St Johns Wart. Any good?

[breeze]

I have been suffering from PND for several years now, and have been off my ad for just over 2 months. I am starting to feel a little bit down at the moment, and do not want to rush straight back on to my AD's. Someone has suggested St Johns wart, I am basically asking if anyone has tried it or anything similar, how longs it takes to work, if indeed it did work. Thanks

I tried St Johns Wort once and although I didn't find a huge difference it did lift my spirits a little (don't think I gave it long enough to work) what put me off was at the time I was told it can interfere with the pill and another was not what I needed but it is worth a try..can be pricey too.

Another baby sorry lol.

I took it once for a few weeks. I was moving homes and had a lot of hassle which was really stressing me. I found it calmed me down tremendously and would take it again if stressed. I don't think it particularly cheered me up, just made me more mellow.
Hope this helps.

It was the problems with contraceptive pills that put me off taking it too as I had actually bought some but didn't use it in the end. Another baby would have been far more of a problem at that point.

Yes, breeze, if you're on the pill you shouldn't take St Johns Wort - I'd suggest doing a bit of research on its contraindications before you take it as it's pretty potent stuff!

I am not on the pill. dh had the snip

It can also interact with anti-convulsant drugs, and there is some evidence that it can reduce the seizure threshold for epileptics, making it more likely that they have a fit. If you take any other medication it would be a good idea to discuss them with your local pharmacist before you take St John's wort.

My dh, a real sceptic, took St Johns Wort for a couple of months and said he really felt the benefit, I certainly noticed a change for the better. Something natrual, so long as you don't have epilepsy or rely on the pill, apparently, has to be better that a prescribed medicine surely.

Side effects from herbal remedies can be every bit as bad as conventional drugs. Just because something is 'natural' does not make it safe. If you use willow bark tea to relieve pain, you as basicaly using the same chemical as is present in aspirin. And consequently can have the same side effects. Many modern drugs are based on herbal remedies, IIRC 8 out of the top 20 prescibed drugs are derived from plant sources. Plants are, after all, made of chemicals, just like we are. Belladonna is 'natural', but it can kill you, as can any number of other herbal toxins. I'm not saying don't use herbal treatments, but use them knowing that thy can have side effects just like precribed medication, but without the reporting guidelines enforced bt the government. Oh and the effective dose can also vary from one years crop to the next, depending on the growing conditions, and storage conditions.

I took it once when my gp recommended it and it helped. The second time, about a year later, I had lurid, awful nightmares. I can't swear it was the St John's Wort rather than my state of mind at the time but I stopped taking it and they went. So I really think it helped the first time, but not the second. No conclusions really, although I think I would be wary again.

Saint johns wort definately can make you have very vivid dreams i have heard of that a lot. I have taken it and i have to say that some brands work pretty well and others don't. I took Quest. They have a site www.questvitamins.co.uk
Another place you might want to check out for information is www.sjwinfo.org , the discussion forum is quite good.