St Johns Wort

JoelKM
JoelKM Member Posts: 205
edited June 2014 in Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment
St Johns Wort
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  • JoelKM
    JoelKM Member Posts: 205
    edited December 2007

    Has anyone used St Johns Wort for depression? If so What kind of results did you get?

    -j 

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  • althea
    althea Member Posts: 1,595
    edited December 2007

    I used it years ago, but there can be side effects if I recall correctly.  My blood pressure tends to run high, and st johns wort seemed to exacerbate that.  On top of that, I now take tamoxifen and st johns wort is contraindicated.  My brain is fuzzy right now, but I think it's because tamoxifen and st johns wort are processed by the same enzyme, and the competition for the enzyme diminishes the effectiveness of the tamoxifen.  Effexor is a prescription antidepressant that is compatible with tamoxifen, and it also diminishes hot flashes. 

    I'm 2 years into tamoxifen, and so far I've just been sucking it up on the depression.  Even post cancer, I still believe in mind over matter when it comes to my health.  I do take magnesium supplements though.  Someone here linked to a good article about magnesium deficiencies and how it can be a factor in depression.  I'll see if I can find that link again.  

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  • NativeMainer
    NativeMainer Member Posts: 10,462
    edited December 2007

    I had taken St John's wort in the winter, in addition to prozac, successfully for many years.  Now that I'm on tamoxiifen, I can't take it, and am really feeling the difference.  I also have high blood pressure, but didn't have a problems while taking St. John's wort.  The only side effect was some queasiness for a half an hour after taking it, but I used an extract and suspect that if I had taken a pill/capsule it wouldn't have been an issue. 

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  • saluki
    saluki Member Posts: 2,287
    edited December 2007

    Joel-- St Johns Wort is problematic with many medications because it interacts with the CYP3A4 drug metabolizing enzyme, so it may effect many medications, especially Tamoxifen.

    You may want to look into SAM-e.  I was using it at a particularly high dose of 1200 mg for many months for pain relief and I found it had many other benefits---mood was wonderful and pain relief from AI after a month was the best in years on an AI.   Cognitive processes had greatly improved as well.  An added bonus was a big improvement in my liver enzymes which always have run high.  Best I had felt since my diagnosis and truly felt like I had a new lease on life

    I discontinued it and was very upset to do so, because of side effects which I now know probably have been caused by the Acetyl L-Carnitine and Alpha Lipoic Acid combo I was taking never-mind the phosphatidylserine I was adding to the mix all to help my cognitive dysfunction. -LOL  Probably should not have been taking them all together. Big Time overkill!

    I restarted the SAM-e  again (this time by itself) and hope to get back to where I was both pain-wise and mood wise.  Right now I'm taking 600mg and will increase it again over the next few weeks since you have to get above 800mg for pain relief. 

    Anyway here is some good info---scroll down to page 132

    http://www.csci-scrc.medical.org/cim/cim_jun2005.pdf

     

    Also, not all SAM-e is created equal---400mg of one brand is not equal to 400 of another.

    Try to get enteric coated individually sealed ones in the blister packs and keep them in the refrigerator. I've been using Doctors Best and Jarrow--both very good brands and enteric coated.  I've been ordering from iherb.com since they have very good prices.

    If you do decide to try SAM-e ;  Take it early in the day 

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  • snowyday
    snowyday Member Posts: 1,478
    edited December 2007

    I used to take St John's Wort and found it did make a very small difference but I'm not sure if it was a placebo effect. St. Johns Wort can make a person sun burn easily so I don't know if I would take it while on rads or if I lived in Florida.  My rad doc also told me not to take antioxidants while on Radiation because they bind to cells and that's not good.   Next time I see him I want more info on that.  I have bowel problems and take acidophilus and a 5 HTP everyday and I won't be able to take them during radiation. They really make a diffe rence for me so i will miss them.

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  • snowyday
    snowyday Member Posts: 1,478
    edited December 2007

    HI Saluki:  SamE is illegal in Canada and I've heard so much good about it now I want to know why they haven't approved it up here for sale.

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  • saluki
    saluki Member Posts: 2,287
    edited December 2007

    Pearl--That is strange especially considering I turned heaven and earth to try and get Magnesium

    Pidolate which is available in Canada but nowhere in the states.  It is one of the more effective

    types of magnesium with unique properties.

    I had to settle on Magnesium Citrate--which also helps with mood.  Someday maybe they will make the Pidolate available to us.

    Also strange since SAM-e is so widely used in Europe especially Germany.  Wonder if it has anything to do with the tightening up on Supplements by the European Union.  Seems like Italy

    has been able to forestall it for a few years. 

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  • sdstarfish
    sdstarfish Member Posts: 544
    edited December 2007

    OMG! MY onc didn't tell me that St John's was contraindicated. Glad I read this, as I started Tamox a few days ago.

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