St John's Wort

Question: How old do you have to be to buy herbal tablets such as St. John's Wort? Im planning on buying St Johns Wort capusles ( that help with depression) from Holland & Barrett but im 17. Do you have to be be 18 to buy these sort of things? im in the UK :)

Answer: no,you can get it from wal mart.......the main thing is to take it responsibly,and if that doesnt help,try 5-Htp at 600mg at night

Question: Why is there St John's wort extract in redline energy drink? i am and have always been a dihard NOS fan. I'm not trying to defame redline but why on earth would they put that in the bottle? The label indicates there is an ingredient in the REDLINE Xtreme energy drink which is St Johns Wort Extract????? I am totally confused with this extra ingredient. Someone please explain to the purpose of this. Thank you. So i'm assuming it's used to keep down any sort of angziety (spelling), or split second mood swing from the caffine?

Answer: St Johns Wort is a herbal extract which can alleviate depressive symptoms. Unsure why they would put that in this type of energy drink! But that's what it is primarily used for.

Question: What medicine/antibiotic is safest to take with St John's Wort? I'm aware that St John's Wort is commonly considered to be safer than prescription anxiety/depression medications but is also known to have adverse reactions with some prescription drugs. Has anyone either taken SJW or know what medications/remedies are safest to use while on it? For example as a remedy for a simple cold/fever would tylenol or motrin be okay?

Answer: Tylenol should be fine; I've taken it in conjunction with SJW.

Question: What would happen if I took St John's wort while on the contraceptive pill? I read on wikipedia that if you take a hormonal oral contraceptive it will affect taking St John's wort.. I currently take Microgynon 30 i think it's called and have took it for nearly 5 years now. If I started taking St John's wort, would it make the pill not work? Or would St John's wort not work properly? Does anyone know? Thanks :)

Answer: St John's Wort contains an enzyme which makes your liver work a bit more productively, in turn this can make your oral contraceptive less effective as it is broken down faster. So yes, it can make your pill (blood thinning medicines, HIV medication and the morning after pill) less effective, use a condom whilst you're St John's. You may notice some breakthrough bleeding too. I just started taking St John's Wort as my doctor recommended it. He did say I shouldn't have a problem with the pill (same as yours), but I'd still go for condoms as well if I were you. The pill won't affect the St John's Wort's activeness. You need to take St John's Wort for at least three weeks or so before any effects kick in (I have been told), and although some people swear by it, others don't feel any effects, not everyone's system is the same. Similarly, some analgesics (painkillers) I use for headahces work excellently for me, some don't even touch the surface.

Question: Who has actually tried St. John's Wort for the recommended time and dose? I want to know if anybody has actually taken St. John's Wort for a long time and at the right dose that it's recommended in order to have a positive impact on your depression or anxiety. Usually people try things for one week and not the right amount and they say it didn't work for them. It's said St. John's Wort needs to be taken for at least 2 to 4 weeks, or maybe even 6 weeks at 900mg a day to have full benefits.

Answer: I did and it did not work for me. The only combination that worked for me was 5HTP combined with Folgard (a supplement containing Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, and Folic Acid). St John's Wort never decreased my depression and the side effects were horrible!

Question: Ca i take St John's Wort when i am taking the pill Dianette? I want to take St John's Wort but i know it can affect the pill. However i am not on the pill Dianette for contraceptive reasons - it was for my skin and hormones. Is it therefore okay to take St John's Wort? Will the Dianette still work for my skin?

Answer: I would look carefully at your use of Dianette first! I assume your prescribing physician warned you of its clot risks? http://www.nelm.nhs.uk/en/NeLM-Area/News/494080/494143/494162/ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1195416/My-daughter-killed-lethal-drug-Charity-shop-worker-dies-DVT-just-weeks-switching-new-Pill.html Even the current data sheet warns against prolonged use. http://emc.medicines.org.uk/medicine/1814/SPC/Dianette/

Question: can I take Ginkgo biloba and St John's wort together? I am planning on taking Ginkgo Biloba and St Johns wort together, is this safe? thanks.

Answer: I took these two together for roughly 6 months if not more and experienced no ill effects.

Question: Can I mix Paxil and St.John's Wort for my anxiety disorder or will it have bad effects? I have panic disorder and I've been on Paxil for about 2 months now and I still get anxiety from time to time. I was wondering if I could take St. John's Wort like before I go to school and see if it will help ease my anxiety. Is it ok to mix or just leave it alone?

Answer: Call your doctor (or your pharmacist) and ask.

Question: Can St John's Wort effect your hormones in early pregnancy? Hi This month I started taking "St John's Wort" to help with mood swings. I have not been on any birth control since the birth of my first child 2 years ago (we just use the withdrawal method) so my periods have been very regular I have had no problems at all. This month however I’m 3-4 days late? I have taken an (in home pregnancy test) which came back negative? And still no sign of period? Can St John's Wort effect either my period or a pregnancy test?

Answer: No, St. John's Wort will not affect either your period or pregnancy tests. It CAN affect birth control but since you're not taking any then it doesn't make any difference. You could be pregnant or it could just be a late period.

Question: Can't swallow St. John's Wort capsules, will it have the same effect if I open the capsule and mix it with tea? I just bought the capsules of St. John's Wort and I can't swallow them. I was wondering if it would have the same effect if I break open the capsule and mix the powder with green tea? Thanks.

Answer: Yes, infact you are better off NOT using the capsule. Capsules come from one of two sources, either bovine or porcine. This means cows or pigs. I would definitely avoid eating cow or pig gelatin! Pig is particularly bad due to the law of bioaccumulation. All toxins are stored in fat cells and pigs have a lot of fat. As toxins work their way up the food chain they become more concentrated and therefore larger fatty animals have more toxin/growth hormones/steroids etc in them I agree with the use warm water not boiling hot as you don'w want to literally cook the Wort.

Question: Why does it say on the St John's Wort bottle that a person taking the herb should stay away from sunlight? And, do they mean intense sunlight for long period of time, or a person taking the herb should stay away from sunlight as much as they can? What will happen if a person is exposed to lots of sunlight while taking St john's wart?

Answer: It makes you sensitive to the sun, and you get sunburn. This also includes tanning beds, or other lighting units that are made to tan the skin. You can be severely burned in just a few minutes of tanning, care should definitely be taken.

Question: Are there any dangers of taking St John's Wort? My psychiatrist is 'experimenting' with me and is giving me a variety of different drugs to see if it cures my depression and nothing has worked so far. I want to try St Johns Wort but I'm worried it's addicting or will cause harm to me. Are there any dangers?

Answer: hey, St. Johns Wart is dangerous if it is took along side an anti depressent as it effects chemicals in your brain, for more advice on St. Johns Wort, please visit the below website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_John%27s_Wort Hope this answered your questions Good luck with trying to cure your depression

Question: Is it okay to take St. John's Wort with a benzodiapezine? What will happen? I think I remember reading that they shouldn't be taken together. Why not? I take a small dose of bromazepam every night, but if I took a dose of St John's Wort, what will be the negative effect?

Answer: I don't know the specific interaction with bromazepam, but in general, St. John's Wort is an inducer of the cytochrome P450 system in the liver (makes it run faster). The P450 system is responsible for the metabolism of a wide variety of drugs (including benzodiazepenes), so it will increase the rate of metabolism and generally reduce the concentration of drug in the bloodstream and/or decrease the duration of action, making it less effective. It also increases the danger of developing serotonin syndrome in drugs that act on the serotonin system, but that's not a consideration in this case. Key point is that "natural" does not equal "safe" - herbal medications have very real side effects, and St. John's Wort is a notorious example of this. Unfortunately, many people who use herbal medicines are not aware of this (unlike you), and run into problems as a result.

Question: What is the safest dosage of a combination of 5-HTP and St. John's Wort? I am looking to take a combination of 5-HTP and St. John's Wort for mild depression and am wondering what the safest dosage to start with is. I have not been tested for serotonin deficiency and do not want to take a dosage that puts me at risk for serotonin syndrome. Has anyone had any success with this treatment and what was the dosage that you used?

Answer: Here is a link on "St John's Wort". The best thing is to see with your doctor what the best dosage is for you. http://healthmad.com/mental-health/st-johns-wort/

Question: Is "St John's wort" available to buy in Morrisons super market and how much? The herbal tablet "St John's wort" is a anti-depressant tablet and websites claim that Morrisons stock this. Does anybody see or buy them there, if so how much?

Answer: I would assume so, you can also get them from poundland for amazingly £1, I think there are around 60 in a tub but don't quote me.

Question: How long do I wait after Paxil to take St John's Wort? OK! there are so many 'suggestions' on this subject online - but what is the bottom line? do we know how long someone should actually wait after Paxil to start St.John's Wort? Let me clarify - Not how long it takes to quit paxil - But how long After i quite taking paxil should i wait before taking SJW

Answer: Ask your doctor how long to take to wean off Paxil: that long!