Stress and Anxiety in Bodybuilding

[Kizzlen]

I wanted to share a bit of my experience on anxiety and stress that typically comes along with high dose cycles, Tren, Clen, and CR (Caloric Restriction). First and foremost I have been officially diagnosed with GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder). It is crippling, about 2 years back I actually came off everything and convinced myself to not compete anymore because of what other people (Parents, Inlaws) thought of my competing. After having my son I went through a rough spike in anxiety (he has GH deficiency and a couple other serious congenial birth defects). I noticed that every time I would run tren I would just snap at my wife and I'd feel like my walls were closing in, I'd become incredibly paranoid and just shut myself off from the world. Obviously I came around to giving this life a break while I learned to manage this. I was prescribed Lexapro @ 10mg per day (I take the Generic). Which after about 2 months changed my world. I got back into lifting hopped back on cycle and just started really living the life that I wanted to live. I'm 2 weeks out from competing and my wife said to me the other day "You've been so easygoing during this prep, whats the difference?" No doubt that Lexapro has contributed (I haven't noticed any sides that effect bodybuilding on it, except for the first month I shit liquid 2-3 times per day). Although when I got into extreme CR and running Clen I started to notice some of my anxiety and stress coming back into play. Which brought me around to researching Nootropics. 2 weeks ago I started taking the following:
L-Theanine @ 200mg 3x per day (between meals).
Bacopa Monnieri @ 250mg 3x per day (with the Theanine)
Phosphatidylserine @ 300-600mg (I take this with food when I feel stressed, anxious, or basically when something goes wrong. After about half an hour I feel great)

I should also mention that after I get all my food in for the day one of my tricks to not being hungry is taking Melatonin @ 20mg and knocking myself out.

Bottom line: If you have issues with anxiety or extreme stress during prep or while on cycle try this protocol out, it worked wonders for me and I wanted to share in hopes that it could do the same for somebody else. I'm not a nootropic expert, just a guy that did some research and stumbled upon a solution.

 

[Kizzlen]

I should Elaborate a bit on what these products are:

Lexapro is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor SSRI. You should look at the drug interactions and be well versed in all of your supplement complex's before you elect to have this prescribed (or self prescribe). The major potential issue that I see interaction-wise is the use of 5-HTP with an SSRI. This can cause Serotonin Syndrome which can be fatal.

Bacopa monierri can reduce levels of tribulin, an MAO inhibitor, which is elevated in certain degrees of anxiety. It has also been shown to help with cognition and memory. it can be overdosed and no more than 4 doses of 250mg per day is recommended. It has also been used for sufferers of insomnia (Another reason its great with Tren)

L-Theanine is an amino acid found in Green Tea and is shown to reduce physical and mental stress while improving you're mood. It is shown to do this without causing drowsiness which is excellent.

Phosphatidylserine has been shown to lower cortisol levels (especially during exercise) and reduce stress while improving mood.

 

[Bigtiny8859]

does thee lexapro fuck w ur sex drive? thats why i cant take SSRI's....do u think the other supps you mentioned make a NOTICEABLE difference or would u mainly contribute it to the Lexapro?

 

[Kizzlen]

does thee lexapro fuck w ur sex drive? thats why i cant take SSRI's....do u think the other supps you mentioned make a NOTICEABLE difference or would u mainly contribute it to the Lexapro?

The Lexapro hasn't made any noticeable difference in my sex drive but then again I run test year round. I do believe the other supplements make a noticeable difference, its subtle but keep in mind they are super cheap (except for PTS). I'd give Bacopa and theanine a shot too affordable not to.

 

[Big Dave Smith]

What I took from this...

-It sounds like you have anxiety issues in general and competing makes them worse... so you decide to compete anyway.
-It sounds like drugs you take to get ready are severely effecting/amplifying your mental health... so you decide to take more drugs to counteract them.
-It sounds like the drugs you take to combat the effects of the drugs for prep aren't working, so you need to supplement the drugs for the drugs with supplements.

Is bodybuilding so important to you that you have to take all these drugs just to compete, just to keep your mental health, in spite of having people effected by this behavior? I'm not saying you need to be a natty... but this sounds like a mess.

 

[Kizzlen]

I can sort of understand how you took that from my post. It's a subjective perspective. I suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I don't get stressed from bodybuilding or from any activity, I wake up every day that I don't have medication stressed. I mentioned some personal information in hopes of showing that on top of the disorder I have serious things to be stressed about. Anxiety is crippling and it prevents you from doing things that you love. Obtaining freedom from anxiety is wonderful and my point in this post is to encourage people that have issues with stress and anxiety to try out either the nootropics or the SSRI that I mentioned. Bodybuilding drugs can increase levels of stress, anxiety, and paranoia we all know this. To somebody with GAD this is not good and without any forms of treatment or medication it can be detrimental. I would hope that somebody with a simliar issue or just somebody that is balancing life and competition (which is honestly incredibly stressful, you're avatar is a pic of you competing I'm sure you can relate to the stress in the final weeks before a show) would be able to read this and say "Oh I'll give that a shot, maybe it will help". I'd like anybody that reads this to consider that I'm trying to be open about a personal issue in hopes of it helping others; it's a selfless action. I'm not obsessed with bodybuilding to a point where I throw caution to the wind and misalign priorities, honestly I have a very balanced life and am generally happy. Although I will say that after finding a way to compete with little to no stress has made me much happier, as it is something that I love, and I get to do it now while being responsible and considerate of my surroundings.

What I took from this...

-It sounds like you have anxiety issues in general and competing makes them worse... so you decide to compete anyway.
-It sounds like drugs you take to get ready are severely effecting/amplifying your mental health... so you decide to take more drugs to counteract them.
-It sounds like the drugs you take to combat the effects of the drugs for prep aren't working, so you need to supplement the drugs for the drugs with supplements.

Is bodybuilding so important to you that you have to take all these drugs just to compete, just to keep your mental health, in spite of having people effected by this behavior? I'm not saying you need to be a natty... but this sounds like a mess.

 

[Big Dave Smith]

I can sort of understand how you took that from my post. It's a subjective perspective. I suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I don't get stressed from bodybuilding or from any activity, I wake up every day that I don't have medication stressed. I mentioned some personal information in hopes of showing that on top of the disorder I have serious things to be stressed about. Anxiety is crippling and it prevents you from doing things that you love. Obtaining freedom from anxiety is wonderful and my point in this post is to encourage people that have issues with stress and anxiety to try out either the nootropics or the SSRI that I mentioned. Bodybuilding drugs can increase levels of stress, anxiety, and paranoia we all know this. To somebody with GAD this is not good and without any forms of treatment or medication it can be detrimental. I would hope that somebody with a simliar issue or just somebody that is balancing life and competition (which is honestly incredibly stressful, you're avatar is a pic of you competing I'm sure you can relate to the stress in the final weeks before a show) would be able to read this and say "Oh I'll give that a shot, maybe it will help". I'd like anybody that reads this to consider that I'm trying to be open about a personal issue in hopes of it helping others; it's a selfless action. I'm not obsessed with bodybuilding to a point where I throw caution to the wind and misalign priorities, honestly I have a very balanced life and am generally happy. Although I will say that after finding a way to compete with little to no stress has made me much happier, as it is something that I love, and I get to do it now while being responsible and considerate of my surroundings.

I responded because I also have crippling anxiety. I was on clonazepam for several years at a dose of 3-4mg per day. I leveled off at 2mg for 1 year. I've spent OVER a year tapering my dose from 2mg down to .125mg and I still have issues sleeping as I'm towards the end of my taper.

The best thing I ever did for myself was to eliminate stressful people and situations in my life, while focusing on things I enjoyed. I also eliminated as many medications and unnecessary pills (unless nutritional) as I could.

I'm a decent bodybuilder. At one point, I thought I had a shot of being pro. Taking a step back for a while was the best thing I did for myself. No massive cycles. No beta-agonists. No fat burners. I'm doing the best to balance my life between work, school, a new hobby, and the gym.

From what I've seen and experienced, meds seem to be analogous to plugging a hole in a tire. You can only plug the tire so many times before it just blows up. Have you tried addressing how, when, and why you have anxiety?

 

[Kizzlen]

It sounds like we have a lot in common! I balance work, school, training, and parenting and it is difficult. I have looked at what causes my anxiety obviously to be prescribed Lexapro you have to see a psychiatrist and we talk frequently. Some of it's personal but the bulk is in the difficulty of raising a child that has congenial birth issues that effect them every day. I had my child at a young age, that didn't help. I have a conservative approach to bodybuilding and I appreciate you're input on it, I do pretty much the same although at times I will use a minor dose of clen but not very often and for limited periods of time. It's tough though, I spend everyday working my ass off to make sure that I can give my kid everything and bodybuilding is for me that's what keeps me happy, training keeps me going. I agree that med's are a patch or a temporary fix but if they allow you to continue to do what makes you happy then they do have a place. Thanks for sharing you're personal story.

I responded because I also have crippling anxiety. I was on clonazepam for several years at a dose of 3-4mg per day. I leveled off at 2mg for 1 year. I've spent OVER a year tapering my dose from 2mg down to .125mg and I still have issues sleeping as I'm towards the end of my taper.

The best thing I ever did for myself was to eliminate stressful people and situations in my life, while focusing on things I enjoyed. I also eliminated as many medications and unnecessary pills (unless nutritional) as I could.

I'm a decent bodybuilder. At one point, I thought I had a shot of being pro. Taking a step back for a while was the best thing I did for myself. No massive cycles. No beta-agonists. No fat burners. I'm doing the best to balance my life between work, school, a new hobby, and the gym.

From what I've seen and experienced, meds seem to be analogous to plugging a hole in a tire. You can only plug the tire so many times before it just blows up. Have you tried addressing how, when, and why you have anxiety?

 

[Big Dave Smith]

It sounds like we have a lot in common! I balance work, school, training, and parenting and it is difficult. I have looked at what causes my anxiety obviously to be prescribed Lexapro you have to see a psychiatrist and we talk frequently. Some of it's personal but the bulk is in the difficulty of raising a child that has congenial birth issues that effect them every day. I had my child at a young age, that didn't help. I have a conservative approach to bodybuilding and I appreciate you're input on it, I do pretty much the same although at times I will use a minor dose of clen but not very often and for limited periods of time. It's tough though, I spend everyday working my ass off to make sure that I can give my kid everything and bodybuilding is for me that's what keeps me happy, training keeps me going. I agree that med's are a patch or a temporary fix but if they allow you to continue to do what makes you happy then they do have a place. Thanks for sharing you're personal story.

Sure thing. It helped me a lot to stay away from clen and yohimbine. Caffeine never really set me off like they did. Tren will absolutely effect your mood too.

I didn't know you needed a psychiatrist for lexapro! They gave me that about 10 years ago with no regard to why. Thankfully I didn't take it long.

Good luck. If you ever need any advice on it, send me a PM. It's a very strange feeling because you feel like you're at the mercy of your anxiety. Feels like sometimes you're the rodeo clown and the bull is the anxiety.

 

[Kizzlen]

I will do that! Thanks again. I totally agree with you're rodeo example, it's like you're the anxieties muse. Tren was something I had to stay away from for awhile but while on Lexa I really haven't had any issues with it.

Sure thing. It helped me a lot to stay away from clen and yohimbine. Caffeine never really set me off like they did. Tren will absolutely effect your mood too.

I didn't know you needed a psychiatrist for lexapro! They gave me that about 10 years ago with no regard to why. Thankfully I didn't take it long.

Good luck. If you ever need any advice on it, send me a PM. It's a very strange feeling because you feel like you're at the mercy of your anxiety. Feels like sometimes you're the rodeo clown and the bull is the anxiety.

 

[Bigtiny8859]

yohimbine and ephedra for me is the worst.

have u tried 5-htp instead of an SSRI?

 

[Kizzlen]

I have tried 5-htp, for some reason it put's me in a strange and distant mood. It worked wonders for getting me to sleep but as a calming amino acid I think Theanine is superior.

yohimbine and ephedra for me is the worst.

have u tried 5-htp instead of an SSRI?

 

[Gators]

Do some research on Meditation, and try it, it will surprise you.

 

[Kizzlen]

Do some research on Meditation, and try it, it will surprise you.

I think meditation or anything that slows you down and pulls you out of you're own head is super beneficial. For me grappling was great for my anxiety, rolling 3-4 times per week cleared my head and brought my tension down. I've gotten considerably busier with my schedule after taking on school and work full time with the gym and being a parent. It's hard to find time and energy for those things that bring you balance. I don't think these Nootropics are the be all end all, I just think they help a bit and they are super cheap while having a host of other proclaimed benefits.

 

[matt1164]

I started taking l-theanine on occasion and it really does calm me down. I got a weird feeling from 5-htp also, I felt like was drugged or something.

The one thing that helped me alot and Big Dave stated this was to eliminate or minimize stressful people in your life. Sorry to say but I had to cut my own mother off cause she is so adversarial that she sucked the life out of me. I miss her to death but I couldn't deal with the stress of being around her.

sorry to hear about your boy. My daughter has health issues also and that causes me a ton of stress everyday because of the way her peers treat her. She is with the "regular" kids in school because she has a normal intellect but she can't keep up with them physically and that affects her developing friendships with kids in her class. Actually, she has no friends in school at all and has never had a play date.

sorry to hijack your thread but I definitively feel your pain in regards to your child.

 

[Kizzlen]

Not a hijack by any means. I can relate on so many levels man. My son is only 2 and he has an amazingly warm personality, all laughs and super sweet. He is blind in one eye and has a eye turn and is very small for his age so I can just see the kids in school targeting him. It's a crippling thought. I'm going to get him into Wrestling and grappling asap and try to build his confidence there but it is so stressful. I actually had to eliminate my mother in law, I don't miss her one bit...lol. I've had to put some distance between my father and I but he has really done his part in trying to accommodate me to keep our relationship going. I totally agree though some people just need to be cut out of our lives, it's sad but usually things end up for the better. I'm sorry to hear about you're daughter I wish I had the answers but I don't think anybody does. School is a tough time and other kids are brutal, they definitely don't deserve what they get there. It's sad but true. If you ever want to talk more about it, feel free to send me a PM seriously.

I started taking l-theanine on occasion and it really does calm me down. I got a weird feeling from 5-htp also, I felt like was drugged or something.

The one thing that helped me alot and Big Dave stated this was to eliminate or minimize stressful people in your life. Sorry to say but I had to cut my own mother off cause she is so adversarial that she sucked the life out of me. I miss her to death but I couldn't deal with the stress of being around her.

sorry to hear about your boy. My daughter has health issues also and that causes me a ton of stress everyday because of the way her peers treat her. She is with the "regular" kids in school because she has a normal intellect but she can't keep up with them physically and that affects her developing friendships with kids in her class. Actually, she has no friends in school at all and has never had a play date.

sorry to hijack your thread but I definitively feel your pain in regards to your child.

 

[chinaboy]

I too agree anxiety can be crippling. I have had episodes of crippling anxiety and no one knows what its like until you have it for yourself. I have found that trying to find its cause and eliminating the source is the best longterm cure. Meditation helps greatly. It is like weight training for the mind. You get stronger and more efficient at dealing with stress and relaxing. Focus on the positive in life. I do take a little clonipin here and there too.

I always workout and want to get back into cycling yet wanted to get a grip on anxiety before I do. As of lately I totally alleviates the anxiety with what I wrote above for the most part. Its good to talk about with other as many people suffer from it and can help eachother and yourself.

 

[matt1164]

Do some research on Meditation, and try it, it will surprise you.

mediation does help also. even two minutes a day

 

[matt1164]

Not a hijack by any means. I can relate on so many levels man. My son is only 2 and he has an amazingly warm personality, all laughs and super sweet. He is blind in one eye and has a eye turn and is very small for his age so I can just see the kids in school targeting him. It's a crippling thought. I'm going to get him into Wrestling and grappling asap and try to build his confidence there but it is so stressful. I actually had to eliminate my mother in law, I don't miss her one bit...lol. I've had to put some distance between my father and I but he has really done his part in trying to accommodate me to keep our relationship going. I totally agree though some people just need to be cut out of our lives, it's sad but usually things end up for the better. I'm sorry to hear about you're daughter I wish I had the answers but I don't think anybody does. School is a tough time and other kids are brutal, they definitely don't deserve what they get there. It's sad but true. If you ever want to talk more about it, feel free to send me a PM seriously.

our kids have a lot in common. My daughter has an eye turn, she had surgery when she was two to correct it but the surgery didn't work. She is 9 now and has to wear a patch for four hours a day to correct it now. she also is on gh therapy and that really works good. She is now one of the bigger kids in her class. she was tiny before gh.

 

[thisguy]

Please don't encourage people to take ssri's. They are very serious drugs.

Theanine works for me too. I take it with melatonin when I haven't been getting good sleep.

Sleep and structure are vital with anxiety disorders. Meditation is great but I've found that a structured stretching(aka mobility) program with breathing exercises intermingled takes it's place just fine. Active relaxation is the key here as you need to turn the brain off. Also research "flow".

I've been hospitalized in the past with psychosis and been prescribed a slew of medications. I only got better when I learned to avoid the people and things that were not good for me and started challenging myself toward constructive means on a daily basis. It's been over ten years since I've taken any prescription meds for depression/anxiety and I've never been better.