Doc wants me 2 quit sjw & use anti-d's - http://www.sjwinfo.org Forums
Topic Title: Doc wants me 2 quit sjw & use anti-d's
| |  "Doc wants me 2 quit sjw & use anti-d's"
, Mon 30 Sep 21:56
I saw my doctor today about some other issues and she told me I should stop taking SJW. This is because she is concerned about the effect on my eyes, since I have been complaining alot about changes in my vision. She said if I'm feeling depressed, she is more inclined to perscribe anti-despressants.
I have recently had my eyes checked and my optometrist says that the changes in my vision are very consistent with my age (I'm 46) and my line of work (on the computer alot). As for sunlight, I am rather obsessive about using my sunglasses. I may in fact be sensitive to sunlight, as I find I use my sunglasses even in foggy weather.
I have been using SJW now for about 2 years and believe that the change in my humour and increased clarity and enjoyment of many things in my life are directly related to its use. I am in a moderately stressful job leading a team with some problem people in it and am having success in the job and feel quite challenged.
I am afraid if I go off SJW, I will lapse into some of my mood swings, low self-esteem, paranoia, and the darkness & pessimism of bygone days - which would be especially disasterous in my job now. (I have to keep my team upbeat & motivated and be one step ahead of the problem employees and situations) Not that I am entirely free of these things. I just seem to have far more control over my moods and am much calmer. I feel I can actually observe some of my darker moments, let them be, and go on to be quite functional all the same.
That said, I am on a very low dose (300mg a day). From time to time, I have taken two. Now, after reading some of the material on this web site, I am actually inclined to completely ignore my doctor, and up my dosage to two a day and see what happens.
Comments? As I said, I am actually a little nervous to go off it .
Posts: 0 | | Registered: Mon 30 Sep 2002 21:54 |
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| |  "Re(1):Doc wants me 2 quit sjw & use anti-d's"
, Tue 8 Oct 18:46
ixtlan: First, what is your doctor's specialty: probably either an internist or GP - not a 'shrink' I'll bet. Also, do you live in the US?
I ask because: most general practice/internist/family practice specialists have NO idea of what an appropriate treatment regimen for anxiety or depression should consist of. Next, in the US, the drug companies ads combined with the FDA's hostility to herbals ( If we don't regulate it, its bad); add up to poor treatment for patients.
If SJW is working for you, and your optomitrist ( a specialist by the way), says your eyesight/eye health is normal, what is your MD thinking? Does she know what the side effects of Praxil etc. are? Did she take the time to review with you the expected outcome of the course of drug therapy: how long you would have to take the drug before seeing positive results, the percent of patients having side effects, what the side effects are and what the effect of ceasing treatment would be (withdrawal)? Probably not.
So, I would either (a) look for a new doctor FAST: if this is her reaction to SJW and she uses eyesight as the motivation for using anti-depressant therapy without giving you the treatment options/outcomes/side effects - what would she tell you about open heart surgury? "We're just going to do a small incision - you won't feel a thing?" (b) if SJW is working for you - why change? Especially given the side effect profiles of SJW vs. any SSRI or MAOI.
I firmly believe that: It your life, its your health, its your body - and you should be an active participant in your health care. The role of the physician is to : first, do no harm. I don't see how this criteria is being met if a physician would prescribe a course of therapy without discussing the outcomes and side effects with you. Especially if your current therapy of SJW is working and the specialist (optomitrist) says your eyes are normal.
Leo
Posts: 29 | | Registered: Wed 13 Mar 2002 8:58 |
| | | "Re(2):Doc wants me 2 quit sjw & use anti-d's" , Wed 9 Oct 08:50
Thanks Leo,
My doctor is a GP. I live in Toronto Canada. She doesn't seem to have a good feel for what may be required. In all other respects she is very good about sending me to specialists when necessary. She may be reticent to send me to a specialist in this case because of the stigma she may want to protect me from. I do believe she has good intentions, but emotional health is considered a lot more complex than physical health.
She is not totally against herbals, but in this case, she does have a problem with it.
Thanks again.
Posts: 2 | | Registered: Mon 30 Sep 2002 21:54 |
| | | "Re(3):Doc wants me 2 quit sjw & use anti-d's" , Sat 12 Oct 04:20
ixtlan, thanks. Your doctor sounds like she does have your best interest in mind. I admit that I went into a bit of a rant when I read your post- I have a very bad reaction to medical professionals who are unwilling to listen to patients and thus give a 'knee -jerk' reaction to herbals.
You are right that she may be thinking she is 'protecting' you from stigma by not sending you to a specialist. Still, I would think that, if St John's Wort is working for you, and your eyesight is OK, then' unless you get a better explaination why switch to anti depresants which have far worse side effects than SJW? Also, if the issue is stigma, then I would think having to take anti-d would also carry a stigma as well. Basically, if SJW is working for you with no real side effects, unless your doctor comes up with more specific reasons to switch to anti-d, why should you? Thanks, Leo
Posts: 30 | | Registered: Wed 13 Mar 2002 8:58 |
| | "Re(1):Doc wants me 2 quit sjw & use anti-d's" , Wed 2 Oct 08:45
Hey there, I say if SJW is working well for you at 300mg a day then you should stay with it. The psychiatrists are only interested in those prescription anti-depressants, they don't want to even hear the word SJW. I think SJW should be prescribed just like all the others if it's helping all these people.
Posts: 26 | | Registered: Tue 10 Sep 2002 15:9 |
| | "Re(1):Doc wants me 2 quit sjw & use anti-d's" , Tue 1 Oct 06:08
hi ixtlan,
If SJW is helping you and your optometrist thinks you're find for a person your age and line of work then I don't see any good reason why you should quit. Now, if you're taking 300mg a day and it's working well for you, why increase the dosage? Do you feel like you could use some more help from SJW? If that's the case then I say go for it, take 2 BUT if you're fine now then leave things the way they are since the best dosage is the lowest one we can get by with. Must of us would be thrilled to get by with just 300mg a day :)
I take 900mg and yesterday I started week 5. So far I'm happy with the results .
Do you take any other herbs, vitamins, etc? Good luck and keep us posted,
Catz
Posts: 32 | | Registered: Wed 11 Sep 2002 12:17 |
| | |  "Re(2):Doc wants me 2 quit sjw & use anti-d's"
, Wed 2 Oct 20:33
Thanks everyone for your input.
Catz,
I want to increase my dosage because I do think it's time to make sure that an increase is or isn't necessary. I think I might be able to get more help from SJW.
I do take other herbs/vitamins. I take Vit. C, a multivitamin and minerals, ginseng, ginko, grapeseed, & flax seed oil. I used to take vitamin B compound, but feel that the ginseng is a better choice. I am very happy with the flax seed oil. You have to be careful with it tho. It can go rancid very quickly. I try to keep mine in the freezer to prolong it's life. The benefits for me include - joint lubrication, better digestion, better skin(!).
I am also a martial artist (7 hours a week), so I get lots of exercise and lots of endorphin action by the end of training which literally causes a rush of well being. The endorphin high is short lived however. Once the morning comes, my real fight always begins anew.
The exercise keeps me fit. With it my pulse and blood pressure are lower. Once I start a class, I've no time to think about anything else but keeping up and working hard physically.
Recently I have gone back into therapy as well in order to try to tackle some issues that neither sjw nor exercise can resolve.
I'll keep you posted on how the higher dosage works out.
Posts: 1 | | Registered: Mon 30 Sep 2002 21:54 |
| | "Re(1):Doc wants me 2 quit sjw & use anti-d's" , Tue 1 Oct 05:50
I've been taking SJW for 2 years. I took Seroxat for 3 months. Change your doctor.
Posts: 65 | | Registered: Wednesday 3 Jan 2001 12:42 |
| |  "Re(1):Doc wants me 2 quit sjw & use anti-d's"
, Tue 1 Oct 05:43
Hi Ixtlan
I would seriously recommend thorough research into any antidepressant that your doctor prescribes. Here's my story:
I went to my general practitioner a few months ago. I had never seen her before. All I had to do was mention the word "anxiety" and within a few minutes she had written me a prescription for "Aropax" (this is the Australian name - in the US it is called Paxil, in the UK it is called Seroxat). I took it without researching it as I was desperate. I ended up taking it for only 3 weeks.
During this time I noticed that my pupils were very dilated, I felt like I was on ecstacy, and became quite manic (doing hours of housework, then aerobics, then going jogging, all on the same day!), then after 2 weeks I became very fatigued - any wonder - and couldn't get out of bed, couldn't be bothered doing anything. I stopped taking it without consulting the doctor. Luckily I was only on it for 3 weeks. I since read on the internet that many people have an awful withdrawal if they have been on it for a while and wish to stop it.
OK - everyone reacts differently and there are many other antidepressant drugs apart from Paxil - but to get an idea, just type into your search engine "Paxil withdrawal" and it will list dozens of pages regarding this type of SSRI (serotonin selective reuptake inhibitor) drug.
I now take SJW and I believe it is working for me with minimal side effects.
That is my story - please research anything your doctor prescribes before you take it. Ask yourself "Do the benefits outweigh the risks?"
Good luck
Suling
Posts: 7 | | Registered: Sat 28 Sep 2002 23:37 |
| | | "Re(2):Doc wants me 2 quit sjw & use anti-d's" , Tue 1 Oct 06:19
Dear Ixtlan:
They say "If it works, don't fix it." Since you've had good results with SJW, PLEASE, I strongly urge you NOT to take an Rx anti-depressant. More than 40% of people who take them have serious, unpleasant side effects such as weight gain, insomnia, sexual dysfunction, etc. as well as terrible withdrawal symptoms for people trying to get off them. I urge you to read and re-read many of the posts here of people who have had very good results with SJW...Those AD pills are not only dangerous, they're also very expensive....STAY WITH SJW. You wear sunglasses, right? Besides, no one here has any problems with their eyesight because of SJW. Why look for trouble?
Jeanette
Posts: 6 | | Registered: Wed 25 Sep 2002 5:50 |
| | | "Re(3):Doc wants me 2 quit sjw & use anti-d's" , Thu 7 Nov 05:41
First of all I have to tell you all that I work in european pharmaceuthical comp. that produces one of SJW products (luckily for my budget).
Where did you get information that SJW increases eye sensibility. Photosensibilisation (an official possible side-effect) is in Europe mentioned only in relation to incereased sensibility of skin to UV light. I really looked into it and official european publications don't mention incereased eye sensibility?!
slavkokosi
Posts: 2 | | Registered: Tue 5 Nov 2002 6:6 |
| | | "Re(4):Doc wants me 2 quit sjw & use anti-d's" , Thu 7 Nov 14:46
My doctor told me that sjw increases sensitivity to light. And this web site also refers to this. Sounds like it is not a conclusive finding according to your information. Thanks!
Posts: 3 | | Registered: Mon 30 Sep 2002 21:54 |
| | | "Re(2):Doc wants me 2 quit sjw & use anti-d's" , Tue 1 Oct 06:00
Hi there,
I'm afraid I also have a bad news story to tell with regard to antidepressents. I tried two sorts, Cipramil (Citalopram) and Effexor XL. The Effexor had a really scary effect on me physically - after 5 days I could barely move and I felt like I'd been poisoned. The Cipramil was OK physically, but mentally I suffered so much anxiety I was almost delusional - at one point I thought I didn't exist, or I was in hell. And that was at the lowest dose, 10mg (my doctor had wanted to increase to 40mg!)
I know that all sounds really dramatic, but it's left me feeling very wary of prescription meds. I know they help an awful lot of people, and I have friends who take them successfully, but you need to find the right one for you, which can be a bit of a gamble.
Also, even the so-called non addictive drugs can have have unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, particularly, as Suling said, Paxil.
Having said all that, you could be really successful on them, and in my country alone (UK) there are 23 million prescription every year for ADs. However, if the SJW has worked well for you, I would be inclined to stick with what you know and trust.
Good Luck,
juju
Posts: 79 | | Registered: Fri 3 May 2002 3:4 |
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