08/11/01
Glad to see you aren´t the only person who realises being "a bit down" doesnt mean you´re actually "depressed ". Good op, though I wouldn´t recommend this herb to anyone personally (for reasons I gave in my own op on St. Johns Wort and so won´t repeat!) Nothing wrong with taking SSRIs either - no-one is judgemental if you take iron tablets or antibiotics, so I don´t see why some people are if you are on antidepressants . If you have a true problem, surely it´s best to sort it out rather than think it´ll go away by itself. Good for you! Kitten

17/03/01
Hi, a good op. St Johns Wort is only ever recommended for mild to moderate depression, and never ever for severe depression and anyone who suggests substituting it for medication such as Prozac needs telling otherwise. redirect them to me and I can send them some of the entries in the BMJ! Im a medical student, but I take a personal interest in this issue because my mum has been on tricyclics since before I was born, and I am very aware of the inevitability of myself suffering depression. I have had some quite serious bouts and I have tried St Johns Wort and whereas it hasnt made my life a bundle of joy, it has taken away the worst feelings of despair and isolation and the terrible bleakness, to allow myself to work at helping myself. Some recent clinical trials have found it to be as effective as some treatments for mild to moderate depression. But another great thing about St Johns Wort is the antiviral and antibacterial properties of hypericum plant its made from! Your immune system seriously becomes much stronger, and theres less of them sniffles which is great during the winter sitting in a lecture theatre full of coughing runny nosed people! :-) Dont despair, Prozac has had bad press for all the wrong users - from those who abuse it. OK, end of rant :-) Cheers, Jude

24/11/00
Excellent opinion. I'm currently on Lustral for a chemically balanced depression. I'm not a life-long depressive. According to my doctor, my very large baby and the very difficult pregnancy she caused is the cause of my depression. She took so much out of me that she left my body lacking in levels of chemicals that normally keep you balanced. Thankfully I've realised, after 2 years of misery, what the problem is and went to see the GP. He's put me on Lustral, and while it does take a couple of weeks to get going, I can feel the effects already. I'm calmer and not so angry. Thankfully, unless recent circumstances have turned me into a nutcase :>, the Lustral will correct the imbalance permanently and within a year I will be back to something near Me. I did suggest St John's Wort, but as you so rightly say, he said it's not strong enough. There is a difference between long term depression and short term depression.