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nick007
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16 Mar 2013, 9:01 pm

I know I haven't been to this forum in a while; if curious why click link in my post sig. I'm using my girlfriend's laptop because I still haven't manged to bring mine up here yet so I still may not be around this forum much for a while except for checking watched post on my droid. Anyways I'll start this post now....

I have a problem when I'm in a very crowded confined space. I used to have social anxiety issue but I kind of got over it by working in retail. I kind of tune people out, zone out or stay focused on what I'm doing when I'm around people like in stores, restaurants, walking ect thou I do get annoyed or frustrated that people are in my way, lines are long or people are too loud. I feel on edge when people are walking close behind me & I feel watched when I notice people are really close to me when I'm doing anything: I deal with those situations OK for the most part thou.
I experience something that I think could be like claustrophobia when I'm in a small crowded space like an elevator or bus. I'm fine when I'm in an elevator with just people I know thou. When other people are on I feel on edge but I'm only on it for such a short time that it doesn't become a problem. What I'm having the most difficulty with is being on crowded buses. I'm fine when a lot of people are not on & it's not too noisy but I get claustrophobic like when it's crowded & noisy. I feel very on edge like I may have a panic attack but I don't, I get hot & feel feverish, I feel tapped & confined & just need to get off.

I'm wondering if this is related to social anxiety, claustrophobia or something else & I'd like ideas on how to treat this. I'm taking Buspar for anxiety(15mg 2x a day) & Neurontin/Gabapentin for OCD(400mg 3x a day) & they are helping my OCD & other anxiety issues alot but I have this claustrophobic like problem. I think the most common medication idea to try 1st would be to take a benzopine before going somewhere on a bus but I'm not sure if that would work for me. I usually take a bus a few days a week so I might could develop a tolerance to the benzo & sometimes I'm gone half the day so a benzo could wear off before I take my final bus home. My blood pressure is kind of low & I feel kind of woozy & faint if I'm sitting really still for a while. I had worse problems when I was on meds that lowered my blood pressure so I'm concerned about medication like a benzo lowering my blood pressure. I took Klonopin/Clonazepam a couple times a day for a couple years for Essential Tremors & I don't remember it having any mental or other effect on me good or bad but I was on afew other meds at the time & dealing with stress & other things so it's possible that effects or benefits were there that I didn't notice. I tried taking Ativan/Lorazepam for my tremors & anxiety issues a couple times a day but I quit after a week because it makde me more shaky & I felt tired & kind of out of it mentally; I still have some of it if I did want to try taking it for going on buses but I could see a doc & get something else to try thou. I been on afew antidepressants & antipsychotics in the past as well as other psych meds for a psychotic depression that I've been over for years now & I think I'm probably better off not being on any of those types of meds. Does anyone have any medication ideas or other suggestions or comments? I really do appreciate it.


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nick007
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21 Mar 2013, 2:02 pm

I had that again yesterday on a crowded bus. I'm going to try to remember to take an Ativan/Lorazepam next time I plan to go somewhere on one.but I'd like to hear other benzo ideas, other medication ideas or any other ideas incase Ativan doesn't work well for me.


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Raziel
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22 Mar 2013, 3:03 am

nick007 wrote:
I had that again yesterday on a crowded bus. I'm going to try to remember to take an Ativan/Lorazepam next time I plan to go somewhere on one.but I'd like to hear other benzo ideas, other medication ideas or any other ideas incase Ativan doesn't work well for me.


I'm taking Lysine against anxiety, it's an amino acid.

From Wikipedia: Lysine

Lysine wrote:
Lysine has a known anxiolytic action through its effects on serotonin receptors in the intestinal tract. One study on rats[33] showed that overstimulation of the 5-HT4 receptors in the gut are associated with anxiety-induced intestinal pathology. Lysine, acting as a serotonin antagonist and therefore reducing the overactivity of these receptors, reduced signs of anxiety and anxiety-induced diarrhea in the sample population. Another study showed that lysine deficiency leads to a pathological increase in serotonin in the amygdala, a brain structure that is involved in emotional regulation and the stress response.[34]
Human studies have also shown correlations between reduced lysine intake and anxiety. A population-based study in Syria included 93 families whose diet is primarily grain-based and therefore likely to be deficient in lysine. Fortification of grains with lysine was shown to reduce markers of anxiety, including cortisol levels, and also led to potentiation of benzodiazepine receptors (common targets of anxiolytic drugs such as Xanax and Ativan).[35]


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Otherside
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22 Mar 2013, 5:33 am

I'm on propranolol for social anxiety. But from what I've heard about it, it works amazingly for some people, and doesn't do anything for others. It works by reducing the symptoms of physical anxiety by lowering your heart rate. If your blood pressure is getting low for whatever reason though, it might not be the best medication.



nick007
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22 Mar 2013, 4:23 pm

Raziel wrote:
I'm taking Lysine against anxiety, it's an amino acid.

From Wikipedia: Lysine
I looked it up alittle & it's something I might be interested in trying but I'll read up more before I decide. Are you taking a supplement? If so which type/brand, dosage & how often?


Otherside wrote:
I'm on propranolol for social anxiety. But from what I've heard about it, it works amazingly for some people, and doesn't do anything for others. It works by reducing the symptoms of physical anxiety by lowering your heart rate. If your blood pressure is getting low for whatever reason though, it might not be the best medication.
That was one of the 1st meds I tried for Essential Tremors & it made me sick as did all the other few beta blockers I tried. Thanx for suggesting it thou; maybe it would help someone else reading this.


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Raziel
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23 Mar 2013, 5:01 am

I'm taking Lyine from the company PEAK, but I don't know if it's an international company. I take around 2000 mg, what's not that much. But there are also certain foods who are rich on lysine.
Some people combinate lysine with arginine and/or ornitine.

I have the feeling that my anxiety level is better - I also suffer from claustrophobia - but it is still a bit outside of the norm. But I don't want to take too much and first want to continue this dosage. I'm taking lysine already since a view months, but also cod liver oil (high amounts of omega-3) and melatonine at night.

Here is a study to lysine and arginine with anxiety reduction:
PubMed

Oral treatment with L-lysine and L-arginine reduces anxiety and basal cortisol levels in healthy humans. wrote:
Dietary supplementation with an essential amino acid L-lysine has been shown to reduce chronic anxiety in humans with low dietary intake of L-lysine. A combination of L-lysine and L-arginine has been documented to normalize hormonal stress responses in humans with high trait anxiety. The present study was carried out in one hundred eight healthy Japanese adults. The aim of study was to find out whether a week-long oral treatment with L-lysine (2.64 g per day) and L-arginine (2.64 g per day) reduces trait and stress-induced state anxiety and basal levels of stress hormones. We confirmed that, without regard to gender, the amino acid treatment significantly reduced both trait anxiety and state anxiety induced by cognitive stress battery. In addition, we found that the treatment with L-lysine and L-arginine decreased the basal levels of salivary cortisol and chromogranin-A (a salivary marker of the sympatho-adrenal system) in male subjects. These results of this double-blind, placebo controlled and randomized study confirm the previous findings in humans and animals and point to a combination of L-lysine and L-arginine as a potentially useful dietary intervention in otherwise healthy humans with high subjective levels of mental stress and anxiety.


I would be very carefull with Benzodiazepines, because especially autistic peoble tend weak conectivity in their brain and benzos can lead to even weaker conectivity.


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