Posted by James on June 6, 2002, at 18:34:14
Hi. I just want to preface this statement that I am pretty ignorant regarding herbal treatments and alternative medicines and that kind of stuff, and I’m just telling this story because when I related it to my pdoc she said that the guy was completely wrong.
So, a couple of months ago I went to the pharmacy I frequent to pick up my current cocktail of meds. While I was there I noticed they had a large selection of herbal stuff, and while I was waiting for my scrips to be filled I checked them out. I picked up a bottle of St. John’s Wort and asked the pharmacist guy working behind the counter if it was safe to take the St. John’s Wort for depression (I’m BP1 and ADHD) with the meds I was taking, as I was concerned for interactions. I was on Lamictal 250 a day, Gabitril 4 a night, and either Concerta 108 a day or Adderal 30 four times a day—I don’t remember. Anyways, he told me this:
“Hell no dude, John’s Wort, you can take as much as you want. It’s a herb (which he pronounced with the “h” like in Herbert), it’s just like eating a tree, you can eat the whole tree all day long and you’ll be fine.”
As it turns out, notwithstanding the current controversy surrounding the efficacy of St. John’s Wort, it is certainly far from clear that it is benign in combination with other meds, specifically stimulants I believe.
Moral of the story: Beware of moron pharmacists. Some are great and knowledgeable and kind, and others can just eat a tree themselves, like the freakin’ idiot I encountered.
--James
poster:James
thread:108993
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020602/msgs/108993.html