I have had anxiety problems for about 10 years now. The usual general anxiety- feeling anxious for no apparent reason, panic attacks, feeling completely uncomfortable when doing ‘normal’ things like going out to dinner or to the movies. Xanax has helped me with this a great deal. It works, and I would have had a lot more misery without it. However, Xanax is very addictive and unnatural and leaves me with some side-effects like feeling spaced out and drowsy etc. I take Xanax a few days a week (maybe about 3 on average) at a dose of .5 mg, just to give you a frame of reference if you are in a similar situation. The days I don’t take it I believe I experience some withdrawal or just feel like I could use it, but I have tried to limit myself in the 3 years I have been taking it so I did not become completely dependent. Enough for background information-

I have tried a few different herbal remedies, looking for something that could help to provide me with relief from anxiety that was not addictive. Skullcap by itself didn’t do much, if anything. Lithium Orotate seemed to have no effect. Chamomile capsules do seem to relax the stomach a bit but don’t do much mentally. When I first got the Theanine I was taking it in two separate doses because I wasn’t paying attention to the bottle. It says the serving size is two capsules but it doesn’t say to take them twice a day. I was taking 1 in the morning and 1 at night, and noticed maybe a little difference after taking it but was ready to pretty much give up on the stuff. A light bulb went off when I realized I was splitting the dose in half, pretty significant for me as I am 6’1″ 210lbs. (maybe 212 after Christmas 🙂 ) When I took the two caps together, I felt better than I had for a LONG time, even compared to some times being on Xanax, because my thoughts were clear and I didn’t have the guilt that goes with taking a tranquilizer, but I still felt much more relaxed than usual.

So, here is why I say I have some proof: I have a heart rate monitor for working out. I have taken a ton of readings messing around with it while I am sitting around the house and my resting heart rate tends to be about 85-90, which isn’t bad, but you can do a lot better. I put the heart rate monitor on prior to a workout the day I finally took the correct dose of Theanine Serene and was feeling good, and I was amazed to see my heart rate was 65! I took over 10 readings over then next half hour and all were between 62-71 or so. A huge difference. About a week has gone by and I have continued to have the same results- feeling much better and it has the same continued positive effect on my heart rate. I have read more about Theanine and supposedly, the way it works to relax your mind is by stimulating alpha brainwaves, the state of mind achieved through relaxation and meditation that brings you to a calm but clear headed mental state. It makes perfect sense to me as far as describing what it does for me mentally. I have found that a self-hypnosis CD I use and recommend “Creating Calm and Inner Peace” By Glenn Harrold, seems to be much more effective while I am feeling the effects of this. It is easier for me to slip under and have my mind more open to the suggestions, as there is far less going on as far as the random thoughts and clutter. I have not eliminated my Xanax completely, but I feel I will be able to in time and have done several things over the holidays that I would normally have required it for without needing it. I’m not saying I was perfect, but I felt much better able to cope. The rest I feel will be up to desensitization, which is a whole other subject for dealing with anxiety, but one that works…

How much you can take:
Finally, the magnesium in this supplement sounds like it is a good thing as well, according to some information magnesium can help with depression, and the manufacturers of this product state that it helps to relax nerves and muscles. Whatever it does the combination of the ingredients in this product work for me. The problem with magnesium is if you take a lot it can make you poop too much etc. I have read in several different places that you can take a large amount of Theanine without side effects. Therefore, I ordered some bulk Theanine powder from another store that I plan to combine with this supplement. So, I will take the two caps of Theanine Serene and add maybe another 200mg of Theanine powder, without doubling up on the magnesium, and see if it doesn’t improve the effects even more. Do a little research on Theanine. It is gathered from tea, and is used widely in Japan, and has been for years with no problems that I could find. Good luck and I hope that you get some relief.

Better than melatonin, or if your body no longer benefits from that.
I wear a Fitbit to monitor my sleep because I have problems with it. When I woke up feeling better and like I had slept more, checked my Fitbit and it verified that I had gone from sleeping two hours a night of sleeping to about 6 to 8 hours per night just by adding this particular magnesium supplement. NOTE: these are pretty big pills and you may need to cut in half, but IT IS SOOO WORTH IT!!