St John's Wort to remain prescription only

[Posted: Sat 26/08/2000]

Popular herbal medicine St John's Wort will remain available by prescription only, despite continuing calls for it to be sold in shops again.

The herb was banned from being sold over-the —counter from January 1 of this year. The decision by the then Minister for Health, Mr Brian Cowen, angered users of the herb and health shop owners alike. It is estimated that around 75,000 Irish people used the herb in 1999.

Mr Cowen made his decision based on advice from the Irish Medicines Board, which expressed concern over a number of issues including possible side-effects, such as fatigue and photosensitivity, and the possibility of the herb interacting with prescribed medicines.

However the regulations banning the open sale of the herb did not cover importation. Therefore despite the fact that people are unable to buy St John's Wort in the Republic of Ireland, they can import it from other places, including Northern Ireland, as long as it is for personal use.

The herb, which is sometimes referred to as nature's Prozac, is used for treatment of depression.

Noreen(Noreeno)  Posted: 28/02/2001 10:57

I use St. John's Wort and find it of immense help. Whenever I travel I buy some to bring home for personal use. I believe that it should be available without perscription.

tina(tinaq)  Posted: 05/04/2001 11:33

Is St Johns wort now available in ireland on prescription in ireland

Marian(MarianC)  Posted: 23/05/2001 23:22

I think we should remember that herbal remedies such as St John's wort are powerful 'medicines' and can interact with drugs such as cyclosporin and thereby affect the results of conventional medical treatment. In liquid form, St John's wort can lift 'the blues' in a day or two but too many people like to take it for more extended periods and this pattern can lead to interaction problems with other medications. I think that St John's wort should be available without prescription to adults, if an information leaflet about possible side affects is given at the time of purchase. In the meantime, I think a good alterative to St John's wort is one of the 'Rescue Remedies' such as the Bach range. These remedies can give a 'balanced' feeling to anyone suffering from the blues.

Anonymous   Posted: 06/01/2005 14:53

All herbs can interact and be dangerous if not taken responsibly - by making it available only with prescription the government is effectively saying that people are too stupid to read the directions on the bottle and look for interactions which any good herbal book will list.

Anonymous   Posted: 29/04/2008 09:45

having suffered and currently suffering from morbid depression for years, and currently looking to self treating as the presription drugs nearly killed me (where I failed) and drove me mad several times, i am search for a low dose long term natural alternative. I can't go back to presciption due to horrific side effects and the local doctors are terrified of dealing with the illness as it is not tangible. What are my alternatives to beating this terrible illness other than to try natural remedies....

Anon.  Posted: 29/04/2008 12:35

Hello Anonymous, check under Anxiety on this site, I know you are not looking for help with anxiety, but there are some really good people helping each other with different symptoms, "we will get there" as they say. Good Luck

Ronald(ICJ76269)  Posted: 08/10/2008 18:09

No posts on this for over 8 years!! I'm in Northern Ireland and St John's Wort is still available without prescription. I was on prescribed Prozac (Fluoxetine) four years ago and my GP will now not prescribe it again for me. I don't think it's anything to do with the expense. I told my GP that I was starting St John's Wort today. No great response/reply.

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