SAMe?

[Karen]

Anyone take SAMe? It was recommended to me by my therapist to help boost my mood as she knows I'll refuse any sort of prescription along the same lines. She's super supportive of my alternative approaches, diet, etc. She's also done a lot of reading/courses on it and has a lot of her other clients on it, so I'm willing to give it a shot. Any experiences? Tips?

[Laurieptsre]

I suffer from bad depression and decided to go off my antidepressants a few weeks ago (been on them for years). The antidepressants were not giving me the relief I was looking for so now I'm going natural all the way. I'd also love to hear about experiences with SAMe or any other natural products. I'm a little nervous about taking anything at this point but I am open to suggestions.

[DocIKY]

There is a lot of evidence out that there suggests that SamE is fantastic for relieving symptoms of depression.

You can read some of the research yourself on Greenmedinfo.com or mercola.com

Other supplements that demonstrate effectiveness at relieving symptoms of depression and/or anxiety include 5-htp, st. johns wart, and holy basil.

Talk to her about which of these and others might work best for you and give it a shot. Aside from the tiny chance that any of these might be something a person has an allergy too, there is little to no chance of harm in trying any of them. The most likely worst case scenario is that you'll still be exactly as you are today. Certainly the same cannot be said for pharmaceutical antidepressants!

[befabdaily]

I have been taking it consistently during the S.A.D. season. It seems to keep the dark winter moments away. I probably have "minor" depression, as in I enjoy my life most of the time and don't feel incapacitated, but I'm maybe not the tippy topmost of "all I can be" either. I don't know how it would be for someone with major depression.

We tried giving it to my mom though and it gave her major stomach distress (or so she claimed -- my mom is weird about medicine and also has a very traditional stigmatizing/bootstraps attitude about depression so she might have just blown it off).

[Karen]

Thanks for the input! I take it you don't take it in the summer, then? Any particular brand you're in love with? I have Jarrow 200 mg coming from Amazon. And DocIKY, thanks for the links! I'll do some reading. (On a side note, I tried 5-HTP a few years ago and it didn't go well...)

I would likely have what you'd call mild depression, too, and I don't tolerate meds well, so this seems like something to try. Just had another chat with my therapist about it today. She's seen me get as far as I have physically and emotionally through diet / supplements / etc. and knows that I could use a bit of a boost that never came with the other progress, so I'll give it a go.

[kristen_schueler]

Make sure you get the entric coated ones, otherwise I have read it can cause extreme abdominal cramping and maybe even ulcers. I just started taking it yesterday, I'll let you know how it goes. No bad sad effects as of yet. I also read you should take a B complex to support the SamE so I am taking one that has B6 B12 and folic acid. However, it's really expensive to be on it for an extended period of time. Good luck!

[Karen]

Thanks for the tips! I'm already on several other supplements, including a B, so I'm all set. Fingers crossed! Mine arrived but I haven't started it yet - I got some digestive enzymes as well with that shipment and try to leave at least a week or two in between starting something new.

And, yes, it's an expensive supplement, but for me, I'd much prefer this over a copay and a host of side effects! And I've read the tax laws in the US - if a supplement is "prescribed" by a medical professional, I can write it off with the rest of my medical expenses. I can justify it to myself that way.

[befabdaily]

The best price I've found on an enteric-coated SAM-e is the house brand at Vitacost. They seem to work just as well as the Nature Made ones that everyone seems to recommend.