Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
St. John's Wort with 5-htp
by king2mp, Jul 31, 2008 02:10PM
Hello there,
I took St. John's Wort for a long time with good results, but after a few bad events in my life my anxiety shot through the roof. A doctor then prescribed Zoloft, which I took for a few days once I had been off the St. John's for a while. My reaction to it was more than awful, so I stopped. A second opinion suggested I try Paxil instead, but I am somewhat afraid to take it. I have been dealing with a drinking problem, and as I have reduced my intake my depression has gotten a bit better, to the point where I don't think I need prescription meds. To make a long story short, I started taking St. John's again, as I enjoyed it before and it was much less "artificial" and strange feeling than the prescription stuff. I have been having sleeping problems since I am not drinking as much, and have been reading about 5-htp as a possible remedy. So, my question is, is it safe to combine the two? I have read many things saying they are, but others warning of seritonin syndrome. I decided to try the combo last night and didn't experience anything negative, and it indeed did help me sleep. Would it perhaps be reasonable to take 2 St. John's pills instead of 3, and replace the 3rd with a 5-htp? I realize prescription meds take a while to work, but I just don't know if they're the right route for me to take. Thank you for any help!
Marty
I took St. John's Wort for a long time with good results, but after a few bad events in my life my anxiety shot through the roof. A doctor then prescribed Zoloft, which I took for a few days once I had been off the St. John's for a while. My reaction to it was more than awful, so I stopped. A second opinion suggested I try Paxil instead, but I am somewhat afraid to take it. I have been dealing with a drinking problem, and as I have reduced my intake my depression has gotten a bit better, to the point where I don't think I need prescription meds. To make a long story short, I started taking St. John's again, as I enjoyed it before and it was much less "artificial" and strange feeling than the prescription stuff. I have been having sleeping problems since I am not drinking as much, and have been reading about 5-htp as a possible remedy. So, my question is, is it safe to combine the two? I have read many things saying they are, but others warning of seritonin syndrome. I decided to try the combo last night and didn't experience anything negative, and it indeed did help me sleep. Would it perhaps be reasonable to take 2 St. John's pills instead of 3, and replace the 3rd with a 5-htp? I realize prescription meds take a while to work, but I just don't know if they're the right route for me to take. Thank you for any help!
Marty
Post Comment
Related Communities
Recent Videos
Related Expert Forums
Recent Activity
Most Popular Trackers
RSS
Expert Activity
Community Members
And conbining st johns and 5-htp at low doses should be fine. But dont have more than what you recommended above I would have one of each a day (st johns in the morning, 5-htp at night) or serotonin syndrome is a real possibility.