Vitamins/Supplements/Naturopathic remedies

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Who here has gone on a vitamin, supplement, alternative diet, or naturopathic regimen to help ASD symptoms? Experiences? Thoughts-questions-comments-concerns?

I just started taking 5HTP for anxiety.

(eg: GFCF diet, GABA, 5HTP, vegetarian, vegan, etc.)

I find chamomile to be effective for anxiety, but I do not believe herbs or vitamins can do anything to alter or lessen the neurological handicaps of autism.

Unless you count marijuana dulling sensory input and decreasing social anxiety, but you can't use it all the time or you'd never get anything else done.

I am on a GFCF diet. It helps with GI symptoms, migraines, moods, and speech. I take zinc because it helps with the chewing, enzymes (in case I eat a rare bit of dairy, as I very occasionally do to get protein), D3 because my vit D is always super low, and calcium citrate because I don't get much calcium (but I don't take it often because it tastes bad).

I'm going to try going off the zinc and see if I chew and bite more or not. It was REALLY bad and now it's not bad at all. But if it's just coincidence, I don't want to take something I don't need.

I have recently started taking valerian in the evenings. I had been having a really hard time dealing with bad anxiety, generally feeling that things "weren't right" and not sleeping. It completely knocks me out. I'm asleep (or sitting dead calm) about 30 minutes after I take it. I really didn't believe it could have such an effect and only decided to give it a try at the last minute to avoid starting anxiety medication.

I have only taken it so far after 7pm and it seems to have completly worn off by the morning. It makes me really sleepy so I'm not sure if I could take it during the day. I do plan to test that though.

I am finding though that sleeping much more soundly (I usually wake up 15-20 times per night, now only a couple) is having some effect in reducing my anxiety during the day, especially in the mornings when I usually feel extremely tired and anxious and can meltdown at the smallest thing.

I too occasionally use valerian as sleeping aid. I tried St John's worth against anxiety (as suggested by a psychiatric doctor, btw) but it was not exactly useful.

Not sure if it counts but I do make sure that my caffeine level is high during the day because I feel that I can control my impulses better when I am awake.