This problem is very complicated and really requires the advice of your physican. That being said, it's not easy to find that special relationship. Living with anxiety is really disruptive. Please don't think about kratom, it's not your answer. You need to get real medical help first. The next think is much harder, why do you have this anxiety? For that, you will need some sort of therapist. That answer is within you under layers and layers of mental clutter. Can't go without saying the holidays cause all sorts of mental anquish for many people. But the good news is it's almost a new year and it could be new beginnings for you. The road is long and requires much work from you. Understand this is bigger than finding something on the street to help. That only leads to worse medical and legal issues. Get more exercise and sleep and call your doctor on Monday to get an appointment to deal with this problem.

It's about choices. Don't let fear control you. There are no do overs, you only get this one life, so make it count.

Like others have said, always consult a physician. That said... I've known people who, after consulting with a physician, have sworn by St. John's Wort and/or Valerian root. Did I mention the physician and making sure there are no interactions? Lol... it is serious business!

I strongly urge anyone considering taking benzodiazepines to read the Wikipedia page on their withdrawal before doing so: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzodiazepine_withdrawal_syndrome . Consulting a physician sounds like good advice, but many are grossly ignorant on this subject and misprescribe benzodiazepines (the dangers of these drugs and the potentially life-altering quality of their withdrawal is proven science and not pseudoscience.)

Kratom is also nasty and highly addictive.

There are no long-term pharmaceutical treatments for anxiety, except perhaps certain antidepressants, which are not without side effects. Anything that works to directly calm the nervous system is going to be habit forming.

jwavess, I suggest that you take a multi level approach to this chronic problem. There are many effective legal non pharmaceutical agents that are or can be effective for anxiety. No need for opiates or bennies IMO. The Chinese herb Ziziphus seed is a very effective calming agent. It's called Suan Zao Ren, is very common in Chinese herb stores and shouldn't be more that $15 to $20 a lb. You can boil 15g of cracked seed in 3 cups water down to 1 cup or make a tincture. Take this regularly. Another fine Chinese herb is the herb of happiness, Albizia flower, He Huan Hua which is harder to get and you have to know what you are looking for. Many pictures do not show the correct plant. It is a dried reddish brown flower with a cone in the middle on at least some flowers. Very good stuff. 300 mg of 5 HTP can be very helpful. Also Tryptophan on a empty stomach. Don't over do either. Look up the dose of Tryp. A MUST is to take at least 400 or 500 mg of magnesium (oxide) every day. A must. Very important is to do alternate nostril breathing and/or abdominal breathing on a regular, everyday basis. Watch for excessive chronic worry... If you do these things I can't imagine you not getting much better in a short time. This takes some work but is very important to do. Oh yeah, be sure to talk to a physician about this. They really know what they are doing. There is scientific evidence or very long term experiential evidence for all I have written.. Valerian is about the worst advice in my opinion. Didn't work for me and is the most vile smelling herb I've ever dealt with. Did I say magnesium every day? This is your lucky day. Jaeger

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Jaeger made a lot of good point and suggestions.

i would add vitamin D as well

and the best source, is sunshine.

Vit-D works with magnesium and calcium and is one of the vitamins most deficient in the American Diet. There are very few food sources outside of seafood.

i see you wrote this in December. people get less sun in the winter. some have said this is why we get sick more in wintertime.

here are some herbs that increase serotonin levels

serotonin has been called the "happy" chemical...

http://www.livestrong.com/article/53343-natural-herbs-increase-serotonin/

I haven't read all of the above comments but I have struggled with anxiety too and have found the following to be helpful.

• First, if you drink coffee, consider letting it go.
• Include a B complex in your regimen, preferably one with methylated folate and B12, in case you are one of the 40% of the population who doesn't methylate them on your own.
• Kava is specific for anxiety and I think it's a much better option than Valerian. There a several studies that have been done looking at the effectiveness of Kava on anxiety. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Kava+for+anxiety
• Lavender oil is another option. There is a compound from Herb Pharm called Anxiety Soother that has worked really well for me. (full disclosure, I USED to work as an independent contractor selling Herb Pharm, but I don't anymore.
• Magnesium is a very common nutritional deficiency that can contribute to anxiety. You may want to supplement with that as well.
• Have you tried meditation?

I hope this helps!

Elavil is an oldie but goody that is specific for anxiety. It should be inexpensive as it is available in generics now. Many arthritics are prescribed it as it helps in the treatment of arthritis. You could try teas of catnip, borage, or chamomile as well. Additionally, yawning as long as possible after connecting with feelings of anxiety can really help, as it acts as an erasure and healer of negative feelings.

please seek a full health assessment with an experienced alternative healthcare person. the root cause of your anxiety determines the proper treatment, a full assessment will reveal this.

If you treat anxiety with an herbal or traditional medication, you are only putting a band aid on it. Anxiety is one of the most easily cured ailments if you see a good psychologist/psychiatrist...you need to get to the root of your anxiety...no herbal remedy, and certainly not oxycodone will do that...they're a crutch...go see a professional, and you'll be shocked at how quickly your anxiety dissolves!

if you do not already take MAGNESIUM I suggest you look into it. Checkou the book Magnesium miracle. Prescription pills make poor solutions as they have so many side effects. Good luck.

Oxycodone is for pain not for anxiety anyway

Wild lettuce leaves contain a milky white latex that has effects similar to opium when condensed and boiled down.Medical cannabis would do wonders for anxiety if it's legal in your state.It has never killed anybody which the same can't be said about oxycodone.Cannabis seems to be a big no no on this site and everyone seems afraid to talk about it,but it's 2017 and gardenweb should have a forum for medical cannabis already.I have stage four cancer with a lot of connected physical problems and the cannabis really helps the anxiety of dealing with it all.Please be careful with the other herbal supplements you can damage your liver if you take too much and it's hard to tell exactly how much is too much.I started growing some opium poppies and am going to try to collect some sap and smoke it.Technically it's illegal but shouldn't we all be free to grow any plant we want to if we plan on using it in a civilized manner?Why should a government forbid us from growing a plant that God put on this Earth for a reason.

Like what many others have said. Take away caffeine, and drinks with processed sugars(food if able). Caffeine and refined sugars cause many side effects of the stomach(the humans second brain). Additions to this would be the essential oils of lavender and frankincense. Including in certain types of meditation can realign your energy pathways and help improve cognition and emotional stability. Pot can do things also, but that can cause worse anxiety if you live somewhere it is illegal, along with what munchies you eat.

I don't know about opiates, but, what helps may depend on what's causing your anxiety—but here are some things (not opiates) that might be helpful:

• Anise seed
• White mulberries (the fruit)
• Black Cohosh
• Mint/catnip
• Food grade diatomaceous earth
• Manganese
• Copper
• Homemade sauerkraut
• Having comfortable places to sit and sleep
• Exercise
• Hot peppers
• Filtering your water
• Massages
• Uplifting media (music, shows, movies, games)
• Classical music (it repeats stuff less than many kinds of music, and it seems to help me stop thinking about the same stuff over and over)
• a heat pad
• A fan going while you sleep, or maybe certain colors of noise
• Listening to uplifting music/stories while you sleep (if you can sleep to such)
• Avoiding food that's bad for you, unless you'll be too obsessive about it
• Overcoming any microbial infections you may have
• Cinnamon
• Thai curry with coconut milk and limes
• A weighted blanket or other comfortable pressure

I recommend taking vitamin D3. I personally very much recommend against taking valerian, especially if you've had side-effects like that. I had a bad experience with it, anyway.

What helps one person doesn't always help another.

the herbs that might help you are determined by the cause of your anxiety. matching the energy of the herb to the energy of the person using it gives best results.

if you came to my herbal clinic we'd ask....were you by chance given repeat courses of antibiotics as a child? any digestive complaints? any trauma events early in life? to start.

good luck!