Saint John's Wort

[winterknight]

I'm going to give this a try. Does anyone have any experiences with it?

If it works, I would rather keep on taking it than spend the rest of my life on chemical antidepressants.

 

[lets-rock-this]

It actually helps. I started taking the GNC brand which recommends 1 1-3x's a day. I take 2. One in the a.m. and the second in the early p.m.

I've never taken presciption drugs, but I do have social anxiety/depression and I feel much better. Can't tell you how long it took to take effect, but I'm give it some time.

Good luck!!!

 

[okiedokie]

i did try it a a few times [7-10 days at a time], it made me feel 'strange' [spaced out]. i decided it didn't make me feel any better so i stopped.

 

[Yooper]

A word of caution to those who ARE on prescription antidepressants/antipsychotics or are HIV +: St Johns Wort HAS been proven to have nasty interactions with them. Please consult with your Doctor before altering a regimen first. Your Doctor should be willing to try but with careful monitoring.

I have personal knowledge of folks that have tried this without a Doctor's supervision with tragic (fatal) results.

From NIMH:
Other research has shown that St. John's wort can dangerously interact with other medications, including those used to control HIV. On February 10, 2000, the FDA issued a Public Health Advisory letter stating that the herb appears to interfere with certain medications used to treat heart disease, depression, seizures, certain cancers, and organ transplant rejection. Also, St. Johns wort may interfere with oral contraceptives.

Because St. John's wort may not mix well with other medications, people should always talk with their doctors before taking it or any herbal supplement.

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/mental-health-medications/complete-index.shtml

PLEASE be careful. (Bolded is my emphasis.)

 

[bankside]

Remember, the active ingredient is just a chemical that grew in a plant.

The fact that it comes out of a plant is no guarantee of either effectiveness or safety. Poison Ivy is also a plant filled with itchy chemicals. I agree with the idea of talking to a doctor about it first.

 

[winterknight]

I hate doctors. The whole point of this is to AVOID the doctor.

I'm aware of the possible problems, but everything I've read says SJW Is safe as long as you're not on any other meds. which I'm not.And I'm not worried about sexual side effects because you have to actually be having sex for that to be a problem

 

[Rex]

I remember I used to use it.

I used to think it would make me feel better and maybe it did but after a while I think it just stopped working or it's just a placebo. I don't know. Give it a try. Some people who've used it told me it's great.

I never experienced any sexual side effects from it. That's not a concern. There are barely any warnings or concerns when using it. It's very safe.

 

[KaraBulut]

St John's wort does work. However, the dosing is very random and it has quite a few side effects- including anxiety, photosensitivity, skin rashes and cataracts.

It's not the equivalent of an anti-depressant that would be prescribed by a physician.

You would be better off trying to determine why you're depressed and addressing the cause. As lame as it sounds, exercise, light therapy and a healthy diet are going to improve the way you feel quicker than a pill.

If you're one of those people who truly has a biochemical reason for mood disorders, then take antidepressants under a doctor's orders.

 

[winterknight]

I have major trust issues with the medical profession. I've only been near a doctor once in the last nine years, and that was when I thought I had a mole going bad. That should give you a clue how deep this runs: unless it really is immediately life threatening, i'll do all in my power to avoid it. And I really don't want to spend my whole life on prozac if I don't have to

the SJW I've got is a standardised extract that contains a consistent amount of the active compound. It's as close to "real" medicine as you can get in a herbal prep. If it doesn't work I might reconsider seeing the doc, but like I said, I want to give every other possibility a try first.

 

[winterknight]

Well it seems to be having some effect, at least.

 

[verybothered]

St John's wort does work. However, the dosing is very random and it has quite a few side effects- including anxiety, photosensitivity, skin rashes and cataracts.

It's not the equivalent of an anti-depressant that would be prescribed by a physician.

You would be better off trying to determine why you're depressed and addressing the cause. As lame as it sounds, exercise, light therapy and a healthy diet are going to improve the way you feel quicker than a pill.

If you're one of those people who truly has a biochemical reason for mood disorders, then take antidepressants under a doctor's orders.

What is light therapy all about? Explain more, please.

 

[JarodA]

I've been thinking of buying some. Just to try it out. I think I might have some symptoms, just minor ones, that it could help with. We'll see.

 

[KaraBulut]

What is light therapy all about? Explain more, please.

It's actually quite simple and logical.

There's some evidence of a connection between light and mood. For years, people have talked about feeling gloomy during periods of bad weather or general malaise during winters when the daylight periods get shorter. In addition, there were reports of people becoming addicted to the use of tanning beds- when they stopped tanning, they complained of feeling depressed.

Light therapy involves the use of devices that emit light similar to sunlight. They can be used in the bedroom to simulate sunrise and in the morning to help with feelings of lethargy during the winter. The research is inconsisent but light therapy does seem to work in people who have recurrent seasonal depressions.

A lot of seasonal affective disorders can be addressed with exercise and light therapy. If exercise and light therapy don't seem to help, then antidepressant medications are the next choice in treatment.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_affective_disorder
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_therapy

 

[JarodA]

I just bought some SJW today. On my way home from work I decided to pick some up. I guess we'll see how it goes.