What exactly does St. John's Wort do? I mean, how long does it take to work... I'm taking it for depression.

Question

I know I should go to the doctor instead, but I thought I'd give this a try. On the bottle it says I can take three pills. I'm going to do that, but I would like to know how long it takes for me to feel a difference. Thanks in advance for good answers :-)

Answer 1

St. John's Wort works in the same way an SSRI does, by keeping your seratonin from being reabsorbed, and thus, keeping the levels higher in your brain at any given time. But it's not nearly as effective as a drug designed for that. You'd have to take 5-HTP or tryptophan at the same time, and that's dangerous (seratonin syndrome), since you wouldn't be certain about the exact dosage on ANY of them.

I tried for years all of the homeopathic remedy stuff - St. John's Wort, fish oil, Sam-E, 5-HTP, meditation, and so on, with little result, and now I know better.

The difference between self-medication and real medication is like night and day. Understand? NIGHT AND DAY. There is no comparison. You may feel a little better sometimes with home remedies, but then you spiral into despair again. You have to take something to break the cycle completely.

Imagine you're stranded, floating in the middle of the ocean. You've been floating out there for days, with sharks, sunburn, and no food or water. Now imagine you have the choice between a life preserver or a rescue boat.

Night and day!!!

Depressed people will do anything to avoid taking the drugs that will actually help them... and they will sound completely rational about it. They'll cite bad side effects, blow their own side effects way out of proportion... whatever will convince themselves not to take a prescription. It's a symptom of depression.

If you want to try alternative treatments, fine. But get better and THEN think about it. Decisions like that should be made months after being on antidepressants. Having your brain back to normal makes your half-hearted placebos seem correctly ridiculous.

Anything less than an SSRI is a waste of time. I don't know what excuses you've told yourself to make St. Johns Wort seem like the best choice (side effects you've read online, maybe?), but you need to realize that your "reasons" are irrational. It's depression getting the upper hand, telling you that the cure is bad.

I know this is probably making you mad and/or defensive. It's your depression saying "no," again, see? I'm trying to point this out to you. It's what depression does. Thinking "no" is what depression *is*.

Real meds aren't "happy pills." They don't change your personality. They just take away that terrible feeling of "no, no, no... bad, bad, bad..." so you can think straight, say "yes" to some things, and live your life again.

Meds need to be taken every day. Insurance covers most of them. It will take about two weeks before you feel any difference, whereas it would take more than a month with SJW.

Okay, with that said...
- Any GP will be able to prescribe you antidepressants. Lexapro is the best, IMO.
- A psychiatrist is more expensive, but will be able to suggest alternative meds if you have any side effects.

Buy a copy of "The Feeling Good Handbook" by David D Burns. It is, hands-down, the best help you can give yourself.

And avoid any site that touts "natural" cures; they are run by depressed people. (If you don't believe me, count how many times they use negative wording: but, no, won't, should and shouldn't, bad, wrong, unpleasant, etc.)

Answer 2

If you truly have depression please consult your doctor.

Yes St. John's Wort has some mild antidepressant effects but it has indeed been shown not to be all that safe. The photosensitivity issue is well documented and it can effect your eyes. It is also not controlled and the dosages can be unpredictable.

Your doctor should be made aware of any OTC or prescription medications you may be taking and you should not take St. John's Wort with prescription medications which are tried and tested. Not every medication works as well for everybody but your doctor has more choices today than ever. It may take some time to see results with any medication but if you are severely depressed, you may be prolonging the pain by not seeking professional help.

Incidentally it has been shown that if a person has had repeated bouts of depression, the liklihood of recurrence is greatly increased so treament should be long term. If it is a first episode and treated aggressively there is a good chance it will not recur

Answer 3

I skip out on the 3rd dosage, I just don't need it. I take two in the morning, sometimes spacing them out and you will notice a difference. The person with the best answer seems to be promoting his drug 0.o And you will feel it about an hour after taking it. My idea is that I take it with omega threes in the morning and then after they have worn off by night, I journal. I'm trying this for a month before I test a day with only one. And there are a lot of studies done in other countries. It is highly effective in treating mild to moderate depression and once you take them you will understand why. You may think you're depressed now but you will never understand the severity until you get help. Since I've started taking SJW here are some of what I've noticed: I hear a stranger laugh and I smiled for no reason (crazy right?) I pay attention to the songs on the radio now, I even sing a long with them and roll my windows down, I actually notice when we're having a nice day now. All things that I haven't done in probably over a year. I'm hoping to cure it with the method I described above but will most likely be going to counseling sessions after a while.

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
What exactly does St. John's Wort do? I mean, how long does it take to work... I'm taking it for depression.
I know I should go to the doctor instead, but I thought I'd give this a try. On the bottle it says I can take three pills. I'm going to do that, but I would like to know how long it takes for me to feel a difference. Thanks in advance for good answers :-)

Answer 5

If you were to go to a doctor for depression they would tell you that it takes four to six weeks for the medication to work. Hence, I would give the St. Johns Wort, about the same amount of time. I am sorry but I know of nothing that works overnight. Good Luck

Answer 6

Just one thing you should know, this stuff does not mix well with other drugs

Myself, I would try Bach Remedies instead.


Dr. Donald Brown of Bastyr University recommends that persons with fair skin avoid exposure to strong sunlight and other sources of ultraviolet light when taking St. John's Wort because of some cases of photosensitivity that have been reported. He also advises avoiding foods that contain tyramine, alcoholic beverages, and medications such as tyrosine, narcotics, amphetamines, and over-the-counter cold and flu remedies while taking St. John's Wort. St. John's Wort should not be taken while also taking prescription antidepressants. It is also Dr. Brown's opinion that St. John's Wort should not be used during pregnancy or lactation.

According to Jonathan Zuess, MD (author of The Natural Prozac Program), tyramine seems to primarily be a problem if a person has high blood pressure. This is due to St. John's Wort working in a similar way to drugs that are monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs).

However, studies done in the 1990's have shown that the MAOI-like effect of St. John's Wort is negligible when it's used in normal doses. So it is unlikely that it would react with tyramine. In Germany, where doctors have had the most experience with St. John's Wort, it is considered safe to use in patients with high blood pressure.

Nonetheless, if you have high blood pressure, and your doctor agrees to your use of St. John's Wort, the following precautions should be taken:

1. Have your blood pressure checked at least weekly for the first six weeks, and at least monthly thereafter.
2. Do not eat foods containing tyramine.

Even if you do not have high blood pressure, do not take St. John's Wort with amino acid supplements (especially phenylalanine and tyrosine). Amino acids are a form of monoamines, which can pose a danger when mixed with St. John's Wort. The monoamines that you get in your diet (such as the amino acids in meat) are less concentrated and are not a hazard.

Answer 7

St. John's Wort is an herbal supplement, therefore, not many studies done were approved by the FDA. It's shown to help with depression but how it works and how long you will see the effects remained unknown. You should be careful taking this since there's a lot of medication interaction with it if you are on other meds, especially blood thinners like aspirin, warfarin, etc...or if you are pregnant or breast feeding. You should talk to your doctor or pharmacist about this before you decide to give it a try. It's shown to help with mild depression but not severe ones. I would suggest save your money and use other remedes other than taking antidepressant meds, such as how to cope with stress, talking to a therapist, doing exercises, group supports, family and friends, etc...Antidepressant meds are easy to get on but they are hard to get off, plus there are many side effects associated with them. Hope this helps!
Sources: I'm a pharmacy student

Answer 8

I suffer from depression to, I have tried St. Johns Wort but it never really helped me, if it's not helping you and your depression get's worse you should go see a doctor.

Answer 9

Herbal remedies don't work for everyone, and don't take st. john's wort (what a revolting name btw) if you're on the pill. it renders the pill useless.

Answer 10

I believe it takes about 2 weeks to start working , maybe a bit longer. Read the pill bottle or do a google search for it's name....

I tried it and it made me sick to my stomach...

Good Luck