Depression Blog.com

I took Sam-e for about a year while back and found it very helpful. It had no side effects except that I had almost too much energy. You have to think about it--if you have been depressed and now have energy, you need to have a plan to develop the social skills and goals to channel that energy, and get your life on track.

You must take the folic acid and b-12 supplements with this to prevent disease related to the toxic build-up of homocysteine, I believe. I'm not sure what it is, but you must take a certain level of both these nutrients to balance the Sam-e. I would look it up online.

side effects of SAM'e ? Any low libdo effects?

some disturbing nightmares and I am confused and disorganized and I fell a tightness and anxious level of energy...generally I feel like I am going to explode
and I only take 100 mg/day

some disturbing nightmares and I am confused and disorganized and I fell a tightness and anxious level of energy...generally I feel like I am going to explode
and I only take 100 mg/day

I can not take SAM-e because it it an extreme stimulant and causes me shortness of breath and eratic heartbeats. Even in the smallest of dosage. Thats even breaking at 200 milligram pill into 1/8.It does help with the deppression but the side effects for me, are severe.

Since I have been on Sam-e for about three months I have had many side effects. Too much energy almost a speedy feeling.I also had the eratic heartbeats and anxiety as described by Debra above. I am now off of it and hoping to start feeling somewhat back to normal again. This stuff is not for me.

Am so grateful to read your comments here, especially Debra and April - thank you thank you ....I have recently had a BAD experience with SAM-E... having insomnia, anxiety, fear, shakiness, and restlessness (especially restless thoughts). It was so quick-acting!... I'm a young woman wanting to brighten my energy, motivation, and mood; I have a slender build. I'm angry because the Jarrow brand I bought suggested 200 -OR- 400 mg; so after 200 mg a day for five days, == extreme. Jarrow calls their SAMe the strongest on the market ~ and now I believe them! Worries and insecurities became magnified so much! Very scary! Of course, I hadn't been taking very good care of myself/my body up to this point...

I discontinued taking the Sam-e about 7 days ago now, and am just now starting to feel some relief, only after great focus.... it's still back and forth, a struggle.

--->Does anyone have info on how long it took you to feel "back to normal" again??? If it had to be a choice, I feel I would rather have my low, slightly depressive state, than the anxiety.

Love & Blessings to all of you...

---->Still quite interested in hearing others' feedback, keep it coming!

I am extremely sensitive to even herbal remedies. I took one of the Jarrow 200 mg sam-e and it lifted my mood in the sense that I was in a fog. A couple hours later, I felt the need to sigh, as my breathing was impacted, I felt more anxious than even prior to taking it. I felt awful. I wasn't going to take it the next day. When I woke up the next day, I literally felt sick. I left work early, as I couldn't even keep my eyes open. That night I slept 12 hours straight, as my body is readjusting. I never sleep more than 7.5-8.5 hours. I really don't think the sam-e is a positive thing for everyone.

Sam-e helps my mood immensely, 400 mg puts me in a balanced and positive space. However, more than that makes me manic/ feels like excess dopamine and norepinephrine. The problem is that is shuts my stomach down, I think I have so much stagnant energy around the diaphragm and solar plexus, that the Sam-e starts to move the Qi and it's too much for me at this time.

I have been taking sam-e for the last 4 months. I initially decided to try sam-e bacause I am generally low of energy, suffer from anxiety and periods of depression. The info leaflet with the bottle said that their were no noticable side effects except perhaps a temporary feeling of nausea.
For the first two months I took one 200mg tablet per day, and initially experienced a lift in mood and energy. This then changed to a feeling of irritability and sleeplessness. I then doubled the dose, thinking perhaps I wasn't taking enough. I now frequently wake up in the morning feeling very dizzy and disoriented. I have continued irritability and have started to be rude and snappy to my co-workers which is out of character. I read that someone else descibed a speedy feeling. I feel this too. I wasn't sure if it was sam-e causing these things and looked up this website to check if any one else has had similar experiences. I think I will give sam-e a miss from here on in.

Hi Ladies,

Leanne, maybe you should look into tapering off the sam-e? Your reasons for starting sam-e sound just like mine. Although before sam-e I wasn't feeling such forceful *waves* of anxiety (it was more generalized fears/worry), but now I am.

I've been off sam-e for about a month now. Strange thing is, I feel like sam-e triggered that manic state in me (which was so new and scary and foreign to me) and now my body somehow "remembers" and knows how to produce and repeat the manic symptoms again. ???

It's been about 3 weeks since the first manic symptoms, and I am surprised to find myself feeling similar symptoms, though a bit lessened in intensity: the restlessness/anxiety/feelings of doom and gloom, and not easily finding comfort and joy in the beautiful people around me.

It is possible that sam-e just triggered any unipolar depression I was having (and conveniently ignorning) to turn into what Western medicine calls "bipolar depression." And if that's the case, then probably any stimulant (even coffee) would have done the same thing. Like a fuse waiting to be lit.

Sarah, I'm interested to hear any insights you have into Qi and stagnant energies. My gut sense is that that is a HUGE part of all this, and I'm actually currently receiving help with this too...

IN SHORT, PLEASE BE AWARE OF THE STIMULANT EFFECTS OF SAM-E.

N.T.

I've been taking this for a few months, and noticed I've been becoming more and more irrtable and snappy. I recently started taking it daily instead of every other day, and it got worse. I'm angry and pissy most of the time, and feel like I can't concentrate. I have the constant feeling of anxiety, like I need to be somewhere else, but no activities seem to bring me any pleasure. My anxiety has been making me feel even more depressed, and the depression makes me not want to move. My libido has almost been cut in half, and my chest always feels heavy. I am so glad I found this forum, and now know that I am not alone in how I've been feeling. It's a releif. I think I'm going to stop taking it, and see if I get better.. I am tired of feeling so irritable, crazy, out of it, and depressed, the plain old mild depression was much better! Maybe I will be able to sleep again.. :)

Thank you all for your stories.

I started taking 100mg and noticed extremed anxiety. I cut it down to 50mg a day but on either dosage I experienced insomnia and no longer had dreams.
I took sam-e for about 3 weeks and have stopped taking it. I have noticed the last week I was taking it that my stomach is all swollen and every time I eat even the smallest amount it feels like I have eaten a 10 course meal, I am all bloated. Have anyone else experienced this. And also since I have stopped taking this a few days ago I have had a low grade headache for two days.
I know I was taking a small dose but I am one who is also very sensitive to anything I take.

Took sam-e once at half the recommended dose in the a.m. and had heart palpitations, restlessness and nausea all night long. Felt heaviness in my chest and a lot of anxiety too. Never will take again.

Question: I started taking sam-e (400mg/day) four days ago, I feel like a seventeen year old again, no anxiety. Is this normal? And is there depressive withdrawals? Also, I don't have much anxiety/depression in general. Please share your thoughts with me, I'd greatly appreciate it.
Thank you,
adam

So glad to have found this site...concerns about the way I was reacting to 400mg./day of Sam-e were mirrored here...too much anxiety, very irritable, chest tightness...eek, where is that great mood? Bummer...

I started taking it about l0 days ago, and have experienced stomach ache every day, chest tightness, and a difference in my swallowing (like when you have slightly swollen glands). Glad to know it is the SAM e...Will stop it for a couple of weeks and see what happens. Mood is better, and interests and energy are good again. Hope I can continue it in smaller (l00 mg daily) doses. I take small amount of Xanax daily, so that's probably why I didn't get all panicky, as some have. Scary thoughts and insomnia seem like a high price to pay for elevated mood, huh?

I've been taking SAM-e two weeks now and it seems my depression has turned into anxiety. I just want to feel myself again. please share any advice.
thnx, adam

I started Sam-e only 2 days ago at 400mg/day. My insomnia started immediately. So far, my depression has lifted off to a mild state of well-being. However, reading the comments here make me concerned for the long term being that I am very prone to anxiety. I will write again after 2 wks to a month to report any changes.

This stuff is way too powerful. I took 200mg each day for five days and discontinued after it felt like my head was on fire. It seemed like I had memory loss, but since that effect has never been reported, I must have been so anxious that I could barely remember the words when talking to people.

And I think there IS a withdrawal reaction to Sam-E as well. There were two nights where I couldn't sleep at all, not one minute, about 10 days after discontinuation.

Since I have had a history of somatic symptoms, I can't say whether the Sam-E definitely caused these problems. However, I can say that it made my depression worse, if only indirectly. Stay away from this stuff unless you're seriously depressed; choose Omega-3 acids if you're just a little down.

Just wanted to comment that after taking 2 200 mg tablets once a day of SAM-E for 2 weeks I purchased the 400 mg pill, to be taken once a day ,to save money.
I will now discontinue use completely, I not only had a stabbing pain in my chest the 2nd day on the 400mg, but anytime I ate anything, even the smallest amount, I too felt like I had eaten a 10 course meal, then the stomach pain would start.
Today I am not taking it, but am still feeling residual stomach distress and nausea, hope this doesn't continue much longer, and wish I had read the comments before I began taking this supplement. There should be more of a warning on the package, especially about the chest pain!!!

I posted here before, but I wanted to add a note to save some people the hell I went through during the past six weeks.

Apparently, some people who have a subclinical vitamin B-12 deficiency will show no symptoms of the deficiency other than depression and perhaps tingling in the arms and legs, which you might overlook. When these people take Sam-E to relieve what they thought was just depression, the Sam-E rapidly metabolizes all the rest of the B-12 in their bodies, worsening the deficiency.

That's why many people above are reporting memory loss and confusion, which are symptoms of a b-12 deficiency. Myself, I encountered panic attacks and mania as well. Even if you use multivitamins like I did, there isn't enough B-12 in them alone. Fortunately, the condition is easily treatable:

1. Stop taking Sam-E.
2. Go to GNC and spend $5.00 on a bottle of 250 tablets of B-12. Don't waste your money; the cheapest supplement will do.
3. Take 2000mcg of B-12 a day for two weeks
4. Continue with 1000mcg a day for the rest of your life.

It's as good as getting injections, and you'll experience rapid improvement beginning in 12 hours.

I stopped taking antidepressants because of their severe sideeffects and read tons of good reviews on Sam e. So I took 400mg for 3 days and it made me very ill. I could not eat, had stomach pain, nausea and vomiting racing heartbeat and shakiness and weakness. I wish I read more about the negative effects before I spent my money on this. I won't take it again, but am running out of herbs to try. I tried st johns worth, and it did not work me.

Steve, thanks for the info. i started taking Sam-e and immediately felt stomach pain, tingling in the arms and legs, insomnia and horrible nightmares. i'm heading to GNC for some vit B12, thanks for the tip.

Anybody's blood pressure gone up on this? Mine has been elevated lately despite my very effective lisinopril, regular exercise and healthy eating. Yes, my wife claims that I am more irritable lately. Yes, I have had unexplainable feelings of my leg tingling while on my eliptical trainer and running (NEVER happened before). I am going to get a bottle of B-12 PRONTO!The lesson to be learned is to not take at face value the line that the supplement companies use that it is a "safe herbal remedy". Natural substances can make you just as sick as chemicals!

I started taking sam-e a couple of months ago just for very mild depression, mainly lack of energy. I started with 200mg twice daily and had no side effects. The store where I purchase them from no longer carries the 200 mg so I switched to the 400 mg pills that I take once a day with a super b complex vitamin. I did notice that when I took the 400 mg pill I had a little bit of an unusual feeling with my heart beat, not racing out of control but a very slight racing feeling. I continued to take them and after a few days that feeling stoped happening. I haven't had any anxiety, insomnia, irritablility, or racing thoughts. I feel fine, but after reading the posting about vitamin b12 I don't know if I'm feeling better because I am now taking the super b complex which is new for me. After I finish this package of Sam-e I'm just going to take the Vitamin b and see how I feel. It certainly is a lot cheaper than the Sam-e

In the past Sam e has worked miraculously in bringing me out of severe depression. I've tried taking it a couple of times this year but feel I can't feel deeply. As an actor, this is a major problem. It seems like I become less emotionally affected by things. Instead of my feelings going all the way down to my gut, it seems like they stop around my chest. Has anyone else noticed this?

I started taking SAMe after enduring some family trauma. I was depressed and needed an up, but didn't want to take antidepressants. I have noticed my depression is lifted, but I have noticed some other effects that I was wondering if anybody else experienced. I am a very athletic person and have a very high metabolism and am somewhat of an adreniline junky - so maybe this is something that doesn't work right just for me. I have noticed a significant decrease in my sex drive as well as a significant reduction in my desire to exercise. I have run or biked at least 4 times a week for years and now, I haven't been out there 4 times in the past month! Does anybody else noticed this kind of reaction? Think I'm coming off of it today and going to try the b-12 route.

I started taking one 400 mg tablet of SAMe per day after reading about its reported energy and mood building effects. It also supposedly had the added benefit of being good for your joints. After only two days, I am disontinuing use. I experienced severe stomach pain and one of the worst headaches I have ever experienced. I didn't think I was going to be able to make it home from work last night because I started to feel so horrible and shakey. After reading all of the other comments, I don't even want to try a lower dosage. I too wish I'd done a little more research!

I have been taking Sam-e for about 2 weeks now and it seems to be helping my depression. However, I am experiencing weird, uncontrollable nerve twitching by my foot? Even while I am trying to sleep this nerve feels like it is running a marathon. Yikes! I didn't have such a thing before and it is making me a little nervous. I thought I would give it a try but I think I will just stick to vitamin b-12 after my expensive pills are gone.

I took Sam e, the 400 mg pills, 2-3 times a day for about 5 days and I was totally new to this anti-depression via pill action. I now have this terrible acid reflux, cramping, and much gas. This is a situation i have never had-- other than when my period is about to hit, and even then, not this bad. I quit the stuff about 4 days ago and I cannot believe the box told me to take it 2-3 times a DAY! from what I'm reading a regular dose would be about 200 mg a day... I think the best way to increase energy and beat the blues has to be sleep, exercise, and good nutrition! I'm just going to stop doing things that stress me out, cut out the negative people from my life as much as I can, and try to focus on the positive to keep my head clear. This stuff did something to me, and when I took it, I felt the high but it was that-- a high. I wanted to recreate good days/good moments with a pill and you just can't do that. That was my lesson. I'm not battling noticeable or alarmingly debilitating depression but have had a lot of stress lately and have been in perpetually changing situations for some time now and am feeling like my attitude towards regular things is not as it is for others. But I'm starting to realize that maybe I'm just the kind of girl who thinks a lot of things are fake or just plain silly and leave it at that. We don't all have to be cookie-cutter versions of the same person with a perma-fake-smile and an everything's cool attitude. And if I don't fit into any specific adjective or category or group or whatever, then I will applaud myself and feel good that I'm not a big follower! Not following means finding your own way though, and sometimes that can take a lot of feeling around, if nobody's walking ahead to light the way. I'm going to embrace that. That is what makes us unique. I say embrace your personality, sunny, cloudy, sardonic, snippy, whatever. If you don't like a part of it, consciously change it overtime. Don't take a pill, it might give you perpetual gas like it has done to me! not fun, for me, or others!

“SAM-e Withdrawal” - Reading thru these messages a common comment is that many people wish they had done more research. Well I did more research and it still didn't help. I research all the official information available. Maybe my research should have included the unofficial findings and results listed on blogs. - I had some tendonitis/bursitis in my shoulder and I was looking for something that would help. I don’t suffer emotional issues such as depression or anxiety so it is reported that SAM-e will have absolutely zero effect on me (brain chemistry like mine). I began with the standard does of 200 and changed it to 400 after 10 days. I continued for 21 days but decided to stop because I was getting about 2 hours of sleep a night. I didn’t feel bad but I didn’t feel right. Before SAM-e, at times late at night when driving the car I would get sleepy, but while on SAM-e no problem. But anyways, I stopped. Now the real story begins. SAM-e has withdrawal symptoms. I became paranoid and on edge. These feeling reached their peak about 4 days after cessation. It took about 12 days to really start feeling right and about 14 days to sleep [about] normally (for me). I was far from my carefree self. I blew up on someone at work. SAM-e almost cost me my job. If you try it, start up slowly and withdraw even slower. Take 2 weeks to slowly wean off.

I am incredibly lucky to be alive after taking Sam-E. I took two 200mg pills seven months ago, and it induced such severe mania that I nearly committed suicide. I don't remember anything that happened between July and October of 2006. I lost my $70,000 a year job as a computer programmer and nearly all my friends, and became extremely depressed (which I know now is a "mixed state.") I nearly had to be hospitalized. It was months before I could even come up with reasonably coherent sentences.

I have no history of bipolar disorder. I have never had any manic episodes whatsoever in the past.

When I went to the doctor about the problem, he prescribed Paxil, saying I was depressed - and who wouldn't be, when they are completely and utterly unable to come up with a single coherent thought? The Paxil worsened the condition dramatically, to another suicide attempt.

It was four months before someone was even able to diagnose me correctly. Even with Depakote and Lamictal, I still am only 50% recovered. My New Year's resolution is to feel better by 2008. But even if I make a complete recovery, it will probably be several years before I can put my life back together.

I was severely depressed in the past, unable to get out of bed and falling asleep all the time. If you've been depressed like that, remember how you felt and then multiply the feeling by about 50 times, and then you can begin to get a feeling for how bad mania is. I would rather die than go through that again - it's WORSE than death.

Read the literature before you take Sam-E. It causes mania in a significantly higher proportion of patients than other antidepressants, and mania is a serious condition that does not go away after you stop taking the pill.

Just started taking 2 200 mg a day.. So far have thrown up twice and have had a very dry mouth. Got to try something though. Have lost the "zest" for life.46 years old.

SAMe is extremely safe and non-toxic. In clinical studies, SAMe is typically compared against placebo and other compounds for benefits and side effects. While SAMe usually produces beneficial effects superior to drugs and other nutrients, it often produces an incidence of side effects that are lower than the placebo!

While antidepressants can cause liver damage, SAMe has been shown in numerous studies to be liver-protective. SAMe also has NO withdrawal reaction, commonly found when antidepressants are stopped abruptly.

After beginning SAMe supplementation, a positive response is often felt within a week of starting the program, and often within days, but it may take as long as four weeks.

In a few sensitive individuals, SAMe may cause gastric irritation or an upset stomach. While it is preferable to take SAMe on an empty stomach, it can be taken with meals if necessary to avoid upset stomach.

SAMe's antidepressant activity may lead to the manic phase in individuals with bipolar (manic) depression.

Though not reported in the literature, higher doses may occasionally lead to anxiety even in non-bipolar individuals. If the anxiety continues even on the lowest dose, the product should be discontinued. Dont rely on 2nd hand, subjective reports posted on the internet.

I had very good results with SAM-e.I took two 400mg in the morning with lots of water otherwise I would get stomach upset. But my problem is much different than any that I read. My facial skin began to burn,itch and turn red.I've had to dicontinue because of the severity. Anybody know about this?

I will say what so many others are: I wish I had done a bit more research before trying SAM-E, although I did do some but only seemed to really "notice" the reports of positive effects. I had been on Effexor for two years which eliminated my depression very well, but I was concerned about weight gain and possible sexual side effects. A psychiatrist (pretty progressive for a psychiatrist, wouldn't you say?) suggested trying SAM-E. He did so in excellent faith, of course, having had several patients who did very well with it. He said that to really treat depression, doses of 1,000 to 1,600 mg. a day were indicated. So, when I started off with 200 mg in morning and 200 mg. in eve, I was surprised at how agitated and spacy I felt. This continued and got worse as I moved to 600 mg. a day. It's been about 10 days now, and I am going to quit. I have had many of the symptoms others report: trouble sleeping, restless dreams, bloating, acid reflux, irritability, and (no one else mentioned this), tight, sore muscles. And frankly, I do feel a bit depressed and blah. Blah and irritable. An interesting combination.

Oh, well. And here I am left with almost $100 worth of SAM-E and vitamin B supplements!

Hello
I just started taking SAM e 5 days ago ( 200 md/day) for treatment of Average depression. I am experiencing some side effects ,which were not mentioned on the brand i took . My side effect are mainly restlessness (espicially restless thoughts) , Anxious level of energy, snapping alot . My question is that does the side effects get better or worse with time? And if i increae the dose may that help the side effects

Bad side effects after 2 days' use! Took 400 mg in am as directed on Walgreens brand box: w/in 1 hour had nausea, anxiety, stomach pain for most of day. Tried this because of S.A.D. and irritable bowel syndrome. May have been aggrivated becuz of coffee. I will only take much smaller doses from now on!

What makes me so crazy about these side effects is the Walgreens brand had NO INFORMATION about possible negative effects. This stuff is like speed. I wish I'd found this website a few days ago when I first bought the Sam-e and was looking online for info on dosages and effects. Better a little late than never. Thanks, everyone!

I'm amazed at the wide variety of reactions folks are reporting on here, especially since so many people I know take sam-e with good results.

Ive been taking it for *years*, with no serious problems. For a long time, I was taking 800mg every morning with no adverse effects, however I've since tapered down to just 200mg. I'm glad sites like this exist so that consumers can make informed decisions, but I hope that not everyone is scared away by these testimonials, because every body reacts differently to drugs/supplements.

Oh, and there are three things from above that I want to comment on:

*After the first few days, it stopped making me feel jittery, but I'm always careful to take it in the morning so that it's worn off by bedtime.

*The withdrawal can be quite acute. When I was taking 800mg, a few missed doses could make me lethargic and depressed. That's why I tapered down to just 200mg a day - I didn't want to be dependent on it. I tapered *very* gradually, alternating between 800mg and 600mg each day for a week, then just 600mg each day for a week... and so on until I was just taking one 200mg pill every day.

*I normally buy my SAM-e from Hypericum Buyers Club because it was the best price I could find, but once I switched to the Jarrow brand and I started experiencing bloating and lots of gas. It took me a while to figure out what was causing it, but it turns out they use a stabilizer (sorbitol, I think?) that some people can't digest well. So if you're having stomach problems check the label and consider trying another brand.

If you're having low-energy and depression, I think SAM-e can help. It helped me a lot... but not as much as doing Yoga and finding a different job. So make what you will of that.

On my 4th day of Sam-e and still feel great. Had been severely depressed for months, now feel almost "normal". The energy push is wonderful. Thanks to all for their comments and I am going to take the b-12 sup. as suggested in several articles. I will write back after 2 weeks and see if I still feel the same way!

Been on Sam-e for 2 days and feel a better sense of well being. I have suffered from depression for many years (I am currently off traditional medicines due to feeling like a zombie) The only symptoms I feel are terrible stomach cramps and very little hunger. I will continue for the duration of the box because my horrible feelings of sadness and tiredness have left for the first time in years!! I will report back at the end of this box to let you know my results.

I have a history of depression and anxiety. I came off my depression medication three months ago and was feeling really good. Unfortunately, I recently had some trauma in my life and felt like I needed some help again. It was recommended to me that I try SAM-E. I took it for 18 days and have now been off for four.

After a week of taking it, I started noticing that I was having a tightness in my chest, difficulty breathing, and starting to get anxious. I have never slept well but my sleep was getting even worse. All of these problems continued to get worse with use. I was starting to have severe anxiety attacks for no reason at all. They felt like heart attacks. They got so bad that I thought I was going to have to go back on anxiety medication. I found this site four days ago and things started to make sense. I discontinued use and it has gotten a bit better but still have a long way to go.

What I'm dealing with now is a low level of anxiety, reflux, shakiness, muscle twitches, and insomnia.

There is a reason SAM-E is prescription only is some countries. It's serious stuff and should not be taken unless you talk to your doctor. It has taken what was a difficult situation and made is so much worse. What a nightmare.

I've had a very positive experience with SAMe. I use a product called LifeEZE which contains the equivalent of S-adenosylmethionine 200mg. I suffered from extreme anxiety for about seven months, in which time I saw a psychologist, learned mindfulness techniques (which were very helpful), exercised more and did all the things I was told to do. These things helped me to get through each day but didn't bring me back to 'normal'. My doctor suggested I try SAMe and I found it has a cushioning effect on me; reducing my anxiety so the mindfulness/exercise etc can work. I thought a good-news story might be welcomed here. I suppose the brain's biochemistry is so complex that people just have to try different things to find something that works for them.

it's the brand!!!

thanks to al who posted about a month ago and said that the jarrow brand uses a stabilizer that some people can't digest.

i used sam-e for six months and it really helped me get out of the well, get through some difficult stuff i was going through. after a move to the place i wanted to be and starting a new job, i gradually tapered off of it and was off for about six months. however i am going through a new transition and feeling depressed so i decided to try again.

it did lift my mood---i was able to take what had just been a big mud puddle at work and get really organized---and came home and got all organized here--just feels like i can attack anything, even the garage----and my partner said she noticed a big difference in my ability to cope emotionally---but have been having terrible stomach pain, gas, acid reflux----from the first night i started taking it. have been taking it for 2 weeks---was trying to wait it out since it worked for me before.

now from reading this chat page i think the problem is that i bought the jarrow brand--what i used to buy was the whole food brand--i think they call it 365.

i have been taking 800 mg but from reading this website think i will cut that in half.

I took 800mg my first day. That was clearly too much and caused irritability. I dropped the dosage to 400mg each morning which seemed OK until the eleventh day. Then I had the same side-effect symptoms. I have been reading that 100mg-200mg may be enough for some people. I'm giving 200mg a try.

For all of you complaining about Sam-E side effects:
Did you consider that the brand you were using made all the difference? Same goes for St John's Wart - turns out that the technology used in manufacturing St John's Wart extract in America is different from that used in Europe, and it makes St John's Wart ineffective and causing side effects.
Some of the reputable names:
For St John's Wart
Kira(KWAI, Lichtwer Pharma), Perika(Nature's Way) (both made in Germany)
For Sam-e
Mood Plus(Nature Made brand, made in Italy)
good luck!

I have taken Sam-e over the past few weeks. At first, dosage at 200 mg (100 AM, 100 PM) made a decent difference in my depression. However, after 4-5 days, I started getting horrible headaches within 30 minutes of taking it and was developing nausea and dizzyness.I also have symptoms of increased joint pain, and have problems with my eyes not wanting to focus and hurting. Have you ever heard of these symptoms coming from Sam-e?

I've tried about every drug on the market for my anxiety and depression. I was tired of feeling like a zombie. I saw an ad for SAM-e and tried it. It really was like a miracle. The first day I took it I cleaned my house from top to bottom, even deep scrubbed the shower. I'd take 200 in the morning, then 200 in the afternoon. I felt good. I noticed though, that I woke up feeling depressed. So, I started taking one before bed. Walaa, I wasn't depressed in the morning anymore! This was too good to be true. Then one night I got terrible cramps that lasted about 20 minutes. I thought it was something I ate. The next night, I had the cramps again, and they lasted the whole next day. I'm going to keep taking it in the day (with food) and discontinue at night. I'd rather wake up depressed than be doubled over in pain all night. Other than that, it's the best anti-depressant I've ever used, and it's helping my anxiety too.

I am so sad. I absolutely love Sam e. Durring the winter I feel like I enter a fog that I just can not shake. I have tried anti-depressents and most make it worse or don't work at all. Sam-e gives me more energy, and allows me to think more clearly. It also takes care of chronic physical pain I seem to have. But I have started to realize that the horrible stomach pain I get periodically and more frequently is caused by my Sam-e. I have to stop taking it the pain is excrusiating and lasts for 2 to 3 days. I am so upset. I wish I could find a way to take it without hurting my stomach. I think I am going to try uping my vitamin B supplimentation. Vitamin B in the past has not helped much. St. John's Wort made my heart do strange things. I just keep trying.

Hallo,
I wonder if someone could help me:
I suffer of fear of panic attacks already 5 years now and I tryed many natural supplements.

From what I read in the internet sam-e has convinced me the most. Though I cant say feel any difference. I take now 8 pills of 400mg a day! I dont suffer any side effects, neither do I have more energy or better mood or less fear.
Anyone any suggestion?

Thanks in advance,
Michael miechiel@gmx.net

After taking Paxil for 3 months years ago, and enduring it numbing effects inside and out, including sexual, I discovered Sam-e...400-800mg usually does it quite well for me for joint mobility and depression with little side effects, sometimes nausea