St. Johns Wort

[TheProphet]

I was just wondering if anyone has had any positive experiences with this St. Johns Wort stuff. According to what I've read (and what I've been told) you need to take them on a regular basis, for a few weeks, to start feeling the effects. I am just curious...if this true? Has anyone here taken SJW for an extended period of time? If so, would you recommend it? What kind of effects does it have after the first few weeks? Thanks.

 

[LavGrl]

Hey there
st johns wort is apparently good for mild depression anxiety etc.
A very depressed ex b/f of mine suggested i try st johns wort when i was dealing with depression a couple of yers back, i found it had the opposite effect. I tried ot for a week or two and found that i felt even worse and that spontanious crying was the main side effect.
He used to try it and he though it worked well - he since has been on perscribed drugs to help his levels balance out.
Anywayz - informnation from all that is it works for some, but some people it can make the depression worse. My advice - see a therapist and see what they suggest. They might reccommend a perscribed anti-depressant or something ;O

 

[shoe]

Not too long ago, I was on St Johns Wort. Three pills (dont remember dosage per pill, I think it was 200mg) daily, for 2.5 weeks.
After 3 weeks, it is supposed to be at the maximum effect.
After 2.5, I found it hadn't helped me at all - no change. Still same old, same old. Now, SJW has been scientifically proven to actually have an effect on the user (unlike most herbal remedies) but...
I highly suggest you use a proper anti-depressant. SJW is, for lack of another word - crap.

 

[Ronald]

Three years ago I was like you taking SJW everyday and getting completely nothing in return. Finally at some-time into my third week the effects started crawling and was not to my liking. I won't go into a detailed analysis 'cause this was some time ago but what I can say is they look dirty and I would'nt recommend them.

 

[MzKzM]

I tried them for 2 months in a row daily. No effect at all!

 

[IvI I C R 0 I=I /-\ VV K]

Try meditation. It workes much better for anxiety than any medication. The presribed stuff is even more crap than the herbal remedies. I've been through it all. The best way to battle depression and anxiety is to stair it in the face and kick it's little ass. After all..........The self controls the mind, the mind doesn't control the self.
I've know way too many people who have gotten fucked up on Anti-Depresents. Plus, they are more addictive than crack. Just because they are prescribed by a doctor, doesn't make them any less dangerous. These Pharmacutical companies are the one's sponsoring the research for this crap!
You guys shouldn't be suggesting these products. They are very dangerous.
Check out www.paxilprogress.org, and several other publications if you don't believe me.

 

[Roches]

as much as i'm uneasy about the mass prescription of antidepressants, they can, in certain situations, work. the SSRIs, anyway... there are a lot of antidepressants which i strongly believe should be eradicated from the face of the earth, including all of the tricyclics and all the MAOIs except moclobemide (Manerix).
structurally, many antidepressants are so sketchy you wonder why they aren't illegal. a large number of them have amphetamine-like or even MDMA-like structures. basically, they're designed to do things that recreational drugs do while lasting longer and not fucking people up (i.e. not making them euphoric). wellbutrin is a perfect example - it's structurally almost identical to methcathinone, with a tert-butyl group conveniently stuck in there to make it less potent. and this is prescribed to people to help them quit smoking.
the active ingredient in st. john's wort is hypericin, which has one of the most insane structures i've ever seen - certainly the most insane of an "all natural" herbal remedy. it contains *eight* six-membered rings, making it really a lot more like a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (though it has oxygen) than an antidepressant. if hypericin didn't have those hydroxyl and oxo groups, it would probably be a vicious carcinogen itself.
basically, what I mean to say is that if you feel the need to take an antidepressant, it's a much better idea to get prescribed a well-researched SSRI than to try some 'natural' remedy that's really just another chemical.

 

[fairnymph]

^^^
I couldn't agree more, Roches.
SJW is nowhere near as effective as the SSRIs or other pharmaceutical antidepressants at treating depression and anxiety.

 

[Dr.groveller]

Originally posted by Roches:
basically, what I mean to say is that if you feel the need to take an antidepressant, it's a much better idea to get prescribed a well-researched SSRI than to try some 'natural' remedy that's really just another chemical.
Basically, there is mounting evidence that none of these things work at all. There was a huge study on St John's Wort recently that showed ZIPPO effect.
NIH St. John's Wort study
Then yesterday a preliminary study came out regarding prozac... granted more work needs to be done, but it's not looking all that positive...
Some effect, but marginally better than placebo pills. It's a lot of hocus pokus...
Prozac study
Anyway, I'd stear clear of st john's wort. SSRI's may help but they are NOT a panacea. Things like therapy, meditation, excercise can all be beneficial as well..
Should this be in health?
doc

 

[NoriegA]

I have never taken it but friends tell me that it helps them out. From what I gather it is a herbal anti-anxity pill. I'm always a little leary of herbal remedies but this one has been around for so long and people still rave about its results...