Are there drug reactions with Celexa and herbs?!
Question:
Are there drug reactions with Celexa and herbs?
Such as Valerian, skullcap ect.
Answers:
AS a physician that treats depression with medicine and herbs I can tell you that there have not been any direct patient studies combining herbal products with prescription antidepressants and in general that should not be done. AS a rule I treat with one or the other but not both. I do use multiple HERBAL products together.
However it is well known that St Johns Wart has the SAME biochemical effects as the class of drugs that Celexa is in (seratonin reuptake inhibitors) and as such SHOULD NOT BE COMBINED WITH THAT CLASS AT ALL.
Valerian, Gotu Kola, and others may or may not be safe and most would just tell you not to combine them.
If you have specific herbal product questions you can email me at Vita_min_md@yahoo.com