Can anyone tell me if it is ok to take St John's Wort or will it worsen the rls??
Thankyou. Betty
St John's Wort
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Polar Bear
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ViewsAskew
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I don't think I've heard of worsening with it, but everyone is so different.
I have taken it, though, and not had problems. Just my experience.
I have taken it, though, and not had problems. Just my experience.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest
Managing Your RLS
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.
Managing Your RLS
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.
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SquirmingSusan
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Hi Betty,
I used to take SJW, but my doctor totally freaked out when I told her. It interacts with just about every drug there is. I studied this a lot, because I thought my doctor must be absolutely nuts to react like that - it's not necessarily a bad drug reaction, but it induces the CYP450 (or whatever) system, meaning that it causes drugs to be metabolized more quickly - so whatever meds you're on, you'll need more of them to be effective. And if you then quit taking the SJW, you could overdose on the other meds... (It seems like grapefruit is similar in how it interacts with meds.)
Other than that, it can be beneficial to RLS, according to Dr. B. It has some effect on dopamine... I stopped taking it because it wasn't working for my depression, and because I'm on so many prescriptions. It's hard enough to get enough opioids to cover my symptoms without taking something that makes my body chew through the opioids faster.
I hope that makes some sense. There are drug interaction checkers at websites like Drugs.com. Plug it in there with the other meds that you take and see what it says.
I hope that helps.
Susan
I used to take SJW, but my doctor totally freaked out when I told her. It interacts with just about every drug there is. I studied this a lot, because I thought my doctor must be absolutely nuts to react like that - it's not necessarily a bad drug reaction, but it induces the CYP450 (or whatever) system, meaning that it causes drugs to be metabolized more quickly - so whatever meds you're on, you'll need more of them to be effective. And if you then quit taking the SJW, you could overdose on the other meds... (It seems like grapefruit is similar in how it interacts with meds.)
Other than that, it can be beneficial to RLS, according to Dr. B. It has some effect on dopamine... I stopped taking it because it wasn't working for my depression, and because I'm on so many prescriptions. It's hard enough to get enough opioids to cover my symptoms without taking something that makes my body chew through the opioids faster.
I hope that makes some sense. There are drug interaction checkers at websites like Drugs.com. Plug it in there with the other meds that you take and see what it says.
I hope that helps.
Susan