Worst Pills, Best Pills

An expert, independent second opinion on more than 1,800 prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, and supplements

St. John's wort [hypericum, goatweed, the lord god's wonder plant, witch's herb] (SUN BEAUTY)


DISEASE AND DRUG FAMILY INFORMATION

Search results below include Disease and Drug Family Information where your selected drug is a primary subject of discussion.

Dietary and Herbal Supplements
In the other chapters of this book, we have had access to published articles describing randomized, controlled trials in medical journals, medical textbooks, the FDA-approved label, and, importantly, the detailed review of the drug (based on a review of the raw data from the sponsor’s clinical trials) conducted by the FDA medical officer, at least for more recent drugs. This evidence base is far from complete for any dietary supplement. By definition, no supplement has passed an FDA safety and efficacy review (otherwise it would be a drug).

DRUG AND DIETARY SUPPLEMENT PROFILES

A comprehensive review of the safety and effectiveness of this drug. If the drug is not a Do Not Use product, information on adverse effects, drug interactions and how to use the medication are included.
Search results below include Drug and Dietary Supplement Profiles where your selected drug is a primary subject of discussion.

St. John's wort [hypericum, goatweed, the lord god's wonder plant, witch's herb] (SUN BEAUTY)
  • We list this drug as a Do Not Use drug because there is no evidence that it is effective and it interacts with many other drugs.

WORST PILLS, BEST PILLS NEWSLETTER ARTICLES

Search results below include Worst Pills, Best Pills Newsletter Articles where your selected drug is a primary subject of discussion.

Drug Interactions for the Antidepressant Drug Desipramine (NORPRAMIN)
September 2023
Patients taking the oral antidepressant drug desipramine (Norpramin) should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications. Public Citizen’s Health Research Group has designated desipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant, as a Limited Use drug; antidepressants in other drug classes are safer and better tolerated.
Important Drug Interactions for the Hypertension Drug Felodipine
April 2023
Patients taking the commonly prescribed calcium channel blocker felodipine should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications as well as the dietary supplement St. John’s wort.
Important Drug Interactions for the Antidepressant Nortriptyline (PAMELOR)
February 2023
Patients taking the frequently prescribed antidepressant nortriptyline (PAMELOR) should be aware that it has clinically important and potentially dangerous interactions with many other prescription and over-the-counter medications.
Important Drug Interactions for the SSRI Medication Fluvoxamine
December 2022
Patients taking fluvoxamine (LUVOX), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription and over-the-counter medications.
Important Drug Interactions for the Antidepressant Citalopram (CELEXA)
October 2022
Patients taking the commonly prescribed antidepressant citalopram should be aware that it has clinically important and potentially dangerous interactions with many other prescription and over-the-counter medications.
Important Drug Interactions for the Cholesterol-Lowering Drug Pravastatin
September 2022
Patients taking the cholesterol-lowering drug pravastatin should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications.
Important Drug Interactions for the Combination Antiviral COVID-19 Drug PAXLOVID
August 2022
Patients taking the oral combination antiviral drug PAXLOVID (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir), which is used to treat COVID-19, should be aware that it has clinically important and potentially dangerous interactions with many other prescription medications.
Important Drug Interactions for the Antidepressant Fluoxetine (PROZAC, SYMBYAX)
February 2022
Patients taking the commonly prescribed antidepressant fluoxetine should be aware that it has clinically important and potentially dangerous interactions with many other prescription and over-the-counter medications.
Why You Should Avoid the Herbal Supplement St. John’s Wort
December 2021
Learn why we have designated St. John’s wort, an herbal dietary supplement that is commonly available in capsules, tablets or teas, as Do Not Use.
Important Drug Interactions for the Hypertension and Angina Drug Nifedipine
August 2021
Patients taking the widely prescribed calcium channel blocker nifedipine (PROCARDIA, PROCARDIA XL) should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications.
Important Drug Interactions for the Anticoagulant Warfarin
August 2020
Patients taking the commonly used blood thinner warfarin (COUMADIN, JANTOVEN) should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with numerous other prescription and over-the-counter medications, as well as some dietary supplements.
Potentially Dangerous Lithium Drug Interactions
March 2019
Read about the many prescription medications that can interact in dangerous ways with lithium, the drug of choice for treating bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression.
Potentially Dangerous Digoxin Drug Interactions
November 2018
Read about the numerous medications that can interact with digoxin, a drug commonly prescribed for heart failure and atrial fibrillation. These interactions can result in either digoxin toxicity or decreased digoxin effectiveness depending on the other drug being used concomitantly.
St. John’s Wort: No ‘Wonder Remedy’ for Depression
February 2016
St. John’s wort, an over-the-counter herbal supplement, has been around for centuries, and many patients have been using it in recent years to self-medicate for depression. In this article, we explain why St. John’s wort should not be used to treat this disease.
Managing Herbal Medicines in Patients Undergoing Surgery
January 2013
Find out why, if you are using any of nine different popular dietary supplements and you are planning to have surgery, you need to tell your doctor so you can stop using them at a safe interval before your operation. The intervals range from at least 24 hours before surgery to two weeks, the latter the case for most of the nine supplements.
Corticosteroid Drug Interactions
November 2010
This article discusses 36 drugs that, when used by people also using a corticosteroid, can either cause toxic interactions with the steroid or decrease the steroid's effectiveness.
Aripiprazole (ABILIFY) Drug Interactions
April 2010
The article lists 53 drugs that can interact with the psychiatric drug ABILIFY to either increase the amount in the body, which can lead to toxicity, or decrease the amount rendering the drug less effective.
Digoxin Drug Interactions
March 2010
The article lists 35 different interacting drugs that can either increase blood levels of digoxin, leading to the serious problem of digitalis toxicity or decrease blood levels, causing the drug to be less effective.
Quetiapine (SEROQUEL) Interactions With Other Drugs
February 2010
Quetiapine (SEROQUEL) can interact with 26 different drugs, increasing its blood levels and causing dangerous side effects such as slowed breathing, dizziness and fainting. The article also lists 10 other interacting drugs that can result in lower blood levels, rendering the drug less effective.
Oxycodone: Be Careful What You Take With It
September 2009
The article lists 24 drugs that can increase the toxicity of oxycodone if taken together with the drug and 11 other drugs that can weaken its effectiveness as a painkiller if they are simutaneously used.
Serotonin Syndrome Due to Drug Interactions
April 2008
The article lists more than 30 prescription drugs that can cause the serotonin syndrome.
No 'Alternative'
October 2006
Placebos are very powerful. Beyond yoga for lower back pain and acupuncture for analgesia, there has not been a study showing an unequivocal benefit of an alternative therapy when subjected to the rigor of an NIH trial. This negative outcome should not be greeted smugly, because most experimental drugs developed by pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies fail to fulfill their promise.
Review of Adverse Effects and Contraindications of Various Dietary Supplements Used for Weight Loss
December 2002
Ephedra, or ma huang, the natural form of the stimulant ephedrine, the most infamous and dangerous drug found in dietary supplements sold for weight loss, is at last beginning to receive the negative notoriety it deserves. Ephedra causes heart attacks and strokes because of its ability to raise blood pressure and heart rate. Article discusses the risk of other dietary supplements.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM PUBLIC CITIZEN

Search results below include Additional Information from Public Citizen where your selected drug is a primary subject of discussion.

Letter to the FDA concerning the United Kingdom's Committee on Safety of Medicine's recent warning about potentially serious drug interactions between St. John's Wort and a large number of other drugs. (HRG Publication #1513)
British physicians and patients are now being forcefully warned, for many more drugs than American physicians or patients, about potentially serious, clinically important drug interactions between the unregulated herbal St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) and a large number of prescription drugs.