Afraid of antidepresants

[Cloud23]

Hi, I have been in depression for a few years and still haven't had enough courage to talk to my doctor and family, and it has gotten worse...So I bought  St. John's Wort pills that don't require prescription from the doctor, and after a few days taking them just as it was written, one in the morning and one during lunch, i really started feeling better, aldo it said you usually have to wait a week or two...But then I started to feel weird, I was mildly confused and my hands were shaking the whole day...I don't know but I think I might have had serotonin syndrome...So now I am totaly freaked out from these kind of drugs, especially since it was a natural plant and I reacted like this, so who knows how would I react to other antidepressants.

[anna125]

I take St. John's wort. It is very popular in Europe. It is not the only thing that is good for depression. What brand did you buy?

[mjbrown]

There is some research that suggests St. John's Wort is effective in treating mild depression; however, the herb is not without it's own side-effects (which are pretty much the same you get with antidepressants). It is possible that you are feeling side effects from the herb. It is also possible that the St. John's Wort is not doing much for you and your anxiety/depression is "breaking through." You should speak to your dr. for his/her advice. You shouldn't just stop taking the St. John's Wort because you may experience symptoms similar to serotonin withdrawal. As a general rule, you should always consult a dr. before treating yourself for depression and anxiety. Many people are scared to take antidepressants, but the newer drugs (such as Lexapro) are relatively well tolerated by most people, and will work better for moderate - severe depression than supplements.

[teko]

Were you taking other meds at the same time? This would include over the counter meds, birth control, antacids? Treatment for depression should always be under the guidance of a physician. Self medicating is dangerous unless you know exactly what you are doing. I say go to the doc.

[Cloud23]

Oh, and if it was an alergic reaction, shouldn't it have developed the first time I took the drug? It doesn't make sense, an alergic reavtion developing days after taking it...

[Cloud23]

Well, I don't think it's mild becouse it has made my life really hard, and I don't know about having an alergic reaction, though it could be, since I had the symptoms from the serotonin syndrome-mild ones...Could the alergic reaction have a similar symptoms?

[Hensley258]

St. Johns wort is usually very mild, but maybe you just had an allergec reaction to the herb.

I would find it almost impossible for anyone that was only taking St John's wort to develope Serotonin Syndrome. Now if one was combining St Johns Wors with an SSRI medication then, yes there is a risk of Serotonin syndrome.

This is why the Wort must never be taken in tandem with any prescribed antidepressant drug.

You may also find that your depression may only be mild and does not require medication or herbs.

You would be best to make an appointment with an actual Psychiatrist for full evaluation and diagnosis.

There are different types and levels of severity regarding Major depression. Sometimes for people with mild types of depression, they do not do well on medication.