Topic Title: Just starting SJW-Have question please
| |  "Just starting SJW-Have question please"
, Sun 6 Nov 19:57:
I just started taking Enzymatic Therapy's St. John's Wort which is standardized for both 0.3% hypericin and 3% hyperforin. I got off Prozac 4 weeks ago because I believed it had stopped working over the course of two years (I took it 13 years altogether). I also have BFS (benign fasciculation syndrome) and the Prozac was making my muscle twitching worse. It is much improved without Prozac. I don't take any type of drug for BFS because I hate taking drugs as I am extremely sensitive to them.
I took my first 300 mg dose of SJW 24 hours ago, another 300 mg this morning, and 300 mg at 7 PM. I MIGHT have even taken another 300 mg an hour later. I can't remember because all of a sudden I feel so spacey that I just can't think straight,and I NEVER feel this way. I'm beginning to develop a headache and feel like my head is going to blast off my shoulders.
I am not taking any other prescription drugs, but do take a multi vitamin, alpha lipoic acid, calcium, magnesium, etc. I can't imagine that I am taking anything that would interact with SJW, however, I feel shaky, weak and so very spacey. I can almost say that I feel a bit breathless although by now it may just be panic setting in.
Has anyone else had a similar experience within 24 hours after beginning SJW? This is actually scary so my first reaction is not to take another dose. All of these symptoms I just described may be totally unrelated to SJW, but if anyone else has had a similar experience within a VERY SHORT TIME after beginning it, please respond. Let me know how long it took for you to get over this feeling.
Thanks!
Tex
P.S. AND I also have noticed that my stomach is burning. I am not nauseated, but I feel like I've got really bad heartburn although I have not eaten anything that would cause it. Can this feeling in my stomach be a reaction to SJW? :)
[this message was edited by TexasGirl on Sun 6 Nov 20:37]
Posts: 2 | | Registered: Sun 6 Nov 2005 15:27 |
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| | "Re(1):Just starting SJW-Have question please" , Mon 7 Nov 06:49
I, too, take Enzymatic Therapy, have used it for 8 years. Every so often I give myself a break. Once I start again, I take one pill per day for about a week, increase to 2 pills for another week, then finally 3. I always notice nausea, headaches, and sharp stabbing pains in my neck for the first few weeks. Symptoms disappear as I become accustomed to it. One more thing, I've always noticed I become even more depressed (for a period of about 4 days) before the St. John's finally kicks in.
Posts: 1 | | Registered: Mon 24 Oct 2005 7:4 |
| | | "Re(2):Just starting SJW-Have question please" , Mon 7 Nov 08:15
Janney,
How can you stand these side effects with SJW? When I started on Prozac 13 yrs ago, there were zero side effects and it turned my life around in a miraculous way. I wish it still worked, but it doesn't. It lost effectiveness with me over the last 2-3 years and I became convinced it aggravated a muscle twitching syndrome I have. So, I was willing to just get off of it and try something "natural".
The side effects I experienced last night and the ones that you mention that are periodically recurring, makes me ask the question "why would anyone take SJW"? I'm so new to this that I am hoping someone will come back and say after the intial side effects, I never experienced them again, and life just got better for me regarding my depression. It sounds as though that over 8 years, you have experienced varying side effects over and over. I can't stand the thought of nausea, headaches and "sharp stabbing pains" for a "few weeks". That is very scary to me.
I have read lots of success stories with SJW, but I absolutely am not willing to be almost sick for weeks in order to possibly experience a relief from my depression later on. Having that much sickness tells me that SJW might not be for me. My entire life would begin to revolve around symptom management which means that instead of experiencing an increasing quality of life, I would be have to experiment and tweak and observe every body reaction.
As you can see, I am trying to figure out if SJW can possibly be the right drug for me and am having strong doubts at this point.
I am going to take one 300 mg pill after I've given it about a 24 hour break and see what happens. I can plainly see that by following manufacturer's recommendations I have set myself up to feel worse than before I took SJW. Bad physical symptoms always create more depression in me, too. I'm really leary of this whole thing right now.
Thanks for your response, and I look forward to others. I know there are no guarantees in life, and I certainly don't expect people to come along and give me guarantees. But I do like to hear about side effects you've expeirenced, how severe they were, how long they lasted, etc., because it just gives me more information.
I'd also like to hear from others who just could not take SJW but found other natural remedies for depression and anxiety (just in case SJW is not going to work for me).
THANKS so much!
Tex
Posts: 2 | | Registered: Sun 6 Nov 2005 15:27 |
| | | "Re(3):Just starting SJW-Have question please" , Mon 7 Nov 10:34
The side effects don't last that long and once it kicks in, it's definitely worth it (I've been taking it for 8 years). It has made a huge difference in my life.
Posts: 2 | | Registered: Mon 24 Oct 2005 7:4 |
| | | "Re(4):Just starting SJW-Have question please" , Mon 7 Nov 10:39
That sounds encouraging.
Thanks!
Tex
Posts: 4 | | Registered: Sun 6 Nov 2005 15:27 |
| | "Re(1):Just starting SJW-Have question please" , Mon 7 Nov 01:20:
You might eliminate the sjw, then try a minimal dose, increasing as tolerated. Yes, I think your symptoms are side effects of sjw.
I had a myriad of side effects with sjw, most of which disappeared on their own over time. I ramped up to the recommended 900 mg. dose, with some experimentation found that 300 to 600 mg. with ginkgo biloba worked better for me. Had I started off at a full dose I feel the headaches, heart palpitations, spaciness etc. I experienced would have been much more severe, probably intolerable.
Many people seem to have few or no side effects, but others are not so fortunate. I think it is much safer to error on the side of caution and start off with a very minimal dose, gradually increasing as tolerated, than to start off at a full dose and possibly have potentially unpleasant or dangerous side effects. Because there are those who will have side effects, some very unpleasant, I feel it is irresponsible of manufacturers to recommend starting off at a full dose, but this is what those, of whom I am aware, do.
[this message was edited by FMacKay on Mon 7 Nov 01:31]
Posts: 75 | | Registered: Sat 7 May 2005 17:9 |
| | | "Re(2):Just starting SJW-Have question please" , Mon 7 Nov 08:24
FMacKay,
Thanks for your response. I have read lots of comments from you and they are always rational, sensible, and well-researched. I already value your input without even knowing you. As you can tell from a reply to another person, I am really bothered by the number of side effects and the length of time they last before resolution.
Maybe I'm looking for magic, but I was hoping SJW would work much like Prozac originally worked for me. No side effects of any kind, couldn't even tell I was taking it, and then "zing" it worked and kept working for many years.
I just can't imagine taking something that pretty much guarantees headaches, heart palps, shakiness, etc. for possibly weeks. In fact, even days of that would be worse than my depression.
I'm going to get off SJW for 24 hours (or more) and then begin again with one 300 mg dose. I guess by the side effects I've experienced, I might be able to assume that at least I am using a potent brand, Enzymatic Therapy. Maybe I am wrong, but if this was not a fully standardized and fully potent herb, then I might not experience side effects??? A strange way to look at it, but I am trying to find a positive to this.
Thanks again for your response.
Tex
Posts: 3 | | Registered: Sun 6 Nov 2005 15:27 |
| | | "Re(3):Just starting SJW-Have question please" , Thu 17 Nov 07:49
Have been forced to go to HBC protocols St Johns Wort which I'm taking with their 5 HTP. Side effects quite bad even though I'm taking a very low dose. First two days I didn't sleep till 4am because of insomnia. So only taking the dose in the mornings now. Day 3 was better and felt quite good at times. Got a decent nights sleep. Today day 4 has been hard. Hit 2pm and have been feeling very spacy, head heavy, tired, anxious and uncomfortable. I hope these side effects dissapear soon and I too am getting slightly concerned about this.
Posts: 4 | | Registered: Thu 1 Jul 2004 7:36 |
| | | "Re(4):Just starting SJW-Have question please" , Thu 17 Nov 17:51
Have you tried taking either sjw or 5-htp alone? I'd start with one or the other, not both, to try to see what is causing the side effects. It might take a couple few days to see any results of discontinuation, maybe less.
Posts: 79 | | Registered: Sat 7 May 2005 17:9 |
| | | "Re(5):Just starting SJW-Have question please" , Fri 18 Nov 02:26
I took the SJW alone for the first 2 days and was getting the discomfort and insomnia. So it's definitely the SJW. That doesn't mean that I'm not reacting to the 5HTP also.
Have had two good nights sleep the last 2 nights. I've been taking the dose in the mornings so perhaps much of it is out of my system by the envening. Today I feel tired and muggy. Difficult to concentrate, although it is only 10.20 am yet so have the rest of the day.
The thing is that I took amoryn that has SJW and 5HTP for over a year with excellent results. So I know that that combination does work for me. Why I seem to be reacting like this to the HBC type of SJW I don't know. ANy ideas? Hopefully, after a few more days the side effects will disappear and it will start working.
Posts: 5 | | Registered: Thu 1 Jul 2004 7:36 |
| | | "Re(6):Just starting SJW-Have question please" , Fri 18 Nov 17:57
The proportions of sjw/5-htp in Amoryn may be different than you are taking now. You might check an old Amoryn label, or browse their website, to see what amounts of Saint John's Wort/5-htp their product contains, and adjust your dosage to something similar. Amoryn may use a different Saint John's Wort extract than HBC -- I emailed Amoryn a few days ago and asked specifically which extract they used. They referred me to some information on their website that didn't answer my question, so don't know if that may be a factor or not. You must be feeling frustrated.
Posts: 80 | | Registered: Sat 7 May 2005 17:9 |
| | | "Re(7):Just starting SJW-Have question please" , Sat 19 Nov 03:16
FMackay - yes! I went through a bad week but this was 3-4 weeks ago so I've got used to the change. I'm failry sure I've made the doses of the HBC the same as the Amoryn (I am now taking less because of the side effects). I too have wondered what SJW extract they use but have been unable to find out. I asked them a couple of times how I could recreate their combination using other products and they have evaded the question. I wonder whether they use the same extract as Perika since they compare amoryn to perika on their website and state that the main difference between them is that Amoryn has more hyperforin - rather than being a different extract. Perhaps I'm reaching.
Posts: 7 | | Registered: Thu 1 Jul 2004 7:36 |
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