I have been taken Saint John's Wort for three weeks and I am finding now that it is really starting to reduce the effectiveness of Ritalin. This probably means that the SJW is kicking in, this usually takes 3 weeks.

Ritalin still keeps me awake, but work motivation has been severely diminished. I take 70 mg Ritalin daily, which normally works really well. Even increasing my dose doesn't help. This is a bit disappointing because I really hoped that SJW would prove to be the solution for the mood swings caused by Ritalin.

I currently take 900 mg of Kira Forte, a high quality brand. Maybe I should lower this dose a bit. Interesting is that I have used a cheap food-store brand SJW in the past without any problems. This contained much less hypericum (<300 mg daily) and it did seem to help a little bit. So there is hope.

I'm curious if people have used Ritalin together with SJW. It would be interesting to learn their experiences.


Francis

I'm pretty sure you don't mix Saint John's Wort and Ritilan. Go to a good doctor right away and tell him you've been doing this.

I'd suggest getting a proper anti-depressant if you feel you need one. SJW doesn't work very well and is a little dangerous.

I mix them without problems. And st johns work DOES work very well, LI 160 extract (such as the brand kyra forte) has been shown to be as effective as prozac without the side effects. The energizing effect of ritalin dissapears after a few weeks. increasing serotonin might cause less focus though.

Kyra forte is mainly standarized on hyperforin, wich increased serotonin and gaba. Hypericin increases dopamine.

Ritalin is not metabolized by cyp enzymes. St johns worth only increases the cyp enzymes in the liver, thats why alot of medicines are broken down faster when on st johns worth. But not mph, so thats not the issue.

Kyra forte is strong, I felt the effects after the first pil

I think its a good idea btw. Using a ssri with methylphenidate. Because artifically raised dopamine results in lowering of serotonine.

BUT, you may be more "ballanced" by also increasing serotonin but it decreases concentration a bit. Maybe thats what your experiencing.

I think its a good idea btw. Using a ssri with methylphenidate. Because artifically raised dopamine results in lowering of serotonine.

BUT, you may be more "ballanced" by also increasing serotonin but it decreases concentration a bit. Maybe thats what your experiencing.

Yeah, I do feel a bit more balanced. I socialize a bit more at work now, where I used to be focused on my work all the time.

Maybe it's not just serotonin, but also the increased GABA that is lowering my attention. I want to dig a bit deeper into this.

Yesterday I took only 600 mg, and my focus today was already better. Maybe my body needs to adjust a bit to the chemical changes. My new tablets that have arrived are of 450 mg. So I think I'll stick to one tablet in the evening. I wonder how that will work.

I probably don't need 900 mg anyway because I don't have a real depression. It's just that Ritalin rebounds can mess me up at times.

Another reason why I am taking it is to improve my social functioning. I hope that it will help me to be more at ease around people that I don't know very well. It seems to be already helping in this regard.


Francis

I think I'm going back to 900 mg SJW, despite the reduced work motivation. It makes me feel normal. It's not normal to be locked in the zone 8 working hours without stopping.

Thanks to SJW I am becoming a bit more social. I gladly sacrifice some productivity for more social interaction.

Hi Francis,

Glad to hear this is working well for you. Ritalin and SJW is a combination that I am now trying too. I just increased the SJW dose to 900 mg a day. So I will see how it goes. I hadn't considered that it might reduce my concentration so I will be on the alert for that side effect.

Good luck with this and keep us posted!

The reduced work motivation only lasted a few days, after that it returned back to normal. Good :)

SJW seems to help me with two things:
- Ritalin rebounds are still there, but they are shorter and less emotional.
- I feel more quickly at ease when meeting new people. I can deal with social situations in a much more natural way.

I hope that these effects last. I will keep you posted if something changes, or if I am becoming aware of a new benefit.