Safety of hypericum in patients with depression - A comparison with conventional antidepressants

Conventional antidepressant drugs are associated with a range of adverse dr ug reactions (ADRs), The herb Hupericum perforatum has been shown to be use ful for treating mild to moderate depression and has been associated with f ew ADRs, In an attempt to systematically compare safety data for hypericum with those of several conventional antidepressants, data were obtained from reports of the clinical trial programmes of the following drugs: dothiepin , fluoxetine, moclobemide and mirtazapine. Although hypericum was associate d with fewer and milder ADRs in clinical trials than any of the other drugs , comparisons were difficult because of the different forms in which inform ation was presented, Data from spontaneous reporting schemes and drug monit oring studies have also suggested that ADRs due to hypericum are rare and m ild, although there has been one recent report of a possible serious ADR wi th hypericum. Data on the safety of hypericum in overdose and on interactio ns with other drugs are as yet scarce.