topic St Johns Wort Plus SSRI in Treatments, health professionals and therapies

St Johns Wort Plus SSRI

Tommy_Blogsing — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 03:47:33 GMT

Hi, Does anyone know if St Johns Wort and an SSRI can be taken together? Or is this not recommended?

St Johns Wort Plus SSRI

CMF — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 04:21:27 GMT

Hi Tommy Blogsing and welcome,

I don't know for sure but i remember taking St John's wort and it knocked me out, made me very drowsy. I may have taken it with a b vitamin at the time. Perhaps your pharmacist would be the best person to ask. It could react differently for different people too.

All the best

cmf

St Johns Wort Plus SSRI

geoff — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 19:22:03 GMT

hi Tommy Blogsing, it's not suggested that you take both of these, and if you ask your doctor and pharmacist they will say the two can't be taken.
I have found this quote whether it's correct or not 'using St. John's wort with this class of antidepressants in particular can lead to exacerbation of side effects including headaches, dizziness, nausea, agitation, anxiety, lethargy, and lack of coherence.'
'Combining St. John's wort with certain antidepressants can lead to a potentially life-threatening increase of serotonin, a brain chemical targeted by antidepressants. St. John's wort can also limit the effectiveness of many prescription medicines. Psychosis is a rare but possible side effect of taking St. John's wort.'
Make sure you check this out before doing so.
If you do decide to take the two then your doctor must be notified, but as I said my doctor told me just as the pharmacist did that these can't be taken at the same time. Geoff.