St. john's wort and Irritability: What Users Say

• Bel...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 23, 2019

For Depression "I started with 250 mg per day using Karmamood and noticed a positive difference fairly quickly with my moderate depression. I carried on for a few weeks and after reading many reviews, I figured I would go up to the 425 mg version of the same brand as it seemed like I was really under-dosing in comparison to others. Unfortunately, this just seemed to be too strong, and I noticed a major increase in irritability. I have now switched back to the lower dose with good results. For reference, I seem to have stronger reactions to caffeine and other stimulants than most, so this may be a factor, but who knows."

• ogo...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 29, 2020

For Depression "I was disappointed that St. John's Wort didn't work for me. I took 300 mg capsules 3X daily for, I'm not sure if it was a full year, but at least 6 months min. I wanted to really give it a good try and hoped it would work for mild depression and SAD. This was 10 years ago. It didn't lift my moods, in fact, in hindsight, I realize now that if anything it only made me more irritable in my situation at the time, and all I got out of it was an unexpected, very *nasty* painful sunburn on a cloudy day at the beach the first day of summer. I wonder if the 'recommended' dose was too high for me, but I was eager for results. I still struggle with depression, worsening as I age (hormonal decline which docs won't treat, now with terrible insomnia for over a year), but I'm not keen to try this herb again. I've since tried countless other nutritional, pharmaceutical, herbal, lifestyle, and behavioral suggestions that have not worked well for me. I don't know what else to do."

• Mic...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 16, 2018

For Depression "Please do not take this with other medications, especially prescribed medications, until speaking with your doctor. SJW has helped me with my depression. For some, the effects take time, but me, I felt the effects right away. I started with just taking one 300 mg tablet each day, and now I take it twice a day. I noticed a major difference in my irritability. SJW doesn't interact well with some medications, for example, birth control. Please do your research and/or speak to a doctor before taking this. Can be dangerous if taken with the wrong medicine."

• ani...
• June 11, 2017

For Depression "I have dealt with moderate to severe depression on and off since my early 20s (I'm now almost 40). I have tried several antidepressants and found Zoloft was the only med that worked, so I remained on a dose of 100 mg for almost 10 years. I did try to wean myself off on 3 separate occasions, as I no longer wanted to be on pharmaceutical drugs, but every time I had terrible withdrawal symptoms. I finally decided to try St. John's Wort instead. I have been on 900 mg daily for close to 1 year. St. John's Wort was helpful in combating the withdrawal symptoms I continued to have even weeks after discontinuing the Zoloft, but I continue to have mild depressed mood with irritability. I am going to stop St. John's Wort and try 5-HTP."

• SJW...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 14, 2021

For Depression "I have been using St. John's Wort (SJW) for years to help me with PMS symptoms that have become challenging as the years go by. My symptoms right around the ovulation period are more emotional in nature and include irritability, uncharacteristic emotional responses, anger, and other disruptive emotional symptoms. Up to 3 pills per day are allowed, but I am fine with one capsule taken in the AM. I take SJW all of the time, but really only need it for the time just before my menstrual cycle. When my anger, irritability, or my overly emotional responses are more intense, I have taken 2 pills (AM/PM before bed). I tried taking SAM-e as recommended by my gynecologist, but that was absolutely no help whatsoever. I would recommend SJW to anyone who is safe to use it (if you take antidepressants, you can't take it; also, understanding the nature of your symptoms helps, too. I recommended it to someone with a lot of anxiety, and it made her anxiety worse.)"