Anyone take St Johns Wort?
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What general part of the world do you live in? If you're in Europe or North America I'm more than willing to bet that there are therapists given where I have lived as well as people I know who live in various areas of the world and are in or have been in therapy. Going to therapy is pretty stigmatized in a lot of places, the US included (where I currently live), that doesn't mean it isn't worth trying (or at the very least seeing if your insurance covers it and/or how much it costs without insurance). Depending on where you are there could also be therapists who charge on a sliding scale.Thanks for all the replies. I'm on day 2 but only taking one capsule when it recommends 1 capsule 3 times a day but i'm a bit wary. Maybe i will increase to 2 a day in a week or so. We don't really "do" therapy in this country, I can imagine it being expensive. I suppose I could go back to the docs and talk to him he's good. I don't want to be put on any SSRI's though cos i had them before (Paxil) and they made me go nuts lol
Again thanks everyone for the great insights. I did used to take a B complex but found they gave me the jitters did anyone else find this?? I'm from Ireland and only a few years ago if you were on AD's people would say you're a basket case etc. Or people would be like, oh think of all the good things in your life, there are people far worse off than you, what do you have to be depressed about... not very helpful
I'm afraid i will look ridiculous to a therapist because I really don't have things to be so down about. I mean we all get sad over this or that but i'm constantly overwhelmed with a few minor changes in life and my health. Maybe anxiety making a comeback? I have a tiny bit of xanax which helps extremely, (to me its like a summers day in a pill) if i get really bad, but they don't like giving that out here , i'm only allowed less than 10 a year(i take them in halfs when needed on real bad days)
Yeah I definitely have friends who have been in therapy while living in Ireland
Honestly I would try very hard to not let people being jerks, depensing platitudes ("think of all of the good things in your life"), trying to compare you to other people who "have it worse off", and judging you for taking antidepressants stop you from trying to get the treatment that you need. I've heard all of the things you've said and more, but had I not been able to not let that stop me from getting the care I need I wouldn't be a functional human being.
And no, you won't look ridiculous to a therapist (or rather, if you do they need to go back to school). I say that as someone who has been in therapy off and on for 15ish years in three different cities (and two countries) and who is friends with a number of mental health care professionals. For what it's worth, meds do not work for me at all which is, frustrating at best. I also have friends with mental health issues who are fine with just meds as well as friends who are on psychotropic medication and in therapy.4 -
A problem with over the counter meds like St Johns Wort is, the dosage isn't consistent. When you get a medication from a doctor, the amount of drug in a dose is controlled and monitored. You have no such guarantee with something like St Johns Wort. Absolutely let your doctor know about your taking it, because it is a medication. SIde effects can be similar to those experience with Prozac:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/st-johns-wort-can-cause-serious-side-effects/
Some mental health professionals offer therapy on a sliding scale; if you decide to go that route, look for a cognitive behavioral therapist; it's highly effective for depression and anxiety. A good self-help book for depression is "Feeling Good", by Dr. David Burns; he also has a workbook. It's been around for decades, and is readily available in bookstores and sites like Amazon. Here's his blog:
https://feelinggood.com/
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Hi - I am just chiming in as a retired mental health professional. I concur with previous advice about getting a reputable brand of St. Johns Wort (as key ingredient varies among brands), and noting that the SSRI hypomanic effect is possible with St. Johns Wort as well although not as common as the SSRI component of SJW is usually lower than what is prescribed. I like your idea of starting low and building up. I like the advice about vitamin D3. Some people have also found a complex vitamin B supplement helpful. These are things to talk over with your primary care provider. I would also suggest getting a light box and using it every morning for 15-30 minutes. In the US we can get them via amazon, and the one that I use in the fall/winter is a sphere gadget technologies box. I don't think it's available now but it was about US$40. The key is getting one that gives 10,000 lux
If you find that these approaches aren't helping as much as you would like them to, please do consider seeing a counselor. I know that the NHS in the UK is big on cognitive behavioral therapy and that is a time-limited approach that can be really useful. Also, I would be remiss if I didn't advise you to consult with your primary care provider as there are physical health conditions that have depression as one of the symptoms.
Finally, having depression is not a sign of weakness or anything to feel foolish about. It's very common, and can be quite challenging. I am glad you are looking into things that might help
Are these lights good!?? I've had this suggestion before but was afraid it wouldnt work and i'd waste my money. If it would definitely help i would get one
They are. Whether or not they will DEFINITELY help is hard to say - no treatment for depression is effective for 100% of individuals. However, given your northern latitude and shortening days, and the fact that any unwanted side effects are dealt with by shortening or discontinuing lights, I would recommend that you try. Here are some links to some studies and summary of studies:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181775/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2913518/
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/seasonal-affective-disorder/index.shtml3 -
I used to take it for anxiety and to help me sleep. It did help, but I had to stop because I couldn't take it with a prescription that I started taking.1
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What general part of the world do you live in? If you're in Europe or North America I'm more than willing to bet that there are therapists given where I have lived as well as people I know who live in various areas of the world and are in or have been in therapy. Going to therapy is pretty stigmatized in a lot of places, the US included (where I currently live), that doesn't mean it isn't worth trying (or at the very least seeing if your insurance covers it and/or how much it costs without insurance). Depending on where you are there could also be therapists who charge on a sliding scale.Thanks for all the replies. I'm on day 2 but only taking one capsule when it recommends 1 capsule 3 times a day but i'm a bit wary. Maybe i will increase to 2 a day in a week or so. We don't really "do" therapy in this country, I can imagine it being expensive. I suppose I could go back to the docs and talk to him he's good. I don't want to be put on any SSRI's though cos i had them before (Paxil) and they made me go nuts lol
Again thanks everyone for the great insights. I did used to take a B complex but found they gave me the jitters did anyone else find this?? I'm from Ireland and only a few years ago if you were on AD's people would say you're a basket case etc. Or people would be like, oh think of all the good things in your life, there are people far worse off than you, what do you have to be depressed about... not very helpful I'm afraid i will look ridiculous to a therapist because I really don't have things to be so down about. I mean we all get sad over this or that but i'm constantly overwhelmed with a few minor changes in life and my health. Maybe anxiety making a comeback? I have a tiny bit of xanax which helps extremely, (to me its like a summers day in a pill) if i get really bad, but they don't like giving that out here , i'm only allowed less than 10 a year(i take them in halfs when needed on real bad days)
What you describe sounds a lot more like clinical depression than circumstantial. I get both; of course I am sad when bad things happen that would make almost anyone with feelings sad. But some days I am sad because that's just what my flawed internal chemistry set cooked up for me today. I didn't do anything bad to deserve it and I should not be ashamed that I have it. But I don't talk about it in a lot of settings because of what others seem to think. Some are well meaning but misinformed and some are just jerks.4 -
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What general part of the world do you live in? If you're in Europe or North America I'm more than willing to bet that there are therapists given where I have lived as well as people I know who live in various areas of the world and are in or have been in therapy. Going to therapy is pretty stigmatized in a lot of places, the US included (where I currently live), that doesn't mean it isn't worth trying (or at the very least seeing if your insurance covers it and/or how much it costs without insurance). Depending on where you are there could also be therapists who charge on a sliding scale.Thanks for all the replies. I'm on day 2 but only taking one capsule when it recommends 1 capsule 3 times a day but i'm a bit wary. Maybe i will increase to 2 a day in a week or so. We don't really "do" therapy in this country, I can imagine it being expensive. I suppose I could go back to the docs and talk to him he's good. I don't want to be put on any SSRI's though cos i had them before (Paxil) and they made me go nuts lol
Again thanks everyone for the great insights. I did used to take a B complex but found they gave me the jitters did anyone else find this?? I'm from Ireland and only a few years ago if you were on AD's people would say you're a basket case etc. Or people would be like, oh think of all the good things in your life, there are people far worse off than you, what do you have to be depressed about... not very helpful I'm afraid i will look ridiculous to a therapist because I really don't have things to be so down about. I mean we all get sad over this or that but i'm constantly overwhelmed with a few minor changes in life and my health. Maybe anxiety making a comeback? I have a tiny bit of xanax which helps extremely, (to me its like a summers day in a pill) if i get really bad, but they don't like giving that out here , i'm only allowed less than 10 a year(i take them in halfs when needed on real bad days)
There is something called "niacin flush" that you can get from B Complex. (FYI, I had to explain this to an MD.)
When I googled it just now I see a lot of references to high doses, but my doctor friend and I were just taking the recommended dose of a standard complexes.
I don't have this issue with this brand, which I can take on an empty stomach: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001LXRWWE/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&th=1
Other brands may need to be taken with food.
https://www.rd.com/health/wellness/what-is-niacin-flush/
What are the symptoms of niacin flush?
When the body responds to high doses of nicotinic acid, the capillaries expand, which increases the blow of blood to the skin’s surface. A flush appears as red, warm skin, which may be accompanied by an itching or burning sensation. Symptoms normally appear about 15 to 30 minutes after taking the supplements and start to disappear after about an hour. It’s most common for the skin on the face and upper body to be affected, and it may present as a mild flush, or look deeper and redder, like a sunburn. The skin may tingle, burn or itch, and feel warm or hot to the touch. In some people, the skin may be painful to touch. These sunburn remedies might help to ease the discomfort of a flush.1 -
Hi all, I bought some St Johns Wort as I have lost my mojo for most things in life and looking for a kind of pick me up,
where diet etc is not really making any impact. I can't take meds for depression as I'm sensitive to medication and suffer all the extreme side effects with them. So I ordered this St Johns Wort 300 mg quick release. I'm not on any medications at all atm. Just wondering if anyone has taken them before and found them effective? Cheers
I took St Johns Wort for about a year when I was off medication. The recommendation was to take it for three weeks, then take one week off. From what I remember it acts as a mild blood thinner or vasodilator. I found it somewhat effective, using it over months, but it caused headaches at about month ten, which is why I eventually stopped taking it. I'd had migraines years before, though, so maybe that's why I reacted to it like that. I don't know if it's supposed to be taken long term, and I think it can cause sensitivity to sunlight if taken for too long. Make sure you do some research on efficacy and contraindications. Just because it's a herbal remedy doesn't mean it doesn't have side effects or is safe for anyone to take. It was okay when my depression was mild to moderate, but when it became severe, clinical depression, it was absolutely useless. That may or may not be your experience, but it's better to know as much as you can about any medicinal aid before you start using it.1 -
CarvedTones wrote: »
What general part of the world do you live in? If you're in Europe or North America I'm more than willing to bet that there are therapists given where I have lived as well as people I know who live in various areas of the world and are in or have been in therapy. Going to therapy is pretty stigmatized in a lot of places, the US included (where I currently live), that doesn't mean it isn't worth trying (or at the very least seeing if your insurance covers it and/or how much it costs without insurance). Depending on where you are there could also be therapists who charge on a sliding scale.Thanks for all the replies. I'm on day 2 but only taking one capsule when it recommends 1 capsule 3 times a day but i'm a bit wary. Maybe i will increase to 2 a day in a week or so. We don't really "do" therapy in this country, I can imagine it being expensive. I suppose I could go back to the docs and talk to him he's good. I don't want to be put on any SSRI's though cos i had them before (Paxil) and they made me go nuts lol
Again thanks everyone for the great insights. I did used to take a B complex but found they gave me the jitters did anyone else find this?? I'm from Ireland and only a few years ago if you were on AD's people would say you're a basket case etc. Or people would be like, oh think of all the good things in your life, there are people far worse off than you, what do you have to be depressed about... not very helpful I'm afraid i will look ridiculous to a therapist because I really don't have things to be so down about. I mean we all get sad over this or that but i'm constantly overwhelmed with a few minor changes in life and my health. Maybe anxiety making a comeback? I have a tiny bit of xanax which helps extremely, (to me its like a summers day in a pill) if i get really bad, but they don't like giving that out here , i'm only allowed less than 10 a year(i take them in halfs when needed on real bad days)
What you describe sounds a lot more like clinical depression than circumstantial. I get both; of course I am sad when bad things happen that would make almost anyone with feelings sad. But some days I am sad because that's just what my flawed internal chemistry set cooked up for me today. I didn't do anything bad to deserve it and I should not be ashamed that I have it. But I don't talk about it in a lot of settings because of what others seem to think. Some are well meaning but misinformed and some are just jerks.
I get both too. I have an underlying depression (I get a lot of mixed episodes) and anxiety but I have been also dealing with a lot of depression and hopelessness with my chronic illnesses. I keep telling myself that my mental health will be better when my treatments for my other diseases are working but boom something else happens and I am back in the bad spot. I am just so angry and frustrated all the time. I can not forgive my GI. I know anger is just an expression of depression but it's so painful. I see a social worker whivh somewhat helps but he doesn't know much about medical stuff so it makes it difficult sometimes. I want to see a psychiatrist or psychologist but the wait times are very long here (400+ days). I was fast tracked into the system as my dr sent for a consult during one of my hospitalizations but I still had to wait 8 months.
I'm kinda afraid of taking supplements as one of my medications interacts with a lot of things (domperidone) including a lot of psych meds.2 -
singingflutelady wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »
What general part of the world do you live in? If you're in Europe or North America I'm more than willing to bet that there are therapists given where I have lived as well as people I know who live in various areas of the world and are in or have been in therapy. Going to therapy is pretty stigmatized in a lot of places, the US included (where I currently live), that doesn't mean it isn't worth trying (or at the very least seeing if your insurance covers it and/or how much it costs without insurance). Depending on where you are there could also be therapists who charge on a sliding scale.Thanks for all the replies. I'm on day 2 but only taking one capsule when it recommends 1 capsule 3 times a day but i'm a bit wary. Maybe i will increase to 2 a day in a week or so. We don't really "do" therapy in this country, I can imagine it being expensive. I suppose I could go back to the docs and talk to him he's good. I don't want to be put on any SSRI's though cos i had them before (Paxil) and they made me go nuts lol
Again thanks everyone for the great insights. I did used to take a B complex but found they gave me the jitters did anyone else find this?? I'm from Ireland and only a few years ago if you were on AD's people would say you're a basket case etc. Or people would be like, oh think of all the good things in your life, there are people far worse off than you, what do you have to be depressed about... not very helpful I'm afraid i will look ridiculous to a therapist because I really don't have things to be so down about. I mean we all get sad over this or that but i'm constantly overwhelmed with a few minor changes in life and my health. Maybe anxiety making a comeback? I have a tiny bit of xanax which helps extremely, (to me its like a summers day in a pill) if i get really bad, but they don't like giving that out here , i'm only allowed less than 10 a year(i take them in halfs when needed on real bad days)
What you describe sounds a lot more like clinical depression than circumstantial. I get both; of course I am sad when bad things happen that would make almost anyone with feelings sad. But some days I am sad because that's just what my flawed internal chemistry set cooked up for me today. I didn't do anything bad to deserve it and I should not be ashamed that I have it. But I don't talk about it in a lot of settings because of what others seem to think. Some are well meaning but misinformed and some are just jerks.
I get both too. I have an underlying depression (I get a lot of mixed episodes) and anxiety but I have been also dealing with a lot of depression and hopelessness with my chronic illnesses. I keep telling myself that my mental health will be better when my treatments for my other diseases are working but boom something else happens and I am back in the bad spot. I am just so angry and frustrated all the time. I can not forgive my GI. I know anger is just an expression of depression but it's so painful. I see a social worker whivh somewhat helps but he doesn't know much about medical stuff so it makes it difficult sometimes. I want to see a psychiatrist or psychologist but the wait times are very long here (400+ days). I was fast tracked into the system as my dr sent for a consult during one of my hospitalizations but I still had to wait 8 months.
I'm kinda afraid of taking supplements as one of my medications interacts with a lot of things (domperidone) including a lot of psych meds.
When my psychiatrist has the magic mix right, I am reluctant to take anything else unless it is absolutely necessary. I am not sure why psych meds need such precise tweaks, but I am sure they do.1 -
i suffer from depression and also have very adverse effects to prescription anti depressants and am unable to tolerate them. also, they did nothing to help me and many made me worse. i see a naturopath and he gives me Serosyn. (i get it from him, not from amazon or online but wanted to show you the picture.) i found it really helps me and i have not side effects at all. do some research on reviews and i would suggest you go to a naturopath's office to get this and not on line....but i'm funny about getting pills on line.
https://www.google.ca/search?q=serosyn&oq=sero+syn&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l5.13571j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-84 -
Yea i decided to stop taking the St Johns Wort since i developed a sinus infection the other day and ended up having to take anti biotics ! so i'm taking magnesium, vitamin c and D so I hope it will live my mood somewhat.0
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Re St. John’s wort, I did, but it made me wired and unable to sleep. Long time anxiety and depression fighter here. I’m like you with meds. The side effects just ruin my day.
After 20 years of trying everything under the sun and lots of trial and error, the following has helped me the most and I do it religiously every day.
Vit D sublingual
B complex sublingual
Folate twice a day ( a lot of people don’t realised you can be anemic with folic acid - different from iron)
Probiotics daily
Magnesium malate and potassium citrate daily.
I also, without fail am in bed at 10p listening to a deep sleep meditation and wake up at 6a without fail so I have a whole hour before the rest of the house get up to dedicate just to me. This involves drinking a pint of water upon waking, doing 15 mins of stretching (dodgy back) and putting my face on.
I also have 45 minutes in the evening where I shower and decompress from the day.
I really find sleep is a big one for me and if I miss a supplement for a couple days I can really feel it with the anxiety.
I’m not saying the above will work for you in your life, but maybe you can take something from it and do research on supplements. I’d be happy to share brand names if you wish.2 -
Re St. John’s wort, I did, but it made me wired and unable to sleep. Long time anxiety and depression fighter here. I’m like you with meds. The side effects just ruin my day.
After 20 years of trying everything under the sun and lots of trial and error, the following has helped me the most and I do it religiously every day.
Vit D sublingual
B complex sublingual
Folate twice a day ( a lot of people don’t realised you can be anemic with folic acid - different from iron)
Probiotics daily
Magnesium malate and potassium citrate daily.
I also, without fail am in bed at 10p listening to a deep sleep meditation and wake up at 6a without fail so I have a whole hour before the rest of the house get up to dedicate just to me. This involves drinking a pint of water upon waking, doing 15 mins of stretching (dodgy back) and putting my face on.
I also have 45 minutes in the evening where I shower and decompress from the day.
I really find sleep is a big one for me and if I miss a supplement for a couple days I can really feel it with the anxiety.
I’m not saying the above will work for you in your life, but maybe you can take something from it and do research on supplements. I’d be happy to share brand names if you wish.
Yes a lot of what you wrote here is what helped me when i went through severe anxiety about 4 years ago for about 2 years. And it really helped in combatting all the issues I had dealing with panic attacks related to the anxiety cos I couldn't take meds! I had xanax for the bad days but here in Ireland you're not allowed repeat prescriptions of them even though i find they work wonders. I am starting to do all these things again and taking different supplements etc, and stopped the ST Johns Wort cos im on medicines for sinus infection which I feel lousy with so I can't really tell if my overwhelming emotions have gotten any better cos i'm just not well at the moment and I feel my "monthlys" are coming now as well, so it's never ending. But anyway i'll battle through as best I can and look after my health thats all I can do at this point. Thanks everyone for the insights and advice, i'm definitely looking into a lot of it and following through with some things 0 -
I use the drops and really helps with pms and food cravings ( feeling anxious and want to eat)0
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