Depression Blog.com

St Johns wort seems to work well for me and i dont seem to have side effects. I think most meds are poison for the most part and this stuff seems to work.

I've been taking St. John's Wort for about 2 1/2 weeks, in the form of Amoryn brand capsules. The Amoryn also includes 5-HTP to stimulate production of neurotransmitters. I feel some of the depression symptoms beginning to lift, and with no side effects. I'll do another post after 6 weeks, but so far so good.

My life and career have been pretty messed up by depression and the cloudy decision-making that come with it, and no medication can fix that. But at least there seems to be some progress.

St johns wart saved me from a deep depression that I slept all day, or as much as I could, except for work. When I started taking it twice a day I noticed a big difference within just a day or two.

I have been taking St.John's Wort for about 3 days. It has made me feel a little tired, sometimes when I don'take my dose on time my mind races, vrom-vrom. Over all more calm , no anxiety. For a few days I thought my penis had gone to sleep. It awoke. That made me happy. Over all , I give it a B+. This is the first time taking anything for my moodiness. I will check back one a week then move to monthly.

Bobby

StJohnsWort - in its Amoryn incarnation - has worked wonders for me. couldn't believe anything can help so much and so fast! and I take only half the recommanded dose!!!

I have tried many different anti-depressants over the years. They have their pro's and con's. One con is that with prolonged use, they just stop working, or even agrivate the problems you started with. I have been taking SJW for 8 months. It helps remarkably with my anxiety. It probably helps some with depression, but just taking the edge off. I highly recommend it for anxiety. I tried going off and taking 5 HTP because of the photo-sensitivity issue with SJW. However, my anxiety returned with a vengeance. So I switched back with wonderful results.

I took St. John's Wort for a couple of winters to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder. For me, it blunted the worst of my symptoms, but did not completely treat the depression. I stopped taking it when I found out the following. You have to be off St. John's Wort for at least six weeks prior to surgery due to its interference with anesthesia. The plant St. John's Wort often contains cadmium which it tends to absorb from the soil. Cadmium is a carcinogen. Testing by an independent lab has shown varying, unsafe levels of cadmium in the capsules sold to treat depression. I quit taking the stuff immediately and decided to try an antidepressant. For me Celexa has worked far better in alleviating the depression. Also, at least they have to disclose the possible side effects unlike "natural" remedies.

Does Celexa cause weight gain? If St. John's Wort has carcinogens, think about the damage an actual drug might do. For one thing, they tax the liver and all the side effects can be worse than the depression or even make it worse.

There was a blind study on this in January 2005 according to my doctor and St. John's Wort is no better than a placebo. If you believe it works for you, that is good, but for most, it will not work fotr depression or anxiety.

for the past 3 months my doctors were prescribe me which seems like every antideppresant on the planet. I've never been one for the FDA approved B.S. medications. I've always been a multivitamin taker. But due to recent discoveries about my physiology that stems from birth and in conjunction to my transition from Northern Cali to Southern Cali...I was definiitely suffering from more than depression. But the medicines, just seem to wipe me out at times. I did some research, and that's when I same across AMoryn's website. SO what I did was told my doctor that I had stop'd the meds a month ago...and told him that I'd pepped up on the B12, B6 Vitamins as well as the St. Johns Wart w/ 5HTP.
I'm 2 days into it...I cant tell a drastic change in mood...but I do feel a lil lift in ability to get out, get up & do something. Maybe I'll stay in touch and post how I'm doing a month from now.
Mooshnick=

I have been taking St.Johns Wort for exactly 3 weeks, and I have felt calm and less stressed since about 3 days into taking it. It has helped my mood swings dramatically, and I feel like I couldn't do without it. Just ask my husband. He will tell you that it's made his life easier! I was so moody and crabby, and he never knew which "me" he was going to get! Now I feel good about myself, have the energy level to get exercise again, and take care of my home and workplace. It may not work for all, but it's been a Godsend for me.

I started taking SJW last September bc of severe anxiety/depression following a prolonged period of stress. After only 4 days, I noticed an improvement, but I continued to have panic attacks. I stayed on the SJW for 3 months and supplemented with Seredyn for calming. In December, I began to wake up in the middle of the nite with severe headaches that went from my left eye, over the top of the left side of my head and ended on the left side at the base of my head. I had a headache nearly every day for 6 weeks before I went for acupunture. Acupuncture usually zaps that type of headache. This time, it wasn't as effective as it had been in the past. I went to my medical doctor, who said the headaches could be related to an interaction between my diet and the SJW...or it could be stress. I didn't realize I would have interactions with SJW, and I also believed it would handle the stress factor. I couldn't put up with the headaches, so I stopped the SJW, gave up after years of believing in alternative therapy, and resorted to taking Lexapro. My headaches are lessening since I stopped taking the SJW. Does anyone have any wisdom concerning this? I really don't want to be on drugs, but to stop taking anything would be disastrous.

I had taken one st johns wort pill og 300mg per day for years ..I felt no difference.. However in those years it slowly accumilated and I started having depression and difficulty sleeping.. I never connected the st Johns with the depression until after I got out of it .. I started to take SJW again and after 2 weeks I was depressed again and couldnt sleep ... I then stopped and felt better again... then I tried it just to be sure for 3 days and again the bad feeling returned.. Now I realise SJW is DANGEROUS FOR ME IT MAKES ME DEPRESSED and has cost me many years of lost hapiness ans sleep.. but I am happy i found out sooner rather than later.. All of you out there becareful it may work for some people but for others SJW can be very VERY DANGEROUS AND IN FACT LEATHAL....SO BECAREFUL AND SEE HOW YOU REACT...

it works

I have beentaking st johns wort for 10 days it seemed ok at first but it started to make me really tried and bad head aches i have really bad heart burn now and i felt sick to the pits of my stomach i even did a pregnancy test to see if that what was wrong but it wasent i carnt understand why a herbal remidie could make me feel so bad I have stop talking it because it has made me feel so ill my head still hurts and i feel sick. This might work on other people but not for me.

I took st johns for 4 months to treat depression with anxiety.It did seem to lift the depression a bit but I stopped due to the side effects.After 1 month,I became very easily aggitated and ragefully angry(not my personality at all),the other side effect was that I was unable to have orgasms.I stopped taking the st johns to see if the side effects would stop and they did, within 4 days I no longer became over the top angry,and my orgasms returned.I will not take st johns again due to these side effects.

I've tried 3 different anti depressants over the last few years. And after a really bad time coming off efexor last winter (because of high BP) I said I'd never use them again!!
However over the summer I've just sunk into a deep depression. Started taking SJW 6 days ago. Initailly I felt achey and sick, and I had a panicy day on day 3. But from then on I've felt really good!!
It's so good to find something that acts so fast!!! Will keep posting.

Has anyone ever gotten headaches, tiredness, and body aches after they stopped taking St. Johns Wort? I was taking it for about 3 months and seemed to be doing well, but I wasn't quite ready to attribute that to the pills, so when I ran out I stopped taking it. Since then, I have been dealing with dull headaches, lethargy, and neck pain...just wondering if this is a possible reaction to the lack of the herb in my system. Any responses would be greatly appreciated!

i stopped taking st johns wort herbal about four days ago because i was having fatigue, stomach upset, nausea, burning sensation around the eyes, dry mouth, headache, and nervousness, and i'm not even taking any prescribed medications. i'm still having these side effects and i wanted to know how long does it take to stop? Or should i see a doctor about it?

when i took st john's wort i hade shortness of breath and i don't know if it actuly came from the st. john's wort or not but if anyone els has had this let me no.

hi if anyone nos a good remidy out thair let me know becuz i am scared to take prascribed meds email me at sonyahdoor@yahoo.com

I tried St.John's Wort a week ago and was so paranoid to do just that as I have been off of anti-psychotics and anti-depressants for nearly four months.I stopped after two days due to extreme headaches.So much hell and problems after stopping the the prescription meds.All I know for sure based upon ten years of experience of being on paxil for seven and prozac for one,is that the chemical drugs do work but not without a mind trip and some side-effects.They do wear off though.Not recommended for teenagers unless highly supervised as I first had my experiece with them back in 1997 at age 18 and started to self-mutilate myself.Anti-psychotics are a big no-no if you plan on living a normal life.I got on them shortly after going to a mental hospital-politically incorrect term...but this was after I started prozac and started to think everyone was an enemy and took this downer pill to help me sleep.Now I am at a state of purgatory limbo where I don't know if I can survive without them or go natural or just let time heal my wounds.

I am trying SJW a second time with a weaker dose and i feel so out of control and over analytical and anxious and stressed out. why on earth is this herb making me even worse?

I've been taking SJW for 4 weeks now. I do feel a difference and I think it will be of benefit as I work on changing my negative thoughts. I also notice that I am laughing a little more often and have moments of more energy.

What's been irritating though has been the fatigue. I decided to deal with this by taking it after work. 4pm, 6pm and 8pm. And I'm consuming much more water to deal with the dry mouth. That may be a problem filling up with water before bedtime. In any case with so much water, the drymouth is a nonissue now. In regards to people getting headaches, perhaps this bit from an article I read on the web would be helpful:

The active ingredient of St. John's Wort is hypericin. Hypericin is believed to exert a similar influence on the brain as the monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors such as the one in major antidepressants. Mixing MAO inhibitors with foods high in tyramine, an amino acid, produces one of the most dramatic food-drug interactions. Symptoms, which can occur within minutes of ingesting such foods while taking an MAO inhibitor, include rapid rise in blood pressure, a severe headache, and perhaps collapse. Foods high in tyramine include aged cheese, chicken liver, Chianti (and certain other red wines), yeast extracts, bologna (and other processed meats), dried or pickled fish, legumes, soy sauce, ale, and beer.

I don't consume much of any of these except the aged cheese. But I'll do without that for now.

I did drink a beer within the first week but had no negative effects. But as in the cheese, I'll do without that as at the start there wasn't much SJW in my system.

Oh and please note. It's tyramine in foods that interacts negatively and not tyrosine. I had to dig deep to sort that one out as I have been taking tyrosine C and B complex for years to deal with panic.

Was taking 300mg a day, one in am and 2 at bedtime, I do believe it helped with my depression , but did not help with my sleep maintenance insomnia. I eased off it for summer because I heard that it made you too sunlight sensitive and I was afraid it would bother me in this area, i seem to get a sun rash every spring and I didnt want it to be more than I already tolerate, but am thinking about going back on it for my depression again any way.

St Johns Wort works great for me at first...after a long period of not taking it. I feel pretty good for almost a week but then after that I will slowly drop back into a depressive state until one day it just hits me again. Am currently in middle of third st johns wort 'trial' and am going to forget about it after this bottle runs out.

i just started it and i have to admit it has to be much better than prescription drugs.

I've been taking st johns wort for 2 days now. 1 pill each morning brand Kira. I feel a bit dizzy, tired and irritable. The anxiousness is still here even though I know it can take a month to work. I have a job interview next week and am hoping it kicks in by then. Life is shit.

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