Posted by Sunnely on November 22, 2000, at 21:35:29
In reply to celexa....St. johns wort, posted by sunflower77 on November 20, 2000, at 19:06:56
> 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.
poster:Sunnely
thread:49145
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20001115/msgs/49272.html