Topic Title: Two Months without SJW
| |  "Two Months without SJW"
, Thu 27 Oct 12:44
I've now been off SJW for 2 months, and I can honestly say that I'm now starting to feel like my old self again. I seem to have found my lost sense of humour, and I spend a lot more time smiling and making jokes like I used to. I feel much happier in myself and a lot more confident. I don't think that I could have got to this point without having taken the SJW for 8 months, and I'm hoping that I can continue this progress through the winter months - I have fallen in to depression in both of the last two winters, and really don't want to go back there again!!! To all of you who have feelings of despair at the moment, don't give up hope and persevere with the SJW. Life can, and will get better.
Posts: 43 | | Registered: Thu 3 Feb 2005 2:26 |
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| |  "Re(1):Two Months without SJW"
, Thu 17 Nov 08:13
Hi wrexham,
I read your post about quitting SJW and doing fine. I’ve been taking SJW (Perika) for the last 8 month - same long as you did, taking 2 x 300 pills a day. It’s been working ok, but now I feel like I want try to quit SJW…the reason: for the last several weeks my moods got worst and I really feel an elevated level of anxiety after about 2 hours of taking the pill. I think the effect just wore off… So, I decried to try coming off SJW and see how it goes.
Question: what was the reason you went off SJW, how did you do it and most importantly – how are you now?
Really appreciate your help!
Posts: 1 | | Registered: Thu 21 Jul 2005 14:24 |
| | | "Re(2):Two Months without SJW" , Thu 17 Nov 12:39
Roden77
Thanks for your response. To answer your question, I decided to come off SJW as I felt that I had made significant strides during the 8 months I had been taking it, and I don't like the idea of being reliant on medication of any kind. I came off it by reducing the dosage to 2 tablets the first week, 1 tablet the second week, and then no tablets from week 3.
I didn't suffer any withdrawal symptoms, and I can honestly say that in general I feel a lot better than I have done for a long time, and I certainly haven't got the winter blues like I had in the last 2 years.
I do a lot of running as well (between 10 and 20 miles per week), and also an hour long circuit training session, and I find that these really help to relieve me of any stresses that I may pick up through the week. I'm not saying that I'll never feel down again, or never need to use SJW again, but at this point in time I'm feeling pretty good about myself and life in general.
I hope that these words are of some comfort to you, and that it works out for you. Please feel free to ask for my advice again if you feel that it is of any benefit to you.
Posts: 44 | | Registered: Thu 3 Feb 2005 2:26 |
| | | "Re(3):Two Months without SJW" , Fri 18 Nov 08:13
Thank you very much for your respond! Your words are definitely encouraging and it is very comporting to now, that you can talk to somebody who can relate…
Same as you, I don’t like an idea of being on medication for a long time, even if it’s not a “real” medication, but rather a supplement.
As I mentioned, I’ve been taking SJW for about 9 months by now. The reason I decided to try it was more of circumstantial - broken engagement and big disappointment and anxiety, which came right after it…I am 36 and never had any major breakdowns or real depression in my live before that incident.
So I went to a physiologist, did lots of research and decided to try SJW…to make the long story short: I started with 3 x 300 a day, tried for 3 month, but it didn’t work very well. I was still having lots of anxieties and bad mood. Rather accidentally, I discovered that if I miss a dose – I feel better. I tried 2 x 300 of Perika – and it significantly improved my mood. This worked for about 4 months. A few weeks ago I noticed that I gradually began being anxious again, especially in the mornings, and feel down. Even more, my mood was changing during the day rather significantly, and did not like those ups and downs feelings at all.
So, I decided to try to go on 1 pill a day. Today is my second day when I skipped my morning dose…incredibly, I feel MUCH better since yesterday afternoon. So, I think I’ll stick to one tablet for a couple of weeks and than try to quit.
It is kind of strange, but I feel like my brain got “feed up” with this supplement and bagging me to stop. Did you have such feeling or something of this kind?
Well, thank you again for your support; your words are big help for me! I am sure I’ll ask you some more questions down the road.
Posts: 2 | | Registered: Thu 21 Jul 2005 14:24 |
| | | "Re(4):Two Months without SJW" , Mon 21 Nov 04:35
Roden 77
I think that I got to the point where I felt that I had reached a plateau and that I was feeling well enough that the pills weren't actually making a difference any more. Once I stopped taking SJW, I then realised that I was actually feeling reasonably ok.
Posts: 45 | | Registered: Thu 3 Feb 2005 2:26 |
| | | "Re(5):Two Months without SJW" , Wed 30 Nov 07:14
Hello again,
I think I need your advise at this time.
As I wrote previously, two weeks ago I decided to stop taking SJW. I reduced the dosage to 1 pill a day for a week and about a week ago I stopped taking them completely. In two days of not taking any SJW I went to the party and had one too many drinks that evening. Next day I felt very low and the day after my mood didn’t improved…I panicked, I suppose, and took one pill in the evening. Now I’m on one pill and honestly have no idea what to do next.
Apparently, there are several options and I cannot make a decision…I can try to stop taking SJW completely and see what’s going to happen, I can go back on 2 pills a day or I can continue taking one pill for some time…I would appreciate your advise or opinion.
Thank you!
Posts: 3 | | Registered: Thu 21 Jul 2005 14:24 |
| | | "Re(6):Two Months without SJW" , Thu 1 Dec 11:26
Hi Roden,
I'm glad to hear that you went to a party, as this is definitely a positive step, but alcohol is renowned for making you depressed and I think this is what made you so down the next day, as well as being fatigued. I would suggest that you drink in moderation next time you go out, and hopefully you won't feel so down the next day.
It may be that you're not quite ready to come off SJW just yet, but I would suggest that you at least try to come off it completely for at least a couple of weeks to see how you feel. During this time try and be positive and do things that you enjoy, and maybe do some exercise - go for walks if you don't like doing anything too energetic. I always try to get on with my life no matter how bad I'm feeling, because if you give in to it you start on the slippery slope. i know it's easy to say be positive, but I am speaking from experience and it does work.
If things don't improve after a couple of weeks then you could think about going back on the SJW again until you feel better able to cope.
I'll reach the grand old age of 40 on Monday, which could easily tip me in to depression, but i am looking forward to it, as I certainly don't feel my age and I've still got an awful lot to do with my life!
I hope these words are of some comfort to you, and i look forward to hearing from you again.
Posts: 46 | | Registered: Thu 3 Feb 2005 2:26 |
| | | "Re(7):Two Months without SJW" , Mon 5 Dec 06:55
Hi Wrexham!
Happy Birthday to you! I’ll be 40 in three years as well. I think it’s a very good age for a man. All the best to you!
Thank you very much for your advice and words of encouragement. I think I will try to come off SJW completely for at least two weeks and see how I feel. I just bought good organic multy vitamins and also Vitamin B6 (50 mg) and I’ll start taking it to compensate for SJW. I do exercise regularly, lifting weights, playing racquetball, etc. As of staying positive no matter what – this is the hardest part; I think I have more of a pessimistic personality in general. But I’ll tryJ
There is one thing I was going to ask you, if you’re not tired yet of my questions… For the last month or so I’ve noticed, that in general I feel pretty down in the mornings until late afternoon. Around 6-7 pm my mood improves dramatically and I feel really good until next morning… It’s kind of strange. Do you think it might have anything to do with SJW or not? I wonder how I would feel after stopping SJW…Oh well, I guess we’ll see.
Thanks again for your help!
Posts: 4 | | Registered: Thu 21 Jul 2005 14:24 |
| | | "Re(8):Two Months without SJW" , Wed 21 Dec 00:40
Hi Roden,
Just wondering how you're doing. Please post to let me know.
Posts: 48 | | Registered: Thu 3 Feb 2005 2:26 |
| | | "Re(9):Two Months without SJW" , Wed 21 Dec 06:59
Hi wrexham,
Thank you for checking on me. I was silent for a couple of weeks because I wanted to wait a bit a see how I feel and then write to you.
Well, it’s been 2 ½ weeks since I’ve stopped taking SJW. The very day I stopped SJW (Dec the 5th) I notices a significant improvement in my mood. In fact, I haven’t felt like that for quite some time – calm, confident, myself…Obsessive thinking disappeared. I have to mention, that I started taking Complex B vitamins the same time, so I can’t say if this was a reaction on stopping SJW or on vitamins B. Nevertheless, I felt really good for two weeks. However, for the last two days my mood has changed a bit. I can’t say that I feel really bad, but it is definitely not as good as it’d been. I had a few stressful days at work (I just started a new job in September) and some personal issues with my relationship…most likely this have contributed to my feelings.
But I got scared a bit and started doing some research to come up with some kind of “plan B”, if I needed it. Since I figured that SJW is not the best choice for me, I was looking into SAM-e and 5-HTP. I guess I’ll try to do my best to “recover” and not to take anything but vitamins for another 2-3 weeks.
How are you doing? I hope you’re fine! Are you taking any vitamins/supplements on the daily basis?
Thanks again for checking on me – I appreciate your support!
Posts: 5 | | Registered: Thu 21 Jul 2005 14:24 |
| | | "Re(10):Two Months without SJW" , Thu 22 Dec 01:34
Hi Roden,
It's good to hear from you, and that you've had a good couple of weeks. I certainly think that the stress of work and the personal issues will have contributed to you having a couple of anxious days. I always find that if work starts to get a bit stressful that my anxiety levels rise, and that's why I find it so helpful to go for a run once I get home from work - I tend to think over the days events whilst I am running, and by the time I get home, I feel a lot more positive and less stressed!
It's good that you're looking at other options as a back up, but hopefully you wont have to resort to these. I take a one a day multi vitamin, as well as cod liver oil tablets, and I do find that I don't generally pick up any colds etc., and as a result I don't tend to get run down, which usually leads to me becoming more anxious and negative.
I've also found that my running helps me focus, as I enter road races at 10km, 10 miles and half marathon distance. At the moment, I'm in training for a half marathon on 22/01/06, so this is really giving me something to aim for.
I must admit that I'm continuing to feel really good, and feel more like my old self week by week. The last two Christmas' have not been good for me, particularly Christmas 2003 when I was in the grips of depression. However, this year I am really looking forward to it. I am looking forward to seeing my son open all his presents and to enjoying time with my family!
I think that part of my problem is that I always think too much about myself, and not about how others feel (but maybe this is part of being prone to depression), although I'm also very sensitive about what people think about me, and how my actions impact on others. I think that if I was a really confident person my problems would seem a lot more manageable!!!
Anyway, enough about me! I hope to hear from you again before Christmas,but if I don't, I hope that you continue to feel better and have a great time. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Posts: 49 | | Registered: Thu 3 Feb 2005 2:26 |
| | | "Re(2):Re(10):Two Months without SJW" , Wed 28 Dec 13:41
This is a message for Wrexham because I am really interested to hear you are in to running and have taken St John Wort. I am a keen runner but I have had a lot of problems in the last few months with depression. St Johns wort has made a huge difference to me physically in terms of my energy levels, general feeling of well being, metabolism and best of all totally curing the bad headaches I used to get after a hard run. I am now wondering if my 'depression' was as a result of my chronic fatigue and general low physical state, because now I am feeling sooo much better.
Did you have any positive physical benefits from SJW that have helped you with your marathon training?
Posts: 1 | | Registered: Wed 28 Dec 2005 13:12 |
| | | "Re(3):Re(10):Two Months without SJW" , Thu 29 Dec 01:38
Hi Justine,
Thanks for your post. It's difficult to say whether I had any positive physical benefits from taking SJW. I certainly think that by taking it it improved my mood and allowed me to have the motivation to go out running. The running itself made me feel more positive in myself, as exercising does tend to give you a feeling of well being, and I think that having actually entered road races also gave me a target to aim for, which also motivated me.
I would certainly say that SJW made me feel more positive, and as a result it reduced the lethargy that goes hand in hand with depression - this in turn did give me more energy.
I certainly would agree with you that your depression may well have been caused by chronic fatigue, as I do find that when I am tired I am particularly prone to worrying and feeling down. However, there may also have been some sort of event in your life that also contributed to the depression (although you may well not have associated the two things yet).
I am particularly interested to hear that you run as well - do you enter any races or do you do it purely for fitness purposes.
I look forward to your response.
Posts: 52 | | Registered: Thu 3 Feb 2005 2:26 |
| | | "Re(4):Re(10):Two Months without SJW" , Thu 29 Dec 02:45
Hi Wrexham, good to hear from you and thanks for your reply.
Yes, I do take part in competitive running, bith road and off road. I have also done some track. I have done this for about 17 years and absolutely love it. I actually started as a cyclist and switched to running about 12 years ago. My faviouite distance is 10K, I have never run a marathon. Which marathon are you entering?
I am interested in the theory of chronic fatigue syndrome. About 10 years ago I noticed that something was not 'quite right' in the way I was feeling physically. I was very prone to illness and injury, got tired very easily, suffered bad headaches a lot, especially after a hard run. I was thirsty all the time and my metabolism was wierd, I would get hungry very quickly and regularly wake up hungry in the night. I also suffered palpitations and would get an elevated heart rate in the night that would stop me from sleeping on occasions. I had all the tests with my GP, for thyroid, diabetes, food allergies, I had an ECG, but nothing could be found.
In September this year I got a very bad flu virus and as I started to try to come back to running after this, big problems started. The 'high heart rate at night' was happening 2-3 times a week and in the mornings I would feel very drained and low and unable to function. I was also very tearful and unable to go in to work. My GP put me on beta-blockers and valium (for sleep)first then diagnosed depression and put me on Paxil. This was a horrendous experience and after 5 days I came off it and went back to my GP in desperation saying that I didn't want to be on anti depressant drugs. She told me to try St Johns Wort but couldn't really tell me anything about it. So I did try it and that was about 6 weeks ago.
Since then I have started running again about 20 miles a week, going to the gym, cycling and swimming on occasions. There is a tremendous difference to my energy levels. I can do a 7 mile run quite hard and hardly feel tired at all. I feel like superwoman!! I have stopped getting the stiffness and muscle aches I used to get from training. The other symptoms are fast disappearing as well.
The only down side is that I have put on about 4-5lbs since taking SJW, which is not great for the running, but I don't care as I am feeling great.
I want to join a running club again in the new year. Are you in a club? I gave up training with my former club in April due to my tiredness and poor performance. Since then I have moved to a different area.
I think you might be right about some bad experiences contributing to things. All I really know is that I am a very sensitive person emotionally, but ok, like most people, unless something bad happens. I could go back to stuff in my childhood, but the strage thing is I was completely fine until I reached the age of 26-27, which was when all the bad physical symptoms started to happen.
By the way, what brand of SJW are you on and what is your dose? Have you noticed any interactions with food at all?
Look forward to hearing from you.
Posts: 4 | | Registered: Wed 28 Dec 2005 13:12 |
| | | "Re(5):Re(10):Two Months without SJW" , Thu 29 Dec 03:55:
Hi Justine,
It sounds like you've been a really committed athlete for quite some time, so it must have neen really distressing to find your performance suffering through your depression.
I've only been running quite seriously for about 2 years (I'd previously played football until I was 26 and I play cricket and tennis. I was a good sprinter in school and also won the cross country one year, but it is only now that I have taken up distance running. My favourite distance is also 10km (best time 44-13) although I have run some 10 mile races (72minutes) and two half marathons (1hr 43 mins). I am currently training for the Four Villages Half Marathon, which starts in Helsby (22/01/06), and depending on how this goes I may well go in the Wrexham Half marathon on 19/02/06.
I don't run for a club, although I have been thinking about it, particularly as it's cheaper to enter races if you are affiliated!!!!! What area do you live in? I've just recently moved in to the veteran 40 class for runners, so I'm hoping for some better placings in races, although there are some exceptionally good runners in the veteran class! I'm never going to be a world beater, but I enjoy the challange of always trying to beat my personal best!
It really sounds as though you've had a bad time of it, but I'm glad to hear that you have been feeling better recently.
Tim.
[this message was edited by wrexham on Thu 29 Dec 05:11]
Posts: 54 | | Registered: Thu 3 Feb 2005 2:26 |
| | | "Re(8):Two Months without SJW" , Tue 6 Dec 00:03
Hi Roden,
Thanks for your best wishes - I had a great day yesterday, and I feel no different to being 39!!!!
With regard to trying to be positive, I am also a pessimistic person, and always look at the negative side of things, but I just make my self do things, and I usually find that I enjoy them once I am there! I have always been a worrier and think too deeply about things, and I think that that has been my downfall.
It's difficult to say whether it is the SJW that makes you feel down in the mornings, although I did feel a bit like that when I was taking it. However, even now I'm off SJW I still feel tired and sometimes a bit low during the day, but feel better when I get home from work - but this may have something to do with sitting in front of a computer all day!!! I must admit that at weekends and when I'm on leave I feel much better, although I do have a tendency to start worrying about things if I don't have something to occupy my mind!
I think it's a good idea to try coming off SJW for a couple of weeks, but don't get disheartened if you don't see immediate positive results. These things take time, and you just have to try and remain as positive as possible.
I hope things go ok, and I look forward to hearing how you get on.
Posts: 47 | | Registered: Thu 3 Feb 2005 2:26 |
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