Friday, August 10, 2007

Vitamin B and C for Anxiety

A new commenter to the blog recently asked some questions on Vitamin B. I thought rather than have a novel reply I would do a post on it so everyone can benefit. I have to say I am not a doctor so please don’t sue me for anything that I say and you do and it doesn’t work ;) Ok so what I am going to tell you is all from the Anxiety and Phobia Workbook. I will paraphrase it but he says it much more elegantly:

Vitamin B
When your body is going through stress it depletes stores of B and C vitamins rapidly. The B vitamins are necessary to help maintain the proper functioning of the nervous system. Deficiencies in Vitamin B can lead to anxiety, irritability, restlessness, fatigue, etc. There is more than one kind of Vitamin B. (B2, B6, B5, B12, etc.) It is best to take all eleven of the B vitamins together in a B-complex supplement since they tend to work together synergistically.

Vitamin C
Vitamin C enhances the immune system and promotes health from infection, disease, and injury as well as helps the adrenal glands. Your adrenal glands (when properly functioning) help you cope with stress. (Vitamin B5 also helps with the adrenal glands and many people find that taking it is helpful in dealing with excess stress)

So what and how much to take?
If interested here is what the Ph D says:

  • B-Complex: 50 to 100 mg of all eleven B vitamins once a day (twice a day under high stress)

  • Vitamin C: 1000 mg in a time release form, twice a day (double this dose under high stress)
Make sure you take them with meals so they can be broken down properly otherwise its useless.
You cannot overdose on B Vitamins as they are water soluble. The one exception to this is Vitamin B6. DO NOT exceed 100 mg per day if you are taking it on a long term basis. Repeated daily doses in excess of 8000 mg per day of Vitamin C have been associated with stomach complaints and kidney stones.
Hope that answers your question. If you have any more questions on this subject let me know :)



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41 comments:

Robert said...

Thanks for the info...

Didn't know it before.

My wife (agoraphobic) is going to take these supplements & see what happens. Will let you know if we have progress.

Robert

PS Congrats on the award!

Aimée said...

Thats great robert! I hope it helps her :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks dude you have provided great list of vitamins B and C for anxiety.

Anonymous said...

Goods article , you make some interesting points.

Vitamins Food Supplements data

Kim said...

Hi,

Great blog! Did you know that lack of Magnesium also has a great impact on our anxiety level. In this article i give some exiting new information on just how a big impact magnesium has on your body.

Good luck with handling and getting rid of your anxiety!

Anonymous said...

So nice blog!!!!You have done a great job.Such an informative and well formed post!Thank you for sharing that, it was wonderful of you.It was really very helpful for me.
________________
Anxiety therapytechnique without medications

Anonymous said...

Really Very Grate Information About How Vitamin B and C for Anxiety.
Its Very Nice and Very Informative blog.It was very helpful for me.
I'm looking forward to your new posts.Keep posting.....

Thanks and Regards,
Dr.James Smith,NY
About Men's Health

crazzybouy said...

I have started taking vitamin B complex to treat my anxiety..With the very first pill, i have seen lots of difference..

Terry Poster said...

This is good stuff. Many people aren't aware of the benefits of vitamins and supplements to combat things like anxiety. Usually people go straight to their Doctors for prescribed medication when there is a safe alternative.
Educating society with blogs like this is a step in the right direction. Thanks,

Terry Poster
Managing Anxiety

Parijat said...

Just wrote an article on tomatoes which are high in Vitamin C and support similar concepts to what you're saying! www.mysahana.org/tomato

Sav said...

Great article. We need to educate the public about the benefits of natural remedies such as vitamins.
After reading several books on nutrition I found the following to be the most effective anxiety treatment

These are daily dosages:
1x 400mg Magnesium
1x 200mcg Chromium Picolinate
1x Super B-50 complex

For general health it's recommended to take 5 grams of Vitamin C, I prefer crystals in orange juice.
I believe the most common causes of anxiety are nutrition, with magnesium, chromium, and B-vitamins being the usual cause.

Hope this helps someone!

Unknown said...

Quite by accident, I discovered how important these vitamins are, especially when used properly together. I've been under tremendous stress lately and experiencing terrible anxiety. Took 2000 mg of C and doubled up on my B complex the last two days, and this is the best I've felt in WEEKS.

cheapest generic viagra said...

Great information, vitamin B and C are very beneficial to the nervous system and also useful in reducing the Anxiety. We should explicitly included this vitamin in daily food.


Best Regards
Smith Alan

Anonymous said...

Hi, I suffered from SEVERE anxiety and almost admitted myself into the hospital. I was under extreme stress and felt like i was having a mental breakdown. My grandmother gave me these b-complex pills and within a few hours all of my symptoms including the severe anxiety was GONE!! No joke! So from now on I have been recommending it to anyone with mental illness. I am so glad you have discussed this on here instead of focusing on only western medicine. I believe God gave us tons of natural remedies to help all ailments! Thanks!

paul said...

I didn't know that vitamin B and C can actually prevent anxiety. Thanks for sharing that information.

Supplements Canada

sandy said...

my daughter suffers depression; bad anxiety and bulemia. I can see now why she suffers with anxiety! She diposes all the vits, and minerals she needs! What do you suggest?

sandy said...

my daughter suffers depression, severe anxiety and bulemia. I would like to know where to start; meaning what vits and dosages and how often. Please help. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Is it ok to take vitamin b and c together. Or do I have to take it on alternative days

Aimée said...

Sandy,

I am not a doctor so I would recommend getting professional help for your daughter. I wouldn't know what to prescribe her for her depression, bulemia, and anxiety. She can take the vitamins listed in this article and see if it helps, but ultimately it seems like she needs to see a doctor and he/she could help her a lot more than I can.


Anonymous,
I think you can take them together, I don't see why not. Hope this helps.

Steph624 said...

I've been doing a ton of research on vitamins and anxiety. I suddenly had a panic attack last month and have been battling anxiety ever since. I have generalized anxiety- real no reason to be anxious or panic. I'm taking Buspar because the stronger meds just have too many side effects for me. I've read so much about vitamin B and magnesium. I'm trying the vitamin b complex tonight before I go to bed. My question is, have you written any blogs or come across concrete info about magnesium helping anxiety? I'm determined to lower my anxiety with the use of the proper supplements. Any info is greatly appreciated. After reading the blog, I am starting B complex tonight.

Anonymous said...

I see people havnt posted on here in a while but I dediced to leave a comment anyway. I have been dealing with anxiety for years but was always able to ignore it. Over the past couple of months my anxiety has gotten so bad, I had to take a week off of work and have been a "guinea pig" to different medicatins since. I have a hard time taking any kind of meds and find myself feeling even more anxious because i'm taking these things. I am so happy I found this blog. I am going to my doctor today since the meds she recenetly gave are not working and are making me feel much worse, but I am going to ask her opinion about taking the vitamins and make sure it is safe for me. And as long as all goes well there, I will be making a trip to the pharmacy today to get Vitamin B and C and PRAY this works for me. Thank you so much for posting this, it kind of keeps my hopes up that there is some relief out there, and safe relief without the use of prescribed medication!

Anonymous said...

Magnesium has helped me as well. I have suffered whatever this is since i was a child. I'm just glad to know i'm not alone with anxiety and panic attacks. After doctors brush me off as crazy or hunting drugs, and fear of being rejected by society, I have suffered in silence with my attacks and irrational fears...each time i get that "fight or flight" feel for no reason at all, it feels like its the end of my life. I have 3 beautiful children and a husband although i don't think he quite understands it.. but he loves me none the less. I just wish there was an easy answer to why irregular brain chemicals are not thought of in the same way as a broken leg or asthma.

Jon said...

I have been on antipsychotic drugs for more than 10 years. I became psychotic because of a very stressful trigger in high school. I also have been on drugs with tranquilizer effects. after several years when I was working, I realized the effectiveness of vitamins and minerals. Vitamin C can help regulate the adrenal glands and can help panic attacks. Vit B also help some brain functions. I'v also discovered that fresh ginger juice has a great anti-inflammatory property which can help the brain from not being "rigid" and keep it's tissues soft.

michelle said...

hi,ive just gone out and bought myself the seven seas b complex and 100omg of vitamin c,i am praying these work today,i have suffered from anxiety for 20yrs and panic attacks for 2yrs,thankyou for this info :)x

Brian said...

Aimee,

Do you have a B-complex that you can recommend? I'm trying to put together a group of quality vitamins to recommend as a whole...:-)

Thx,
Brian

Harry said...

Some people suffer from a genetic condition called Pyroluria which causes high anxiety levels, as well as other symptoms such as depression, brain fog and chronic fatigue. I would be one of those people :)

It took me 8 years to work out what all my symptoms were caused by. Pyroluria leads to Zinc and Vitamin B6 deficiency plus other more minor deficiencies. It took me a year to really get my supplements right but now life is humming along.

If you suffer from anxiety, one of the first things tests I would get done, is the test for Pyroluria.

I supplement every day now and I blog about living life with Pyroluria at http://pyrolurialife.com

Aimée said...

@Brian I don't have one to recommend sorry. I do want to learn more about this so if you have one you like let me know. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Hello I just got b complex nd vitamin c been having a lot of GAD symptoms. When is the best time to take these. Also have been taking fish oil 3000 mg aday noticed a huge change in my mood less anxious so I know it works I would add this to your daily doses! Thanks. Shane

Anonymous said...

A healthy balanced diet, an hour of exercise daily and b-complex really helped me, also support from my family.

Michael Salas said...

This is interesting information on anxiety. When we think of anxiety we forget about the importance of dieting. In my Dallas counseling practice, I work with several clients who can learn about the how to use rational thinking skills. However many times in therapy clients do not learn about the importance physical health, such as dieting and exercise.

Anonymous said...

I find the B complex pills don't work for my Anxiety. However 70 units of injectable B complex for swine (pigs) works darn fine! Make sure you go to to the gym afterwords as well.

will glennon said...

Thanks for sharing this information. This is interesting information on anxiety. It is helpful to convert the carbohydrates we eat into glucose and also essential healthy skin and hair.
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Anonymous said...

Your story sounds like mine - just know you are not alone.

Unknown said...

I love your blog! I am 21 years old and for two years I have been having horrible anxiety during the day and panic attacks at night. Here recently iv been waking up every other night with anxiety so much I have to pace the room before im calm enough to even try to lay down.
Iv been to the doctor, they checked everything; thyroid, blood pressure and everything and say im healthy as a horse....
But your info here has been very helpful. The vitamins have been helping me lower the anxiety and iv been sleeping a lot better now.
Thanks so much :D
God Bless.

Unknown said...

Keep up the good work. For sure i will check out more posts. This site seems to get a good amount of visitors.combating depression

Anonymous said...

I had a sudden panic attack for no reason in Dec of 2011. After that came more panic attacks and then anxiety. I couldn't take it anymore this Fall so I went to an alternative MD who ran all sorts of tests on me and determined that I was low in B Vitamins, Vit C, Probiotics and Magneseum. I take all of these things now and avoid almost ALL caffeine and feel much better, albiet not completely back to normal. The B Vitamin/ C Vit complex I take twice per day is Oxylent. The Probiotics he recommended are called Klaire Labs Detox support.

mom1nj said...

I can back this up as true. My daughter, age 7, has a lot of anxiety. It effects everything she does. I started giving her one BEE POLLEN pill a day, which has ALL the B vitamins as well as free floating amino acids that are only found in meat. I saw a difference within days. She was much more focused. She could get through homework easier. She had less breakdowns. It has been a week so far. AND I'm so much more relaxed because she is doing so much better!

Anonymous said...

Hi there,
Around Christmas of last year I started having panic attacks and severe anxiety. I wasn't eating or sleeping. After a few days I was admitted into the ER with high blood pressure and irregular heartbeat. I thought I was having a heart attack! After running some tests they found nothing wrong, said it was possibly anxiety and encouraged me to see my family Dr. I saw her the following day and was diagnosed with GAD. I was prescribed an anti-depressant and sent on my way. I'm not a believer in those drugs but was desperate for relief. I wasn't functioning and as a wife and mother of 3 I needed to function. The meds did help somewhat, but I was still struggling with depressing thoughts and anxious worry. After 6 months I decided to wean myself off. I didn't't want to be on meds for the rest of my life! So after stopping the med I was still struggling with my anxiety but coping enough to get by. About 2 weeks ago my grandmother gave me a "cocktail"of vitaminsand insisted I start taking them because she said i looked awful all of the time. It was an omega 3 oil capsule, vitamins B, D, a multivitamin, and folic acid. GUESS WHAT? Within 3 days I was sleeping better, had more energy and my anxiety was lessening. Now, after 2 weeks of these vitamins I am seriously anxiety free! I have not felt more like my old self in almost 10 months. I had just decided I would be dealing with anxiety for the rest of my life. I am amazed at the results and feel like I need to spread the word that there is hope and better alternatives to prescription medication! Anyone suffering from anxiety NEEDS to try this!!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for informing people with this great article! Vitamin b complex really helped me battle my anxiety and relax , it is great , have been battleing with it allmost whole year...

Unknown said...

So nice blog!!!!You have done a great job. I have been through the web and get to know more about vitamins B and C. The human body has increased requirements for vitamins especially the B and C group during periods of increased stress. During stress, nutrients such as vitamin B and vitamin C are important for supporting adrenal function.
Thanks for sharing this information. This is interesting.
Anti-Stress Vitamins with B & C

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
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