St. john's wort and Panic Attacks: What Users Say

• All...
• April 23, 2017

For Depression "I have suffered from depression and anxiety for years and planned on seeing someone for help. I wanted to explore more manageable and convenient (not to mention less costly) forms of help first. I was skeptical as I was constantly having panic attacks, heaviness in my chest, as well as obsessive thoughts which seemed to take control of my reality. I took this for the first time when I was at work, obsessing about aspects of my life, and accepted that it may or may not work. About 10-15 minutes later, I noticed a weight off of my chest, I was not obsessing in my head, and I just felt more balanced overall with my mood. I say it is worth a try if you are struggling within yourself (also get help if this does not work). Good luck!"

• MDa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 20, 2019

For Depression "I took SJW twice daily for three+ months after my doctor recommended it as an alternative to anti-depressants (I have mood instability and SAD). After a couple of months taking it regularly, I became gradually more anxious. I thought it was other stressors at the time, but eventually the anxiety was worse than it has ever been in my life, and I eventually began experiencing panic attacks and developing panic disorder and mild agoraphobia. It was very disturbing and affected me for about six months afterward. I was told by my doctor that sometimes people respond this way to SSRIs (that it ends up increasing rather than decreasing their anxiety.) Please be careful! It’s herbal, but it certainly affected me."

• MDa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 20, 2019

For Depression "I took SJW twice daily for three+ months after my doctor recommended it as an alternative to anti-depressants (I have mood instability and SAD). After a couple of months taking it regularly, I became gradually more anxious. I thought it was other stressors at the time, but eventually the anxiety was worse than it has ever been in my life, and I eventually began experiencing panic attacks and developing panic disorder and mild agoraphobia. It was very disturbing and affected me for about six months afterward. I was told by my doctor that sometimes people respond this way to SSRIs (that it ends up increasing rather than decreasing their anxiety.) Please be careful! It’s herbal, but it certainly affected me."

• hap...
• February 8, 2018

For Depression "I suddenly started thinking about life and death and about the meaning of this world, etc. I suffered from panic attacks and a bunch of phobias showed up. I started realizing that I might be suffering from moderate to borderline severe depression. I didn’t want to see the psychiatrist because I didn’t want to talk about my feelings. I didn’t recognize myself and couldn’t enjoy anything in life. So, I started taking it out on binge eating and gained 30 lbs in two months. I started with holy basil tea, and that seemed to help me with the panic attacks. However, the sadness and pessimism were still in me. Then I started taking valerian every late afternoon to tranquilize myself from anxiety. Then I found out about St. John's wort. I started drinking three cups a day of the St. John's wort tea because I read that tea gives almost immediate results compared to capsules. On the third day, I noticed that I was able to sleep through the night without the valerian, and in the morning, I was waking up happy."

• Bad...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 13, 2021

For Depression "I wanted this to work for anxiety, but it had the opposite effect on me and gave me an intense panic attack. A stranger asked if I needed him to call 911. I could barely talk (stuttering), heart racing, hyperventilating. It was terrible. Never took St. John's Wort again."

• Ash...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 13, 2017

For Depression "I am a 27 y/o female, have been battling depression and anxiety for a few years now. As I transition into a nurse, I decided that enough is enough, I can't keep living my life with this anxiety and unhappiness. St. John's Wort works okay. I didn't notice a huge change in my mood. I was a little happier, but not much. The anxiety was still the same. The biggest change I noticed was that it made it easier for me to talk to people. I have social anxiety really bad. The reason I decided to stop taking it is because one night I had super bad anxiety, so I took a Xanax, and it COMPLETELY CANCELED OUT the effect of my Xanax. I went into a full-blown panic attack and had to call into work. This drug has a lot of interactions with other meds. I will be going on an SSRI."

• Bar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 22, 2021

For Depression "It gave me a panic attack the first few times I took SJW, I powered through each time. No panic attacks since then, and I do feel my depression getting slightly better. I am only on day 4 of SJW."