Tried My First Herbal Supplement

[yogini]

I am one of those people that has always been really reluctant to try herbal supplements because they aren't regulated. I am also worried about whether they would trigger my POTS. I've been under a lot of stress over the past couple of months which has made my POTS worse. I tried sleeping pills and they helped me with the sleep, but even after a good night's rest, I couldn't seem to shake that constant wired feeling. My therapist told my doctor I should try Klonopin, but my doctor said that if my problem was sleep related, that I should try Ambien instead.

My therapist also suggested Valerian, and I'd read about it and heard about it on Dr. Weil's CD. It is supposed to help you relax and sleep. Well I finally broke down and tried it the other day and it totally helped me to feel relaxed. The wired feeling went away almost immediately. At first I tried to take a nap and couldn't fall asleep. A few hours after I took it, I started to fall asleep. I was so excited, because it was only 9:30 and usually I don't fall asleep until 1 am. I wish I had tried it ages ago. I'm not planning to take it every day - just when I can't shake that wired feeling.

It might not be for everyone, but I just thought I would mention my positive experience, since I rarely see valerian mentioned on the board.

-Rita

[Jacquie802]

Hi Rita,

Just make sure you check with your pharmacist that there won't be any interactions with your current meds if you are on any. Other than that I am glad you found something to help you sleep!

Jacquie

[dianaD]

I'm so glad that worked for you. I tried it when I was really hyperadrenergic and I couldn't tell a difference. But I felt like it was a teaspoon against the ocean at that time. Now that my wired feeling has lessened, I'll give it another try.

Will you let us know if it continues to work for you?

[Jenn202]

Rita - you might want to go see a good naturopath that can help you with herbal protocals, and other supplements....

these are great additives to help with health, but from experience I know its very important to be monitored by someone who has knowledge in this field.

Also having someone who does muscle testing, or Autonomic relfex testing ( ART) is a plus since you can get more specific with what your body can energetically take and at what amount.

Good Luck and glad you saw some relief!

[yogini]

I will keep everyone posted on whether it continues to work. Diana, you are right that when things are bad unfortunately there is not much that can help!

My only meds are low dose birth control and half a pill of atenolol each day. But you guys are right that I should keep my doctor and pharmacist in the loop. I am having a complete physical in a about a week, so I will talk to my doc then. The good thing is that from what I read, valerian and it seems to have been used for centuries and is very safe, with little side effects. I also tooa 250 mg, which is less than the recommended dose of 400mg. This was enough to do the trick for me.

It was a big step for me to try the valerian, and I don't think I am up for trying any more supplements anytime soonj. My POTS is slowly improving. If things get worse, my doc and I have talked about trying an SSRI as the next step.

-Rita

[calypso]

That's great that the valerian is working for you, Rita! I didn't have any response to it -- no adverse effects either. But I may try it again down the road, because I am weaning off all my meds right now.

Amy

[ramakentesh]

Ive found Valerian and Kava Kava to both be quite helpful for POTS symptoms and partocularly for relaxing. I cannot tolerate any of the medications presribed for POTS but I have found some relief with some Herbs - particularly GABA agonists.