St Johns Wort?

[MintheMiddle]

Hello,

I'm a sufferer of depression and very bad social / general anxiety.

I have tried taking Sertraline in the past and found it great (this was around 5 years ago) and then again after my DS was born but I reacted awfully to it.

I changed to Citalopram and couldn't get along with the side effects (very bad night time sweating, feeling nauseous constantly, headaches, weight gain)

I was browsing Boots and came across St Johns Wort as I'm desperate to find something that will work for me.

Has anyone tried this and had experience of it?

Thank you for any help

I've been taking St John's Wort for several years for mild anxiety and find that it does help.
However, as I say, my anxiety is fairly mild - I'm not sure how much of an impact it would have on more severe anxiety/depression
You should also be aware that it can interact with other medication (esp hormonal birth control) so you should consult with your GP before taking it.

I hope you find something that works for you!

I have tried it and I think it helps but I suspect I am not seriously depressed. I guess if you are limited in what medication you can use it might be worth a try?

St John’s wort is like a very weak version of old fashioned tricyclic antidepressants. It induces liver enzymes, which means the oral contraceptive pill is metabolised and excreted faster, potentially leading to unwanted pregnancy.
I would recommend you go back to your GP. A modest dose of a beta blocker may be sufficient to control your anxiety symptoms, OP, and you could discuss the various other antidepressant drugs available, or consider cognitive behaviour therapy to help with both anxiety and depression.

Just because it is a natural remedy, it doesn't mean that it isn't a drug. It is. As another pp mentions, it can interact with other things in the wrong way.

You need to speak to a GP or pharmacist and take their advice as to whether it would be suitable for you, bearing in mind any other medication you might be taking.

I've been more stable on St John's Wort than I ever was on citalopram or sertraline with fewer side effects. My depressive episodes are heavily anxiety inducing and I've not had a big anxiety episode since long before Covid started.

Pregnancy isn't a possibility here, but make sure you look at your contraception options as it doesn't work with the Pill and could put you in a position you don't want to be.

Thank you for all of your replies.

I'm not on any form of contraception (using condoms and find this is okay for us)

I'll have a chat with my GP, thank you for your replies

I posted a thread about this not long ago and I was wavering between sertraline that had been prescribed to me and SJW. I've gone with SJW a first try because I was scared to commit to the sertraline (mainly because of possible side effects and the idea that it gets worse before it gets better). The jury is still out. I do think it is helping a bit but as pps have said it is slight and perhaps for milder anxiety. I'm aware that I might well need to swap it for sertraline because I'm in a bad patch but I also think that, were in my 'normal' state of mind, it would be enough. Hope that helps a bit!

I used St Johns Wort during the second lockdown when I was struggling to see past work/sleep repeat. I found it very helpful for that period and it took about 1-2 weeks to kick in ( taking maximum recommended dose).

However I'm fairly sure I have no underlying condition of depression and it was a temporary crutch to get over a difficult, thankfully relatively short term issue.

I'm not sure for you if it would be the right solution.