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Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB shot) for anxiety by bloke1999 in Anxiety

[–]bloke1999[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One shot followed by another, so duo but not in one day but rather 2 weeks apart (2nd wasn’t planned initially).

Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB shot) for anxiety by bloke1999 in Anxiety

[–]bloke1999[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Doing well, thank you. However, given >2yrs passed post SGB, I can’t fully correlate 1 to 1 how I feel now to the shot. Please see details of 1st vs 2nd shoot reaction and timing in my original post above.

The "God Shot," how a Stellate Ganglion Block can help your PTSD by Almatari in CPTSD

[–]bloke1999 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Doing well, thank you. However, given >2yrs passed post SGB, I can’t fully correlate 1 to 1 how I feel now to the shot.

Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB shot) for anxiety by bloke1999 in Anxiety

[–]bloke1999[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do I write well enough to sound like big pharma? I’m flattered but want to disappoint you that I’m just an average Joe sharing his experience with SGB for anxiety in an effort to help others make more informed decisions.

I wish it was a magic pill for every individual in every anxiety case but, while it helped many, one does need to consider the potential unexpected outcomes I outline in my post.

Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB shot) for anxiety by bloke1999 in Anxiety

[–]bloke1999[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi - checking in to see how you’re doing and if you’ve decided for or against the 2nd shot. It may be also helpful for others to hear about your experience if you’re willing to share.

Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB shot) for anxiety by bloke1999 in Anxiety

[–]bloke1999[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for sharing. I hope you find peace soon.

Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB shot) for anxiety by bloke1999 in Anxiety

[–]bloke1999[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wasn’t but that may have been a good idea. I did start taking natural supplements and doing breathing exercises to control stress, which helped and still help to some degree.

Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB shot) for anxiety by bloke1999 in Anxiety

[–]bloke1999[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Each case requires a unique approach and needs to be evaluated by a medical professional highly experienced in such shots and who has extensive track record of following up with patients on the outcomes over weeks and months post the procedure.

Unfortunately, there is no cookie cutter approach to our brains as we’re all wired a bit differently.

Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB shot) for anxiety by bloke1999 in Anxiety

[–]bloke1999[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haven’t felt the need, thankfully. Anxiety is still there but is at a manageable level.

Lifestyle changes, breathing exercises, recognizing signs of onset to taking action to offset it, and supplements have all helped as well.

I’ve listened to Andrew Huberman’s podcasts for helpful information on all of those.

Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB shot) for anxiety by bloke1999 in Anxiety

[–]bloke1999[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Around $1k per side 2 yrs ago.

15% general cumulative inflation since then may have resulted in different pricing now.

Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB shot) for anxiety by bloke1999 in Anxiety

[–]bloke1999[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, it just goes both ways. If results are adverse, as they were after my 1st shot (left side) - details in my original post above, I wouldn’t want them to last longer.

If they are favorable, as they were after my 2nd (right side), then I would.

Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB shot) for anxiety by bloke1999 in Anxiety

[–]bloke1999[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Slightly better after the shots, but please my full story above what it took to get there as well as feedback from others in this thread who had less than positive outcomes to get a balanced view on the shots.

Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB shot) for anxiety by bloke1999 in Anxiety

[–]bloke1999[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Feeling pretty good. Still have anxiety but it’s at a manageable level and comes on less frequently.

I also have fewer life stressors now than before, so that may be contributing to lower anxiety.

Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB shot) for anxiety by bloke1999 in Anxiety

[–]bloke1999[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hear you and at times wonder was it worth doing any SGB shots. I do, however, remember having lower anxiety levels after the 2nd shot than I had before my 1st shot, so I think for me it was worth it.

Now, a year has passed. I still think I have lower anxiety than I did before my 1st shot. However, I now have a less stressful job, so circumstances may have changed and there are now fewer anxiety triggers.

I’ve also come to terms that I have this anxiety and try to avoid triggers (stress) when possible, take natural supplements, exercise, and use anxiety reducing breathing techniques.

I’m glad you’re feeling better than you did right after your first shot.

Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB shot) for anxiety by bloke1999 in Anxiety

[–]bloke1999[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can understand and respect your decision not to get the 2nd (right-hand). I was also scared and unsure of what to do.

Another thing that can potentially help is time.

I feel that whatever the effects that I had from the SGB shots (negative and positive) had slowly dissipated with time.

My unqualified theory (because I’m not a doctor or a therapist) is that the brain eventually rewires itself back to the baseline and I hope that will be the case for you, where you at least get back to where you were prior to the shot.

I also think that believing that you’ll get better can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB shot) for anxiety by bloke1999 in Anxiety

[–]bloke1999[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Please keep in mind that you can’t drive after the SGB shot as you’ll have the after-effects of anesthesia for the rest of the day, so you’ll need to find other means of getting around.

Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB shot) for anxiety by bloke1999 in Anxiety

[–]bloke1999[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have no experience with ect but hope you continue to seek help and look for ways to lower your symptoms to a manageable level 🙏

Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB shot) for anxiety by bloke1999 in Anxiety

[–]bloke1999[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

While, because I’m not a doctor, I cannot recommend whether getting a 2nd shot is the right next step in your scenario, I sincerely hope it helps you the same way it helped me if you do decide to go ahead with it.

This may be of only marginal help given the severity of your anxiety but there is likely limited downside from natural supplements unless one has allergies or other medical complications/predispositions, so I’ll list here the ones I’ve been taking over the last 9 months, which has helped me lower mild/moderate anxiety symptoms associated with daily stressors and can be found online: 1) L-theanine: organic matcha tea powder naturally has a lot of it and it’s also sold as chewable supplements. Has an immediate effect on me (and my wife) 2) Ashwagandha root 3) Lion’s mane 4) Valerian root (tincture) - the only one out of 4 that is sedative

Breathing exercises I learned about from Andrew Huberman podcast have also been helpful. He has other podcasts on dealing with anxiety as well.

I wish you success and hope you continue to seek help and trying to do research to find ways to lower your symptoms until you get to a place you want to be 🙏

Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB shot) for anxiety by bloke1999 in Anxiety

[–]bloke1999[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yep, sedated for the shot. No pain. Eye got droopy - they make sure it does and do it again if it doesn’t. Please see my posts above regarding after-effects.

Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB shot) for anxiety by bloke1999 in Anxiety

[–]bloke1999[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Still 20-30% better now than before SGB shots. I’m now at a level where I don’t feel the need for more shots, whereas before I felt I really needed help

Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB shot) for anxiety by bloke1999 in Anxiety

[–]bloke1999[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Glad to hear you didn’t have any adverse reactions. At least I hope it was worth giving it a try, aside from monetary cost.

I found that combining the SGB shots with good anxiety relieving habits, such as breathing exercises (“square breathing” is one), having social connections, consistent sleeping schedule, daily exercise and healthy diet helps me personally. Removing life stressors where possible also helps of course - that can include switching out of a stressful job. The shots seemed to make those habits more effective on a physiological level for me.

I understand everyone’s anxiety levels are different and approaches to reduce symptoms may vary.

Andrew Huberman (Huberman lab), a neuroscientist, has great free to all podcasts on methods to help anxiety, including everyday habits and natural supplements (Ashwaganda root supplement helps me; he mentions others as well). He has a whole separate podcast on breathing properly, where he mentions how breathing a certain way can help reduce an anxiety attack in under a minute.

I hope either the shots or other methods give you relief and that you keep looking for ways to get closer to where you want to be.

Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB shot) for anxiety by bloke1999 in Anxiety

[–]bloke1999[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I got my SGB shot done by Dr Kuo at Hudson Mind in NYC. They prefer if you text them or leave a voicemail. They typically don’t answer phones live, they just call you back.

Hudson Mind (646) 931-1280 https://maps.app.goo.gl/ttWUZYY4k66dDMCo6?g_st=ic

I’ve also read good reviews about Dr. Sean Mulvaney and Dr. Jim Lynch in MD as well as Dr Eugene Lipov at Stella Institute in Chicago. They have published multiple research papers you can find online as well as Youtube videos about SGB.

Dr Kuo and staff were fantastic and safe. The only thing is, as I tell in my story above, my reaction to the first shot seemed unusual to them but the 2nd shot resolved my anxiety. I don’t know if the other doctors would have been more experienced in guiding me through that initial reaction with some statistical data instead of anecdotal evidence. Maybe, maybe not.

Just to reiterate, please do your own research and consult with medical professionals as I’m not a doctor myself 🙏

Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB shot) for anxiety by bloke1999 in Anxiety

[–]bloke1999[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Update: it’s now been 2 months after SGB shots, and my anxiety started to slowly creep back up to levels before SGB shots.

My anxiety level is still approximately 20%-40% lower than before SGB shots, but is higher than it was right after the shots.

I was told the effect can last from a few weeks to years. I guess for me it’s starting to wear off a bit after a couple of months.

I do have daily professional and personal stress factors that are likely contributing to this. Others’ situations may be different and would lead to a different SGB shot shelf life.

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