Kelly's St. John's Wort pages for depression

Switching Medications encouraging smile

If you're not currently on a prescription medication, you can likely skip this section.

If you are currently on a prescription medication and it's working well for you, why would you switch? Think about it for a minute... if you're not experiencing any problems or side-effects, you may be causing yourself undue grief in the transition, and you must weigh this with the advantages of taking a herbal rememdy. You know how it goes, "...if it aint broke..."

That being said, there are some real valid reasons to switch and that's probably why you're here. Maybe you're experiencing one of the many side-effects from a prescription medication, or maybe you just don't like the whole pharmaceutical conspiracy, so to speak. Here are a few notes to consider:

  • Never abruptly stop your current medication -- this could cause the onset of depression! In fact, abruptly stopping your current medication could put your life in a whirlwind. Give your body time to adjust! You would do well to slowly wean off one and onto the other, if you decide to switch.
  • Don't take more than one anti-depressant at the same time. See the side-effects section for my thoughts on this.
  • You should probably consult your doctor (you know, the one that precribed your Prozac/Paxil/Zoloft/Serzone to you). Remember him? Many doctors have now at least heard about SJW and keep and open mind, but certainly not all of them do.
  • I don't have any advice for exactly how to make the smoothest transition. I've had people email me to say that they've taken a reduced dosage of both at the same time, but I can't recommend that. Probably you are the only one to make this decision, and I urge you to do it over at least a few weeks to give your mind and body a chance to adjust.
  • You would do well to wait until your current medication completely leaves your body. For many SSRIs this is 1-2 weeks, but for some (such as Prozac) it can be a full month, or more.

    • Go to the next page (long-term effects)