serious trouble? | ADHD Information

I have taking St Johns Wort for years now and I've enjoyed life pretty much, simple things did give me pleasure, etc,.

10 days ago I had a servere panic attack in the middle of the night (first time I ever had that happen) they brought me to the hospital and observed me for 48hrs.  Since then whenever I fall asleep I get an electric shock go through me and it wakes me up.    To complicate things I was not eating all day previously and then drinking on an empty stomach late at night then gorging on food.  I may have set myself up for some kind of anxiety disorder.  I think perhaps I'm now hypoglycemic because if I don't eat every 2-3 hours I get very wierd.  But more permanately lately is my head is constantly clouded up.  Also I don't have any happiness in me, not a drop and the feeling is quite horrific.  I'm getting blood test finnally on monday.  Prehaps St Johns Wort is no longer able to help me as my problem my be quite serious.

If anyone could comment on this post that would be great.  thnkas.

Jack

 

Sheesh Jack... starving all day then gorging at night sounds like a bad idea to me.  Are u serious here?  St. Johns Wort is a 'supplement' which generally means "added or in addition to".  The concept is to follow a sensible(wow huh) eating/activity plan and then refrain from harmful substances to maximize good health.

Foods contain vitamins, minerals and enzymes NECESSARY to sustain life and certain amounts of each are recommended for optimum well being.  Under and over eating of these nutrients WILL cause undesired effects...like heartburn, dizziness, high blood pressure or headaches. Personally, i have found that eating bananas directly before bedtime will cause a nightmare.  Hmm.  Potassium?

Jack i think what you need is common sense.  St Johns Wort is a wonderful product when used in ADDITION to other healthy habits....not as a substitute.

     

Hey Jack,

Sorry to hear about your experience.  I have several comments:  I think your panic attack was some how caused atleast in part by your drinking on an empty stomach.  Why were you drinking in the first place?  Were you dealing with another issue--that would have played a role as well.  No one who deals with depression should drink--period.  As a matter of fact I would say that noone should drink--alcohol is just bad news; a few benefits far outweighed by the potential harm.  The 'shocks' that are waking you up is anticipatory anxiety:  the trauma of the panic attack coupled with the anticipation of getting another one I believe is causing that.  I think your other symptoms also stem from trauma and anticipation of another attack.  Also a sense of "not having controll" may be playing a role here as well.  Control is basically an illusion anyway.  You may want to look into some self-help programs for anxiety that stress cognitive therapy techniques.  Also, myself being muslim, I gain a lot from my faith.  To realize the truth about our existence is very liberating.  I have gone through the same experience you have related and at first it was VERY difficult.  Our Lord and Cherisher will not burden us beyond capacity though we may do it to our selves.  I would reccomend a book called "Feeling Good," which deals with cognitive techniques and also a program call "Conquering Anxiety,"  it's a good primer for about 100.00.  Don't spend on those more expensive programs--not really worth it; though anything that brings relief may be worth the $$$ if you have it.  Also, some supplements I like are SAM-e and fish oil.  If you take SAM-e make sure to take it with a B-Complex and start at a low dosage and work your way up slowly.  I find 600mg is right for me. SAM-e can increase anxiety if you take too much.  It's a trade off and takes experimenting.  You can find more info on everything I mentioned by punching the terms into google and such.  I wish you the best. Peace

Were you on any medications lately that you could be having withdrawals from???Valerie, I keep giiving the plug for Omega 3 fish oils for depression. I have been taking 3,000 mg/day since January and I noticed an impressive difference. I had low expectations, but I have noticed that even if I do bottom out, I cycle right out of it by the next day usually. I've been through tons of therapy and have a related degree. But, even that just doesn't touch my depression when I start spiraling down. So, fish oil it is for now. Though sometimes, I'll admit, it is touch and go with depression (and anxiety) for me, I think I'm getting close to a good combination of thiings: supplements and Adderall.

I bought a big supply of St. John's Wort also, and tried it for about a week. Seems like I had big headaches. My dr. told me to ditch it for awhile to see if the 5-HTP he prescribed will work.

I keep a prescription for anti-depressants on hand though because I don't want to end up in the black hole again either. I keep a real close watch on that, and will go back to those if I have to. I think it's better than dying of depression.

Hello Jack,

How are you doing I don't see anyupdates?

 

 

Hmmm...sunflour sounds worked up about something. I see the point he/she is making, but make is making it in kind of rude way (maybe a typical ADHD sort of rage way -- I have to resist that urge a lot). If this knowledge were "common", we wouldn't have so much confusion as to what the solutions are.  IMO, of course.

Jack, if you look on the Adult ADHD board, I posted a LONG post about the connection of ADHD and hypoglycemia, in addition to seizures. I'm glad to meet other people on the boards who have hypoglycemia like I do. My dad and sister have diabetes, which is the next step after hypoglycemia.

For those who don't realize it (I didn't), it is especially important to keep our blood sugar (bs) steady all day long because if it fluctuates too wildly, it can wear your pancreas out and stop producing insulin (which is diabetes).

And, YES, my ADHD symptoms definitely worsen when I let my blood sugar drop. I HATE preparing food. In fact, I HATE taking the time to eat it also. It's just not my "thing." So, I have a hard time remembering or wanting to eat until it is too late. 

To make it worse, when my bs drops, I get mad cravings for highly sugary food, and I won't stop until I fulfill that craving...and then I crash, and then I get depressed and/or have to nap immediately.  It's a viscious cycle.

There is an alcohol connection. I thik I have heard that alcohol turns to sugar in your bloodstream...so it's about the same as eating a candybar....which is just disastrous for me. 

I have such a hard time staying organized about this (thanks ADHD) and keep my life running, that most of the time I am a complete mess about the whole thing. I am constantly in some sort of hypoglycemic crisis.  Ugh.

bb
bluebird3838226.5613078704

dear Jack

June 2000 i had something like you had.i could not sleep during the night, always tired and i had pain,cloudy mind. i got depressed a lot. I thought i was dying,It ended up to be Fibromyalsia syndrome.70% is in woman 30% in men.Look up FMA on the computer for info then go to a specialist for fibro.You may need Rx but can do it natural with a comp. called 4life. They have something called fibro mallic with msm. It worked for me with some sleep aid for R.E.M sleep you are missing.any question just contact me at lxlsweet666lxl@hotmail.com . After 4 years i'm all natural and living life again.

-Stephanie

When Im overly hungry my anxiety gets worse and yes it does feel like hypoglycemia, shaky and weirded out.  The funny thing is that I have social anxiety disorder so If I get really hungry I cant go out and eat. lol
RKBanaski38225.3364236111 i feel like im back at square with my depression it feels like a soggy bag of cement on my chest and ties in nicely with pmt symptoms hypoglycemia headaches etc . I took st johns wort a few years ago for around 2yrs depression got worse so ended up on antidepressants for a year with yukky side effects they didd take effect and lifted me. the doc wanted me to stay on for 2 years because they didnt know how long it had took me to get the way i have (had severe traumas and abuse in childhood and have done the counselling scene for nearly 5 years now). gradually came off because I found myself numbing out and sometimes couldnt get emotional if I wanted to.  but now I know the differnece want to try st johns wort again and supplement my diet better as I have learnt a few other things along the way which would support me better this time. Am at college at the moment doing holistic therapies and have many stresses and worries especially with 17 yr daughter.  I feel I will have to manage this for the rest of my life. since coming off pills all aches and pains stiffness and grief feelings have returned. the warning flags are up and know I must do something before I sink to low again. Any advice or similiar stories would be gratefully received. thankyou,

Dear Jack,

   Hi. I am a life coach expert specializing in helping people with ADD and depression. Following a high-protien diet and eating frequently thoughout the day should help your shakiness and increase your energy level.

   Exercising aerobically, getting out in the fresh air and sunshine, making a list of your blessings, taking a vitamin supplement and seeking coaching for depression are all great ideas too. I wish you the best of luck.

Michele Glance Rooney

lifecoachexpert@aol.com

sunflour i think ur an idiot! f**k you!