herb- rhodiola ???

[sick and tired 47]

Hi! Is anyone  familiar with the herb Rhodiola?? I starteted taking from homeopathic nutritionist for high cortisol/ some anxiety issues.
First week, great... but now into 2nd week and I feel like I am on caffine. Very wired, TONS of energy yes but today noticed my heart rate and BP are really up!!! I decreased dose ( 3 pills to 2) earlier in week to see if that helped but it hasn't. The product I am using is called Purecalm PRT by neuroscience.
   The nutritionist says taking  3 pills a day is the usual dose, but I am taking two, considering stopping for a day... I do not like this feeling. I have SVT of the heart so I want to be careful... my PCP approved the herb before I started taking it.
I am at a loss, I have read that sometimes it causes this problem as your body gets used to it... but I don't want to feel this way.... its like I drank a GIANT espresso.... and could go and go. Advice/ help with this is appreciated.
Thanks all.

[sick and tired 47]

Thanks again. Eleuthero?? Will check that out too..You are all a wealth of information. Who needs a dr when we have you all?? Your advice is based on personal experience... not something out of a book.
Thanks again.

[Paxiled]

No, red yeast rice is for cholesterol, not cortisol.  Have you considered the eleuthero along with the holy basil?

Funny story for the board about red yeast rice.  It's a natural fermented product the Chinese have eaten for centuries.  But it contains naturally occurring statins.  When the first pharmaceutical statin was created, I'm not cure which one it was, the company successfully got the FTC to ban red yeast rice as violating the pharmaceutical patent.  Even though it's a food.  But companies sill make it.  I take a combination of guggul and red yeast rice by Solaray, though my cholesterol is back down since I stopped Paxil, so I take less now.

[sick and tired 47]

sassylassie,
thanks for info... did the red yeast rice reduce cortisol levels?? Did you feel better after they were lower?? They are telling me this is reason a lot of my problems, very high cortisol when it should not be high. I have been under a lot of stress, trying to destress by biofeedback, message therapy, accupunture.. but levels still high.  
  I have been off rhodiola for 6 days now and finally starting to feel less hyper, anxious. But I really loved the first few days of it... had so much energy was cleaning everything, getting so much done!!
  I think the Holy Basil is relaxing me and it supposed to help lower cortisol levels.. I am very tired again..Not sure if its the basil or just because I was so hyper for the past week, almost like coming off a high??
  I am considering a low dose of rhodiola every couple days/with the basil.. but need to talk to dr./nutritionist first to okay it.
I understand your situation, I am so sensitive to everything too. I usually have the opposite effect of most people. If they say it makes you hyper I sleep, and makes others drowsy, I am hyper. It is hard road to travel isn't it?? I look carefully at everything and consider before I take it, because it also seems to take quite some time to get in my system and then even longer to get out of it. I react after several days and then feel terrible for the next 1-2 weeks.
   As for my cholesteral is is great, no problem there. Just have to get this cortisol down, hopefully my SVT of heart ( tachycardia/palps)  will settle down too, and I also have DHEA levels which no one knows why? I believe a lot of my issues are from undiagnosed hypothyroid,which lead to heart issues, and now perimenopause...
OH so a great time in my life!!! Can we just fast forward past all this stuff and back to my normal sane healthy self again?? And will it ever happen??
Thanks for all your support and advice, so grateful to not feel alone !!!

[SassyLassie]

I will answer your question below yours.

so how did you get high cortisol levels down?? and you too had problem with rhodiola?? Did you ever use holy basil??

I take Red Yeast Rice by "Thorne" for my cholesterol and it works very well.
Yes, the Rhodiola was a nightmare, it keyed me up and I could not even relax.
I have not heard of Holy Basil.

As I said before, I have to be so careful when I take things as nine out of ten times they will react on me in the wrong way, I think I drive my doctor crazy.

[Paxiled]

No, don't need to up sugar intake.  It's good to cut blood sugar unless yours is too low, I was just warning that it also has that virtue.  But I'm not sure it needs much time to kick in.  If it doesn't work, it doesn't work -- try something else.  Nothing lost.  You can try eleuthero -- although it used to be called Siberian ginseng, it's not ginseng at all, not in the same family at all.  American ginseng isn't energizing like Korean or, more properly, Chinese ginseng, it's cooling, and also helps lower blood sugar.  Herbs are better used in combination than alone -- have you ever tried seeing a naturopath or herbalist?  There are so many plants on this verdant planet!  I don't know your history, but have you ever tried meditation?  It also gives a lot of energy.  

[sick and tired 47]

thanks for the info on holy basil.... wow is there anything out there that just makes you better with NO side effects.  Sounds like I will have to up my sugar intake... chocolate where are you??
guess I will have to go back to being tired. I loved rhodiola for the 1st week, had more energy than I have had in 2 years!!! Maybe later I could try taking  a low dose every couple days. But for now just want to get rid of the hyper feeling.. its getting better and better... slowly.
  I guess the Holy basil needs a few days to "kick in". Thanks again for info.