Topic Title: SJW a lifesaver
| |  "SJW a lifesaver"
, Mon 4 Oct 22:10:
I was once and now soon to be a pro-hockey player once again. Around June of 2003 I remember sitting in the car at a Redlight and my focus changed and I new something was different but i was'nt sure what it was, and I said to myself i hope it was nothing major. About two weeks later I was out golfing and a panic attack hit me. Now, being an athlete I'm very in touch with my body, and Up to that point I was fortunate enough to have lived a perfectly healthy life. I was rushed to the hospital by a friend and they found nothing wrong!!! How could that be?,so thay gave me a clean bill of health and a large bill of sale,since I happened to be a free agent that summer I had no Insurance so it cost me nearly two thousand dollars for 3 hours in the hospital. Over time symptoms got worse and more frequent,to the point where, I could'nt function at all, the last straw was when I was driving to the gym, which is 1.5 miles from home and I completely locked up at a traffic light halfway there and had to be picked up by a friend and driven home. So I went to my family docter who prescribed paxil CR, this was around mid september 2003.
Unfortunately it was too late to attend training camp, since I was totally incapacitated for some time and i was in no shape to play. Fast forward to january 2004 paxil has helped enough make it to the gym(barely) and help me get in shape enough to play(barely) but the side effects were almost as life paralyzing as the panic attacks and unfortunatly I broke my ankle 12 games in to my return and it ended my season. Soon after, the attacks returned just as strong as before,( they never completely left),and my dosage was increased but,the side effects became unbearable and it was down right expensive (200 dolars a month,just for medicine) and when you cant work it tends to put a strain on your bank acount you don't need.
Fast forward to August 2004, now I got so sick of paxil I jumped online and stumbled on SJW within 1 week I felt better,2 weeks, better than a year of paxil, 1 month almost symptom free,and all the side effects are gone.
I came out of the haze i was in for 15 months, and I'm about 30 pounds overweight and my financial life is a little messy,(since i could bearly get out of bed most of the time),but i feel great,I m back to old routine, my memory is returning And I have a new hold on my life,like the one I had before. I'm scheduleds to be back on the ice in uniform by Dec 04 which seems like a long ways away but i dont care as long as i feel this good.
THANKS SJW
Rick Gorman
Richard Gorman
[this message was edited by gormanov16 on Sat 6 Jan 00:11]
Posts: 4 | | Registered: Mon 4 Oct 2004 21:42 |
| Replies:
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| | "Re(1):SJW a lifesaver" , Fri 5 Nov 19:08
I have problems with depression/panic and not leaving the house much. The SJW works for my depression but not Anxiety/panic. Did you start the Melatonin at the same time as the SJW? Im just wondering if the Melatonin had a lot to do with getting rid of the anxiety.
Posts: 21 | | Registered: Wed 3 Mar 2004 19:52 |
| | | "Re(2):SJW a lifesaver" , Sat 6 Nov 15:23
I was using melatonin while on paxil and continue to use it today.The point in using melatonin is to get better sleep, the key for me is to sleep less and less and get outside and excersise between 10 and 2 oclock atleast for 30 minutes at first its a long and frustrating process but it will work,stay positive
Richard Gorman
Posts: 2 | | Registered: Mon 4 Oct 2004 21:42 |
| |  "Re(1):SJW a lifesaver"
, Mon 4 Oct 23:44
What brand are you using?
And I am glad for you. Your life sounds alot like mine. But my depression/anxiety/panic attacks cost me a dream..to be in the military SF. Haven't been to the gym in months :(
life has never been worse...
Posts: 12 | | Registered: Sun 5 Sep 2004 22:25 |
| | | "Re(2):SJW a lifesaver" , Tue 5 Oct 20:01
I use the pill form from GNC and I also use a pill call Melatonin3 from GNC its a sleep aid that works well and is non-habit forming
Richard Gorman
Posts: 1 | | Registered: Mon 4 Oct 2004 21:42 |
| | "Re(1):SJW a lifesaver" , Mon 4 Oct 22:58
Wow! Congratulations! :-)
I know from my own experience that sjw is great and effective,but I hadn't read about any success story as urs, as far as panic attacks.And I must say,I'm quite impressed.
It's amazing and really comforting that and herb can indeed be effective,even more than tradional drugs (like in your case),and without the nasty side effects.
I've been on it for three years,and after having stopped for a while;there is now no doubt left in my mind that is does work.
Thanks for sharing ur story,
and all the best for you.
:-)
Posts: 41 | | Registered: Thu 6 Mar 2003 22:58 |
| | | "Re(2):SJW a lifesaver" , Tue 5 Oct 14:25
I know what you mean. You really know that SJW works only once you *stop* using it. Then you REALLY feel like crap.
Posts: 12 | | Registered: Tue 30 Mar 2004 16:47 |
| | | "Re(3):SJW a lifesaver" , Wed 6 Oct 07:24
Great story! So it took you about one month to know for sure it was working well for you? I've been taking SJW for about 5 weeks now and think it might be finally kicking in.
Posts: 5 | | Registered: Sat 25 Sep 2004 20:49 |
| | | "Re(4):SJW a lifesaver" , Wed 6 Oct 09:15
yeah, One week for me but everyone is different
Glad to hear you feel better,stick with it
Posts: 0 | | Registered: Mon 4 Oct 2004 21:41 |
| | | "Re(5):SJW a lifesaver" , Fri 21 Jan 20:48
I see some positive changes from taking it too. I feel great today. I think because I finally feel like I have the ability to acheive what I want. I have a positive attitude about my life finally. I am finally getting steady work, may be starting a relationship again and have lost a few pounds. This is only about my third weekk on it but I know I would have let fear prevent me from doing these positive changes before. It's also the first time I don't feel like a loser. I had let unfortunate life cicumstances get me down to the point where I didn't know what to do to help myself. I am just taking a low dose of the the so-called mild Nature's Resource.I can't imagine feeling much better taking a different brand but maybe I'm sensitive. Well I'll see when it's time to purchase. I started by taking 2 of the recommended 6 and that seems to be the little push I need. I will take more if I feel the need or the effects don't work as well after awhile. I take Levoxyl too which is a form of Thyroid so it could be a good combination together.
Posts: 0 | | Registered: Fri 21 Jan 2005 20:31 |
| | | "Re(6):SJW a lifesaver" , Sun 23 Jan 08:35
thats awesome, stay positive everything good in life happens to those who think positive
Richard Gorman
Posts: 3 | | Registered: Mon 4 Oct 2004 21:42 |
| | | "SJW Worked for You!" , Tue 1 Mar 18:55
To: Rick Gorman
Excellent story!
I hope to follow through with a similar protocol. I had very low-grade anxiety (with an occasional "moderate outburst" of stronger anxiety) between July 2002 and Feb 2004... no real depression and no concurrent physical symptoms. Over that time period I was tried with Lexapro on 2 different occasions and was put on Ambien as a sleep aid. The Lexapro only lasta few weeks each time (terrible side effects) but stayed with the ambien as a sleep aid. Otherwise only had "talk therapy" as treatment. Funny thing was that by early Feb 2004 everything was better. Therapist stopped the talk therapy and I weaned off of the ambien. The next four months were fantastic. Started back working out. Dropped weight from 295 to 245 (my weight-lifting weight ran between 225 and 240). Actually felt emotions but without any anxiety. Then in June of 2004 experienced a family loss situation and got hit with major anxiety. After about 2 - 3 weeks began noticing other physical symptoms (tinnitus, peripheral neuropathy, itchy patches on skin, hypogonadism, etc.). Started series of tests that finally showed that I had highly elevated cortisol levels. My research has shown that there's a STRONG link between elevated cortisol levels and anxiety - and also depression, especially the more agitated/anxious types of depression. Often severe anxiety / deep depression (either chronic over time or acute single incidents) can cause the HPA Axis to break down and cause continually high cortisol. Unfortunately the high levels of cortisol tend to keep the anxiety and / or depression levels "enhanced". So it ends up being a "Catch-22" vicious cycle. Then add in the anxiousness of tinnitus and the pain of the peripheral neuropathy (PN) and additional factors are added into the "negative-feedback, closed-loop" cycle. On top of the high cortisol and anxiety / depression feeding off of each other, you also have the PN pain adding to both the heightened anxiety but also to the cortisol elevations. In addition, high levels of cortisol are actually toxic to the body. Not only can high cortisol levels actually "manufacture" anxiety through chemical reactions to the neural pathways and creating imbalances in the brain's neurotransmitters, there's some evidence that direct caustic/toxin damage can occur.
If one has not yet read Dr. Eric Braverman's book, "The Edge Effect", I would most highly recommend it. It discusses in detail the main brain neurotransmitters and how deficiencies in those cause many physical and mental problems! For example, GABA deficiency has been noted in situations of tinnitus and PN (as I recall) and serotonin deficiencies have also been associated with tinnitus.
Anyway, I was finally put on Ativan and then Xanax XR in an effort to relieve the anxiety symptoms (and to lessen the tinnitus volume to a degree). Three different ADs have been tried with none having any success (Lexapro, Effexor and Cymbalta).
My goal is to first get the cortisol under control (as it now seems to be the central key) and then work on getting the anxiety and depression controlled. Hopefully all through natural compounds - once I can wean off of the Xanax. The interesting element will be if the pain symptoms subside when all of those occur (when the cortisol gets under control, when the anxiety gets under control, when the depression gets under control) will the physical symptoms then fade away?? Or, even more desirable, leave just as suddenly as they came on???
Anyway, was excellent to hear such a positive story as yours as it continues to give one hope for their own case.
Please continue to post an occasional update as to your continuing progress and story. Too often all that is heard is what didn't work and how disappointing things are with their current conditions...
Leroy
Posts: 6 | | Registered: Tue 8 Feb 2005 11:35 |
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