St John's Wort.

[itsonlyme.]

Hiya
I am Jo I was wondering if anyone has or is taking St John's Wort.I have been on medication on and off for years now and I can take it for a while then it just stops working!!.And I am back to square 1 with my depression!!.
Would apreciate any advice on this remedy.
Take care Jo xx

[SANDYJANE]

hi ,
i ve taken st john worts , but didnt find it did me any good ,

love sandyjanexxx

[mtatum4496]

Jo, I tried St. John's Wort several years ago when going through a rough time and it actually made me feel worse. I did not understand it at the time, but I have since learned that this herb impacts the serotonin levels in the brain and apparently that was not what I needed.

Many commercial anti-depressants on the market today also function as SSRIs in a manner similar to how St. John's Wort functions. If you were able to use drugs like Prozac or Lexapro in times past for awhile with no side effects, then St. John's Worth may be okay for you. But if you are currently taking an anti-depressant, it would be a good idea to talk to your physician before adding any herbs to the mix.

[clair7]

Hi Jo,

Ive not taken St. John's Wort myself, but my brother has for a while and he says it really helps with his depression and his girlfriend has noticed a big change when he's on it too. I think it just helps to level out his mood abit more and gives him abit of help rather than turning to proper medication. Apparently you have to be careful in the sun whilst you're taking it as it can increase your sensitivity to burning (not that we need to worry about the sun in england lol!!).
I currently take valerina herbal tablets and although i take them for anxiety, they do help to eleviate the depression that comes with it.
Take care

[Emilys]

I have just started taking st johns wort today, this morning i thought i could do it but now iv started feeling a bit panicky about it!:weep:
started looking on net and keep seeing things that although its herbal its not safe, does anyone have anymore info on this??

:shrug:

[intense]

It is thought to have fewer side effects than prescription medications (many of which aren't "safe"/side-effect-free just because they've been constructed in a lab!)

If you feel like it's not for you, just taper off. It's going to be a subtle effect. I have just started taking it as well.

The sunburn advice is good though, be careful of the sun.

I have Valerian as well but sometimes it helps a lot, and sometimes it makes me stimulated and anxious.

[Jay1979]

I have been taking st johns for over 6 months and found it helpful. I had terrible side effects with all the anti Ds i tried so the DR put me on this.

I have had NO side affects and it does lift my mood. I wasnt sure it was helping and i stopped it for a week and was crying all the time !!!! I started taking it again and was fine.

Dont worry too much about what you read online, every drug has pros and cons just be careful what you take whilst taking St johns as it can interact with other things.. ie: the pill wont work properly while you are taking st johns wort. I just ask my pharmesist if i want to take other things with it :yesyes:

Heres a good link
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/ate/mentalhealth/204971.html

[intense]

I have been taking the cheap ASDA one while I wait for my expensive, properly standardised SJW. It just arrived a moment ago, along with my 5-HTP (which I'm running low on). My plan is to take both in the early days, until SJW is working and then remove the 5-HTP unless I need sleep badly and can't sleep where I will take it as a one off. I am hoping the SJW will kick in and make sleeping easier so the 5-HTP is not needed.

One thing I have noticed is a muscle twitch I've experienced for about 9 months seems to have disappeared! :ohmy:

[Jaco45er]

I tried it a few years back, it didn't do me any good or harm really.

They actually prescribe in in Germany for mild depression I read somewhere (might have been the Beano).

Incidently, cheap meds, I was watching a BBC1 programme with a med expert on there saying that cheap meds and shop own brand meds are as every bit as effective as branded meds.

They all contain the same active ingredeints, ingrieients, errr, ingredieants.

They all contain the same stuff ;), but the branded manufacturers are the developers of the particular drug and therefore are more expensive so they can claw back their research costs.

[intense]

While that may be true of Aspirin, it isn't true for supplements and herbs like St John's Wort - most of it is so weak it's a waste of time to buy the shop's own brand.

Drugs need to be in standard dosages, eg, 500-1000mg of Paracetamol is the normal dose. So each capsule is always going to have 500mg in it (unless it is combined with another painkiller like Codeine etc).

Herbs are not regulated the same way because they are classed as dietary supplements.

[spiral]

a good site for st john's wort info is

http://www.sjwinfo.org/

x

[medals]

I took it for about a year. i don't think it did anything really. I did however get sensitive to sunlight.

[ElizabethJane]

I would be very wary about taking this unless you have seen your GP first. It would be no good for major depression and should only be used for mild to moderate depression. I'm very sceptical although a believer in other complementary medicines and practices some of St Johns Wort effects could well be placebo.

[JasonB]

SJW has been proven to help in quite a few studies.

I have taken it, and it has helped me, and I am a sceptic.

Just dont take it at the same time as certain other medications. e.g Citalopram for one.

Check the leaflet on any medication you to take.


I made the mistake of taking Citalopram, and SJW at the same time, and when I read that you shouldnt, it triggered the biggest Panic Attack of my life. (Still not able to see the funny side yet. :))

There is no huge consequence if you do it once, but prolonged taking of the pills together isnt advised.

[kendo59]

I did read somewhere that it is not a good idea to take St.John's Wort while you are taking anti-depressants. Apparently they don't mix well together.

Best to ask your GP.

[AliBlack]

I've tried 3 different brands, my doc prescribed it (can't remember the brand) for me but it gave me stomach upset and I felt sedated so I couldn't do anything, I gave up after 10 days as I couldn't eat. I tried Holland and Barrett ones too but they had no effect, good or bad, after 2 months, and 3rd ones I tried were Kira which upset my tum so I gave up.
I was amazed to have side effects from it, I spoke to a pharmacist and asked if it does cause stomach upset and he said it can, but it is a potent herb and if it's capable of helping depression it can have side effects too, most people don't though.
It does make a difference which brand it is as some are more potent than others.