Can I stop taking St. John's Wort cold turkey?
Answer:
My first reaction to your question is in agreement with Kelani. Even though stopping an herbal product is not going to bring with it the dangers of cold turkey ending some prescription medicines, or in some cases OTC medications taken for an extended period, the questions that remain to be clarified are these:
Why stop? It isn't like SJW is going to hurt you unless you are taking it with some other medicines, which obviously you are not.
If you do stop, why not ease yourself off of the SJW, simply because you will notice some changes in your serotonin level, and this could impact your emotions to some extent, depending on your circumstances. So ease off, and avoid the shock of that possibility.
In the meantime, boost your intake of foods and beverages high in the antioxidants that can alleviate the changes, and continue that consumption forever, because there are many benefits to increased levels of serotonin, including avoiding heart disease. (Depleted serotonin can cause an increase in negative cholesterol.)
Feel free to interact by email, if you wish.
Its natural. its okay to stop taking it all at once if you want.. I tried and i was ok..
Take care..
Bcn_mimosa from Barcelona, Spain
You need to taper off SJW. While the withdrawal symptoms aren't as strong or dangerous as those of prescription antidepressants, they do exist, and may be pretty uncomfortable. Even though you haven't taken it that long, you have taken it long enough to feel it if you stop cold turkey. I'd advise dropping your dose 100mg every 4 days. Extend that time to 5-7 days between decreases if you start to feel uncomfortable. If you can break the taper down to 50 or 25mg, do so. That will be much smoother.
that's the benefit and good/positive side of herbal medicine. they can be stopped without side effects.
of course with anything you will feel different when you stop but you can stop taking them
The medicine and health information post by website user , ByeDR.com not guarantee correctness , is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions.
More Questions and Answers...