st johns wort dangers

Before You Take St Johns Wort Supplements ...

Although St Johns Wort has been shown to have less side effects than conventional antidepressants, there are some St Johns Wort dangers you should be aware of.

St Johns Wort has been found to interfere with some prescription medicines so there are some St Johns Wort dangers you should know about...

St Johns Wort Dangers

Studies published in the Lancet and the British Medical Journal have shown that St Johns Wort speeds up the breakdown of medicines in the body, leading to lower levels of the drugs in the blood. This can be a possible danger of taking St Johns Wort.

It can also interfere with brain chemicals.

More About St Johns Wort Dangers

Because of this, the British government have issued these guidelines and advice on the use of St Johns Wort (list of dangers is not exhaustive):

* Don't take St John's Wort if you are on the pill.

* If you are using prescription medicines, see your doctor for advice.

* If you have HIV, don't use St John's Wort.

* Don't take St John's Wort if you are taking antidepressants or treatments for migraine. If you take St John's Wort already, mention it on your next visit to your doctor.

* St Johns Wort can interact with other drugs you might be taking. Tell your doctor or pharmacist that you are taking St John's Wort if you plan to take any other medicine or supplement. This is especially important if you plan to take any prescribed medicine.

Bottom line?

Check with your doctor first. This is very important. Many people think that, just because St Johns Wort is a natural herb, it means it's safe to take. But as you can see from the list above, this is definitely not the case.

In essence, because of the possible dangers / side effects, you should not take St Johns Wort until you have checked with your doctor that it is safe to do so.

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