Swanson Women's Anti-Stress Formula (Lactium) - Helps Counter Stress, Promotes Relaxation and Sleep Support - (60 Capsules, 167mg) 1 Pack

First off, I'm a 54 year old guy. Not sure why this is marketed toward women because lowering stress/cortisol is not specific to one sex or the other. There is significant evidence that Lactium does in fact lower the cortisol response of the body to stress. BUT, before buying this product, you should google: "the mood cure - eliminating the top causes of insomnia" and read this excellent PDF article. To wit, if your issues are due to neurotransmitter issues (i.e. insufficient Serotonin/Melatonin or insufficient gaba) this product may not do much for you. IF, on the other hand, your issue is high cortisol this is an excellent product. In my case, my cortisol was elevated to the high end of the "normal" range in the early morning. This manifested as early wake-ups (3:30-5am) with great difficulty going back to sleep. High cortisol also causes elevated A.M. blood sugar. I'm an athlete with a spot-on diet, low body fat, etc. so a morning blood glucose reading in the 90's was way higher than it should be. After my cortisol was tested I purchased this product (Lactium) as well as Seriphos. Essentially the Lactium works quickly to reduce cortisol but is not long lasting. The Seriphos is long lasting but takes 1-4 hours to kick in. I took both first thing AM, another Seriphos early afternoon before lifting weights and then another lactium at bedtime. I also kept one more lactium on the night-stand in case of an early AM wake-up. This protocol helped almost immediately. Within a couple of weeks I was sleeping much better, waking more rested, and my A.M. blood sugar went to 75ish, (which is excellent) a sure-fire indication that my cortisol level had decreased significantly. All in all, a great product for the person with cortisol issues. My hunch is that a lot of the negative reviews are from people who have no idea what is causing their issues or how their stress is manifested, have never had their cortisol level checked, and basically are buying "anti-stress" products willy-nilly hoping it'll make them feel better. If your issues are neurotransmitter related and not cortisol related this product won't help you. So do your homework.

Yes - this really works, but I use it for my dog who has anxiety and stress from fireworks. This is an equivalent to a pet brand, but at a much lower price. It has calmed her down, is easy to use by just sprinkling over her food and the ingredient is the same as recommended by the pet brand. I am so glad I found this.

Doesn't help at all. I really wished it would.

I ordered this for my canine child that has severe separation anxiety. I do not want to put her on puppy prozac. I have used L-theanine, but this works much better. We can really tell if she has had her "chill pill" or not. She goes in her crate on her own when we leave, and she doesn't drool or bark the whole time. I will continue giving this to her. I was really afraid she was going to hurt herself in her crate. She has to be crated when we leave the house due to being a chewer. She eats shoes, toys and the couch! I give her one capsule in the morning. Does not make her groggy or change her personality.

I give the powder to my cats for anxiety. It seems to help. Mixed in food, they don’t mind the flavor

This is the same stuff as Zylkene, but a lot different in price. Find it as effective, just give half a capsule to each cat to help calm. Takes some time, a couple of weeks, in our experience to start being helpful. Doesn’t affect their energy or attention, no drugged effect. But does help take the edge off of stressful situations like a feral coming in, new house, introductions. Would use again in those circumstances.

I read in the book The Diet Cure that casein was supposed to be "the champ" at reducing cortisol--these pills are encapsulated casein. I'm allergic to dairy, so Hubby takes these instead of drinking milk. So far, it seems his cortisol problem has gotten WORSE instead of better. Maybe it takes time for these things to work...or maybe they don't work on men.

I'm not sure why this is advertised as a women's formula. My wife suggested this to help me sleep. I take one with 5mg melatonin. I fall asleep in 1/2 hour and have a great nights sleep. I'm a believer...this stuff is great for nightime sleep.