get rid of depression

[TwinklingSky]

Ive heard about taking St.John' s Wort for aiding in depression naturally.  Has anyone out there tried it? How effective is it, and how long does it take to go into effect?

[sleepsound]

thought I may add if no-one minds that St Johns wort is very dangerous to take as it reacts with prescription meds , in fact it reacts with nearly everything on the planet.

If you are taking it and are in an accident and the dr doesnt know you have taken St Johns wort and gives you medication ....you could die....I was given this warning by my mental health team.

There are other ways to help depression and it's not always pills....talking therapy such as CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy ) helps..unfortunately too many doctors just seem to hand out antidepressants to young people not telling them of the possible long term side effects.

Hope this helps
take care
sleepsound xx

[becky808]

Just one little thing to add...
St John's Wort decreases the effectiveness of birth control pills (if that's an issue for you). It's even stamped on the informational packet you get with your pills now.

[Hensley258]

I have heard of young teens having positive results with antidepressant meds, but there is solid proof that almost every antidepressant can produce VERY bad results to anyone under 18.

Problem is that no one knows exactly why this is so. Could be because at that young an age the brain is still in a developmental state. Either way almost no Psychiatrist or MD's will prescribe antidepressants to minors. They have way too much fear of negitive results.

[ILADVOCATE]

I've never heard of an age limit for standard anti-depressents and they can be helpful. St. John's Wort is unregulated so it can be of concern and any use of anything with an anti-depressent effect should be monitored by a psychiatrist. Its effect is mild and you may not see any help from it but it can interact with other medications. I would suggest you ask your psychiatrist specifically why they won't prescribe an anti-depressent. They do have side effects but then again so does every other medication.

[MoonriverandMe]

Hi! I suffer from severe depression, but as i'm not 18 yet, my Doctor won't give me anti-depressants as their affect can do more harm than good. So, i started taking St. John's Wort....about 5 weeks ago now. I can't say i've noticed any improvement but maybe they are doing me some good so i'll carry on taking them. As some of the people above have said, they probably do more good for mild depression. :]

[whodunnit]

Good luck. I wouldn't touch that stuff for anything I'm afraid, you really just don't know what is in it as it is not tested by anybody. Where is it grown? What chemicals are in the soil where it was grown? Even if you grew it yourself how would you know what is in the soil that would be taken in as nutrients?

I really don't get the want of people to take this stuff, really don't. Why not just take aspirin and tell yourself it will work. If you believe it then it will, placebo right?

I just shudder when I see people turning to this sort of thing when they have no real evidence of any good results.

To Hensley. Thanks for the summary. You do make me laugh sometimes when you bitterly describe things others hold as "holy". Thanks for the irreverence although I know how much work you put into that time and with great hope.

To LadyG,

How do you know it's helping at all? The depression or whatever it was may have vanished ages ago. How would you know the diifference?

[LadyG835]

I still take St. John's Wort. It works for me but as stated in other comments, it's not for severe depression; it's just a natural mood enhancer...for when you've been feeling a "little down".

[Hensley258]

I must be the exception when it comes to eating healthy for better mental health.
A couple years ago upon the "constant" urging from my mother and health freak wife, I finnaly broke down and agreed to a 100% comitment to eating only fresh organic foods.

I really went all out with this fad. I completly stoped eating any fast food. When I went to a resuraunt I only ordered light fresh foods with almost no fat and lots of vegies. I completly eliminated all sugar and salt from my diet.

I counted every fat and carb gram and cut my intake of all processed foods with any flour in them. Ate only whole grain organic foods and organic fruits. I also cut out all caffine and alcohol.

I did this for a solid 4 months and I lost a good ten pounds. After all of this hard work I never had even one bit of improvement from my depression or anxiety.

I eventually got so dis-couraged that I just said the heck with it all and went back to my old diet. I suppose my body felt a bit better, but my head was still a mess with cronic depression and suicidal thoughts.

Then I remembered that my grandfather ate a very high fat and high carb diet and lived until 90 years of age. he even fried his food in pure Lard.

I think life span is much more a matter of genetics rather than diet and exersise. My mother in Law never had a bad habbit in her life. She exersised everyday, ate very healthy natural foods and she died of cancer at 53.

[Icia]

Be careful with 'natural' remedies. they are not monitored by the FDA (in USA) and they can make them as strong or weak as they want.  Also, 1mg to one manufacturor isn't the same as 1mg to another, which has been a chief complaint.

If you want to use St. John's Wort, the *best* solution is to grow it from your own seeds and brew it as a tea.  Drink it often throughout your day or twice a day (morning/night).

If you can't do that, buy a tea from Whole Foods or the actual loose leaves.

I wouldn't take a capsule of it.  I'd sooner eat it whole.

If you are eating the typical american diet of restaurants, fast food, cereal in the morning, sodas with lunch - don't expect any help from a natural remedy.  Unless you are eating p-r-o-p-e-r-l-y, which is meat and vegetables (no real sugars), I wouldn't waste the money.

Natural remedies are subtle, just like our bodies.  The harsh american diet is disgusting and its no wonder so many people are so fat, unhealthy, and practically half dead.

[Hensley258]

I tried it many years ago. I took it for about three months and had no positive effect from it. It was about as effective as a sugar pill.

It might help a person that has very mild depression. My cronic refractory depression was just way too much to expect a natural herb to correct.

[TwinklingSky]

Thanks a ton for the great detailed info. Absolutely you are right. Even some herbs are too harmful. So taking the advice of a doctor would be best before I use them. Mine is a mild depression, so I think this should work for now.  

Thanks once again..

[mjbrown]

I've read many studies on St. John's Wort - and the consensus is that it is basically as effective as Prozac for mild to moderate depression. It won't do much for severe depression. I spoke to my psychiatrist about this, and she agreed. However, she advised against taking it because it would "limit what she could prescribe" (it can have interactions with other psychotropic medications). St. John's Wort is a natural remedy, but it is very similar to the prescription drugs in terms of how long it takes to feel an effect (about 2-4 weeks) and same side-effects. However, the side-effects appear to be less pronounced with St. John's Wort. If you start using the herb, just be sure to let your doctor know about it.

All the best..