HealthBee

I spoke with my doctor about taking St. John’s Wort and assumed she’d recommend against taking an herbal supplement. To my surprise, she supported it, and was glad I was up front with her about it. One thing I was really concerned at the time was if St. John’s Wort would interact with the Actonel I was taking for osteoporosis.

In my case, it was ok to take the two together. (As always, talk to your Doctor to see if this is the same for you.) However, I did get stomach upset when I did that, so she recommended that I separate the doseages. So, basically, I took my Actonel in the morning 30 minutes before breakfast and then an hour later, I’d take my first dose of St. John’s Wort. This worked well for me, and I did not experience any drug interaction issues.

Boniva & St. John’s Wort

I have since changed my Osteoporosis drug of choice to Boniva. Since it a once a month drug, and for some reason, it tends to upset my stomach a little more than the Actonel, I actually wait to take my St. John’s Wort at lunch on the day I take the Boniva. This has also worked well for me, and my Doctor informed me this is ok to take concurrently with St. John’s Wort.

As always, however, talk to your doctor about what supplements you are taking to see if those will interact or prevent your other medicines you take from working. Supplements are drugs too, even if many of them are herbal.

I have been taking the Perika brand of St. John’s Wort for a few months. I can say without question, I believe it to be the best brand of St. John’s Wort to take for Depression.

I had taken St. John’s Wort in the past with little effect, and this brand seems the only one that has really helped me out. In the past, I just grabbed something off the shelf without looking to see if the supplement was standardized or not. In order for St. John’s Wort to be effective, it needs to be standardized to at least 3% hyperforin. And, you need to take a dose that will work for you. In my case, it was 1200 mg instead of the typical 900 mg usually suggested.

Perika is also clinically tested and found to be effective. It is one of the few supplements that has been clinically tested, in my book, worth paying the extra money to get.

Side Effects of Perika St. John’s Wort 

I have experienced only one side effect, and that was a bad case of the runs — politely called “gastrointestinal irritations” — when I tried to take the full doseage on the first day. Those went away when I gradually built up the doseage over several days. I have had no side effects since, but I can say that my mood has improved dramatically.

Keep in mind, it takes about 5 - 7 weeks for St. John’s Wort to ‘build up’ in your system…so you probably won’t feel any changes for at least that amount of time. Also, realize that the doseage with this supplement is critical: for me, I had to up the dose from the recommended 900 mg to 1200 mg to feel any effect. It is recommended not to go more than 1800 mg per day, and to build up gradually.

What My Doctor Said 

I have talked to my doctor about taking this supplement, and she informed me that taking 1200 mg of St. John’s Wort was similiar to taking 10 mg of Prozac…without the side effects.

The issue I have with Perika St. John’s Wort is that it is difficult to find in drug stores. High end drug stores have it, and it is expensive. Your best bet is ordering it from Amazon online.

Buy Perika St. John’s Wort at Amazon

St. John’s Wort: The Herbal Way to Feeling Good by Norman Rosenthal, MD, is one of the best books I’ve found about self diagnosing depression and treating it with St. John’s Wort. Dr. Rosenthal is a senior researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health and a clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University. I highly recommend you purchase this book if you cannot find it at your local library. (NOTE: For some reason the picture at Amazon shows the title being St. John’s Wort: The Miracle Cure for Depression…The correct title — which is also the title on Amazon is St. John’s Wort: The Herbal Way to Feeling Good. Not sure why the picture is different but it is the same book.)

The book starts off showing success stories of people who were diagnosed with depression. Many of these people took other prescribed medications, but decided to stop those mediations due to side-effects or because they just didn’t work. It also dedicates an entire chapter discussing various research studies that have been performed both in the US and in Germany, where St. John’s Wort is one of the most often prescribed drugs for depression. It also touches on some special type cases such as depression in the elderly and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

Part 2 is the nitty gritty of the book. It has a complete guide for people to self-diagnose depression, including explaining exactly what depression is, and giving several exercises to do to see if you have it. Following that is a set of guidelines for you to use to take St. John’s Wort for depression, including dosages, brand names to look for and a way to measure the effectiveness of the supplement. There is also a section on how to switch over from a prescribed antidepressant, to St. John’s Wort, or, if need be, how to use St. John’s Wort in combination with prescribed medications. Part 2 also has a chapter on frequently asked questions about St. John’s Wort.

The book ends with chapter showing how St. John’s Wort has been used through history.

All in all, I can say this is the best reference for self treating depression with St. John’s Wort I’ve found. Many other books shy away from self-diagnoses and/ or will not give straight answers about the dosages one should take. This books cuts through all that and gives straight answers. Well worth purchasing.