Topic Title: St john's wort and clonazepam and more ?
| |  "St john's wort and clonazepam and more ?"
, Sun 29 Jan 10:40
Hello,
This is my first time posting here. I'm sorry of it's a bit lengthy but it's hard to communicate certain things via words only - so hopefully this will be helpfull instead of confusing ;)
I have been taking clonazepam for 4 years now to treat my anxiety – A low dose of .50 3-4 times a day. After 2 years (long story short ;) I managed to get my anxiety under control - IE it does not interfere with my life the way it once did. Afterwards, for the last 2 years or so, I have been what I would call mildly depressed. I do not cry, sleep all day or have suicidal thoughts - But my mood is quite unstable and I often feel unsatisfied with life and not able to truly enjoy many things it (life) has to offer. Again - This is the short version ;). Recently, a friend got into this "Melaleuca" company which sells "wellness" products. One of them was there version of ST-John's wort called "Luminex"...
http://www.melaleuca.com/ps/index.cfm?f=ps.productDetail&pid=2380&sCatId=126
My friend and a few others had tried the "luminex/st john’s wort" and found it wonderful. They all said that they felt calmer, happier and many things that used to bother them no longer did. I figured I would give it a shot, not to treat anything specific because none of them had anything specific but just to see how it made me feel. I asked a psychologist friend (who takes it himself) if SJW interacted with clonazepam and he said it did not. So I ordered some SJW and some super multivitamin thing haha and began taking them and of course continued taking my clonazepam.
It has been almost 3 weeks that I have been taking the SJW - And I do feel something - Though I'm not sure exactly what I'm feeling. I do feel "weller" or better in a sense - IE calmer and
less agitated - But at the same time - I keep feeling sort of sedated for lack of a better word - Or mildly "out of it". At the same time though, I feel more concentrated when it comes to certain things - Like reading and having to pay attention to something. The "out of it/sedated" feeling often comes when I'm not really doing anything - Relaxing. Also - I have been dreaming very vivid dreams - Seems like I dream all night.
As contradictive as this sounds - It seems be making me feel "Weller" - calmer - better - But at the same time "out of it". When I say out of it - I do not mean I cannot cross streets because I'm so gone I might be endangering myself haha - But just not "all there". Numbed out to a degree if you will. The only thing I can add to that is that I AM also taking these new multi vitamins and the only other symptoms that I can add is that my lower legs were a little tense/sore for a few days. This prob has nothing to do with SJW. That is the thing in this modern age - There are so many 'things' you can "take" and then once you do if you feel something odd that is not a positive it is very easy to search for answers in the wrong places or get the wrong idea because of all the views out there. At the end of the day, I am not a hypochondriac and I do not think that this is a placebo effect, but hey! - It very well may be...You never know I guess. The possibilities seem endless. I am still going to pick your brains though :)
I also JUST got out of a long term relationship - And I'm not sitting at home crying about it or that "shook up" but perhaps that is putting more emotional strain on me than I am aware of. I'm sure SJW is great but it can't cure everything hehe. I believe it is an interaction between the clonazepam and the SJW. One thing I have noticed is even though I feel generally calmer - My cloezepam is not working at the same level it used 2 - And I have read that SJW sometimes diminishes the effects of clonezepam. Again - I know this sounds contradictive because I say I feel generally calmer...But when I do get anxious it's MORE anxious than I have been in the last 2 years and I must immediately take clonazepam to alleviate it.
So my question/questions are. . . Do you think it is the clonazepam interacting with the SJW ? They both have sedative affects? Maybe they are combining? Do you think it's just the SJW and my system getting used to it? Could the new multivitains have something to do with it? Have I not been taking it long enough(SJW)? Please let me know what you think. I'm in no way looking for a "diagnosis" - Just some thoughts from those who have had experience with SJW.
Thank you - And be well.
GA
Posts: 0 | | Registered: Sun 29 Jan 2006 9:47 |
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| | "Re(1):St john's wort and clonazepam and more " , Sun 29 Jan 20:18
GA - you should play with the dosage of SJW. I am a really thin guy and very sensitive to anything I put in my body. I currently take 600 mg of SJW at very specific times. I have found that taking SJW in the morning makes me very very anxious. I deduced after only a week that I did not need any help in the AM... it's the afternoon and nights where I go downhill. I take 450mg at night and one 150mg pill between 3 and 5 pm. It really helps me not want to take a nap after work.
Anyways, I find that taking too much SJW for my body makes me feel weird. Anxious, a little numb, and out of it. I have finally discovered my perfect dosage and times and it's working beautifully. Maybe that's why you feel like your anxiety meds aren't working like they should... play with your dosages. Try to take it at times of the day when you feel most down. Try not to take it at times of the day which you need to focus 100%. I found that after 5-6 weeks the SJW any 'weird feeling' went away.
Posts: 1 | | Registered: Sun 29 Jan 2006 20:8 |
| | | "Forgot to mention" , Sun 29 Jan 20:20
Oh yeh I forgot to mention that the first couple weeks on SJW my dreams were insane. I have never dreamed like that before. Funny thing is despite the dreams I also felt like I hadn't slept that well in years. Weird dreams gone by 10 days.
Posts: 2 | | Registered: Sun 29 Jan 2006 20:8 |
| | | "Re(1):Forgot to mention" , Mon 30 Jan 00:26:
Hey Def,
I'm not very thin - I'm actually 5'7 - 220 pounds. Each capsule has 300 MG of St John's Wart + 15 mg of dried griffona seen. (Luminex from Melaleuca) - So I can't take 150 mg or 450 mg.
The directions are to take 1 capsule 3 times a day. At first I took 2 in the morning and 1 at night (I'm kinda busy so that way I don't miss...) but have been taking 1 in the AM and 2 at night for the last week.
The recomended dose seems to be 3 300 mg caps a day so I'm sticking with that I guess.
Thanks
GA
p.s - This forum is weeeeiirddd haha - It does not post replies by time posted...must be confusing for long threads.
[this message was edited by greyarea on Mon 30 Jan 00:27]
Posts: 3 | | Registered: Sun 29 Jan 2006 9:47 |
| | "Re(1):St john's wort and clonazepam and more " , Sun 29 Jan 14:40
These effects, I believe, are typical for almost all antidepressants. Calm feeling, numb, out-of-it, sedated feeling, & vivid dreams is common for all antidepressants. SJW is apparently a milder drug than most other antidepressants.
For profoundly depressed people, the numb, calm feeling is better than suffering all the time or committing suicide.
Posts: 25 | | Registered: Thu 7 Apr 2005 15:17 |
| | | "Re(2):St john's wort and clonazepam and more" , Sun 29 Jan 18:21:
Thanxx Jeremy - But I'm not saying SJW is what is "numbing" me out on it's own. I'm asking if it's possible that the SJW AND the clonazepam together are. I'm on .50 (low dose) of clonazepam 3-4 times a day - And just now taking SJW - So I'm wondering if there interacting and making me "numb'ish".
It's all in my initial post. I'm not profoundly depressed - And I know SJW is not for that anyways.
thanks
GA
[this message was edited by greyarea on Mon 30 Jan 00:28]
Posts: 3 | | Registered: Sun 29 Jan 2006 9:47 |
| | | "Re(3):St john's wort and clonazepam and more" , Wed 1 Feb 14:53
Well i do know for a fact that klonopin if taken daily will numb your emotions and feelings,
And id assume it would numb you more than the st johns wort, ive taken both
Posts: 3 | | Registered: Wed 25 Jan 2006 22:0 |
| | | "Re(4):St john's wort and clonazepam and more" , Wed 1 Feb 20:19
I take and have been taking 3-4 0.50 Klonopin for 4 years + now. It's a very low dose - People take 1.0 6 time a day or more.
The Klonopin never once made me feel hazy or numb...Not even in the beggining. Now...Taking SJW as well...I do. So no, it's not just the Klonopin, but possibly the SJW and the Klonopin together. That is what I asm trying to figure out. I actually find that I get more anxious quicker now - IE the klonoin is not working as well with the SJW inside me and i must take more klonopin to even it out.
It's soooo weird cause I do feel "weller" but at the same time...This numb slightly "out of it" feeling is there. it's almost as if I feel more and less concentrated at the same time lol. Also my mood is better - But it stays on one level. I dunno anymore..
GA
Posts: 4 | | Registered: Sun 29 Jan 2006 9:47 |
| | | "Re(5):St john's wort and clonazepam and more" , Sat 18 Feb 04:12
I am on klonopin, too.... about 0.75 mg - 1 mg right now... im in a phase of lowering the dosage...
and I wanna try SJW, and slowly remove Klonopin, because it is not a long-term solution for anxiety, just like as any other benzo. It just calms you down in the moment.
However, I am also concerned with interactions SJW + klonopin.... and I don't think there is any bad interactions.... Because they target different things in brain. SJW as an natural AD is playing with serotonin neurotransmission.... Klonopin as a syntetic benzo is stimulating the action of GABA receptors in CNS.
So there shouldn't be any bad interactions... I mean they do prescribe AD + benzos .... so why would natural AD + benzo be a problem?
Just my 0.02$
Posts: 1 | | Registered: Sat 18 Feb 2006 3:35 |
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