St Johns Wort or Prozac

[rosalind]

Has anyone tried St Johns Wort for anxiety/insomnia and did you have any success?
My consultant has suggested either Prozac or St Johns Wort. After having a bad experience with Sertraline I am really scared to try Prozac.
Someone told me that you can get Prozac in a liquid form and take half the dose. Is this correct?
Thanks for help - I am very happy to have found this site.
Rosalind

[desperate]

Wow I'm impressed by your consultant!

I've been taking SJW for about a month I guess and i do feel a bit better, but it's not like a miracle cure. Did he mention valerian for sleep, if you want to go down the natural route there are lots of options.

Sarah

[trevor]

HI rosalind ,

I WOULD prefer to go down the herbal route myself,,

my doctor prescribed me setraline over a year ago and they are still in my draw,,,i would be interested in your story about setraline,,

i have taken st johns wort on two occations over a two year period for the winter months and both times worked for me wonders ,,,

go ahead try it there are much less side affects with herbal than there are prescribed,,

good luck ,,


trevor

[rosalind]

Thanks for replies.
Yes! I was amazed when my consultant suggested it. He's actually a cardiologist but very open minded and knowledgeable.
The Sertraline was a nightmare. I took it for 9 days. On the 3rd day onwards I had 24 hour blind panic, nausea, diarrhea, dry mouth, palpitations, couldn't eat anything at all, huge weight loss - you name it. I was in such a state that I couldn't sit still and felt totally manic. Luckily my GP prescribed a mild tranquilliser which helped me. I am now 3 days over it and already feel heaps better.
Rosalind

[Craven]

I think SJW has helped me recently; it's effects are subtle compared with Prozac. I don't like the label "Herbal" for this one. Many "synthetic" drugs are developed or derived from chemicals occuring in nature. It doesn't mix with certain other drugs, so people should take advice and read instructions.

If you were suffering depression I'd say Prozac would be more effective against severe depression, but Prozac had more side effects for me including increased anxiety and sleeplessness - probably depends on the dosage/ the individual and the stage of your treatment.

Hope this helps

David

[rosalind]

Hi David,
How long were you on Prozac and did the side effects wear off in time. I am to take for insomnia so it sounds that it would not be a good idea!
Best wishes
Jenny

[Craven]

Hi Ros

I was on Prozac for at least a year (over 10 years ago). It was a very high dosage initially (to combat severe depression), so maybe the sleeplessness was down to dosage.

I was ok after 2-3 months on a lower "maintenance" dose, but it did not reduce my anxiety symptoms.

Everyone is different, so maybe at a normal levels it will have the effect you're looking for.

My depression/ anxiety is different this time, so I decided to try SJW. I though if it get's worse, I'll move onto Prozac! I had no complaints about Prozac; it was the only anti-depressant that helped me last time

Hope this helps

David