Has anyone had experience using Valerian in the elderly?

I would ask her pharmacist this question. They will know of any potential interaction with her meds and an herb.

I would try diffusing lavender essential oil, if no one is allergic.

Take a look at Ashwaganda, but absolutely check with a compassionate pharmacist.

This is a question for her doctor and only her doctor. I just responded to someone else "prescribing" melatonin, yet the Mayo indicates a long list of possible drug interactions with it. "Natural" or not, supplements are still chemicals that interact with other chemicals in one's body.

"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

Hello,
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!

Valeriana root is a natural remedy that is supposed to help sleep and anxiety. However, is has not been thoroughly studied scientifically. It appears to be safe though. Whether it's effective or not, is debatable. You will have to ask her doctor for a trial of Valeriana. You say that your mother suffers from COPD. Do you know that COPD patients should not take Lorazepam or any other tranquilizer of the Benzodiazepine family? They can depress the breathing function to dangerous levels in patents with COPD. Incidentally, you also mentioned that she takes Amiodarone and Lexapro. You should be aware that using those two medications together is contraindicated. They can produce dangerous heart arrhythmias.

Lorazepam is oft used in the elderly.

I'll speak to my personal experience. Valerian root was not helpful for me when I was trying different supplements for my own anxiety issues. I personally found rhodiola and ashwagandha more helpful. I still drink ashwagandha tea, years later, because I find it so helpful. Kava kava root tea was by far the most potent plant-derived anxiety treatment that I took during that time.

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.

Hi,
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.

I would recommend having her blood levels checked for deficiencies. Once it is established what she is low on, then I would have a doctor along with a nutritionist prescribe what she she needs. B vitamins help with nervousness. Her deficiencies could be a number of things from hormonal, thyroid, low vitamins like A, D, B12, C, Iron, Folate and other B vitamins. Or, something more serious like Heart Disease, Depression, loneliness, and fear of dying. Once her nutrition is balanced keep her busy with doing enjoyable activities and socializing-things that will take her mind off herself. Counseling might help. As well as taking her to a senior activities center twice a week. Go when her the first time. I have found that people this age need someone to identify with. They need something to regularly look forward to. Some need to be in charge of something to feel purposeful. All the best to your Mom’s health.

Physician's sometimes use hydroxyzine 25mg (Vistaril) for anxiety. Mirtazepine (Remeron) is also sometimes used in the elderly who also have sleep disturbance associated with anxiety. Neither are benzodiazepines and neither have addiction or tolerance issues. Lavender oil on pulse points and pillow spray. A cup of Extra Strength Sleepy Time tea is a good bedtime routine.

hello fairyta, i wanted to purchase some health supplements for my wife. I actually went to a health supplement store, and to my surprise the sales associate was very knowledgeable as to what i needed. I also recommend researching it online.
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.

What about holy basil ot ashwaganda?

I personally had an experience with Valerian when I was 50. It was given to me to help with what the doctor perceived as depression. It caused depression instead. I had only been sad about a breakup, not depressed. I became suicidal on Valerian. I was then perfectly fine off of it, just sad. I was told later that some people have that adverse effect with Valerian. So I suggest to be very careful with it, getting advice from her doctor, and if given the okay, watch for an adverse reaction.

I see a few people have tried ashwaganda - My sister says " it is good for anxieties . " They have it in gummy form I gave some to my Dad .  Order from Gaia herbs . I have Used the CBD Gummies for myself I order from FIVE CBD.com . Eat One and it helps with sleep or use a CBD Oil after Lunch - it takes 4 hours to get into your system . Valerian is rather heavy and could hurt the stomach lining .

Hi Fairyta,

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.

Valerian never did anything for my severe anxiety. I would even get chest pains w/ my anxiety. My doctor put me on Buspirone (Buspar). It does not effect any of my functions, or knock me out. I feel normal as ever. I have been on it for 25 years. I have tried going off of it, which was ok for a few days (probably because it was still in my system), then my chest pains would return. It may help??

fairyta: You should pose your query to your mother's physician. I cannot provide a qualified answer as I am not a medical professional.

Please talk with her doctor or pharmacist about any herbal or calming agents. They can have serious interactions with her other medications. Get their OK first.

I would check with the doctor before going that route. Valerian has it's benefits but I'm not sure about mixing it with other medications. You also need to find out what the fall ratio is on V.
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. :}

My mother was from the 'old country' and utilized natural remedies as much as possible, including valerian. HOWEVER, it does interact with other medications and medical conditions, and other supplements, so one has to be VERY careful when using any supplements. For my mother, as her anxiety progressed and affected her ability to sleep, the valerian caused her to have EXTREMELY vivid dreams and mild hallucinations that were not pleasant and upset her even more. This combined with causing her to be VERY dizzy was a combination that created hazards.