Valerian Root and St Johns Wort

I'm just curious if anyone's taken either, if there are any usual side-effects (ones that aren't known on the sites that I just researched) and how anyone found them in terms of effectiveness? Also curious about drug interactions with them both, with other drugs.

Thanks

As you may know, I use valerian root to help sleep... the pharmacist said np with what else I was taking, but I wasn't taking any sleep meds too

I am a strong believer of Valerian Root..... just ask any one here on PC that knows me -

I posted about Valerian Root in the Rate & Review section (read it).... and I use it PRN with my Rx meds.

LoVe,
Rhapsody -

I like Valerian Root to help with insomnia, but please be careful taking it. You need to talk to your pharmacist first, because my pharmacist and doctor both told me that Valerian Root interacts with a lot of meds.

Take Care,
Angel

I have used both, and they worked. One side-effect of SJW is that it enhances the sedative effects of other herbs, including valerian, chamomile, etc. When I first started taking SJW, I had been struggling with insomnia for some time too, and had used valerian and other herbs before. On SJW too, valerian was powerful and knocked me out fast, even if I took just a little bit when I didn't really want to sleep. After a couple of years I think I did build a bit of a tolerance though.

SJW also has other side-effects such as light sensitivity and interference with birth control, so you shoulc be aware of those too.

I used to take St. John's wort until I discovered I had Grave's disease (hyperthyroid) and the Doc told me to stop immediatley. It is one of the items that is suspect to bringing out the dormant disease. I heard that too much is toxic so I would tread carefully on that herb

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
almostangela said:
I used to take St. John's wort until I discovered I had Grave's disease (hyperthyroid) and the Doc told me to stop immediatley. It is one of the items that is suspect to bringing out the dormant disease. I heard that too much is toxic so I would tread carefully on that herb

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

There is no known toxic threshold for St. John's wort. That's not to say that an individual could not suffer from taking an excess, but it is not considered to be toxic in the normal sense of the word. Adverse reactions tend to be: headaches, gastrointestinal distress, and sun sensitivity. Over the counter meds often are sufficient to treat the first two, and the latter can be addressed with sunscreen.

SJW does affect the half-life of other medications. The best way to think of SJW is that it does the opposite to grapefruit juice, but to the same meds which are sensitive to grapefruit intake.

Lar

I've been taking St. John's Wort for a couple weeks now (I have Type 3 ADD, or a hybrid form of ADD), and the difference is amazing. I can sleep (I fall asleep when I want to, including naps, and sleep all the way through the night, heavier than before), I even dream (and have pleasant and goofy dreams!) which before I only did rarely, but most importantly for me, anxiety doesn't grip me on a daily basis. I enjoy things, I don't feel trapped, etc. etc. etc. It's great.

I've also started taking N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine. This supplement is intended to increase dopamine and norepinephrine availability (if I understand it correctly). It's meant to treat the inattentive portion of ADD.

Hmm. I've tried St Johns Wort with no real sucess. But then, Effexor is the only thing that has ever really helped me, so maybe thats why.

Though - on the interaction side - my pharmacist did come up with an interaction with Effexor on her computer so you may want to check. It was an interaction with valerian root.

I can say that they say not to take St. John's Wort with SSRIs or other antidepressants. In Germany, you need a prescription to get St. John's Wort.

St. John's Wort is reported to help remedy mild to moderate depression. Take SJW at an appropriate dose (perhaps 900mg per day, 2 capsules in the morning, 1 in the evening (assuming each capsule has 300mg SJW); or as high as 1800. You should probably talk with a pharmacist or doctor before going that high, though). Also, make sure the SJW you're using has at least 0.3% hypericin. If it does not, adjust the dose appropriately. Give SJW six weeks before proclaiming it unsuccessful. SJW may not help in the treatment of major depression.

For me, SJW was reported to work very well with Type 3 ADD. In the book, Healing ADD, SPECT scans (brain activity scans) show that SJW has a definite positive effect on the brain activity of someone with Type 3 ADD. So I can only speak from that perspective, but I imagine it would help someone who has an anxiety disorder as well.

I should say that my experience is that, your thoughts don't automatically change. You can still come up with negative thoughts, though for me, they don't just come out of the blue, and they don't concern just about everything I experience (any more!). With SJW, for the first time I feel "Okay" all the time. And I feel Okay whenever I want to: I can stop negative ruminations and re-focus on other things, and actually enjoy those "other things." Like, if I notice I'm pondering on some negative thought, I can just stop, and read a book, and be content again. It's like someone teaching you how to ride a bike: at a certain point, you realize they have let go of the bike, and that you are fully capable of biking on your own.