Hi mommas,
Is anyone else taking (or has taken) St John's Wort? I started taking it for mild depression/moodiness/PMS etc and I was really pleased with the results. But after a while of only taking half the recommended dose I noticed I would get dizzy when laying down/getting up. I'm afraid it was making me tired, too (which is the last thing I need!!!!!! LOL)
Has anyone else taken it? What were your experiences? Side effects? Thanks.
I'm not certain but I think it's also a blood thinner, so your blood pressure is probably lower which can cause dizziness when you get up from a sitting position. Not sure about the fatigue part.
My friend was taking it for a while and she was very lethargic.
Oh yeah.....if i take st johns wort i get nervous, anxious and cry for no reason. Same thing happens if i take pharmaceutical antidepressants.
ETA...it IS blood thinner...it also interferes with birth control, both of those last statements were completely true......Im all about herbs and such but this one should be used with caution.
Try .....SAM-E......or vitamin c, niacin
I think it is SJW that also makes BC less effective. . . so if that is an issue with you, be sure to double up;) But I assume you already know that. here is something pulled from (I know, I know) Wikipedia - souds like all the side effects you are having - also didn't know about the free radical production -
St John's wort is generally well tolerated, with an adverse effect profile similar to placebo.[21] The most common adverse effects reported are gastrointestinal symptoms, dizziness, confusion, tiredness and sedation.[22][23]
St John's wort may rarely cause photosensitivity. This can lead to visual sensitivity to light and to sunburns in situations that would not normally cause them.[21] Related to this, recent studies concluded that the extract reacts with light, both visible and ultraviolet, to produce free radicals, molecules that can damage the cells of the body. These can react with vital proteins in the eye that, if damaged, precipitate out, causing cataracts.[24] This finding is contradicted by the results of another recent study, which found that St. John's wort inhibits free radical production in both cell-free and human vascular tissue, revealing antioxidant properties of the compound. [25]
Women who use the contraceptive implant Implanon are advised not to take St John’s Wort as it reduces the implant's effectiveness.[citation needed]
I've been taking it and not seeing any side effects.
People can have a variety of reactions to an herb... you may want to explore dietary changes and nutritional supplements as well as mind-body therapies and energy balancing approaches to manage your mood and hormones; St. John's Wort really isn't meant to be used indefinitely to treat symptoms without addressing underlying factors that are causing the issues. While it's natural and safer than synthetically derived drugs, it can cause some side effects and it's not by itself the best way to deal with depression and related conditions.
Hi ! I 've been taking it awhile & havent had any side effects ! I only take 1 a day though & it gets me thru. Only if i feel really depressed I will take 2 but not often & still no side effects!
