Need a natural source for my mother's anxiety. Right now, she is bedbound, has severe COPD, and I don't want to drug her up on lorazepam or Haldol. Has anyone had any experience with using Valerian in the elderly, specifically someone with COPD, and on Amiodarone, and Lexapro (20 mg) meds?
I would try diffusing lavender essential oil, if no one is allergic.
"Certain supplements, including black cohosh, ma huang and valerian, can increase your risk of liver damage."
Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/enlarged-liver/symptoms-causes/syc-20372167
I would not recommend it. Evidence indicates it causes liver damage in some people, and it can interact with the amiodarone. Furthermore, you become tolerant to it, needing higher doses to get the desired effect over time. This in turn, increases the risk for adverse effects.
Because of this, I also support talking to her doctor first. Please don't start any OTC/supplement without consulting with them first, no matter how seemingly "benign" or 'natural" it may seem. So is digitalis...take too much of it and it will kill you!
I can't give a strong enough caveat to go along with this, though. This was my personal experience and I was 40yo when I was trying all these.
Just throwing out some things to help you find the right supplement, if you believe that's the right direction to go first before adding more medication. Many of these supplements are completely safe imo. The dosage amounts are not high and the effects are mild. The amiodarone interaction is the most concerning to me because if your mom has an irregular heartbeat, then you'd want to discuss any supplements with her doctor first. If your mom was younger and otherwise healthy, I'd say absolutely why not try the supplements first. While commonly Rx'd in elders with anxiety, benzo meds have negative side effects such as dizziness and increased risk of falling -- which may not be a concern at all since your mom is bedbound.
I have tried Valerian with my husband in combination with 5-HTP, which is an over the counter mood enhancer. Excellent combination, however like everything else it worked for several years then the body builds a tolerance or the Disease reaching another stage and a new combination of treatment must be considered.
Currently he is takes Trazadone 50mg about 30 minutes before sleep and takes the 5-HTP twice a day and this works well. Hope this helps.
If you find one that you think will help. Make sure you contact the pharmacy where your mom's prescriptions are filled, and talk to the pharmacist and ask if the ask if the supplement is safe for your mom to take? I was told by my wife's Physician that some supplements cannot be taken with some medicines.
I hope this helps, you have a wonderful day.
A good medical resource that I use for supplements is Dr. Ray Sahelian. He’s a well known MD who combines his knowledge of traditional medicine with herbal medicine and actually tests supplements on himself. His website is pretty basic, but if you scroll down to the bottom of his home page, there’s a huge list of links to different supplements and health topics. I found his info on Valerian under the topic of anxiety: (https://raysahelian.com/anxiety.html)
Good luck with your research. I hope you’re able to find the right combination to help ease your mother’s anxiety.
My mother took valium until she was 82 and never fell but they are starting to presicribe it less and less here in Canada because it and other 'pams' cause falling, so the doc. told me.
Good luck and God Bless
Temper. :}