Posted by jojo on November 22, 2000, at 23:43:19
In reply to Re: celexa....St. johns wort » sunflower77, posted by Sunnely on November 22, 2000, at 21:35:29
> > I am quitting celexa down to 5mg every other day, would it
> > be safe to start St. johns wort now. I have been on celexa for about a year and a half.
> > Thanks
>
> ++++++++++++++++++++++
>
> We still don't know exactly how St. John's Wort (SJW) works as an antidepressant. It appears it may have serotonin- and norepinephrine-boosting effect. How it does this remains nebulous. Some propose that SJW may have a MAOI (monoamine oxidase inhibitor) effect. Others propose that, like the SSRIs, it has serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibiting effect.
>
> Since it has serotonin-boosting effect, the combined use of an SSRI such as Celexa and SJW may lead to a potentially serious condition "serotonin syndrome." It would be clinically prudent to completely stop Celexa and wait until it is "washed off" your system before starting the other. Since Celexa has a half-life of approximately 35 hours, it may take about 5-6 days to completely "wash it off" your system, granted your kidneys are "OK" and you are not taking other meds that may interfere with its clearance.I've been taking 10 mg of Celexa and 1800 mg of St Joh's Wort (among other things)
for over a month, with no adverse effects.
poster:jojo
thread:49145
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20001115/msgs/49280.html