Topic Title: St Johns Wort post Seroxat (Paxil)
| |  "St Johns Wort post Seroxat (Paxil)"
, Mon 28 Apr 04:53
An introduction/question..
I'm taking St Johns Wort having just weaned myself off 20mg of Seroxat (paxil in the US). Coming off it was hell and took over 3 months. My doctor suggested trying St Johns Wort (he's now moved on unfortunately). Whilst weaning off I started taking 1 tablet a day then 2. I've now been completely off for a week (and the horrid side effects of zaps and dizzyness are gone). I've also upped my St Johns Wort to 3 a day. I think this is the correct dose, I'm taking Healthspan which states (Per tablet: 300mg Hypericum Perforatum L containing 900mcg Hypericin), the package says one a day, but I'm assuming thats not the clinical dose.
My mood has definitely lowered since coming off the Seroxat, but I dont want to go back on it if I can help it! The problem I'm now having is fatigue and weakness. This seems to have crept up on me. I'm not sure if its down to the depression coming back or if it could be the St Johns Wort. I'm experimenting with when I take it, I've tried 2 tablets in the evening and one in the morning but I awoke feeling unrefreshed. I've now swapped to 2 in the morning and one in the evening. Mornings have always been the worst for me. I'm a bit worried about the fatigue as its not just tiredness but a whole body weakness feeling. My arms sometimes feel like lead weights.
Another thing I've noticed is I feel lowest just after eating. My mood really crashes after food.
Just wondering if anyone had similar symptoms from SJW and or Paxil?!
Andrea
Posts: 0 | | Registered: Mon 28 Apr 2003 4:43 |
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| | "Re(1):St Johns Wort post Seroxat (Paxil)" , Thu 23 Oct 12:57
Hi I am new to this site but just read your comments about seroxat.
To know that others that have had the same experince as me, as I did think I was going mad. I have been on this medication 3 times over last 5 years and the last time was my longest period -18 months.I am not lying when I say it was HELL coming off of it and it took me 8 months to do so.I came off using the liquid form in the end.I had all the anxiety symptoms come back again, aswell as sweating,shaking,the most painful of headaches, and no energy.Everyday was so unpredictable!!I have now been off 4 months and although I have just had to take time off work, I feel so much better and have just started taking SJW.I feel positive that this is so much better for me than seroxat.So I suppose my message is just keep on going. Be kind to yourself and you will find a way out.
Posts: 1 | | Registered: Mon 20 Oct 2003 8:10 |
| | "Re(1):St Johns Wort post Seroxat (Paxil)" , Wed 30 Apr 20:44
yes. the zaps and dizzyness are totally messing me up. im going through that right now. because of the paxil. any suggestions of how to hurry up this process? will taking SJW ease it now do you think? what has it been like for you? PLEASE write back! im desperate,.... i feel like... crap. thank you.
Posts: 1 | | Registered: Wed 30 Apr 2003 20:39 |
| | | "Re(2):St Johns Wort post Seroxat (Paxil)" , Sat 3 May 06:25
First take the withdrawl very slowly. I forgot to take 2 tablets once and ended up having to take 3 days off sick! I went down from 20mg to 15mg for a few weeks (get the 30mg tablets and cut in half), then to 10mg, get the 20mg and cut in half. I stayed on 10mg for a while. Then I tapered off using the liquid form. Dropping I think at first 2mg to 8mg, but I felt bad so from then on I dropped 1mg a week. Took forever but I've now been off a few weeks and the zaps and dizzyness are gone!
I'm taking SJW and did take it with the Paxil but my doctor although he said it was probably safe couldnt reccomend it. He said if it was him he would do it (he was covering his back really in that I had to make the choice). Unfortunatley this doctor has now moved on and I feel a bit left alone to try alternatives as the other doctors would probably just put me back on AD's. :-/
Posts: 4 | | Registered: Mon 28 Apr 2003 4:43 |
| | "Re(1):St Johns Wort post Seroxat (Paxil)" , Wed 30 Apr 09:43
If you mood crashes after food that is a sign that your depression could be being caused by low energy levels as a lot of peoples depression is.
As I posted at the top of the page, Its VERY good idea to ecercise 3 times a day from when you get up, every 5 hours.
If you do this as I explained in a post futher up your metabolism will be much higher giveing you more energy.
When you eat food you body had to use about 30% of the energy to break the food down so if you are really bad after food that means you dpression could be mainly caused by low energy levels.
There are many people out there taking all sorts of medication for depression when reall low enenegy is the cause of it!
I am in a low mood now but only beacuse im tired because of bad sleep. I find when im tired/low in energy I cant be bothered doing anything and dont enjot anything.
So doing the excercise 3 times a day 5 hours apart or so will help. Obviously 20-25 mins moderate excercise is best but if you cant manage it do 15 mins 3 times a day!
Also about the food.
The thing about eating food is a lot of energy is drained.
If we can cahnge our diet and make life easy on our stomach we wouldnt loose much energy.
Imagine if you could eat almost totally pre digested food.
Lets just imagine like animals someone could digest your food for you and hurl it up for you to eat it (sorry this is gross!)
Your stomach would have to do nothing! It would go straigh down boosting your energy levels and not causing the crash!
Ok so you cant get someone to digest the food for you but you can try the following.
Get some no suger Protien powder. and replace as much/all your of you meat as possible with it.
Your body wastes so much energy braking down meat thats in big pieces and only 25% protien! What a waste of energy!
Protien powder has 4 times less mass and require no breakdown at all! I never eat meat anymore as I totally notic the mood drop after it compared to protien poweder! Once you switch you wont want to go back!
Ok so in between meals you use protien powder (you can meat sometimes if you have to but I dont as I hate the mood drop)
Next, lower your fat intake to about 50g of fat maximum per day.
This is another thing your body has to use a lot of energy to break down.
Also chew your food twice as much and eat your meal over 15-20 mins. I even take a break in the middle of 5 mins.
Watch out for vegetables as well. You much chew them more than anything as they have little Kcal but your stomach has to waste energy breaking them down. And dont eat too much at once.
So recap
Use no sugar protien powder instead of meat AMAP
Chew your food twice as much.
Chew vegetables etc four times as much (puree them if you can!)
Lower your fat intake
Eat more slowly
Dont eat too much at once.
Now if you dont believe this is good idea try the following for lunch one day.
Day 1 Big Omlette with some meat for lunch eaten quite quickly.
Day 2 Protien powder an hour before lunch or so.
15 mins excersise 45 mins later just before lunch
pasta/beans or whatever with 15g of fat Maximum in sauce
Chewed very well and eaten slowly.
Compare your mood on the two days and see what happens!
Good luck and yes the protein powder is worth the money but dont forget after trying a small one you can save a hell of a lot of $ on buying bulk!
Posts: 9 | | Registered: Fri 18 Oct 2002 5:51 |
| | "Re(1):St Johns Wort post Seroxat (Paxil)" , Wed 30 Apr 01:30
Dear Aeia,
I seem to have made roughly the same trip as you - switching to SJW after a stint on Seroxat (same dose as well).
The withdrawal symptoms I experienced coming off Seroxat were pretty awful - and the annoying thing is that neither my Doctor nor the blurb on the label warned me about side effects, so I thought it was all part of my depression thing.
It appears that after a bit of trial and error you are now taking the 'right' (i.e. the clinically trialled) dosage.
However, as mentioned elsewhere on this Board, if after a period of time they don't appear to be working, you might want to try a different brand. (The Brands section of this Board contains much useful advice on this subject.)
You mentioned you were suffering from fatigue. Personally, I didn't experience this side - effect. See how it pans out over the next 2 - 3 weeks. It sounds like you have only very recently come off Seroxat, so this may be a factor.
I found that, because SJW is not quick-acting like, say, an aspirin, its effectiveness is not dependent upon what time of day you take it. What is important is that overall you take the right daily dosage and keep it regular.
Good luck,
Sheephead.
Posts: 27 | | Registered: Sun 29 Dec 2002 11:31 |
| | "Re(1):St Johns Wort post Seroxat (Paxil)" , Tue 29 Apr 08:30
Ok,
Yeah I have had the same reaction. I'm trying this regimen for a few days. I'm taking a couple droppers full of SJW at night. During the day I'm taking Rhodiola, and L-Tyrosine. I was having trouble sleeping at night for awhile and now taking the SJW at night seems to help sleep. But it is hard to get up. I also was a little ditsy from the SJW yesterday. I felt good but not very communicable. I havn't stuck with the SJW for a long period of time so this is how I'm going to do it until it's all gone basically. So as to experience the full effects.
Posts: 19 | | Registered: Sun 13 Apr 2003 1:44 |
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