Can you take buspirone with saint johns?

Question

I was prescribed buspirone for anxiety and citalopram for depression this morning .I read the side affects of both and I will take the buspirone but the citalopram I do not like the side affects I'm a single mom of a three year old and have no one around me family wise to help keep an eye on us therefor I would rather not take the citalopram cause it has things like loss of reality and suicide etc.I do not want to take chances like that with my son around with just me to count on to make a long story short can I take saint johns worth in its place will it mix with the buspirone?

Answer 1

No. Do NOT mix St. John's Wort with any sort of psychiatric medications, especially serotonin active ones. The active components in this plant muck with liver enzymes and have some fairly unpredictable results. Also, buspirone does not work unless it's combined with an antidepressant, the clinical data on this is very clear.

Some of the research data coming out on St. John's Wort done by the NCCAM - the part of the NIH responsible for evaluating alternative medicine is making it look pretty ugly right about now.

Answer 2

Your doctor knows what he has prescribed for you. Please take the medication like it is prescribed. You will be totally surprised at the way you will feel. I take Buspar myself and it allows me to cope with daily stressors that bug me. Without it I am very antisocial and grouchy. Your child deserves for you to give this a try.

Answer 3

I'm not a doctor or pharmacist, but IMO, I would avoid this combination.  Buspirone and St. John's Wort affect serotonin levels  the brain.  

This is from the Drug Interaction Checker at http://www.drugs.com

|==> "The concomitant use of multiple serotonergic agents should be avoided if possible, or otherwise approached with caution if potential benefit is deemed to outweigh the risk. Close monitoring is recommended..."