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.
30 medicines on our checker are affected, and for 22 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 - Citalopram
Do not use St John's wort with citalopram.
Where this comes from
“Do not use the herbal supplement St John's wort when taking citalopram.”
Information from the NHS website - Contraceptive injections · medroxyprogesterone, Medroxyprogesterone injections, Depo-Provera
St John's wort can affect how medroxyprogesterone contraceptive injections work.
Where this comes from
“Do not take St John's wort, a herbal remedy used for depression, with medroxyprogesterone contraceptive injections. It can affect the way medroxyprogesterone works.”
Information from the NHS website - Digoxin · Lanoxin
St John's wort may not mix well with digoxin, so tell your doctor before taking it.
- DOACs · apixaban, eliquis, rivaroxaban
St John’s wort lowers DOAC levels and risks a clot. Do not combine.
- Duloxetine
Do not use St John's wort when taking duloxetine.
Where this comes from
“Do not use the herbal supplement St John's wort when taking duloxetine.”
Information from the NHS website - Erythromycin
Do not use the herbal supplement St John's wort when taking erythromycin.
Where this comes from
“Do not use the herbal supplement St John's wort when taking erythromycin.”
Information from the NHS website - Esomeprazole · Nexium, Nexium Control, Emozul
Do not take St John's wort with esomeprazole, as it may stop it working properly.
Where this comes from
“Do not take St John's wort, the herbal remedy for depression, while you're taking esomeprazole.”
Information from the NHS website - Fluoxetine
Do not use St John's wort while taking fluoxetine.
Where this comes from
“Do not use the herbal supplement St John's wort when taking fluoxetine.”
Information from the NHS website - Lansoprazole · Zoton FasTabs
Do not take St John's wort with lansoprazole, as it may stop the medicine working properly.
Where this comes from
“Do not take St John's wort, the herbal remedy for depression, while you're taking lansoprazole.”
Information from the NHS website - Levetiracetam
Do not use St John's wort when taking levetiracetam.
Where this comes from
“Do not use the herbal supplement St John's wort when taking levetiracetam.”
Information from the NHS website - Medroxyprogesterone tablets · Climanor, Provera
St John's wort affects how medroxyprogesterone works, so do not take it.
Where this comes from
“Do not take St John's wort, a herbal remedy used for depression, with medroxyprogesterone. It can affect the way medroxyprogesterone works.”
Information from the NHS website - 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 - Nortriptyline
Do not take St John's wort while you are being treated with nortriptyline as it increases side effects.
Where this comes from
“Do not take St John's wort, the herbal remedy for depression, while you're being treated with nortriptyline. It will increase your risk of side effects.”
Information from the NHS website - Pantoprazole · Pantoloc Control
St John's wort may stop pantoprazole working as well as it should, so do not take them together.
Where this comes from
“St John's wort may stop pantoprazole working as well as it should.”
Information from the NHS website - Paroxetine
For paroxetine, the herbal supplement St John's wort should not be used at all.
Where this comes from
“Do not use the herbal supplement St John's wort when taking paroxetine.”
Information from the NHS website - Risperidone
Do not take St John's wort as it may stop risperidone working as well as it should.
Where this comes from
“St John's wort, a herbal remedy for depression – it may stop risperidone working as well as it should”
Information from the NHS website - Sertraline
Do not use St John's wort with sertraline.
Where this comes from
“Do not use the herbal supplement St John's wort when taking sertraline.”
Information from the NHS website - SSRIs · sertraline, fluoxetine, citalopram
St John’s wort with an SSRI can cause serotonin syndrome. Do not combine.
- Trazodone
Do not use St John's wort while taking trazodone.
Where this comes from
“Do not use the herbal supplement St John's wort when taking trazodone.”
Information from the NHS website - Venlafaxine
Do not use St John's wort while taking venlafaxine.
Where this comes from
“Do not use the herbal supplement St John's wort when taking venlafaxine.”
Information from the NHS website - 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 - Diltiazem · Adizem, Angitil, Tildiem
St John's wort is thought to affect the way diltiazem works. Talk to a pharmacist or doctor first.
Where this comes from
“St John's wort is a herbal remedy taken for depression. It's thought to affect the way diltiazem works.”
Information from the NHS website - Donepezil · Aricept, Aricept Evess
St John's wort can lower donepezil levels in your blood and stop it working as well.
Where this comes from
“St John's wort, a herbal remedy used for depression, can lower the levels of donepezil in your blood. This can stop your medicine from working as well as it should.”
Information from the NHS website - Eplerenone · Inspra
St John's wort can affect how eplerenone works. Talk to your doctor if you're using it or planning to use it.
Where this comes from
“St John's wort, a herbal medicine taken for depression, can affect how eplerenone works. Talk to your doctor if you're using it or planning to use it.”
Information from the NHS website - Escitalopram
St John's wort is listed as something that may not mix well with escitalopram, so ask before taking it.
- Finasteride
St John's wort might stop finasteride working as well as it should.
Where this comes from
“St John's wort (a herbal remedy sometimes taken to help with depression) might stop finasteride working as well as it's supposed to.”
Information from the NHS website - Sumatriptan
St John's wort may not mix well with sumatriptan. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist first.
Where this comes from
“St John's wort – a herbal remedy sometimes taken for mild depression”
Information from the NHS website - Verapamil · Securon, Verapress, Vera-Til
St John's wort can affect the way verapamil works.
Where this comes from
“St John's wort (a herbal remedy for depression) can affect the way verapamil works.”
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?
- 30 medicines on our checker: Amitriptyline (avoid), Citalopram (avoid), Contraceptive injections (avoid), Digoxin (avoid), DOACs (avoid), Duloxetine (avoid), Erythromycin (avoid), Esomeprazole (avoid), Fluoxetine (avoid), Lansoprazole (avoid), Levetiracetam (avoid), Medroxyprogesterone tablets (avoid), Mirtazapine (avoid), Nortriptyline (avoid), Pantoprazole (avoid), Paroxetine (avoid), Risperidone (avoid), Sertraline (avoid), SSRIs (avoid), Trazodone (avoid), Venlafaxine (avoid), Warfarin (avoid), Clopidogrel (take care), Diltiazem (take care), Donepezil (take care), Eplerenone (take care), Escitalopram (take care), Finasteride (take care), Sumatriptan (take care), Verapamil (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.