Hi,
I have recently weaned myself off of Effexor, due to some severe side effects - I was only on it for 6 to 8 weeks total. I had been prescribed the effexor for some anxiety and mild depression - but the side effects were making me feel much worse - even more depressed and anxious!

so, anyway, my question to all of you is if anyone uses St. John Wort for mild depression, and if so, what is your opinion and experience with it. I welcome all opinions - both positive and negative. I also wonder if there are any side effects associated with taking the St. John's Wort. I don't want to jump out of the frying pan and back into the fire!
I just thought it would be nice to have another option if I feel the old blues creeping back in - but would like to be informed before taking something new.

Thanks, Ladies!
Di

Di, I've been taking St. Johns Wort since March and it's made a tremendous difference in my daily existence. The side benefit is that it helps build the body's immunity to viruses - I've been much healthier too.

I started last December by taking standard St Johns Wort from the health food store. It didn't do a darn thing. Then I landed on HBC Protocols brand. Google them on the web. They provide the product used in the NHI government studies. What a difference this stuff makes! Like SSRI's it takes few weeks to feel the effects.

Hope it helps you. Good luck and let us know how you do.

Rendy,
Is there dosage information on the bottle? I would sure want to start with the lowest possible dose, since I am very sensitive to medications. What is your daily dose?

THe added benefit of boosting my immune system would be great! I work with elementary age children, and get sick quite a bit - due to all the germs floating around school!
Thanks for the reply,
Di

I don't take StJW myself but my friend does and she swears by it - she buys regular supermarket brand and takes the dose on the bottle. It has helped her a treat and she calls them her chill pills.

One thing though she did say about them is that they make you more prone to the sunlight and you can catch the burn quicker as your skin is more sun sensitive.

Amanda x

Thank you, Amanda-

I will be sure to keep that in mind. I don't know if I will try the SJW, but if I feel myself crawling back in that dark hole of depression, I will need to try something and I don't want to go on any more prescription AD's at this point. My system is too sensitive and the side effects are just not worth the benefit!
Thanks for the info!
Di

Di, the regular dosage is 3 pills a day - morning,lunch and dinner. I am sensitive too so I only take 2 a day. SJW does make you more sensitive to sun so i am sure to wear sun screen. Look at the website - it has a lot of great information.

Hi

I too am sensitive so i only take one a day. It seems to work. It does make you tan quicker too.

Hi Di,
I was taking St John's Wort for several months but my anxiety levels and depression increasesd slightly every month to a point where I couldn't stand it. I saw a naturopath who told me that whilst St John's Wort can be helpful, it is very dependant upon the person. Apparantly it can go either way. I've been off it for two weeks now and I'm feeling a lot better. Obviously it wasn't for me. I'm glad I went to see the naturopath that specialised in women's issues. Before I saw her, I was forever at the health food shop looking for natural products to fix my peri symptoms of which depression and anxiety are the worst. I do recommend you to connect with a naturopath because natural products need to be monitored as much a pharmacuticals products. I did learn this the hard way. Now I'm on high doses of vitamin B, evening primrose and a special tablet containing herbs especially for women. I'm also taking a cream based blend but I don't have it with me to let you know what's in it. If you'd like to know what it is, let me know. I can respond with the ingredients. Honestly, I feel a lot better. If it's the way you want to go, seek a naturopath. Take care and hugs to you. Gabby

i havent tried it but ive read that a combination of st. johns wort and 5-htp is great for depression and anxiety. i have taken st.johns wort alone and it did help. and then i stopped taking it and started taking the 5-htp and it worked like magic for me. i do plan on trying both together the next time i fall into that big ugly black hole. do a search on 5-htp and there should be info. on taking both together.

Sudio-
Thanks! I actually have purchased some 5-HTP, but have been too scared to try one yet. Like I have said, I am very sensitive to meds, and I don't want to have a adverse affect while I am at school. (I am a Media Specialist in an elementary school). So, maybe on the weekend I will take the plunge and give it a try. I have read encouraging things about it on the internet - but one never knows until you try!
DI

DI, I took a SJW formulation for about 2-1/2 years with very good success. Amoryn is the brand name, and it contains SJW, 5-htp, some B vits, vitamin D, selenium, zinc and rhodiola rosea.

They tell you to start off taking 2 capsules a day, and then to move up to 3 if 2 is not enough. I used to take 3 a day, but I made sure to take them early in the day, say taking the last one no later than 3pm because the B vits and the rhodiola rosea made me have vivid dreams (not in a good way), if I took it too close to bedtime. Also, space each dose apart by about 4 hours to get the best effect.

I never had any side effects from taking this, except one good one. Supposedly, rhodiola rosea can increase your sex drive - which it did for me! Don't know how factual this is, but something was helping me in that department....

Anyway, good luck with the SJW - it's a good way to treat mild to moderate depression....


Cathy

Thanks, Cathy-

That sounds too good to be true - it would be great if something would increase my sex drive, since I am lacking in that department. My husband would love this side effect. I will look for this supplement - is it available at most pharmacies?

Thanks,
Di

I take 5-HTP every night to help me sleep (plus GABA). Many 5-HTP caps come in 50 mg. When I first started several years ago 50 mg was way too strong for me. I had to cut my caps into 1/8 to 1/4 amounts so that I did not get side effects (pin pricking sensation on my skin, felt like I was awake when I was asleep). Once I got my dose right, it helped me soooo much. I have to take a much larger dose now but I no longer get side effects. My suggestion to you would be cut the tablet into at least 4 pieces and start slow to figure out your dose. Take 1/2 hour before bedtime. Consider adding the amino acid GABA to your nighttime mix because it really helps. Too much GABA gives me a head ache. I can take 500 mg without getting a head ache. I learned about 5-HTP and GABA in the Schwartzbein Principal (book one and two). Learning about these two supplements made buying the books worthwile.

If you try 5-HTP for sleep, pay attention to the light level in your house in the evening. I have read that it only converts to melatonin in the presence of darkness so if you are sitting in a bright room around bedtime it may not start working very fast. Computer screens are supposed to be bad for the same reason near bedtime.

If you have issues with side effects with 5-HTP consider trying tryptophan instead. I think tryptophan is the precursor to 5-HTP and I have read that people tend to have less side effects with it than 5-HTP. I buy all my amino acids from Beyond a Century (google it). They come in powder form and I just take the amount I want and swallow with water. That way I am not locked into a capsule size. Most amino acids have a mild taste but 5-HTP is a little icky tasting and so is GABA. The worst is Arginine—BAC has a yuck away powder to use with Arginine because it is so bad (I read in one of Gillespie’s books that Arginine helps hot flashes).

I used to take St. Johns Wort but I do not need it any more now that I am on topical estradiol and topical testosterone. If I try to take it now it relaxes me too much and makes me a lazy driver and I feel like I am going to crash my car!!! I only notice these side effects wile driving, so be careful. Once I almost backed into someone (normally I am very careful). Another time I thought the car in front of me went when it did not and I almost hit them. The funny thing is that unless I am driving and really need to pay attention, I do not realize that St. Johns Wort depresses my brain so much--it is almost like drinking but not feeling the alcohol buzz for me.

Kathy

The company that makes Amoryn sells it online. I've never seen it in stores. Just google that word, and it will come up! Good luck!