St. john's wort for Depression User Reviews (Page 5)

• Tro...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 27, 2017

"Two weeks ago, I had a very intense panic attack with vomiting, probably because of lots of stress and worries around me, and after that, I had constant anxiety, and my mind was a racing mess. Then I started taking St. John's Wort. At first, I took an extremely small dose (40 mg), but then I increased it to 3x200 mg a day, and a few days later, I decreased to 1x200 mg. For the first 9 days, I felt no considerable difference, but on the 10th day, I subtly became more relaxed (but not too much), my mind was not racing as much, and I am more optimistic. Also, appetite decreased. Not sure if it's from St. John's Wort or just my mind changing on its own. Will see how things go in the future."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 21, 2022

"I used a good brand from Holland and Barrett on offer, and after reading the reviews, I was excited as SSRIs (citalopram, sertraline) and even SNRIs (venlafaxine) had not helped. I felt like a placebo effect at first, and within two weeks, I realized they weren’t helping, but I kept trying overall for six weeks. I felt constantly tired, more anxious, and had extreme sensitivity to sunlight. Without sunglasses in the sun, I could barely open my eyes. After a week of not taking them, I feel normal function anxiety again, so they weren’t for me. I did feel a slight bit more optimistic and also fell asleep more easily, but I felt more tired in the mornings and more anxious."

• Hel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 24, 2021

"I have been taking SJW for about 2 weeks. I started to feel better within a couple of days. I have a 7-month-old baby, and my mood had been getting increasingly worse - really irritated by every small thing, very angry at my partner (who is awesome), feeling overwhelmed with a low mood, exhausted (despite sleeping a lot), and struggling with motivation. With SJW, all of these things have subsided, and I feel way more calm and able to handle the day. I have more mental clarity and generally feel happier and more up. I also have way less fatigue and don’t dread everything! I haven’t noticed any side effects at all yet. I am breastfeeding and am a little concerned about that and need to talk to my doc. The postpartum period really knocks you about physically and emotionally, and it feels like with SJW I’ve got my old self back, and it has reset everything."

• Fee...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 28, 2017

"I had intense panic attacks with heart palpitations and vomiting because I was under a lot of stress. Went to several doctors, and all they did was prescribe me meds for schizophrenia, which I refused to take (because I have an anxiety disorder and not schizophrenia). Instead, I tried St. John's Wort, but unfortunately, I haven't noticed that it helped me much. I am still very anxious and tense and think negatively about everything. At times, I feel relaxed for a short period, but that's probably more due to my body naturally calming down on its own. In fact, 2-3 hours after taking a large dose (400 mg), I would feel slightly more anxious than usual. So I stopped taking it."

• Dar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 9, 2018

"So I had depression/anxiety for over 25 years. Finally got off medication last year because I changed my diet and had done pretty well with it. My doctor keeps trying to pin every ailment I have back on my depression, so I thought I’d give St. John’s wort a try, despite not having cyclical depressive/anxiety thoughts. Just going by my physical symptoms...after three days, I was in full-blown panic mode, with deep depression, thoughts I have not had for the past year. So IDK, I guess it wasn’t my depression...like I told my doctor, but he wouldn’t listen. So I can’t say this works. I would have thought I would have gotten some help for just generally feeling like rubbish and not really happy."

• Ash...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 13, 2017

"I am a 27 y/o female, have been battling depression and anxiety for a few years now. As I transition into a nurse, I decided that enough is enough, I can't keep living my life with this anxiety and unhappiness. St. John's Wort works okay. I didn't notice a huge change in my mood. I was a little happier, but not much. The anxiety was still the same. The biggest change I noticed was that it made it easier for me to talk to people. I have social anxiety really bad. The reason I decided to stop taking it is because one night I had super bad anxiety, so I took a Xanax, and it COMPLETELY CANCELED OUT the effect of my Xanax. I went into a full-blown panic attack and had to call into work. This drug has a lot of interactions with other meds. I will be going on an SSRI."

• Sol...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 14, 2017

"Been on SJW over 2 weeks now for depression, still anger, arguing, sullen. I'm afraid that I am just a bad person and this can't help. I've been on Cipralex for over 7 years, put on too much weight so gradually reduced them from 20 mg to 15 mg, to 10 mg, to 5 mg, then down to 2.5 mg, and still felt good. My reductions carefully spread out over 5 months---doc said, 'well, if you are down to 2.5 mg, just stop cold turkey as that's a nothing dose.' I believed him and stopped. That was 5 weeks ago and ALL MY DEPRESSION has come back even worse-crying nonstop, confrontational about everything, arguing, swearing under my breath when I have never sworn before, which made me turn to SJW, but they are not working for me as they seem to be doing for everyone else."

• Ama...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 17, 2021

"I have been taking St. John’s Wort for three weeks now, 3 times daily, and can’t believe how much better I feel! It has helped me with my depressive and anxious symptoms, and I feel so much better! Don’t hesitate to buy if you need help regulating your emotions."

• gan...
• April 9, 2019

"Terrible side effects. I started first with St. John's Wort tea bags three times a day, and after a week of using, I switched to pills. I used 300 mg pills twice a day for just two days, and at the end of the second day, I was in full-blown panic mode. I also had dizziness, dry and itchy eyes, headache, disturbances in blood pressure, and vivid dreams. Stopped taking pills right away, but it took about three weeks for the symptoms to completely fade away. Would never recommend using it on its own, without consulting a doctor. This is not a safe natural remedy."

• rod...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 29, 2021

"St. John’s Wort taken for mild depression and anxiety under the supervision of my psychiatrist. Taken for 1 week before discontinued. Unfortunately, it made my prostate flare up pretty badly and interacted with my esomeprazole, so I got pretty bad reflux for a whole week. Also, vivid dreams (not the worst I’ve had on the SSRI-induced list, but something to expect). Caused no other noticeable side effects except some abdominal discomfort for the first 4 days before abruptly going away, and some daytime sedation (again, not the worst I’ve experienced compared to something like Remeron). I’d rate it 5/10. Mild side effects, but at the same time, it’s hard to take this medicine if you pretty much take anything else prescribed-too many interactions. I have a feeling this medicine works best for those who solely take this and this only."

• Klo...
• July 25, 2021

"I got a feel of emptiness, feel unhappy, cry, and felt sorry for myself. Never been on medication, had a short time of depression when I was 16, now I'm 42. I always try to do things that make me happy when I'm in a low mood, but this time I could not function. I bought SJW a year ago and didn’t give it a try. Today is my second capsule, 142 mg from Holland & Barrett. I feel that low mood is going far away from me, I hope the days to come will be better. The only worry I have is the weaning off …"

• her...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 10, 2021

"I started taking St. John's Wort three weeks ago in capsule form at 500 mg 2x a day, and I have noticed a huge difference in my mood. I have had depression for my whole life, and I have tried different meds to treat it, but all of them worsened my condition. I finally found someone on Etsy who sells organic SJW capsules and decided to try them. I noticed a huge difference around the third week. I wanted to wake up, I was more positive, it was like a huge fog had lifted. I felt I could smile, talk to people, and I felt alive again. I suffer from dissociation, and that got so much better as well. I am so thankful for SJW, and I cannot recommend it enough to those considering taking the more natural route for healing."

• Tom...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 22, 2022

"Been taking St. John's wort maximum strength, 1 pill per day, 1200 mg for one month now, to help with my mild depression and gloomy winter days. I have noticed my mood slightly improve, and I do feel slightly calmer overall, also eating and sleeping better. I have returned to swimming in my local pool, not been in a fair while. For me, it took 10 days before any effect on my mood was noticed, but I understand it can take up to 3 weeks for some people. I have taken doctor's prescribed antidepressants before, but had to discontinue because of unwanted side effects. For me, St. John's wort seems just as effective as a prescribed antidepressant. It works well, just made me happier and calmer with no side effects to report. Some people cannot take SJW due to drug interactions with many prescribed medications, check with your doctor. If you have underlying health problems that you regularly take prescribed medication for, unfortunately, there is a high chance you will not be able to take SJW."

• SJW...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 14, 2021

"I have been using St. John's Wort (SJW) for years to help me with PMS symptoms that have become challenging as the years go by. My symptoms right around the ovulation period are more emotional in nature and include irritability, uncharacteristic emotional responses, anger, and other disruptive emotional symptoms. Up to 3 pills per day are allowed, but I am fine with one capsule taken in the AM. I take SJW all of the time, but really only need it for the time just before my menstrual cycle. When my anger, irritability, or my overly emotional responses are more intense, I have taken 2 pills (AM/PM before bed). I tried taking SAM-e as recommended by my gynecologist, but that was absolutely no help whatsoever. I would recommend SJW to anyone who is safe to use it (if you take antidepressants, you can't take it; also, understanding the nature of your symptoms helps, too. I recommended it to someone with a lot of anxiety, and it made her anxiety worse.)"

• chr...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 13, 2023

"The first time I tried St. John's Wort, I tried a high-dose capsule and experienced nothing. The second time, I picked two small leaves off the plant, and my whole day turned around. Herbs that are not properly harvested, not properly dried, turned into a powder, shoved into a capsule, and finally sit on a shelf for a year before they are sold really don't have a lot of medical properties left."

• LOL...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 26, 2022

"Used for mild anxiety and very mild depressed feelings at times. I've had most of this since childhood, sometimes I have episodes when it gets worse. I started taking this, and I felt a little dizzy at first dose. The second dose after that, I felt fine. I feel much better and genuinely surprised that I feel things are going well in myself. I've noticed if I have a drink, I feel more affected by the alcohol, and this happens a lot quicker."

• Ano...
• May 16, 2022

"My dad doesn't believe in modern medicine and even trained in a herbal medicine course. So, he took St. John's wort to help with some health conditions (he ate with reasonable cholesterol and did things to stress himself by not learning healthy ways to deal with his emotions as a 'grown adult'). This herb is the WORST for blood pressure. It gave my dad high blood pressure to the point where all of his kidneys and heart got scarred. He now has literal stage 5 kidneys, with one only working 10%. If he didn't come to my mum and admit the herbs he had been taking, which she found out by force, he would have been dead within a month. I am 19 and my dad would have been dead before I finished my first year of university. I am resentful and adamant about sharing this. Most of you adults finding remedies on the internet thinking you're savvy, but you DON'T know what you're talking about."

• Jus...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 14, 2017

"I have anxiety and have suffered with it for many years. My friend suggested SJW, so I grabbed a week's worth of capsules from her to give it a try. I had some severe side effects from this and didn't actually see much improvement in my daily life. I had trouble getting to sleep, slept for 10+ hours every night even with work the next day. It kept me from caring about waking up for my job. This was mainly due to the anxiety dreams I had every night, which is something I had never had before. They are different from nightmares and they can probably even cause panic attacks if they become bad enough, which could lead to nightmares, I'm guessing. I stopped taking them after the 4th day and was immediately back to decent sleep and able to wake up for work."

• Kat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 5, 2022

"I have had depression and anxiety for over 20 years and tried quite a few different antidepressants. The side effects are sweating, piling on weight, terrible insomnia, can’t orgasm, and keratosis pilaris, to name a few. At the time, I just thought it was my body until I’d go off them and realize a certain side effect would go away. I never feel happy, and after losing someone very close to me this past year, I’ve been getting worse. I thought I’d try SJW, but am on thyroid medication, so I need to keep an eye on levels in case it’s affected by the SJW. So far, I don’t think it has. It took a couple bottles of the Blackmores brand to feel a noticeable difference. The only side effect has been the difficulty in having an orgasm and slightly numb. It was bothering me, so I cut back the past few weeks to 2 tablets a day, and I feel way too emotional and very angry."

• Jim...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 28, 2019

"This is a terrible option in my opinion. It may offer slight relief from low mood, but it causes very nasty side effects if mixed with other medication or if doses are missed. I really would advise anyone not to touch it with a barge pole."

• Ali...
• May 8, 2020

"Currently headache, neck stiffness, no energy, and can't sleep. Hot, sweating constantly. Just feel terrible, like I need a doctor! This is after taking it for 2 days, 2 tabs per day. I feel so stressed for the past 24 hours, like a coiled spring. I cannot relax! Please do not take St. John's Wort."

• Nur...
• April 24, 2017

"Started taking this about 2 weeks ago. Honestly, feel like it is helping. Felt like I could punch a wall before starting this med, but feel much calmer now."

• Ms ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 20, 2020

"St. John's Wort works extremely well to lift the fog of depression. I'm surprised it's still OTC given that it works so well. I've been recommending it to everyone. It's been a life changer."

• Joe...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 18, 2020

"St. John's wort definitely takes the edge off my depression, it is better than Wellbutrin, and I don't have to waste time going to the doctor."

• Sam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 11, 2021

"Helped brilliantly. After several days of use, can feel like a human, have small joys back to life. I’m glad I didn’t try anything more serious for treating anxiety/depressed mood."