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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by sl on April 30, 2002, at 16:47:49
Hi!
I'm on Wellbutrin (IR) longterm.
I've been very stressed out lately and crabby and probs sleeping, and I have some St John's Wort on hand, so I thought I'd try it and see if it helps at all. But obviously I don't want to damage myself.
Anyone know if there's any adverse interaction between the two?Reading the other thread about others suffering my dain bramage, I'm also curious if there's any known interaction between WB IR and Ginkgo Biloba. ;)
Thanks!
sl
Posted by paxvox2000 on April 30, 2002, at 18:03:40
In reply to Wellbutrin and St John's Wort?, posted by sl on April 30, 2002, at 16:47:49
There is quite a bit of info in the archieves on this board about what you are asking. But as a general rule, I've heard it said that one should NOT take SJW along with any prescibed AD med. I don't know that it would cause REAL problems, but may cause one or the other not to work correctly. On the other hand, different AD meds are often combined in therapy, so go figure. Check with the info on the German government herbal "E Commission" (?). The German government, to my knowledge it the only major government to study herbal remedies to eany great extent. Their data is scientifically based.
PAX
Posted by Cindylou on May 1, 2002, at 19:08:10
In reply to Wellbutrin and St John's Wort?, posted by sl on April 30, 2002, at 16:47:49
Hi SL,
At one point I met with a clinical nutritionist who wanted me to try St. John's Wort. She said, however, that I would need to be off all meds for at least 6 weeks before starting it. My pdoc verified this, because St. John's Wort has MAOI properties, and MAOIs + other meds don't mix.I only tried the SJW for a couple days, because it made me quite fatigued. My pdoc said it's really like taking an actual med, just a bit milder (and not as well-researched by the FDA.)
Take care,
cindy> Hi!
>
> I'm on Wellbutrin (IR) longterm.
> I've been very stressed out lately and crabby and probs sleeping, and I have some St John's Wort on hand, so I thought I'd try it and see if it helps at all. But obviously I don't want to damage myself.
> Anyone know if there's any adverse interaction between the two?
>
> Reading the other thread about others suffering my dain bramage, I'm also curious if there's any known interaction between WB IR and Ginkgo Biloba. ;)
>
> Thanks!
>
> sl
Posted by terra miller on May 2, 2002, at 16:54:18
In reply to Wellbutrin and St John's Wort?, posted by sl on April 30, 2002, at 16:47:49
hi, sl.
i've not tried sjw. here's what helps me sometimes, when i make myself do it. :-)
when i get stressed and agitated (you know how the well. does that anyway), when it just seems to have mounted too far then i take a benzo and it mellows me down. don't know why my body works like that but it does so i go with it. i take .5 xanax once and i may not have to do this trick again for a week or 4 weeks.
i also make myself take a sleeping med (ambien) once a week because of my tendency to fight sleep. the less i sleep, the crabbier i get. it seems to be what i need to not become too agitated.
hope that was somewhat helpful.
i also try to "talk" myself into staying calm, but that's not that effective. :-) and i try to stay off of the caffeine.
take care,
terrap.s. also on wellbutrin i.r. alone, for the longhaul.
Posted by sl on May 2, 2002, at 19:35:11
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin and St John's Wort? » sl, posted by terra miller on May 2, 2002, at 16:54:18
I have a vague memory of you, you're a long-timer in Psycho-Babble! Hello again!
However, my doc doesn't believe in giving me anything even remotely habit-forming. *sigh*
So no options like that. The only thing she was willing to give me was that one anti-anxiety med with the weird name I can't remember cuz there's SO MUCH I can't remember...anyway the side-effects were intolerable. :/I do limit my caffiene (generally one soda/day) cuz otherwise it interferes with sleep, and when there's any motivation or energy I do yoga and that helps somewhat (but I have to have the energy to do it!)
Any other ideas...?
sl> hi, sl.
>
> i've not tried sjw. here's what helps me sometimes, when i make myself do it. :-)
>
> when i get stressed and agitated (you know how the well. does that anyway), when it just seems to have mounted too far then i take a benzo and it mellows me down. don't know why my body works like that but it does so i go with it. i take .5 xanax once and i may not have to do this trick again for a week or 4 weeks.
>
> i also make myself take a sleeping med (ambien) once a week because of my tendency to fight sleep. the less i sleep, the crabbier i get. it seems to be what i need to not become too agitated.
>
> hope that was somewhat helpful.
>
> i also try to "talk" myself into staying calm, but that's not that effective. :-) and i try to stay off of the caffeine.
>
> take care,
> terra
>
> p.s. also on wellbutrin i.r. alone, for the longhaul.
Posted by terra miller on May 2, 2002, at 23:00:11
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin and St John's Wort?, posted by sl on May 2, 2002, at 19:35:11
hi. ahhhh, yes. the "dreaded" anti-anxiety med. (we both tried it about the same time and then we both got off of it about the same time because the side effects were a MESS!)
does your doc let you have any sleeping meds at all? (ie: your habit forming comment) ambien isn't supposed to be habit forming, but don't know what your doc might think.
so, if you can't do the med route to reduce the edge, then this helps me somewhat (though it's mildly helpful, because the agitation from the well. really gets me sometimes) i try to carve out more time in my life for me then i'm comfortable doing. i hate it, but it always helps. (at first i think i am throwing away valuable working hours, in the evening or even in the middle of the day.) and i like to brew chamomile tea strong and drink it- during the day over ice, or warm in the evening. that calms me down some.
i tried zoloft once early on, which did calm me down but it numbed me out too much and my therapy came to a productive halt. since i'd rather make progress and not be in therapy my whole life, i just stay on the wellbutrin alone.
i wish i knew of something else besides suggesting an occasional benzo. my pdoc's got me on a short leash in that he writes minimal prescriptions that i have to see him to get renewed (he was reluctant to let me go on xanax, too) but since i use it sparingly, i never even come close to using all the refills. i wonder, if that's what you wanted to try, if you could suggest some sort of compromise like that with your doc which makes your doc feel more in control??? just a thought.
take care
~terra
Posted by sl on May 2, 2002, at 23:54:25
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin and St John's Wort? » sl, posted by terra miller on May 2, 2002, at 23:00:11
Well, I thought I'd just go in and tell her I've been crabby and irritable and downright violent and see what she says.
She was very very vehement about the no-habitforming-meds rule before...and the LAST thing in the world I need is to get on her "Drug-Seeking Behavior" list, if I'm not already on it for suggesting Klonopin before.
She said Ambien can be habit-forming. *shrug* End of story, whether it is or not, she believes it is and as such won't prescribe it for me. She gave me Seroquel. And then I went off the stuff that was interfering with my sleep anyway (Wellbutrin SR). So I sleep. Badly I guess (cuz I wake up not-well-rested) but I do sleep.
sl
Posted by terra miller on May 3, 2002, at 15:51:08
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin and St John's Wort?, posted by sl on May 2, 2002, at 23:54:25
good grief. can you get another doc?!
have you ever tried serzone? or trazadone? neither are habit forming that i know of, and both can help you sleep at night.
i'm thinking this is just one more thing that you don't need.
take care,
~terra
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