St. John's Wort is a herbal preparation, used widely in Europe (it's a prescription in germany) but it isn't really regulated in North America, so it might be a good idea to talk to your GP or a reputable naturopath/herbalist to make sure you're getting the right quality and it won't interact with other meds.
Like SSRI's (Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft, etc.) it can make you more photosensitive and you need to be careful in taking it with antidepressants (either taking smaller dosages or not taking any at all while on SSRI's). It can help replace SSRI's in individuals with mild-moderate depression, especially when weaning off of them but be careful in mixing it with antidepressants. Definately talk to your doc. Also, I can't remember but it may interact somewhat with birth control so if you're on bc double check that.
I'm not a doctor or anything so this is just my 2 cents and what I can recall from researching it for myself. It did help me through a few rough weeks when my symptoms were the worst.
Best of luck, and thank you for starting this thread Jenn! It's important to talk about stuff like this and get past the stigma and ignorance surrounding these issues, and this conversation may help people talk about "mental health" issues who otherwise wouldn't have.
D- |