St Johns Wort

I have mild to severe depression (from PTSD) and my friend reccomended me using St Johns Wort to get me through my exam period because it helped her last year when she had her exams. I got the tablets today, and was always quite open to using them, untill I got round to taking them, now I feel quite scared.

Has anyone else used them and what impact did they have?

xx

Reply 1

AverageGuyOnTheStreet

9

One of my friends is on St John's wart and she says it really helps her. She recommended it to me but I am already on prescribed anti-depressants so I thought it would be inappropriate. Good luck with it anyway, I hope things get better for you. :hugs:

Reply 2

spider from mars

13

They're pretty good. I was on them for a while last year and I felt that they really had an effect. However, as with all herbal remedies you need to make suer you get a good brand - I switched to a cheaper one and definitely felt the difference.

One of my friends is on St John's wart and she says it really helps her. She recommended it to me but I am already on prescribed anti-depressants so I thought it would be inappropriate. Good luck with it anyway, I hope things get better for you.

It's not just innapropraite, it's downright dangerous. St John's Wort is quite potent stuff, and it has known reactions with anti-depressants. They recommend waiting at least two weeks before switching from one to the other, so taking them at the same time wouldn't be a good idea.

Reply 3

sweetface.

But for sure the name sounds a little like one of those witchy potions, lol.

Reply 4

Lizj

10

If you are on prescribed medication do not take them. It can be dangerous. If you need more medication then see your GP about changing brands or upping your dose, but don't do it yourself.
St john's Wort are powerful and do have side effects, especially on your skin.

Reply 5

Cthulhufiend

Hallo there. I wouldn't worry about taking SJW - the side effects are very minimal and most people don't get any. It doesn't have the sketchy side effects that most standard anti depressants can give you.
They worked for me for a while, but they only really work for mild to moderate depression.

Edit - Actually, does anyone here know how long you should wait after coming off SJW before switching to an SSRI?

Reply 6

AverageGuyOnTheStreet

9

To the people who responded to my post, what I was saying is that my friend thought that I should try St John's wart but I decided against it because I'm on anti-depressants. I never condoned taking them both at the same time.

Reply 7

danesh

Cthulhufiend

Hallo there. I wouldn't worry about taking SJW - the side effects are very minimal and most people don't get any. It doesn't have the sketchy side effects that most standard anti depressants can give you.
They worked for me for a while, but they only really work for mild to moderate depression.

Edit - Actually, does anyone here know how long you should wait after coming off SJW before switching to an SSRI?

2 weeks..

Reply 8

tbm

13

If youre female (dont know if you are, so if youre not, apologies) and youre also on the pill, you need to be careful as it can affect the reliability of the pill.

Personally I would see my GP before I started taking it, just to be 100% sure it was ok

Reply 9

spider from mars

13

thisbemadness

If youre female (dont know if you are, so if youre not, apologies) and youre also on the pill, you need to be careful as it can affect the reliability of the pill.

Personally I would see my GP before I started taking it, just to be 100% sure it was ok

GPs tend not to be happy about herbal stuff. Mine went all funny when I said I was on it and said that I shouldn't take it as it wasn't proven and it could be doing anything to me blah blah blah. They're not exactly impartial. But it has been used for hundreds of years, and it definitely has fewer side effects than most antidepressants (in fact I didn't notice any side effects when I was on it).

Reply 10

hannah_dru

2

I wouldn't mind using it but I can't because like the above poster said, it can affect the pill. Damn annoying.

Reply 11

danesh

clockworkapples

GPs tend not to be happy about herbal stuff. Mine went all funny when I said I was on it and said that I shouldn't take it as it wasn't proven and it could be doing anything to me blah blah blah. They're not exactly impartial. But it has been used for hundreds of years, and it definitely has fewer side effects than most antidepressants (in fact I didn't notice any side effects when I was on it).

it may have been used for hundreds of years, but its benefits are not clinically significant (nor beneficial over proper antidepressants). That being the case there is NO such thing as consultant physicians prescribing SJW.

Reply 12

LipGloss

thisbemadness

If youre female (dont know if you are, so if youre not, apologies) and youre also on the pill, you need to be careful as it can affect the reliability of the pill.

Personally I would see my GP before I started taking it, just to be 100% sure it was ok

Same applies if you're on the implant, I remember the doc asking me if I take St John's Wort when I had mine fitted.

Reply 13

ticos

13

Also, SJW does not work if you are bipolar (just in case anyone is thinking it can get rid of the horrible depressions side) - it makes the mania worse.

Just a piece of advice!

Reply 14

PlaystationStudies

8

I took St John's Wort while trying to get over panic disorder. During the time that I was taking three SJWs a day, I eventually got over PD. It might've been a placebo, and I'm quite skeptical about alternative medicine. But there's no harm in trying it out.

On a side note. Once I went to the doctor during this time about another problem, and he asked me if I was taking any drugs and I said no. Then a few minutes later I said "oh I'm taking SJW" and he was like "stop taking it then". Whether this implied that SJW was potent, or whether he was just trying to please me with a crap solution I don't know, afterall my doctor is legendarily crap.

But give it a try, I can't not reccommend it.

Reply 15

Twaffy

1

Being the strange one over here my mum made me take St John's Wort to get rid of Gallstones as that's what it's used for in Russia. Didn't do anything for my state of mind :rofl:

did nothing for the gallstones either thinking about it. I was made to drink the tea form of it though. I guess it might work for different people though.
It can't hurt to try I guess.

St Johns Wort

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