Across 1,376 first-hand reports, people mentioned a side effect 45 times (about 3 per 100 reports). The most common: jitteriness, insomnia, drowsiness. User reports show what people notice — they can't tell you whether Rhodiola is safe for you.
“I tried so many things for depression like saffron rhodiola tyrosine omega 3 methylfolate B12 taurine theanine NAC inositol b complex magnesium nothing helps it.”
“Recently I've felt even more tired, and my back muscles hurt, so I'm considering stopping some of them because I'm not sure whether they're contributing to the fatigue.”
“Wow wow wow wow... improved memory... mood... increased energy. However... very restless at night lately. It's very difficult for me to get to sleep.”
“When cycled for a few days I could definitely feel positive effects...I was not expecting much from this herb but it improved my mood and made me more talkative at work.”
“Watch the dosage with adaptogens like rhodiola: too much (for me over 500mg) can cause sleepiness; less (200mg or so) seems better for energy and calm.”
“Depersonalization from rhodiola rosea. It was amazing for killing my anxiety for about week.”
Conclusion: The review addresses current issues in herbal psychotherapy: herbal safety, future areas of application, the relationship of herbal medicine with pharmaceuticals and the potential prescriptive integration of phytomedicines with synthetic psychotropic medicines. Particular attention is given to clinical and safety issues with St John's wort and kava.