# St Johns Wort



## gail1 (Mar 20, 2017)

anybody have any experiences of this natural remdy i m thinking of using it


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## grovesy (Mar 20, 2017)

I


gail1 said:


> anybody have any experiences of this natural remdy i m thinking of using it


 Would check with a pharmacist or doctor that it won't interfere with any of your other medications.


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## Pumper_Sue (Mar 20, 2017)

gail1 said:


> anybody have any experiences of this natural remdy i m thinking of using it


As @grovesy say's you need to check with your health care team before you start taking stuff like that as it could interact with the drugs you already take.


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## Northerner (Mar 20, 2017)

Hi Gail, I remember this being widely discussed on a depression forum I used to be on years ago - I believe it's even prescribed in Germany. However, you definitely need to check with your GP and pharmacist that it won't interfere with any other medications you are on, as it can be harmful in combination with other things.


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## grovesy (Mar 20, 2017)

I was certain it could but I could remember what.


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## Manda1 (Mar 20, 2017)

I have used this in the past and it worked well for me however I wasn't on any other medication at that time. I agree with others on here you will need to check it out with health professionals. I probably could do with using it again myself at the moment as I too have more bad days than good. Its a struggle x


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## mikeyB (Mar 20, 2017)

St. John's Wort is far from a natural _remedy_, any more than quinine, cocaine, opium. It's a natural poison to farm animals. That said, in therapeutic doses it is safe and free from side effects. It probably works in depression by interfering with serotonin reuptake, like some  modern antidepressants, and works just as well in trials. It's quite commonly prescribed in Germany. 

The danger is its interaction with other drugs, particularly other psychiatric drugs, but it also reduces the efficacy of some medications, such as the contraceptive pill and blood pressure medication. I haven't been able to dig out any interaction with diabetes drugs, which will be a relief to all.


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## sean penguin (Mar 20, 2017)

pre-diabetes I tried this, and all it seemed to do was make me grumpy the next day. the info sheets on loads of my meds over the years have said 'don't take that with this' or 'consult g.p'


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## Manda1 (Mar 20, 2017)

The only thing I was told by my gp was to be careful in the sunshine ... But they were probs happy I was taking something as I didn't want prozac x


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