I’ve been medicated for anxiety since my late-twenties. That part isn’t new. What’s new is that somewhere around my divorce, my anxiety got loud enough that I needed more than my prescription to get through a Tuesday, and that’s how I ended up with a drawer full of supplements that actually earn their spot.
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I am not a doctor, nutritionist, or licensed healthcare provider. Everything I share is based on my personal experience. Always consult your healthcare provider before starting any new supplement, medication, or health routine.
Where My Prescription Fits In
I take a prescription anti-anxiety medication, and I have for a long time. It is the foundation, not the whole house. Nothing below replaces it, and I’d never suggest swapping a prescription for a supplement — please talk to your doctor before you change anything about your medication.
What the supplements do is fill in the gaps my prescription doesn’t touch: the overthinking at 11 p.m., the tight chest before a hard conversation, the days my brain just will not slow down.
Ashwagandha, Morning and Non-Negotiable
Ashwagandha is the first thing I take every morning, fasted, before coffee. I rotate between Gaia Herbs PRO ashwagandha (700mg liquid phyto-caps) and Himalaya Organic caplets, depending on what’s in my cabinet, and sometimes I’ll use Himalaya StressCare instead, which combines ashwagandha with holy basil.
It’s an adaptogen, which is a fancy way of saying it helps my body handle stress instead of spiking straight into it. I noticed the difference more in what didn’t happen — fewer mornings where I woke up already anxious about nothing specific — than in some dramatic before and after.
Magnesium Glycinate, My Actual Rescue Supplement
If I had to keep only one supplement on this list, it would be magnesium glycinate. I keep a bottle from Gaia or Integrative Therapeutics in my bag and take one or two capsules during the day whenever the overthinking starts — not on a schedule, just when I need it. At night I take two capsules before bed.
Magnesium glycinate calms my nervous system in a way I can actually feel, usually within twenty minutes. It helps with the anxious spiral, the insomnia that comes with it, and the general sense that my brain is a browser with forty tabs open.
The B-Vitamins and Adaptogens That Round It Out
I take Nature’s Bounty B-12 (1,000 mcg) and their Super B-Complex with folic acid and vitamin C every morning for energy and general nervous system support — anxiety is exhausting, and low energy makes it worse. I also take Apex Energetics Adaptocrine XL, a practitioner-grade adaptogen blend, and Gaia Herbs gelatinized Peruvian maca root for energy on the days I need a push.
None of these are dramatic on their own. Stacked together, every single morning, they’re the difference between a manageable day and a day that gets away from me.
Magnesium L-Threonate for the Nights My Brain Won’t Quiet Down
On top of magnesium glycinate, I’ll sometimes take Natural Vitality CALM powder, which uses magnesium L-threonate specifically for brain health. It’s a different form than the glycinate, and I use it more for the racing-thoughts kind of anxiety than the physically tense kind.
I go deeper into how this fits into my actual bedtime routine, along with the eye mask and brown noise setup that finishes the job, in My Sleep Ritual for Anxious Minds.
What I Don’t Take With Food
Because I fast until noon, all of this happens on an empty stomach, which took some adjusting to. I break my fast with bone broth and then real food, and I don’t take any of these supplements again later in the day unless I need an extra magnesium glycinate to reset.
I walk through the rest of that fasted morning — skincare, coffee, all of it — in My Complete Morning Routine at 40+ if you want the full picture of how this stack fits into an actual Tuesday.
What This Stack Isn’t
This isn’t a cure. My anxiety didn’t disappear because I started taking ashwagandha, and it won’t disappear for you either. What changed is that I have more tools now than I did a year ago, and most days that’s enough to get through the hard parts without it taking over.
If you’re dealing with anxiety, please talk to your doctor or therapist before adding anything to your routine, especially if you’re already on a prescription. This worked for me. That doesn’t mean it’s the right stack for you.
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