St John's Wort

[camismom]

I have been looking into SJW for depression.... I see that one of it's side effects is sensitivity to sunlight. Has anyone found this to be true and to what extent/how bad? We spend quite a bit of time in the sun on dh's boat in the spring and summer months.

[AnneM]

Hi Christy ... this always concerned me with Sam as well ... but I am happy to say that this really has not proved to be a big deal at all ... Sam still tans up easily and well in the sun and happily survives our extremely HOT summer holidays in Spain where he is in the sun a lot in a climate that his skin is not generally "used to" ... (& he only needs the same sunscreen factor he has always used) ...

The ONLY thing I do notice though is that sometimes he finds a bright and low sun shining straight at us in the car or whatever can make his eyes more watery than probably it should do ... although any of us can find that hard on the eyes!!

[camismom]

Well, Cami for some reason has always burned easily. I am the opposite... so I'm not sure where that comes from... maybe my red-headed dad? Anyway, I just don't want to make it worse for her... but we'll just have to wait and see.

[Renee]

I took St. John's Wort for several months and never noticed any increased problems from the sun and I have super-sensitive red-head skin (I burn in 15 minutes without sunscreen). I have actually known several people that take SJW and no one has never mentioned the sun being a problem. I only hear them say how it is helping both their depression, and in some cases, their ADHD. So I'd say try it and just keep an eye on her.

Also, remember that it takes 4-6 weeks for it to get into the system and start making a noticible difference (just ike the meds) so be prepared to stay on it faithfully for that time frame. Also, make sure you are taking one that has the 900 mg of hypericin standardized to .3% hypericin as the daily dose as this is the phytochemical that is active and is the basis for all the research. Also, try to find out as much as you can about the manufacturer as you want to make sure you are taking a brand that has been grown without herbicides of fungicides as these cannot be removed and will remain in the plant in concentrated amounts once it is dried. I can give you advice on brands if you email me.

[camismom]

Thanks Renee! That is good info! I bought Cami's SJW at GNC.... I bought 500 mgs at the store clerk's suggestion, to start her on a lower dose first and increase if need be. Shows how much they know, huh? I'll have to get back with you on the brand later.. I'm at work now. At any rate, she forgot to take it New Year's eve (in all the hoopla with the night) then forgot to take it to her dad's Saturday, so she has already missed a few nights. The psch she saw last week mentioned Lexepro but no presc. She is to see him again next Tuesday. I still have my reservations though... not to mention SJW is much cheaper.

[rosierobinross]

I have never noticed any sun sensitivity and I take it. I live in Portugal so get allot of sun. I've never noticed any difference and I am quite fair skinned. Not something I would worry very much about as I think if there is some sensitivity it is quite mild. We all use sunscreen anyway so just make sure she always has protection.

[camismom]

I keep seeing the 900 mgs mentioned. What I got Cami is 500. I was told to start low and build up if needed. What happens if they get less than the 900?

[Renee]

Everything I have seen on SJW says that it needs 900 mg of hypericin to be effective. That is what all the clinical studies done on SJW use.My guess would be that you would see little or no effect on less as it just may be too low for the body to have a response.

Unfortunately, most people that work in health food stores are merely clerks with no actual training in nutrition. There are some herbs where building up the amount might me helpful (I can't acutally think of one, tho), but that is really more an approach with meds than herbs. Unfortunately, I would think that you just won't see any results.

A bigger question to me is why a company would formulate a lower dose. They have obviously not done their scientific research, or have ignored it, so I would question the integrity of any of their products. Even worse, I would wonder if they have any safety testing measures in place to make sure the raw ingredients aren't contaminated. There have been many reports of ecoli and salmonella being found in products. This happens because the products weren't throughly tested and screened prior to manufacture. The company that I buy from tests every batch of raw ingredients and rejects many as they are contaminated. Those rejected batches are sent back to the supplier and sold to less discerning companies. That's why I think it is important to find out about the manufacturer of the products you take. That is not something the clerk in the health food store will know either. You need to do that research yourself or rely on someone's info you can trust. Email me if you want more info - [e-mail]

[camismom]

Thanks Renee! I think I'll throw out that bottle and go get some more at 900 mgs. Which "brand" do you recommend?

[Renee]

The brand I get isn't sold in stores. So, email me and I'll give you some info on sources. [e-mail]

[catatonic]

Christy, you might want to go ahead and use up what you bought. (Why waste money?) The best known and most well-designed study of St. John's Wort, which compared it head-to-head with Prozac in treating moderate depression, used 500mg daily divided into 2 doses of 250mg:

"...a 6-week, double-blind trial of 240 people with mild to moderate depression that compared St. John's wort (250 mg twice daily of a 4–7:1 alcohol extract) to fluoxetine (Prozac) at the standard dose of 20 mg daily.31 The results showed that St. John's wort was at least as effective as Prozac, and caused fewer and less severe side effects."
International Clinical Psychopharmacology, Jan 2000

The standard dose (for an adult) is 900mg daily, but lower doses may be effective, as the research above demonstrates, and I personally believe in starting slow to be safe. What I've taken for depression and found remarkably effective, in keeping with clinical studies that show it works faster and more gently than meds, is SAM-e. It's fairly expensive, but pretty amazing stuff. If St. John's Wort doesn't suit you, you might want to take a look at SAM-e.

[camismom]

Thanks Cat... that is good to know.

[Renee]

This is interesting information, catatonic. I wonder if there is any difference in milligrams when it is in an alcohol extract compared with the powdered capsule form, since I always see additional info that it should be standardized to .3% hypericin. Did it mention the standardization % for this study?

Although I am the last one to want to waste anything, there is always the extra component of contamination with herbs particularly. So I still think it is wise to investigate the company's testing and safety measures to assure yourself that the product will be both safe and effective. The last thing you want is to introduce heavy metals or harmful bacteria into the system. Ideally you would do this prior to purchasing a product, but later is better than not at all.

Here is a link to an article that gives some pros and cons on SJW and some things to watch for. www.siu.edu/~ebl/leaflets/sjw.htm This might be helpful.

[camismom]

The brand of SJW I bought is GNC's brand.... I trust their products so I'm not real worried about that.