Hi there
my neuropsychiatrist said it was ok for me to go on to st john's wort (and he specialises in lupus). Sure it can increase photosensitivity but then so does many drugs we take without thinking twice, such as plaquenil. Likewise many many drugs us lupies take interact with warfarin which is not a problem really, it just means that the inr needs to be monitored and dose adjusted when we begin the drug. Actually taking a drug long term that interacts with warfarin really isn't a problem, it's the short term one's like antibiotics that are a pain, but nobody tells you not to take antibiotics because they interact with warfarin. Makes no sense to me. I am on many drugs that interact with my warfarin but my warfarin dose is adjusted to cope with these other drugs so it really is no problem.
I have gone off effexor because I am tired of the problems it causes with my stomach and also the weight gain that I always get with antidepressants. So I am taking st john's wort instead and am loving not having all the icckky side effects, and yes I am loosing weight.
But, if you have severe depression than you need to be on an antidepressant rather than st john's wort. St John's Wort won't touch a severe depression, but some do very well on it for mild to moderate depression. I am taking it as I have had long term problems with depression, and although I am not currently depressed I really want to make sure I don't become depressed again.
best of luck with your decision - oh, and if you do try SJW, you need to make sure you are buying a reputible brand and taking enough of it. Some people make the mistake of buying cheaper preparations that have don't have much of the herb in it, then wonder why it doesn't work. My doc recommended the healtheries brand, but I have no idea if that is available where you live.
If you are feeling very down, then it makes sense to make an appointment with your doctor so you can be assessed for clinical depression. Also, so you can get an idea about the severity of what is going on, particularly if you are thinking of using SJW. Using SJW may well be a reasonable thing to do for some depressions, but for other sorts you really do need to use antidepressants. Also, you may want to think about counselling as a way of supporting you through what you are going through now.
cheers
raglet