Food and medication
St John’s wort and medication
St John’s wort speeds up how your body clears many medicines, so they may stop working as well. Some combinations are dangerous.
6 medicines on our checker are affected, and for 5 the advice is to avoid it. Tap a medicine for every food and drink that matters with it.
Avoid st john’s wort with these medicines
- Amitriptyline
Do not take St John's wort as it will increase your risk of side effects.
Where this comes from
“Do not take St John's wort, a herbal remedy often taken for depression, while you're taking amitriptyline. This will increase your risk of side effects.”
Information from the NHS website - DOACs · apixaban, eliquis, rivaroxaban
St John’s wort lowers DOAC levels and risks a clot. Do not combine.
- Mirtazapine
Do not use St John's wort when taking mirtazapine.
Where this comes from
“Do not use the herbal supplement St John's wort when taking mirtzapine.”
Information from the NHS website - SSRIs · sertraline, fluoxetine, citalopram
St John’s wort with an SSRI can cause serotonin syndrome. Do not combine.
- Warfarin · coumarin, vitamin k antagonist
St John’s wort lowers warfarin levels and raises the risk of a clot. Do not combine.
Take care st john’s wort with these medicines
- Clopidogrel · Grepid, Plavix
St John's wort increases clopidogrel levels in your blood and raises bleeding risk.
Where this comes from
“St John's wort (used for depression) can increase the levels of clopidogrel in your blood. This can increase your risk of bleeding.”
Information from the NHS website
Foods and drinks that count as st john’s wort
- St John’s wort
- St John’s wort tea
- Herbal low-mood remedies
- Herbal sleep blends
- Herbal remedies
Common questions
- Which medicines does st john’s wort affect?
- 6 medicines on our checker: Amitriptyline (avoid), DOACs (avoid), Mirtazapine (avoid), SSRIs (avoid), Warfarin (avoid), Clopidogrel (take care).
- Which foods count as st john’s wort?
- St John’s wort, St John’s wort tea, Herbal low-mood remedies, Herbal sleep blends, Herbal remedies.
General information from NHS medicine pages and drug labels, not medical advice. Always follow your prescriber, pharmacist or the leaflet with your medicine. How we check.