anti-anxiety remedies, amplifying its effects. Another showed that it can reduce pre-surgery anxiety, comparable to standard medications (4).
More Xanax Alternatives
There are ways to protect your brain from alcohol, but you’re better off avoiding it completely or significantly reducing your consumption if you’re trying to reduce anxiety. In many instances, limiting or abstaining from alcohol can be a constructive step towards managing anxiety, presenting itself as a natural lifestyle alternative to medications like Xanax. While Tai Chi does not function as a direct replacement for medications like Xanax, its integration of movement and mindfulness offers substantial benefits for those grappling with anxiety and stress. Meditation is personally one of my favorite daily activities to maintain optimal brain function and mental health. Multiple clinical trials have investigated the effects of specific probiotic strains on mood and anxiety.
- Many individuals, especially in the Western world, are magnesium-deficient and would benefit from supplementation.
- You can find this specific ingredient in Transparent Labs KSM-66® Ashwagandha capsules.
- One way psychobiotics work is by synthesizing neurotransmitters, including GABA.
- Since GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, an increase in GABA receptor activity elicits anticonvulsant, hypnotic, muscle-relaxant, and ataxic effects.
- Watch the video below to learn about effective alternatives to benzodiazepine drugs.
- Not only does l-theanine relieve anxiety by increasing levels of GABA, but it also brings about a relaxed brainwave state similar to that experienced during meditation.
There are literally THOUSANDS of stories of people being addicted to it, and the withdrawal from it can be an absolute nightmare. Other therapeutic protocols at Alternative to Meds can reduce anxiety significantly, such as yoga, meditation, and practicing mindfulness, massage therapy, and acupuncture. Please explore more about them on our services overview page, including IV + NAD, nebulized glutathione, art therapy, neurotransmitter rehabilitation, and many others.
#3. Xanax Alternative – Kava Root Extract
Xanax is unequivocally an effective prescription medication for treating anxiety and panic disorders 2. It also alters wakefulness and sleep-wake cycles by regulating brainwave activity. Research suggests that Xanax significantly decreases the length of rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep stages and the frequency of REM burst activity 3. REM sleep is when dreaming typically occurs and paradoxically exhibits similar neurophysiology to being awake.