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Question: Can Saint John's Wort Replace Prozac?
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A LOT of people in today's Baby-Booming Society are being prescribed Prozac on a routine basis and would LOVE to know more about Saint John's Wort...as I would.
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Answer #1
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I take prozac, BUT I am Bi-Polar. So, this works for me at my age (40). However, my daughter (18) takes St John's and it works! Even our Doctor said it was "well worth a try". I wish I could control my mood swings with this. Check with your Doctor before trying any of this, BUT always look into the natural way of doing things.
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Answer #2
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| I have done all of the research and am currently taking St. John's Wort. I am extremely sensitive to mind altering drugs and can't take typical depression medications such as Prozac. It works for me because its effects are so mild. The only bad side effects I can find are hypersensitivity to sun light and rashes in very extreme cases. However, it is a type of MAO inhibitor and those who take more main stream MAO inhibitors have to observe a very strict diet. I didn't know about this when I started taking it and I have had no bad side effects.
As for its effectiveness, it does seem to help a little by helping you dismiss or not think negative thoughts. This may be due to the fact that I think it will work and therefore it does. In general, it is mostly harmless and helpful in some cases. All of this info comes from library research of a number of sources and my own personal experience. I hope this helps.
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Answer #3
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| I've tried St. John's Wort on two occasions in the past year. I'd hoped it would provide balance to the mild depression I sometimes experience during times of stress.
SJW produced the same effect both times: it aggravated my symptoms. Although my depression was not professionally diagnosed and my experience is subjective, it made the sleeplessness, irritability, and sense of hopelessness I was hoping to relieve much more dramatic. My behaviour change was immediately noticed by my wife the first time I tried SJW. So, I discontinued its use.
I quietly decided to give it a second trial a few months later. Within 24 hours, my wife asked me if I had resumed taking the supplement. Given its obvious negative effects on my behaviour, I have permanently discontinued my use of St. John's Wort.
I've found relief in exercise and better nutrition. While SJW may work for some, it seems to produce the opposite of its claimed benefits with me.
Kit
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Answer #4
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I have been taking St. John's Wort for the last 6 months or so. My experience is I am able to handle stress a lot better. In the past, I have gotten drunk every couple of months to relieve pent up stress and frustration. I no longer do this. I have also been much more happy. I don't know if this works for depression but it seems to work as a stress reliever. As with all supplements, be careful of the dosage and the brand. I recommend a liquid form with maybe a dropper full once a day (morning).
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Response #1 to Answer #4
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| Stress and depression are intimately linked to each other. Be careful about not fooling yourself about your drinking. Drinking to relieve stress is addictive behavior associated with alcoholism, which in turn, may be masking the symptoms of Bipolar Disorder (Manic-Depression). If St. John's Wort is effective in treating your disorder, that's great. You're lucky. But don't take that as an indication that you are able to drink alcohol in a normal manner.
Speaking as a periodic black-out alcoholic with over 8 years of sobriety (8 yrs., 5 months, 1 day, 16 hrs.), I can tell you that you don't have to drink on a regular basis to be a full-blown alcoholic. Even though I only averaged drinking once every 3-6 months, I believe that I'd be dead today if I had not stopped drinking. I was diagnosed 3 years ago with Manic-Depression and I'm currently taking a prescription of Zoloft. If a natural alternative to prescribed medication works for you, more power to you, but don't let that give you a false sense of security that you'll be able to drink normally.
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Answer #5
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| Unlike other medications that have a tendency to turn someone into a numb mess, my experiences have been well nourished by St. John's Wort. Because I am an artist, I have been hesitant to take medications that always seemed to steal away my creative energies. Although there were times when the depression and/or anxiety would become so problematic that I was forced to consider some sort of alternative. That's when I tried St. John's.
I found that within a period of about three weeks, the herbals had greatly alleviated the depression and/or anxiety to a functional level. I still feel blue. I still get anxious. But I consider that a part of who I am--something that is impossible to erase without losing other vital signifiers in my life. The only trouble I have had with the pills otherwise...was when I stopped taking them. It's natural that when one feels better, one may also feel as if she is able to stop taking the very catalyst that made the progress possible in the first place. I began taking St. John's again after a manic period of several days that caused me great distress, sleeplessness and erratic behavior. Now, I am still myself (I still get insomnia sometimes or I sleep too much other times), but I am functioning substantially better. Finally, I have tried a variety of brands of the medicine and have found little to no difference between dollar store bottles of the pills and the more expensive brands. I just take a few more a day. But it's dramatically cheaper.
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Answer #6
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I was mildly depressive for most of my life. I started smoking pot frequently in University, which had the effect of increasing the depression to a point where it became quite problematic day-to-day. I tried Saint John's Wort during this time, and it only seemed to make the problems worse or didn't help much at all. Depression worsened to the point where I had to finally get serious about cleaning up my life. I quite smoking pot and drinking alcohol frequently and decided to try Saint John's Wort again recently, and it works like a charm now!
My point: If you are depressed to the point where you think you need to medicate it, then Saint John's Wort works, but you should take it seriously and combine it with a decent health routine, i.e. don't assume that it's a magic cure. If you're serious about your condition and treat yourself well, however, Saint John's Wort seems hard to beat as an antidepressant!
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Answer #7
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| I have suffered from depression since I was about 12 years old (I am now 28). I tried St. John's Wort once when I was 25 years old, and all it did was make me eat, a lot! I mean a lot! It gave me an intense craving for carbohydrates and actually made me gain weight! I was already depressed enough without feeling I was fat and then I wasted money on SJW. It didn't help my mood at all, just made me eat too much.
I had a similar effect of increase in appetite with a prescription drug "Zoloft" when I was 20. Zoloft, however, worked wonders for my depression, but I felt as if I had no empathy and like I wasn't myself on it and I gained lots and lots of weight, 90 lbs. in fact! Thanks to a doctor I saw who convinced me to try Fluoxetine (Prozac), I am finally so much better from my depression. I am myself and it helps me not overeat! I've actually lost weight from the Prozac. I love it! However, what worked for me, may not work for everyone and what didn't work for me, may work for someone else! Whatever you decide, please find a great doctor who understands, and check with him/her before you stop or start any medication.
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