Celexa or St John's Wort for depression/anxiety?

[Autumnx1003]

Hello All,

Because I am getting so weary with these anxious and now depressed feelings lately (even thinking about some of my favorite things is not making me happy anymore), I am seriously considering medication.  This will be my first time with prescription meds.  My doctor has prescribed an initial 6 day dose of 20mg Celexa, moving up to 40mg thereafter.  Personally, I think 40mg will be bit too much for me, considering that I'm the type of gal that can take 1 200mg Advil and feel relief or drink one beer and dance on the table :)  

So---for those of you who take/have taken Celexa, what has been your experience?  Has it helped...has it made things worse...please share both the good and the bad....

Also, anyone had any luck with St John's Wort?  If I thought there was some way to relieve my feelings with a supplement I would be way more interested in trying it than the Celexa.  

Please share your experiences...also, if you have any depression experiences I would love to hear them as well.  This depression is a new territory for me, and I feel more concerned about it than the anxiety sometimes :(

[jlw1253]

Back in the 80's after my dad died I started to take Black Cohash and St Johns Wort and it was great.  Took a month to start working but one day I caught my self whistling.  I had a friend that also took it during Menopause.  I am on Celexa and want to get off of it, it causes weight gain and I am going to try the herb route instead

[Paxiled]

Careful with that black cohosh -- it is estrogenic, and if you don't need that, it's unlikely to have any effect at all on depression.  There are a lot of supplements and herbs that do, but not sure that's one of them.  Also, don't quit the Celexa quickly, you have to taper off of it as slowly as you need to.  Peace.

[Hensley258]

Ricardo, have you tried that new B-12 transdermal patch that's out now?

You can now purchase it online. It's supposed to be great because like a B-12 shot, this patch delivers it directly to the blood streem.

A lot of people that used to get B-12 shots are now using this patch rather than having to get a shot from the doc.

I take B-12 oral suppliments, but I have a strong feeling that much of it is not being absorbed. This patch eliminates that issue.

I think I'm going to order some this weekend and try it.

Also, do you think it's safe for me to take SAM-e and Ginkgo-Bilova with my Tri-cyclic AD?

[Autumnx1003]

Thanks for your response :)

[RicardoODurnin]

I agree 100% with Hensley258, after more than three years of trying different medications with out success I look into herbal medicine and after talking it over whith my P doctor I added "SAM-e", "fish oil", "Ginkgo Bilova" and "B12 Vitamin" to my prescription (Zoloft 200 mg), he actually prescribe me 300 mg but like Hensley258 said some doctors like to raise the dosage to much or to fast.
I started the herbal about to month ago and this last month I finally could start working, my case is so severe that not to leave my bed or even take a shower for a month was normal.
I'm really happy that I look into herbal meds but please do not take anything with out talking to your doctor first, even over the counter stuff can harm you.

[Hensley258]

The only way to really know if the Wort will work for you is to try it. Just don't use it while taking your Celexa. My doc once told me the Wort doesn't mix well with SSRI meds like Celexa. Combining the two can cause blood pressure problems.

In my case St John's Wort did nothing for me. Probably because my Depression and Anxiety were off the scale severe. It may work for you if your depression and anxiety are of a mild to moderate level. From your description is sounds as if your depression is not so out of control that your symptoms have rendered you "Non-functional." This leads me to beleive that the Wort may just provide you with enough theraputic effect to do the job.

Also, As long as your depression is not at a dangerous level, then I see no harm with staying at 20Mgs of Celexa for at least the next 6 to 8 weeks before deciding to ramp it up. If your as sensitive to medication as you say, then I fear ramping up to 40 so fast may be over kill for you and cause worse side effects.

My motto is, "only take as much as is needed to do the job." It will be a full 6 weeks at 20 before you can guage the effectiveness of that dosage anyway. If no response is realized at 20mgs after 6 weeks, then bump up to 40 a day.

Some doctors really like to ramp up too fast on this stuff. If your new to AD meds, then I think a slower more cautious approach is always the best way. Obviously, if your depressive and anxiety symptoms are at Mach 10 overdrive, and you literally feel like you brain is pouring from your head, than absolutly ramp up fast. If your not in a major crisis mode though, then you may want to go slow. Your doctor should respect that decision.