St John's Wort is not recommended for people with bipolar disorder. Medical sites warn that it can tip you into mania.

Is your doctor aware you are taking it?

oh I note from your original introduction your doctor has told you that you aren't bipolar.

It's definately a medical no no for people diagnosed with bipolar.

in fact there are alot of warnings around it's use.

this from University of Maryland

Precautions

The use of herbs is a time-honored approach to strengthening the body and treating disease. Herbs, however, can trigger side effects and can interact with other herbs, supplements, or medications. For these reasons, you should take herbs with care, under the supervision of a health care provider.

St. John's wort is often used to treat depression. If your depression is causing problems with your daily life or you are having thoughts of suicide or of harming yourself or others, you need to see a doctor immediately. St. John's wort should not be used to treat severe depression.

You should see a doctor to make sure you have the right diagnosis before taking St. John's wort. Your doctor can help you determine the right dose and make sure you are not taking any other medications that might interact with St. John's wort.

Side effects from St. John's wort are generally mild and include stomach upset, hives or other skin rashes, fatigue, restlessness, headache, dry mouth, and feelings of dizziness or mental confusion. St. John's wort can also make the skin overly sensitive to sunlight, called photodermatitis. If you have light skin and are taking St. John's wort, wear long sleeves and a hat when in the sun, and use a sunscreen with at least SPF 15 or higher. Avoid sunlamps, tanning booths, and tanning beds.

Other potential concerns about St. Johns wort are that it may interfere with getting pregnant or make infertility worse; that it may make symptoms of ADD and ADHD worse, especially among people taking methylphenidate; that it may increase the risk of psychosis in people with schizophrenia; and that it may contribute to dementia in people with Alzheimers. More study is needed, however.

Since St. John's wort can interact with medications used during surgery, you should stop taking it at least 5 days or more before surgery. Make sure your doctor and surgeon know you are taking St. John's wort.

Do not take St. John's wort if you have bipolar disorder There is concern that people with major depression taking St. Johns wort may be at a higher risk for mania.

Women who are pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or breastfeeding should not take St. Johns wort.

http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/st-johns-wort

another report on it

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2993537/

Interesting. Actually, I saw another doctor who diagnosed me with bipolar disorder (hypomania), told me that the Prozac I had taken previously could have actually made the it worse, and told me that taking St. John's Wort was fine and that she supported the studies that supported the effectiveness of St. John's Wort.

St John's Wort is not recommeded for people with bipolar. The medical evidence indicates that this is a serious risk.

I don't know why your doctor said it was ok.

I'll definitely do some more research on it. All I know is that I have felt better in these past 5 days than I have in years. Thank you for the information!

If you are bipolar - and you've said your doctor has said you aren't

but anyway if you are feeling better that can be a prelude to mania.

St John's Wort I think is no longer being recommended in the UK. There are issues for people without bipolar too.

Then there is the whole issue of suppliments not being controlled so that they can contain almost anything - a North American study found that 40% of this type of suppliemnt didn't even include the herb they were supposed to but contained a number of noxious weed species presumably harvested at the same time.

I'll definitely be cautious and pay attention to my mood but, boo, I like feeling happy!! Lol.

Yeah, I read about St. John's Wort in my herb books and it clearly stated to NOT take it if you're on antidepressants.

I'm not on any other antidepressants, just the Depakote to stabilize my mood, Buspirone for anxiety, and I have Xanax for when I have an anxiety attack.

I'm not sure why you are valproate if you are not bipolar - but I think it is given for some types of depression.

it remains though that St John's wort is not appropriate for people with bipolar, for anyone who isn't bipolar but is on anti-depressents and a range of other people.

I think doctors/ medical researchers are coming to realise that the whole suppliment / herbal thing that they have been ignoring do need attention - because of the lack of monitoring, side effects, impurities etc.

Of course as soon as something "natural" appears the pharmaceutical researchers and other legit researchers look at them and if there is anything interesting get to work. What gets left over is usually either dubious or has some serious downsides that big pharma don't want to touch.

It gets confusing sometimes, doesn't it? Especially when a doctor does Not say one way or the other, or thinks something is fine, and other people around us take things that are Great...

St John's Wort has been known to be helpful to many for several reasons but, like others, being bipolar and an anxiety patient means I am Extra-sensitive to Lots of things (like anything with the word "-cillin" or "-dryll" at the end of it (amoxycillin; benadryl; etc); and anything that has pseudoephedrine; and anything that is a histamine; etc.

Bipolars (especially those with anxiety and those taking anti-depressants) have potential to react differently to lots of things, St John's Wort being among them. I am one that can't take it. :/ (personally, I have reactions to Valerian Root as well.)

It's just part of the MI package, for many of us - we can't take all the Stuff out there that might work with others.

I was originally given Depakote for headaches but found that, when I stopped it, I began having manic depressive spells. The doctor then diagnosed me with bipolar disorder and put me back on the Depakote and told me it was ok to take the St. John's Wort. From my research, I have found that SJW MAY cause mania (but not necessarily) and usage should be monitored by your doctor. I am aware of the possible effects and, if the SJW begins having negative effects, I will stop using it.

I'm confused now - you said your doctor told you several times that you weren't bipolar? That another doctor in the past had toold you that you were and put you on valproate.

So you are saying your current doctors says you are not bipolar but has kept you on valproate?

I have been diagnoised with bipolar disorder and have been taking st. johns wort for the past several months at night 300mg once daily. I have recently been prescribed depakote and am having some reservations, just as you are with your 'opposite' situation. I can tell you that since I have taken the STW it has not made me have any manic outbursts of any sort, in fact its actually the opposite. An hour or so after I take it I feel very relaxed, I am usually so full of energy its hard to sleep, but SJW calms me down enough to get into a relaxing routine before i go to bed. I stopped taking it for a few weeks and saw a huge difference, when I stopped the SJW i went back to be super irritated about everything and crying a lot, since i have started taking it again it has really calmed me down. If you do decide to take it start at a low dose, even the 300mg I take can get me by surprise a little and leave me with a bit of coordination loss.

Did you even decide to take both of them? I really want to talk to someone who has before i try it, i guess noone wants to be the guinea pig, hah.