Posted by barbaracat on January 1, 2005, at 18:09:23
In reply to Re: St. John's success and some thoughts » barbaracat, posted by KaraS on January 1, 2005, at 13:51:16
> So SJW provides a normal kind of balanced motivation as part of a complete antidepressant response for you.
**Yes, it's not a speedy kind of drive that I experienced from some ADs.
>>Have you ever tried any SSRIs? If so, did they give you that same kind of response?
**Oh, yes. I've been on all of them, SSRIs, tricyclics, atypicals, mood stabilizers, Lamictal. Some of them, like Wellbutrin and Lamictal made me feel hyper. Not the same thing as motivation which is for me, energy combined with interest. Some SSRI's made me feel more motivated as an overall response to feeling better, but I can't say the feeling was ever one of peacefulness. It was a more tight feeling inside and I had jaw and muscular tension..
>I know that SJW is not an SSRI but I've read that it's effects can be predominantly serotonergic.
**Recent studies show that it affects all three, plus GABA. I have not noticed any sense of apathy at all, like I did with SSRIs. Emotions are appropriate responses. I can still cry with emotions, unlike when I was on SSRIs. The symptom relief/effect feels very different than on SSRIs. I never felt 'happy' or 'lightness of spirit' from SSRIs, more just an absence of suffering.
**How did you not tolerate the Perika and Jarrow? As I wrote earlier, I had a hard time with Perika too. It felt like an SSRI and was having some destabilizing bipolar effects from it, like I would if I were taking a real SSRI. This HBC Protocols stuff along with the Flora feels totally different to me. Part of it may be that Perika and Kira and most of the brands out there use only hyperforin extract, thinking that's the active component. Maybe it's effective but only targets certain transmittors, or however it works. HBC has another extract as well which may have a different target. Flora brand is a full-spetrum extract from flowers infused in olive oil. I really do need both brands and I truly cannot tolerate anything that acts like a SSRI because of my bipolar disorder. St. John's also has had no effect on my sexual response. If anything, I'm finally enjoying it since I'm not in constant angst these days.
I'll bet that SJW works best when the whole plant is present at some level. You need the active components in a high enough dose, but you also need the living stuff too. I can only say what works for me, but I do say it should be hyperforin > 4%, hypericin >0.3% and a full-spectrum booster instead of a single extract brand.
Remember, I'm also taking lithium which I could not do without, and fish oil. These three are important for my health. I don't do as well without any of these three. I'm also working on balancing all my hormones as well, so it's not just the SJW alone that's made the difference. But I tell you, just looking at my husband's response and I know it's doing something. Happy New Year, Kara. Looking forward to a year that's gotta be a whole lot better than 2004. - Barbara
poster:barbaracat
thread:435452
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20050101/msgs/436476.html