I keep seeing conflicting advice on Chasteberry (Vitex) and how long you can use it. Some say..daily and some say stop during your period. Some say you can use it for years, some say 18 months and some say 6 months (yet..it can take up to 6 months to fully work). Anyone been using it for a long time and not having any problems? How are you using it? Daily...or taking breaks?

Also, I've read that Vitex acts like progesterone. Has anyone tried it and developed the negative side effects progesterone causes for so many of us? (weight gain, depression, anxiety..?)

My Naturepathic Dr. just put me on Chasteberry becasue I was having such a difficult time with the Progesterone which was making me more depressed. She said to take 45 drops twice daily. I have been using it for about 2 weeks now and the P side effects seem to have diminished. She didn't say anything about being only able to take it for a short while but she told me to make sure I take it daily.

An accupuncturist recommended vitex to me, I am taking it now in a multi.... 25 mg per day...

She wrote down how much I should be taking, I will look for the paper, it is buried somewhere in this office...

Progesterone is supossed to make depression worse and cause weight gain? Lovely. Just when I think I've found something that
is helping.

I have tried Vitex and had a reaction to it that scared me. The first time I used it, I was getting quite bad lower back pain that felt like it was located in my kidney areas. I didn't put two and two together until later after I had quit taking it but then tried some other combo womens formula that caused the same pain. Looked at the ingredients and yup, it had Vitex in it. This has happened several times (I've had hot flashes and night sweats for eleven years), enough times that I know it's the Vitex causing the pain. I don't know if it was my kidneys being affected, but I won't use anything with Vitex in it now just in case.