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

I am very relieved to have discovered this blog about S-Adenosyl-L-Methionine (SAMe). Being on duloxetine (Cymbalta) for depression for 2 years, and discontinuing it recently, I decided to try a different approach with SAMe. I have recently been on SAMe for about 2 weeks and have experienced the following troubling symptoms:
-Difficulty breathing/shortness of breath
-Tachycardia
-Chest pain
-Dizzyness, extreme confusion, irritability
-Increased panic (ANXIETY)

These symptoms seemed to have progressively gotten more noticable after 2 weeks of taking SAMe at the 400mg daily. I have had to take small dosages of Alprozalam (Xanax)again to counter-act these anxious episodes. After reading most of the comments on this chemical, I believe I will discontinue SAMe from my diet. Thanks for the help.

THIS IS FOR ALL OF YOU THAT KNOWS WHAT TRUE ANXIETY IS.UNLESS YOU EXPERIENCE THIS HORROR YOU WILL WHEN YOU HEAR THIS.ISTARTED TO TAKE ATIVAN 1 MG,THERE HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY TERRIBLE THINGS IN EVERY ASPECT OF MY LIFE HAPPEN AT THE SAME TIME.I DONT EVEN TAKE ASPIRIN,BUT I NEEDED TO TAKE SOMETHING TO GO TO SLEEP.WELL ONE DAY IGOT A PHONE CALL ,FAMILY EMERGENCY AND HAD TO LEAVE TOWN PRONTO.I DIDNT HAVE A CHANCE TO GO TO THE DOCTER FOR A REFILL AND RAN OUT.IT STARTED -WITHDRAWAL-DREAMS OF THE MOST UGLIEST THINGS THATS IMAGINABLE.I WENT THROUGH THIS NO SLEEP FELT DEPERSONALIZED COLD SWEATED JUNKY. WENT THROUGHAT LEAST TEN ITEMS FROM THE HEALTH FOOD STORE,NOTHING WORKED NEEDLESS TO SAY,THEN I GOT SAM-E-HERE I AM ANXIETY RDDEN AND HERE THEY GIVE ME THIS 200MG 2 TIMES DAILY I TOOK IT FOR THREE DAYS AND I HAVE MORE ANXIETY ON TOP OF THE GETTING OVER KICKING THE OTHER CLEANING MY SYSTEM OUT AND STARTING A NEW BAD DREAM,WAKING UPWITH DRY MOUTH , NERVOUS,BAD ATTITUDE AND MY URINE WAS DARK ALL DAY MIND YOU THIS IS JUST THREE DAYS,1 IN AT A.M. 1 AT P.M.IM RUNNING ON PURE ADRENALINE.I CANT BELIEVE THEY SOLD THIS TO ME.AND ALL THE OTHER SO CALLED REMEDIES.HOPE THAT YOU LOOK UP 'SIDE EFFECTS'ON WHATEVER YOU PURCHASE IN THE FUTURE UNLESS YOU WANT TO GO THROUGH TORTURE LIKE I DID AND THATS NOT EVEN ALL ,YOU DONT WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT.BUT IM TRYING MELATONIN 3GR AT NIGHT MIGHT WORK. CRASHED & BURNED GOOD LUCK FOLLOW WHAT YOUR BODY TELLS YOU

I have been taking Sam-e for a few days and have noticed a real loss in libido and fnd it very difficlut to ejaculate. When researching sam-e on the web i did not find any sites that listed this as a possible side effect. As anyone else had similar side effects.

So glad I came across this blog. I suffer from depression due to extreme stresses in my life and can't seem to tolerate anti-depressants so I thought I would give Sam E a try. Problem is it seems to worsen my insomnia, cause my heart to race, make me speedy and increase anxiety. I am beginning to wonder if I will every find something that will lift me out of my depression and anxiety with side effects I can live with.

I'm soooo glad too find this blog. I've been struggling with depresssion and anxiety related to extreme adrenal exhaustion. Trying to avoid going back on lexapro, I started SAM-e yesterday, 200mg.a.m., 200 p.m. I couldn't understand the immediate feelings of tight head and neck muscles, choking feeling, and extreme nausea and dizzyness. I thought I was having a maniers episode (I have had in the past.)Kept waking up every hour all night. Very very depressed this morning, I took 200mg again, and mid afternoon, same thing happened. I guess I won't count on sleeping tonight. No more SAM-e for me.(more $ down the drain) Lauri

I am trying Sam-E due to family loss and sorrow issues.
A lot of folks in this post mention b-12.
Remember if you stop taking it to ramp down.
Your body gets good at excreting it and then you quit you can hit a deficiency state quickly.
Try Soy Lecithin if you have neuropathy.
For me Sam-E at 200mg per day has: improved my mood slightly, increased my dreams or the remembrance of them five-fold. Not nightmares or particularly pleasant dreams just the normal times
about five and I remember them into the late morning.
Although my mood is somewhat better I have clearly less patience for fools but perhaps a bit more for unavoidable situations such as traffic delays.
We all have so many things that can effect us and each compound can strike us differently.
That is what drug studies are for.
No one answer; but for me- Sam -E makes my dreams very different and similar to those when I tried Wellbutrin.
best of Luck in your research

I was on Max doses of Weelbutrin and Lexapro for 3 years for extreme depression. They helped but the side effects were impossible to deal with. I take 1,600 mgs of SAM-e a day and am off of the prescriptions. SAM-e works wonders for some and obviously not so great for others. My advice is to read everything out there and experiment until you find out what works for you.

Hey Guys, I have been taking thompsons mood manager (with 200mg equiv SAM-e, vit b6, b12, folic acid, l-tyrosine, fish oil) for 7 days and i feel AMAZING, not manic mind you..I took it as i have quite bad social anxiety which has over the past 2 years lead to depression, i was also diagnosed with ADD (not hyperactive) a few years ago, i dont know if this is relevant. Leading upto taking SAM-e i was very irratable snappy tired unmotivated and generally crappy. I now feel great, just generally satisfied with life and not stressed, however i have also recently decided to organise myself a little better maybe this has helped some what. It is possible that i may be a little more twitchy than normal but iv only actually noticed that after reading this blog, and it is def not uncomfortable or anything. Try it at a low dose (one a day 200mg). It has worked wonders for me (so far)

I've been taking 200mg for 2 days, in combination with 20mg of Prozac, and currently feeling like everything is going in slow motion.

It's almost like being depressed (except I haven't felt depressed for so long I think I'm over analysing it), I'm exhausted, my body hurts, and I feel like staring into space or curling up in a ball. I've also been really pissy and angry, which seems to be a common here.

I suffer from chronic depression and anxiety, as well as Chronic Fatigue, and I almost feel like I'm going backwards. Any thoughts?

I have just got done reading this blog about SAM-e. It sounds like me that many of you are taking way to high of a dose. I had felt some of the similar symptoms and found a link of what I had already suspected. That is to take smaller doses rather than what the suggest direction from the package. I found this website...
www.raysahelian.com/sam-e.html
and he actually (please I have no clue who this person is personally) suggested to take it in much smaller doses than what manufacturing companies says. I researched some more on Amazon and google to see if he's for real and it turned out that he has several books out about the mind. So, I ended up cutting my pill in quarters and take one each day. The anxiety, anger and manic feelings have much subsided. My head feels much clearer. So, I would caution everyone to consider lowering your dosages. I've been using herbal and mineral supplements for some time and please know that there are side effects with everything. Be sensitive to listen to your body regardless what you're on or prescribed. You know your body better than anyone else. Good Luck. I wish you all well.

My mom had passed way, felt a little blue, thought I would try something "natural". I took sam e for two weeks 200 mg - 400 mg a day, I did not know what way happening to me but I thought, I was going to die! Alot of energy yea, but arms and legs hurt so bad, I could not do anything...Sweat, sweat sweat. No sleep for days! I so glad the Lord lead me to this site. Thank you for shaing...I stop taking it, I'm 90% better!

I started SAM-E a little over a month ago, the 400mg pills once a day. For a couple weeks I tried 800mg per day. At the higher dose, there were a couple nights of intense dreams and an odd feeling that my brain was experiencing 'electric shock' which awakened me. Switched back to 400mg per day after that. Other than that, can't say I really notice anything...

P.S. -- forgot to mention, if you're looking for a good source of low cost SAM-E, take a look a the 400mg capsules at vitacost.com, they're comparatively very reasonable, around $17 per 30 day supply and shipping is around $5 (for any size order).

Hi, I just started on SAM-e, I broke my 200mg. tab. into 4 pieces until I know it will not have any bad effects on my system. I do have a theory of why SAM-e has such fantastic results for some,and is awful for others, it is the theory of methylation, Dr. William Walsh has done a lot of research on this at his clinic. (Phieffer clinic I believe). Basically what the methylation theory is, is that people will fall into two groups, High Histamine (undermethylated), and Low Histamine (overmethylated), a simple way to tell your blood histamine level is to take a small dose of niacin (not the non-flush kind)and see if you flush. If you do flush at a low dose (I think 50mg-but look this up, it's been awhile since I did this)so, if you do flush, you are high-histamine, undermethylated and should do very well on SAM-e. My suspicions are that these bad reactions posted here are from low histamine people, who Dr. Walsh says will do terrible on SAM-e. If you want to check out this for yourself, go to www.alternativementalhealth.com, look for the articles link, Dr. Walsh, an article on methylation. If you have never been to this site, then you are in for a treat, this is like a mecca for people with depression symptoms.I hope that this information helps you. I will close with this short excerpt of the Buddhist prayer which really seems to address all of us suffering with anxiety and depression:
"By the power and the truth of this practice,
may all beings have happiness, and the causes of happiness.
May all be free from sorrow, and the causes of sorrow.
May all never be separated from the sacred happiness
which is sorrowless."
Buddha

Does Sam-e have the same side effects in regards to poor libido and sexual dysfunction as what does Lexapro and other SSRI. Thankyou for your answer in advance.

Hi, I have ADHD and was on Ritalin for 5 years. While on it I started getting seasonal depression, and had a few times where i had bursts of adrenaline that caused panic. But i could live with it. I came off Ritalin doe to a low blood cell count. I then went on to modafinil and have been on it for 3 years. I had my first true anxiety attack November 2007. I also got moderate depression that winter, which persisted into the spring. Since been on modafinil i have had constant mild anxiety as a trade off for its effects. But it gives me an edge in a strange way. At the end of April i started with 200mg of SAM-e each night. As i found it made me tied at first. Infact i had a time where i had to have a break from SAM-e due to tiredness. (Ritalin a stimulant made me feel sedate when i first went on it) This effect went off and i went back on SAM-e 200mg through may and June. SAM-e and modafinil got on so well together that i upped the dose to 400mg each night at the end of june. The SAME-e got rid of the modafinil induced anxiety. I continued to take this through July, august and most of September. I had no anxiety and even felt that SAM-e helped my ADHD a little. So for two weeks i took 400mg twice a day along with my 200mg of modafinil. My mental clarity and focus improved, it was like been back on Ritalin. But because of the cost i decided to go back to 400mg a day of SAM-e. After all i was getting greedy then. I then to save money got some TMG to take with the 400mg of SAM-e. TMG did not feel as if it had got to my brain in the way SAM-e did, instead it went to my adrenals, at first i liked the extra adrenaline. But now all i have to do is worried about anything and i have an anxiety attack. I have been dizzy, had heart palpitations, shortness of breath. And constant worries about my heart health. I have stopped the TMG after a week, but now i cannot tolerate the SAM-e. The only thing i can think of is that SAM-e and TMG work in different pathways. TMG has maybe given up too many methyl groups to adrenaline. My depression has gone now, and if it ever came back i would use SAM-e again. But i would never take TMG again with my modafinil. If i had took TMG when i was depressed at a low dose by its self i might of been ok. But i over did it.

I feel like this anxiety is automated, and chemical. SAM-e is a compound the body produces. It should be taken to correct a shortage and then stopped. When i started to feel better instead of increasing the dose to get even better, and adding something else i should of stayed on the dose and considered cutting down. I advise not combining TMG with SAM-e.

Some people can take TMG, i could not. It may be that these things only work if your short of it. Over methylated people cannot take SAM-e for more then a week and in theory will respond better to DMAE. Taking DMAE reduces production of TMG in the body. So in theory it should be able to reduce the effects of having too much SAM-e or TMG.

This is only an idea, but the effects of these things may be to do with the autonomic nervous system. SAM-e maybe is more active in the sympathetic nervous system (dopamine, adrenaline), and DMAE may be more parasympathetic as it increases acetylcholine. Acetylcholine blocks adrenalines effects effects and switches of the flight or fight response.

I did respond well to SAM-e and do flush with 50mg of nicin. But i think even an undermethylated type can over do it and become overmethylated for a short time. I still have some nicin in the cupboard i will try to raise my histamine with it. See if it reduces the effects of me over doing it.

One good thing TMG has done is restore my ability to dream. Before my depression i used to have lots of vivid dreams, some lucid. Over the past two weeks they have returned. Last night i got to fly through the air and pass through solid objects in my dream.

For those who are having bad side-effects from SAM-e, I sympathize greatly! Only in the last year I have had the opportunity to experience side-effects with many different types of medication used to treat my ADHD.

However, SAM-e so far has worked extremely well for me, and I am going on my 3rd week. Here MAY be the secret, break your pill into a smaller piece. The first day or two, I took a full 200mg. I never went up to the 400mg. It just sounded like too much. Then, I started trying half a pill (100mg), and then realized that 1/4 of a pill worked great. So, currently I am taking 50mg once a day. Last night I had a few nightmares, and noticed that when SAM-e wears off in the evening, I get a little more run-down than usual, like coming down off a sugar high. So, today I tried another 50mg mid-afternoon. I'm going to see how this all works and I'll post again to this blog.

I would encourage everyone here to go WAY DOWN on the dose, and make sure you take a vitamin B complex. I take vitamin B complex (Pure Vitamin B) as well as B12 methyl everyday. I specifically asked my pharmacist about this, and this was his recommendation. He said you need the complete Vitamin B line-up, not just B12.

Positive effects so far: extreme lessening of depressive feelings, and irritability. Sense of well-being. Ability to concentrate. Less social anxiety.

Negative effects so far: some gas, and mild stomach upset later in the day. Also, at higher doses 200mg a day I felt a little drugged and memory seemed a little off. All the more reason for vitamin B, and a lower dose of SAM-e. Also, more tired than normal in the evenings.

I am taking Natural Factors ISO Active 200mg. This one was recommended by my pharmacist for quality.

Remember, get yourself a pill splitter, split those pills!

These posts have been so helpful! I haven't been able to achieve a good night's sleep since getting off of anti-depressants and benzos. Started taking Sam-e over a year ago to help with withdrawal effects from Zoloft. I thought the tingling arms and legs might be withdrawal related, too. I will look into B12. I have had fantastic results with Theanine for situational anxiety. I take the chewable variety and it has changed my life.

Wow! This is interesting. I started taking Sam-E a week ago (Nature Made brand). I think it's great. I previously had trouble sleeping for four years and have taken everything there is to try to sleep. Suffer from depression and anxiety due to several back to back (to back to back) family tragedies. I take Lexapro, but that didn't seem to affect my mood. This stuff works great for me. Maybe it's because I already take B-6 and B-12. Not sure, but I recommend it.

Started SamE 8 weeks ago. Took 400 mg first 2 days. Cut down to 200mg because I felt a little too good - almost high. Stopped taking Prozac & Wellbutrin, which I had been on for about 5 years. Also stopped Ziac since my blood pressure has been normal every time monitored. I am no longer constipated. No more stool softners & suppositories. Went from 10-12 hrs sleep daily to 8 hrs. My creativity is back. SamE has been a Godsend for me. Only cannot testify to any joint pain improvement. I have osteoarthritis and have not noticed a difference there yet. Want to add that I somewhere read that SamE seems to work well for people with high histamine levels which I am one of those. My doctor's all had no problem with me trying it.

I took Nature Made SAM-e 400 mg. for a month. I feel it helped with depression and it definitely helped with the osteoarthritis pain. But yesterday I didn't take it, and I thought I would explode. Nasty mood, short temper, it was awful. I'm not taking any more. I haven't had a mood like that since PMS days!

Has anyone out there had a strong metalic , bitter taste in their mouth while on Sam-e? Also my sense of smell seem altered. Please e-mail me if you have. Sam-e is very powerful and builds up in your system as you take it regularly, you need to reduce the dose after a week or so to 100mg. every other day or two.

Been on Sam-e for a couple of weeks and am going off of it. My Dr. suggested I try it.....and I will be telling him real soon of the horrible headaches I have incurred with this drug.
I see an endocrinologist for Hypothroidism and he knows how I cannot tolerate anti-depressants, so he suggested Sam-e.
If you take Synthroid..on blood pressure meds and lipitor......be careful. All of the side effects I have read on the blog are true indications that more research should be done before anyone takes this medicine..

Thank goodness other people are having anxiety from sam-e. I feel so much better now. I couldn't figure out what was causing my panic attacks. Now I know!

We are all in the boat. 15 days taking 400p/day, Start wonderful and in no time, I became space out, vision issues, head hurts several times a day, increase saliva, and before I became very irritable and rule to my child and husband, I notice that I did not care much if my child miss school or get late....I start to wander and now after reading this I will never use it again, and someone mention b12, I used before, maybe she is correct, for the ones that is having too much anxiety, I suggest GABA (please use small doses and increase until the side effect of same is off) or maybe until you change your attitude, Is's scared to think, how about if I don't be the same, I prefer to be slow, no energy etc..than crazy... to correct the physical part first such as what cause decrease in energy, anxiety or depression. After all I found out I was very happy before this 2 weeks taking same. good lluck to you all. If you decide to try or continue taking same, have someone close to you, monitor your reaction, like the lady said, she almost lost her job and in my house, I will loose my family.. I want to tell a little about gaba. Its a amino acid, good to take in moments of anxiety, hot flashes, when eating in excess, too withdraw from sugar, or alcoholl additions. Don't need to use every day . Just in special moments. But don't mixt it with Sr.Jonh;s and others amino acids. Just small dosage in morning or moment of anxiety.

Does anyone think it's possible that because SAM-e does indeed create a better mood when it is taken, even at a low dosage (i.e., 200mg/day), that when it is not taken like the next day, that it actually sets you up for a sort of "come down," hence a more severe depression than before the person started taking it?

I was tired of getting up in a miserable mood. I used to be a morning person and I wanted that back without the thought of taking antidepressants. I started on 400mg 2Xs a day as directed with SAMe purchased at GNC. My mood has greatly increased to being a happier girl but, am having headaches and stomach ache after one week. Terribly bloated feeling. I'm going to cut back on the dosage and hope the feeling of a stomach flu will go away.

i thought through my understanding you were not to take same if you were diagnosed with depression manic or had anxiety attacks with out the doctors supervision and need to take b vitamins and folic acid could this be why some people have such side affects and some dont

I found out about SAMe from Drs Brown and Bottiglieri's book Stop Depression Now. (It also covers other treatments for depression and compares them with SAMe, based on controlled studies). They make the point very clear: if you take SAMe you need to take 1000 mcg a day of B12 and 800 (mg, I think) of folic acid with it. Otherwise you risk elevated levels of homocysteine, which has many negative effects, including increased risk of heart attack. Never ever take SAMe alone, without the B-vitamins. Read Brown and Bottiglieri--they are medical doctors, who have reviewed the very extensive European studies of SAMe.
Their book also includes a test for depression, used in studies, called the Hamilton Scale. You can evaluate the severity of your own depression.

Mine was at 27, about the worst possible, when I first took that test. With 800 mg SAMe, 1000 mcg B12, 800 (mcg?) folic acid, multivitamins high in the other Bs, 18 mg iron, sometimes fish oil (for Omega 3's)... I got to where I'd score 5 or 10. Mild depression or not depressed at all. I got to experience what it felt like, to not be depressed. Probably for the first time in my life.
It didn't change my personality in some essential way, as I had feared. I felt more resilient, in the face of life's little setbacks. Instead of suicidal. Instead of like carrying a huge weight on me, all the time. I had more energy than I've ever had.

I have experienced the feeling that it was too much energy, or that my depression was replaced with a new problem--anxiety. Reading this blog I know I'm not alone in that. I've stopped SAMe (and everything else) because of that, only to go back on it (the whole combination) when the depression came back, several times.

No noticeable withdrawal symptoms except...after awhile..deeply depressed again, suicidal, etc.

(I have known some mental health professionals to get alarmed -- even insist they would not work with me for counseling-- unless I took Rx anti-depressants. I found other professionals to work with. Quite absurd, someone who's never met me telling me that I'm going to kill myself without drugs, when I know I've been suicidal off and on my whole life and never killed myself, nor even attempted to--and never taken drugs. Some of us do find reasons and ways to stay alive, without pharmaceutical/psychiatric help. Some Rx antidepressants have "increased risk of suicide" as a side effect. Don't passively entrust yourself to professional help--whatever they know, they don't know YOU.)

I wasn't willing to try pharmaceutical anti-depressants. (How could we possibly have deficiencies of chemicals that didn't exist, until some drug company invented them??)

The argument for SAMe as antidepressant was more logical--it does exist naturally in the body, and studies do show lower levels, in people who are depressed.

I'm not sure that argument is airtight however. There must be other ways to raise the body's levels of SAMe and lower levels of homocysteine, without taking SAMe -- Brown and Bottiglieri and other writers on natural treatment for depression name some. More fresh vegetables and whole grains, more time outdoors, less emotional stress, meditation, more exercise--directly or indirectly these have the same effects. The problem is that for people who are depressed, it can be hard to do anything that requires much effort. (Unless they are in a situation, where they just have to.)

So taking supplements can at least help a person get up, to try other things, feel a bit better, get a little momentum going .

I think my optimum might be staying on the vitamins, including the B12 and folic acid, and
taking a lower dose of SAMe, maybe 400 or 200 mg. Will see.

Thanks for all your posts - I'm so glad I found this, even if it's about a year late for me. I used to take SAMe every day, and every evening for nearly a year I felt woozy, dizzy and slightly nauseated. It was making me crazy. Not sure why, but I stopped taking my supplements for 6 months and PRESTO; had no problems. I still didn't associate the dizziness with them until I started taking the supplements again last week.
I felt fine until adding SAMe yesterday to my regimin. And guess what? Last night I was so dizzy and nauseated I couldn't keep my dinner down. This morning - I feel almost normal. Summary: all the rest of my supplements seem fine, but when I added SAMe, I really had a reaction. Not for me! Wish I had figured this out a year ago...thought it was menopause.

I have been worried sick after taking a daily 200 mg of Sam - E for a few weeks. It relieved my hip pain however, I think it elevated my blood pressure from low/normal/ to high it is also making me feel a lot of strange symptoms like sever burning sensations in my left leg, gas, sleepiness, anxiety, mood swings, headaches, increase in appetite. I went to the doctor yesterday to have me checked for a heart attack and stroke, that's how bad and scared I felt. However, he did not find any reason for concern and I forgot to even tell him about the Sam-E because I thought it irrelevant. it was no until last night that I started thinking that maybe my problem was something new in my diet and realized I had introduced Sam-E. I still didn't think much of that but googled side effect and voila, there it was, most of it anyway. So I am wondering if there are people who have actually died because of Sam-E and thought it was somethings else. Yes, I know I said the word die, but that is how bad I felt. I am stopping taking it and will see how I fare.

I have beeen taking sam-e for 2 weeks and I cant believe the diffrence in how I feel.Its great a life saver with no side effects{so far.I only hope it continues its nice to feel good again<my husband and KIds love it too.I think any one who thinks they should try it should try it.I am a sceptic THIS WORKS.

Thank you for this site. I took my first two SAM e tablets yesterday and today and I'm feeling very weird, anxious and like my head and limbs are vibrating. Not good.! Thanks for helping me to find I'm not alone in these side effects.

Also, as I read further along this page I want to emphasize that quality SAM-e products will be enteric-coated, so that they do not irritate the stomach. I'm afraid that breaking the tablets in halves or quarters will expose some of the potential binders or whatever that may upset your tummies. Just a thought. And remember...you could be basing your experience of SAM-e not on the actual molecule, but on the crap the manufacturer threw together for you.

WOW! If I would have read this Blog a few months ago, I would have never even tried Sam-e. It sounds horrible. BUT, I did try it (400mg twice a day, empty stomach) and I WAS having most of the same side effects as below...anxiety, speeding heart, trouble sleeping, manic feelings, stomach upset, etc...

Then I read somewhere on the internet about halving the dose and taking with food...They also said to take a break a few days a week. That's what I do...200mg ONCE a day (am) WITH food and take NONE on the weekends.

And now I feel energized and lessened depression and can sleep fine, with none of the jittery, heart racing feelings as before. (I also take a Multi- vitamin). It worked for me...I am much happier.

Glad to have this kind of real people/real life info available !!
No flashing ads to try to ignore... However,
I'm wondering why this blog doesn't show the most recent entries first. I felt like this site was out of date when I saw the first comment was dated March 2004. 5 years ago. I'm not a blogger... so maybe that's common. Just wondering.

want to hear from others about sam-e. thanks

Hi all... I am thinking about starting to take SAMe for reasons related with ongoing mild depression. I want to just feel like myself again. I have heard alot about side effects, but nothing about whether it is ok to have a few drinks once in a while when on it. This may seem like a silly question but i am just unsure of the risks. I would be really gratefull if anyone can help!