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!

Hi i want to ask to all SAM-e users? Did you notice hair loss when you were taking SAM-e? I,m losing my hair since i started SAM-e. Thanks

WOW! PLEASE READ THIS BLOG!
Please bear with me on this story...it has a point....
I have suffered from depr. & anxiety since childhood. I finally broke down & started 2 take Zoloft in my late 20's as a temperary tool 2 help me with my counseling. It was a wonderful thing 4 me. BUT, I was very careful in taking it & listened 2 my Dr. She told me that it was VERY IMPORTANT that I start off with a VERY LOW DOSE, then work my way up.
I started with 25mg for a month(?)then worked my way up..ect. I EASED INTO THE DRUG! She also told me that if i decide that it wasn't 4 me, that U CAN'T JUST SUDDENLY STOP TAKING IT! I would have 2 ease off of it, just like I started, OR YOU CAN START SPIRALING INTO A DEPRESSION FROM THE SHOCK! SO I was very careful, the drug worked great 4 me, MY SIDE EFFECTS WERE MINIMAL, AND ALOT OF THEM DISAPEARED AFTER ABOUT A MONTH.
My sister-who also suffers from trama & depression like myself- also took Zoloft & it was a horrible experience 4 her & didn't work @ all! She had 2 stop taking it.
Y am I talking about Zoloft? Because SAM-E, is ued in the same way, USE SAM-E SLOWLY & CAREFULLY!
I an very upset with the companies making these suplements! It is not the consumer's fault that they are starting with high doses!
I WOULD LIKE 2 THANK U GUYS 4 YOUR BLOGS! I just started taking SAM-E 3 days ago & I too was taking a dose of 400mg a day! yikes! I thought it was like a vitamin! I was sooo wrong! I will keep taking it. But @ a much lower rate! U GUYS HELPED AVOID A POSSIBLE DISASTER! THANK U!
I WILL NOW TREAT SAM-E LIKE AN ANTIDEPRESSANT INSTEAD OF A VITAMIN! I am also glad of who ever talked about the B12 deficiancy. & the person who directed me to the alternative mental health website. my pills are liquid form, so I cant split them, I will try 200mg every other day. That's not my preferance but...
REMEBER SAM-E WILL B DIFFERENT 4 EACH INDIVIDUAL! IT MAY NOT WORK 4 U @ ALL- OR IT MAY GIVE U A QUALITY LIFE THAT U NEVER THOT U COULD HAVE. this is y there are so many antidepressant out there, u just have to B CAREFUL, and PATIENT.
SOMEONE ASKED ABOUT ALCOHOL, I would't advise it in the beginning. Your body is trying 2 adapt 2 the SAM-E as it is. But, after awhile when you feel stable, I don't see why you couldn't have a couple of drinks every once in a while. REMEMBER that alcohol is a DEPRESSANT. I myself have 2 b careful with drinking because it tends to make me overindulge in my past trama in a very unproductive way. with or without medications. I KNOW THIS WAS LONG WINDED! But I noticed a definet pattern from your blogs that helped me understand what i was getting myself into! Thot u would apriciate hearing about it.

I took 400mg of Sam-e Complete once a day for 3 weeks. I felt really good for that period of time. I thought, "wow, so this is what an anti-depressant is supposed to do." I felt less sad and depressed in general, had more energy/sleeping less, and felt more cheerful and "up." I've taken several meds for depression in the past, including prozac, wellbutrin, effexor, paxil, and others. All of them made me feel much, much worse in one way or another. After about 3 weeks of taking Sam-e, the side effects kicked in. I first noticed that I was waking up a lot at night and wasn't sleeping well. Then I noticed a lot of short-term memory problems and confusion.I would forget something that someone had just said to me. Very scary. I felt really ditzy, like I was on drugs. Someone mentioned that this can happen if you don't get enough b-12, which makes sense, because I wasn't taking a multi or a b complex with this (which I can't -that's not an option for me). I did also feel manic, with increased paranoia and anxiety. All these side effects were too much to handle and I stopped taking it. I wish those side effects weren't there, because initially I did feel really good and I thought this was going to lift my depression and balance my moods. I wouldn't recommend it. I would try st john's wort, but i take doxycycline for acne and cannot combine the two.

Can or has anyone taken Sam-e at night before bed time?

I love Sam-e and how it gives me a gentle mood lift and has helped detoxify my husband's liver. We both love to drink, probally too much. Unfortunately, his liver was sending out bad news in the form of some type of enzyme that alerted his insurance company to move him to a more at risk category, so I went looking for a fix, since we really don't want to live a dry life. Within 3 months, his endocrinologist asked him if it was painful to stop drinking. He admitted to not stopping and his Dr. was amazed! I exercise every day and live a healthy life, am very slender - 105 pounds and have never experienced the negative side effects that are reported by others that have blogged here. I plan on taking Sam-e to help support my lifestyle and keep me healthy!

Mel

I'm so glad I found this blog. I was taking Sam-e for about a year at 200mg everyday. The past couple weeks I started feeling major anxiety and insomnia. I started to feel how I felt without medication at the peak of my depression/anxiety though I had never had such intense insomnia before. I was literally not tired whatsoever despite taking my Sam-e first thing in the morning and I have had 24 hours of no sleep even with a sleep aid. For the past year, my blood pressure has also been elevated despite my exercising regularly and embracing a healthy diet. I stopped taking Sam-e two days ago and am now experiencing similar yet less intense withdrawal symptoms as Zoloft.

I thought I was going crazy. Now I see it's probably the Sam-e causing these problems!

Sam-e worked wonders for me in the beginning but now it has caused more harm than good. I suppose that's the way it goes with all medication natural or not. Depression is just something that one has to handle on their own. :-/

Wow, glad I never read this page before I started taking SAM-e. I agree, quality of product matters. I've been taking it for months, but for joint health, not depression. I take 400 mg of enteric-coated tablets, in the morning 30 min before eating, just as instructions state. I haven't had any of the problems stated here! I have felt a little bloating lately, but is it the SAM-e? Who knows. I find it interesting that many of the posts here state they're also taking Paxil, Prozac, or some other POTENT drug, yet the posters don't attribute their symptoms to that. I haven't seen the effects stated by others. Good luck!

I took a 400 mg. of Sam-e last night. It was my first dose. I woke up in the middle of the night with severe nausea and abdominal pain, and very short of breath because my heart was racing so fast-could not count the beats. I am a cardiac nurse, so no I will not even try a smaller dose. The nausea and abdominal pain continue. As a cardiac nurse, I do not advise anyone with heart palpitations and shortness of breath to continue the Sam-e. It is not for everyone, as any drug or supplement.

I find Sam-e very helpful as fast mood elevator, but unfortunately it also makes me swell and gain weight almost immediately, as well as crave carbs. That ultimately causes me to stop using it, but I do recommend it otherwise.

Hi! Just wanted to share my Sam-e story. I am a 28-year old female that has had moderate (sometimes severe bouts of) depression for almost 10 years. I am a very healthy person, I eat well and exercise regularly. I believe in homeopathic treatments when possible, and have recently discovered this amazing supplement. I have been taking 2- 400 mg Sam-e tablets daily for two weeks now. I have definitely experienced a very apparent alleviation of the depression, which I was beginning to think would never happen. I have never taken antidepressants before, and upon considering them for the first time, I found lots of positive research on the effects of Sam-e. Since I would rather not get hooked on meds, I decided to try Sam-e. I can best describe my experience on it as an organic sense of well-being and contentment. When I wake up in the morning something is just different, I find myself looking forward to the day and I smile and laugh more often. I feel so grateful that I have found this treatment. I have not experienced the nervousness or restlessness that many others on here have reported. But my depression was really about a feeling of lowness, lack of energy, lack of interest, so Sam-e has done well for me so far. My only complaint is nausea! Each morning like clockwork, I experience some pretty bad nausea and feel like I am going to vomit. It's a very particular nausea, located specifically around the diaphragm area right below and between the rib cage. It's accompanied by a slight burning sensation, and goes away in almost exactly an hour after it begins. Does anyone have any idea of what I am describing? I have found myself not taking Sam-e at all the day before I have to be up for work in the morning, or else I will be late and then nauseous all day if I do not ride out the nausea by laying still in the fetal position for an hour or so. Honestly, I have improved so much, and so fast on the Sam-e, that I will take an hour a day of nausea in exchange. I just hope that it subsides after a while, I can't imagine that I will have this morning sickness forever, will I? If anyone has any advice for me I would appreciate it!

I started taking Sam-e about 4 days ago, and noticed an almost immediate imiprovement. However the last 8 hours have been HORRIBLE! I have had erratic heart beats, increased pulse, chest tightness, and I was concerned it was maybe a panic attack, but I have had those before and this was different. I noticed it especially when I was driving to work this morning and was so concerned that I thought about just going straight to the hospital as my heart was beating so hard. I am glad I found this website since the package of Sam-e didn't have an insert with it, I decided maybe this had something to do with my heart palpitations. Thank you all so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences with this as well. I'm glad to know it's not just me and that others are having similar concerns, even though, the products says, little to no side effects.

I should have known better. I have purchased things in the past before looking up on them and received great disappointment. I told myself I would never do that again. I cant believe I didnt look up on SAMe before purchasing. I was only focused on whatg it can do for you and did'nt think of the side effects it might have on you. Thank God I founf this site in time. I only took it for 3 days. My first night I took the recommended dosage of 400mg. Did not sleep a bit. The second day, I felt great and cleaned, cleaned and cleaned. I had so much energy so I thought this supplement was doing its job. That night, again I didnt sleep. The 3rd day, I looked up online that this product can cause insonmia so I took only 200mg today. Headaches all morning and know feeling very tired. I wish I found this sight before taking that 200mg tab this morning. Money down the drain, once again. Just throught he whole box away. Thanks everyone for their posts on their experience with SAMe.

I have been taking sam-e 400mg for about a year now and I just realized that you should not take it continually beyond 6 months. It has brought on my Hiatus hernia (acid reflux) which sends me to bed in severe pain for at least 3 days, besides being on a very bland diet now for the next couple of weeks. I decided to read this blog and I must say the info has been very helpful to me especially now that I have stopped taking sam-e, to take 2000mcg of b12 instead of the 100 mcg that I was taking before. I hope this works as I do not wish to go back on Wellbutrin (antidepressant) ever again. Some of you had complained of insomnia while on sam-e and i wondered if you took it at night on an empty stomach or first thing in the morning, I always took it in the morning and felt the energy right away and slept like a baby at night. Thanks for all the info, I shall let you know how I make out on the b12.

I have been taking SAMe for over TEN years! It has worked very well in the past but since I changed brands(about six months ago) the negative symptoms have arrived---rapid, I MEAN RAPID heartbeat, extreme anxiety, jittery feeling all day long, hard to breathe in a full breath, and wondering all the time what is going on!
I am glad to find this site, and add to the blog...SAMe was always my GODSEND medicine, as I have tried many other antidepressants. However, now I think I will take a break from the everyday 400 mg and see what happens. Perhaps I will try the old brand again if I am brave. Old brand:
Nature's Way, New brand: Swanson's(to save $!!!)
Sometimes we are just worth the extra $ if it indeed works better.........

I began sam-e 2 weeks ago and immediately felt better. Over the last few days, I've been suffering significant memory loss and irritability (not like me at all). I'm loading up on sublingual B12 and altogether stopped the Sam-e, thanks to your blog. I pray I feel like myself again soon.

I took SAM-E for 6 weeks for joint pain in my right thumb and mood elevation. A month after stopping the SAM-E because I did not really notice an improvement in mood or my joint pain, my right thumb swelled up at the joint and looked like I had a ganglion cyst. An MRI did not reveal a cyst and x-rays did not show anything wrong with the joint or bones. The thumb has gotten progressively worse over the last four months and "toxins" were detected in my system. After several months I narrowed the problem down to the SAM-E I took in September. I believe the "fillers" used for the pills I obtained from Nature-Made (which is probably made in China) are the culprits but the active ingredients are probably affecting me adversely too. Too many drugs and supplements are being made overseas where fillers can be anything from concrete dust to melamine (remember the pet food recalls??) I am still experiencing swelling and pain in the thumb and scheduled for exploratory surgery next month.

Now that I think back over the last four months, I believe the SAM-E is responsible for the toxic reaction in my body, the thumb joint swelling and pain, increased migraines, sleep disturbances (it was 4 months later before I finally had some decent sleep), weight gain from craving junk food, lethargy, exhaustion, lack of focus, disorganized, debillitating & severe low-back/hip pain first thing in the morning, neck pain, hopelessness, feeling like crap, wanting to die and now some dizziness upon rising.

This experience reminds me of my experience two years ago when I tried Hoodia (2 pills) and broke out in hives so severe that my right hand swelled up like a baseball mitt and resulted in an emergency room visit. I continued to break out in hives for a year afterward. Also an adrenal supplement and a kidney herbal supplement both resulted in projectile vomiting for a day and a severe migraine.

I will NEVER take any more supplements and will try to avoid prescription drugs as much as possible now that I've discovered that so many are being manufactured overseas and only "distributed in America" like Nature-Made products. You may have noticed a difference in the effects of various drugs you receive from your pharmacy that are made by different manufacturers or labs. I receive generic SOMA from my mail-order pharmacy and noticed that one distributor's pills did not split evenly or even work to relax the muscle spasms while the old pharmacy's pills worked great and split in half evenly. I now have my doctor specify on the prescription to use the old pharmacy ONLY. However, there's no telling when this pharmacy will also change their recipe or outsource overseas for manufacturing and just "distribute" to America. Believe me if I notice a problem with the quality or effectiveness from this pharmacy - I will discontinue ordering from them too.

Herbal Supplement and Pharmaceutical Companies keep cutting corners and it's easier and cheaper to outsource to China to manufacture drugs and lace them with fillers and binders that they do not have to account for (they only have to include the active ingredients and do not have to list what they use for binders and fillers) and distribute the tainted medicines to Americans who are unaware of what they are ingesting. If you notice your pill quality deteriorating - i.e, you receive bottles with chipped pills, a lot of pill dust on the bottom of the bottle or your pills no longer split evenly or hold together well - find out where they are being manufactured. Buyer BEWARE. I agree what works for one person may not work for another - every body is different.

Thanks for giving me the histamine connection. I find it very interesting and will research that further. Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences.

I was just moody after the Holiday let-down when family did not come to visit. I started SAM-e 200mg for ten days then went to 400mg for 18 days. Five days ago, I went to the chiro for an adjustment, my blood pressure was 180 over 90. Extremely high for me, I usually run 100 over 60. I went to the Dr. and he ordered an ECHO gram on my heart, since I have a mitral prolapse. I stopped the SAM-e five days ago and I feel like my head has a bullet lodged in it, anxiety and panic unbelieveable, vision blurred, 3 hrs of sleep a nite, shortness of breath, Heart feeling heavy, sometimes slow then fast, body weakness, left arm numbness and coldness, neck stiffness and pain, choking sensation, body trembling and vibrating from inside, feeling faint and fatigue, dry mouth, gas, constipation, tightness in chest.

Can someone e-mail me, sandymintun1@yahoo.com, if you know what I can do to get this stuff out of my body! Thanks

Thank God i decided to do some research before taking Sam E. I suffer from panic and anxiety. I went to the store earlier tonight and the guy sold me Sam E and Vitamin B. He said that would help. I didn't even open the box before research. I am so thankful for blogs like this. You people have probably saved me a nightmare. I am going to return the box or throw it away. Thank God i didn't take it first then did research.

I started taking Sam-E two weeks ago to help with moderate depression. While it has really helped my mood (I didn't quite realize just how depressed I had been these last few months until I started to get better) it tore my stomach to shreds. The sensation that I had just eaten glass was enough to nullify the positive mood. I was taking 400 mg. in the morning on an emtpy stomach. I was taking the Jarrow Formulas brand, which has been mentioned in other posts as having a particularly negative effect on some people. I have switched to 200 mg. of Finest Sam-E and have added a B supplement. So far so good. Hopefully I can enjoy the good mood now!

Also, for those of you suffering from headaches: I think that a common side effect of this pill is dehydration. Up your water intake significantly. I have also experienced headaches and extreme tiredness. I uped my water intake, and these symptoms vanished.

As far as alcohol consumption goes, I have noticed a decreased desire to drink alcohol. Good stuff!

My husband is quitting smoking and taking Sam-e. He is dizzy headed. Is it the Sam-e, Or the withdrawal. He is going on 3 weeks.

Thanks

Started taking SAMe today before I had even read this blog. I saw it listed in an article as a possible way to relieve depression. I have had depressive episodes for years and have had 4 separate instances of taking antidepressants over the course of the last 18 years. I have heard that once you have a few, the probability of more depressive episodes (aside from the normal general malaise) increases pretty high.
Although it has only been a few hours, I noticed a difference in my mood immediately. I took 400mg of the nature made brand. It seems like my concentration and focus has increased. I do not feel as "down in the dumps" as I do normally. I hope this lasts and I do not encounter any of the adverse side effects talked about in this blog -I have read the entire thing... from the first post in March of 2004 to July 2009.
I have been struggling with going to see a doctor and "pick" an antidepressant to try. I should also mention that I do not take any type of vitamins regularly, and reading lately about supplements to battle depression and anxiety, I will begin to take my vitamins! Especially the b-complex to help with the SAMe consumption. I also bought GABA and am going to try that in the evenings -SAMe in the morning.

i have recently statred taking SAMe and have noticed ad few things and am TOTALLY freaking out, my head aches are getting worse i feel dizzy, really nervous and very very anxious about stupid things like crows and stupid stuff like that, i dont know if i should stop taking it or wait to see if it starts to work, oh and i also have been REALLY angry.. help

i have been taking sam e all winter and it has helped my arthritis in my hips. I started with 200 mg and had a little heart burn so I now take it every other day and i'm fine.

I think there are so many factors to take into consideration, one pill definitely does not fit all! Our own internal chemical make-up needs and the brand of SAMe (including the "fillers" that are put into them) will all cause different reactions to each of us. I am extremely sensitive to any kind of pills and supplements, but I have found that the Nature Made brand works wonderfully for me. I tried but cannot tolerate any of the pharmaceutical anti-depressents, the side effects were just too awful, making me physically so violently ill. So I take 400mg of Nature Made SAMe, along with Folic Acid (800mg) and a vitamin B stress complex supplement in the morning (I discovered this method to be best for me after loooong hours spent on the internet and trial and error). I feel like my happy self again, and have been this way for about 8 months now, where the previous 20 years have been clouded and dark with depression and attempts at pharmeceutical help. I also recommend seeking the help of a Naturopath or a Holistic Doctor, most of them are well versed in all of these supplements and dietary issues, and can help with each our specific needs.

has anyone experienced any sexual side effects with SAM-E? I have taken 800 mg daily for about 3 months now and initially it has helped my mood...But recently I feel a lowering of libido and some difficulty maintaining an erection..This has happened before with SSRI anti-depressants after months of being on them. I had read that supposedly SAM-E does not cause sexual side effects. Thanks for any feedback.

I've had many of the above listed side effects with Sam-E, but am troubled as one of my side effects is not listed.

Racing heart, disrupted breathing pattern, nausea, insomnia, nightmares, and shaking are all things I'm suffering through, but I've also...hallucinated.

When I was first out of high school, I did take some hallucinogenic drugs, but that's been years ago. I don't know if that has any relation to my hallucinating on Sam-E or not, but it's really upsetting.

It doesn't last long, usually starting an hour after I take it and ending an hour and a half to two hours later. And it's not severe, mostly seeing things in my periphery and some color distortion and blurring.

I don't know. I'm taking 200mg a day, so maybe lowering the dosage would help me out.

This is an old thread, not sure if anyone is still reading.

I started taking the Jarrow 200mg about a month ago to help alleviate light depression and I'm pleased with the result. Thankfully no side effects. I take no other medication presently, but I do have up to two glasses of wine in the evening. The fact that it has helped with joint pain is a bonus. My plan is to take it for another 30 days and then go to every other day and see how that works. I have taken the box of 20 (one per day as directed), then took a two-day break, and I will do that again when I come to the end of this box. I also plan to add back in CoQ10 and sublingual Vit B when I start the next box. If there are odd effects, I'll come back and post.

Can SAM-E be taken safely if I am also on Lexapro 10mg daily? Is there a recommended dosage of SAM-E when also on Lexapro?

after reading your posts i think u guys are really letting the placebo affect take a hold of you!!!!

Get a prescription for FOLBEE+ instead of using just B-12. Cheap and way better. Reverses high homocystine, mood lifting, energizing. Need a prescription. It's several B vitamins and folic acid.

I took Sam-e and was wondering if anybody had the same symptoms, a severe pain in the side of my head and a spaced out feeling and not being able to connect with people a really weird head is the only way I could describe it!

I took Sam-e for 7 days one 800 mg doses at day with an empty stomach along with B12 and folic acid, because I was feeling depressed and without energy. Nothing happened to me, mi condition didn't improve, I just experienced discomfort in my stomach, but not that much.

Feeling a bit cheated with SAM-E. Just purchased 2 x boxes 200mg 90 tablets per box. It's the Nature Made SAM-E which does get very good reviews. I cut the tablet in half and took 100mg on an empty stomach with lots of water. Since early this morning my stomach is hurting. I do have a very sensitive stomach and I will try 100mg with food tomorrow. To be quite honest I felt better taking Tramadol I think it's called Ultram in the US and from what I've read on here the Tramadol has less side effects. I suspect I have wasted my money for nothing. I did read that all you need to take with Tramadol is any vitamin B-100 complex? So much hype about SAM-E, it hasn't made me feel less depressed at all. In fact it has made me feel more depressed in the knowledge that I have spent money for nothing. You think in this day and age these idiot doctors and scientists would know how to cure depression. Instead these drug and herbal remedy companies are making millions of pounds out of our misery. The truth is these scum bags do not want you to get better.

I started Sam-e five days ago and I'm done with it. The first day I took 400 mg. with little side-effects. After that it has been chest pain,
irregular heart beat, shortness of breath, left arm pain, pain in the neck. I take it in the morning and the reactions start after 12 hrs. I almost woke up hubby to take me to the hospital tonight. I also feel dizzy and out of balance. I think these are warnings enough for me to
abandon ship on this product.

I have been taking Sam-e for 2 months now. It definitely seems to be helping. I finally got to a psychiatrist and he is putting me on Lexapro. He didn't really know what Sam-e was, so I couldn't ask him if I should ween myself off of it, or even if it would be safe to just switch the Lexipro for the Sam-e. Anyone have any info on this?

SAM-E is awful, it just screws up your stomach along with the other nasty side effects. The benefits are not worth the side effects. Cutting up the pill just scews up your stomach even more. The side effects from this pill are worse than my Tramadol medication. Heart races, you feel anxious, stomach cramps, shortness of breath. I wish I hadn't wasted my money on this rubbish product. This product should be banned and should only be prescribed by a doctor. I dare you to post this on your website. You didn't uload my last post for some reason. If this post doesn't go up then I know for sure you're an affiliate for this product and obviously making shed loads of money out of our misery.

I used SAM-e about a year ago, it actually improved my mood slightly but did not notice much difference. I developed palpitations, although I drink a lot of coffee about four cups a day. I thank God for this site, I noticed chest pains were reported by so many users that made me realized it was not coffee!
I decided to try low dose again, just two days ago: I developed insomnia right away. Insomnia is enough to mess up my mood, finally I am saying good bye to SAM-e. I have 24 tablets left, 400mg complete; email me at jamesxtie@yahoo.com if interested. FREE

I'm posting this in hopes of helping those who are taking or thinking of taking Sam-e. I took it for two years for jaw joint pain and it worked wonderfully. Experienced an improvement in mood. All joints felt better. Don't know about libido problems. My stamina and drive significantly improved while on it. I did sometimes have nightmares and didn't need to or couldn't sleep as much. Lots of energy. I took only 1 200 mg of Nature Made Sam-e first thing in the morning. I had to wait about 45 minutes after taking it before eating breakfast so it could be metabolized with being consumed by stomach acid. You must take B12 with it. I took a Super B Complex. I had to give up caffeine. My head felt hot and if it were going to explode when I tried to consume caffeine while on it. A few months in, I adjusted to it and was able to consume a small amount of caffeine i.e. one cup of tea at lunch. I think the combination of caffeine and Sam-e is what is giving so many people trouble who have posted on here. Sam-e is a powerful stimulant. You want to take this only in the morning so it has worn off some by bedtime.

As per doctor presription for severe knee pain I took sammy 400 for 10 days two times per day. I felt severe stomach pain and loss of sleep at nights. Hence i was forced to discontinue the medicine.

Hi, I haven't had any experience taking SAM-e but it was recommended to me for depression. I have just been doing a fair bit of research about it as I don't want to take anything that might have too many adverse effects. I have read a lot about adverse effects of SAM-e on this site but it seems almost all of these are from high doses. I saw the site that another person mentioned by Ray Sahelian and was impressed that a doctor would be so cautious about the SAM-e rather than just saying to take a bigger dose. PLEASE read his site and take caution in your dosage - maybe a reduced dosage might help depression without all these side effects. I am planning on taking a vitamin B supplement and folic acid to try and increase my level of SAM-e naturally and if that doesn't work I plan to start on a VERY LOW eg. 50mg with food dose of SAM-e. I think the site is www.raysahelian.com/sam-e.html. PLEASE research anything before you take it and the dosage and start off slowly to reduce adverse effects.

I have been taking SAMe for 3 and 1/2 weeks, increasing my dosage to 1600mg. My gut have reacted badly to, although I am just figuring out that its the SAMe. I ended up in hospital with a vasovagal episode, induced by stomach cramping. After reading this blog, I'll stay off of the SAMe and see if it helps the gut pain and cramping. Thanks to those who wrote in.

MY 18 year old daughter took her first 200mg dose yesterday morning. By lunch time she was getting a couple of itchy spots on her body and last evening she was pretty much broke out in hives. Of course the more she itched, the more she scratched, and as with hives, the more she got.
Was pretty upsetting. Nothing else new with her except for the sam-e. Dont see this side effect posted at all. Anyone out there with any feedback?
Thanks

I took Sam=e for years before I realized the bed side-effects, insomnia being among the worst. Living in N.Y., and having severe pain from arthritis, it at first seemed like a godsend. I will try the recommended supplementation, and don't look forward to doing without it for the duration of the cold, long winter. I will probably also alternate dosing to every few days, instead of daily, just to keep moving.

I started to take sam-e,I was told by a co-worker of mine to try instead of my welbutrin. I started taking 400mgs and within one week my flat stomach became the sixe of a basketball! Not to mention constipation and manic mood swings- happy happy then inan hour sad. This stuff is lethal, no wonder you need a prescription in europe for it. Im done experimenting and going back to welbutrin.

I stated taking SAM-e about 2 weeks ago. I started taking 400 mg daily with B12, folic acid, kelp, probiotics, 5-HTP, biotin, omega 3, and acai extract. I did notice a mood/energy lift after a week or so, but then started to wake at about 3-4am and have anxiety/trouble getting back to sleep, which, after 4 days of this is beginning to take back the antidepressant effect... Not sure if it's related to the SAM-e, but I am going to stop the 5HTP, and lower my dose of SAM-e to 200/day. No stomach problems whatsoever.

To those of you who have posted using Sam E for depression and got anxiety.. you may want to try L-Theanine an amino instead.. I read up on Sam E before I decided to try.. like on here.. and glad I did.. I have tried many different things for depression(NOT Prescriptions!).. started with Kava Kava, that got a bad rap from FDA to cause liver disease..so stopped.. then ST. Johns Wort.. of course that did too by the FDA.. face it they don't like anythin natural that they do not get a cut of..then tried HTP(which they call 5 htp now).. and worked at first, then started to get that anxiety feeling.. you do have to watch the amounts you take on any of these products.. too much can cause this.. along with after awhile it not working anymore because your body gets use to it.. which is why alot take a higher dose..

Anyways.. had to stop taking that.. thats when I found L-Theanine.. have been using it for a long time now(over a yr or so) and it has helped me alot..the amount you take varies on your state.. I usually take one to two capsules in morning.. they are 200mg each, depending on how depressed I am feeling..then another dose at night.. and if any break thru during the day.. take a dose in between.. thats me!.. some may not need that much..usually take more like that at PMS time..lol.. but otherwise don't need that much.. 2 200mg pills in morning and night doe fine..

Look it up and see if right for you..it has helped me alot!..I but the NSI brand from Vitacost.com.. cheaper there.. best for me..
All I say to those who are looking for relief for depression.. those prescription meds are horrible.. and I won't take! too many side effects and who needs it.. I'm no doctor but have been taking alternative meds for yrs.. and I'm not dead yet!..I have healed myself of a lot of things that even my doctors asked me what I took.. READ!!! alot of literature out there online..do your research and see whats right for you..and be careful.. alot of times people seem to take there depression for just that.. when you can be really Bi Polar.. and these things can make worse.. I see alot of you got anxiety.. may be the case..be careful, trust your body, and what it is telling you when you try something new.. and if you FEEL its not for you, and you are worse.. STOP!!.. good luck to all.. pickyru2

Wanted to post that the previous amounts I wrote about L-theanine was wrong.. sorry.. my pills are 100 mg pills not 200 mg.. so that you were clear.. sorry.. and I take 2 in morning and 2 at nights.. which would be a total of 400 mg.. wanted to clarify..

I have been taking SAM-E on and off since the summer. ON and Off because I kept having severe stomach problems which were basically feeling like I had a blow torch in my stomach. After going to the hospital, I stayed off the SAM-E until I had my endoscopy and colonoscopy. I went back on the SAM_E last week and had 2 stomach episodes this week ending with a thrid severe one yesterday with severe burning and colon spasms.
I'm pretty sure that the SAM-E is the common denominator. I'll never touch the stuff again.

I've been taking it for about 10 days, and i've had very bad stomach/gas pains.
It sucks becausemy mood feels much better. I dont have a speedy feeling at all. I wonder if i take it after eating, would i feel better? Or not waiting 1-2 hours to eat?

Many people here have described bad effects from SAMe. My first experience with it was when our vet said that it was the only thing that would keep our dog alive, keep her liver from breaking down. We tried, several times, but it became obvious that she was having severe gut pain.
Now me: 4 months ago, a negligent doctor took me off an anti-anxiety drug that my psychiatrist had me on for years. I was always told that this med was far less problematic than,say,Valium, and that the dose was very low....

Within less than 2 days after the instant withdrawal, I was psychotic, and have been living in a hell called Abrupt Withdrawal Syndrome. In England, they have done Mega-studies that show withdrawal effects as severe as life-threatening seizures.
In desperation, I tried SAMe, in a form that was enteric coated, thinking that I would avoid the gut problems that our dog had. No one here has mentioned this: 1 1/2 hours after taking the dose, I was in extreme pain in my lower gut. I have IBS, am celiac, (the list is very long). I certainly didn't need this.... my desperation to escape the extreme!!! depression that the Withdrawal sends me into every day made me keep taking it. It took a week, and my daughter observing me (reminding me of our dog) to realize that on the one day that I did not take it, I had no gut pain. People talking about stomach pain may be getting the same thing but higher up in the gut because, maybe, theirs was not enteric coated and released immediately in the stomach.
In my family, we have been through basically ALL the SSRI's and had bad effects from ALL of them. Sometimes desperation kept us on one for months, but getting OFF them was hell.... So my hopes for SAMe were very high... It has to be doing really bad things to my gut for me to have such severe pain. so what use is it for liver protection and depression if it causes such pain?? Has ANYONE else had this effect? The ANguish of the ANxiety attacks and EXTREME depression caused by the 'cold turkey' withdrawal from clonazepam is not a secret in England and Europe apparently, but it took a lot of research to find this out (they recommend 6 months to a year to get off it and even then... (and I was taken off it in one day)
SAMe was my last hope... judging from the side effects listed on this site, and what my dog and I suffered, there is lying going on about THIS 'wonder drug' too. At one time or another, my son, daughter and I have taken almost all of the list of 'bogus study' drugs, (all SSRI's) listed on this page. None of the withdrawals were as extreme as this supposedly 'mild' and 'gentle' anti-anxiety drug.
The hell that I am still living in which is impacting my Asperger's (adult) kids, will motivate me to come back to this page often, and I hope to see if anyone else has had the 'lower' gut reactions that I had to SAMe...

Mildly depressed. Took 1 400 mg 2 days ago on friends recomendation and have 2 nights of mania, sleeplessness. Very ugly. Throwing out the Sam-e.

I started taking Sam-e last Friday, happens to be the same day my boyfriend went on a trip out of town for a week. I have been unable to sleep well at all, having crazy night sweats, horrible obsessive thoughts of my BF cheating on me, and vivid dreams about him cheating on his trip. These dreams have been very hard to distinguish from reality this past week, and I blame Sam-e for this crazed mental state that started on Saturday. I've also had a tight chest, can barely breathe or take a deep breath, have a foggy feeling, and a feeling of general malaise and tiredness. I was just prescribed Lexapro by my dr for high anxiety, I think the Sam-e added to it! I'm discontinuing right away!

I've been taking Nature Made SAM-e for years! I noticed a POSITIVE difference right away. I was able to smile and had a sense of well-being. What a relief to find something for my depression. If I stop taking it for a week or 2 I start feeling anxious, and the best way to describe it is "lost." Then when I think about it, it's because I've missed taking my SAM-e. I have been severely depressed for almost 45 years & would be NATURE MADE brand as I'm doing really well and never want to be without this again. It's been scientifically proven to have positive results in Europe. Hope this helps.

I never really noticed any negative effects of Sam-E. I weigh 200 lbs, so take the 400 level dose. With them, I have normal energy levels and actually get things done. When I go off for a week or more, it's back to a lot of lethargy and general lack of impetus.

I get stress induced tachycardia. Sam-E actually makes these happen less often, as I get less upset with myself for being a hopeless lump and actually cross items off my to do list.

Take the Folic and B-12. I also recommend going with good Calcium citrate and 1k Vitamin D daily as part of the regimen.

I'm wondering if a lot of your "side effects" are because you need to take B12 along with the Sam-e? I have a B12 definency, and when I'm low, I suffer from a lot of the symptoms you are all discribing... anxiety, foggy, lack of consitration... I just started with Sam-e a week ago, I have been a bit on edge, snappy as well. I am hoping that after the second week this calms down. I was very moody before I started taking and I don't like taking mood meds, I don't react well with them. Wish me luck...

I will look into Sam-e effects with B12.

I have taken Same 400 for 2 months and feel like a new person. I want to take fish oil along with it. Im checking to see if that is ok.

I've been taking Sam-E for about 2 months. For a couple of YEARS, I have not been myself. MY postive outlook on life was hard to find admidst all the moodiness. I have been taking Sam-E in CONJUNCTION with a B-complex, as reccomended on a naturopathic site I visited. When taken with the B, I have no issues. I have skipped the B for like, a week, when I needed to buy more, and notice some jitters and MILD irritation, which was SO inconsequential compared to my previous mind-set, it really didn't even register on the scale of Inconvenient mood shifts for me. So far, as long as I take the B complex, I have had no issues unless I take the Sam-E too late in the day, and then it MAY be causing mild sleep issues. When taken mid-day on a relatively empty stomach WITH the B, I have felt AMAZING. Not willing to give up feeling good yet, but if there are any adverse effects over time I'll post again. So far, WITH the B, I feel AMAZING! I believe the site with that info was the one by Dr Walsh that was suggested by another post on the page.

My blood pressure used to be ideally low before Sam-e and now, two years later, I am still battling high blood pressure. Here is my first email I sent regarding the effects of Sam-e. I have written to many sources and the product is still unmonitored and on the shelves of nay place that sells over the counter herbs and meds.

When my blood pressure went emergency high because of Sam-e I did some research and this is the site I found information and the antidote I was given at the hospital even-though the doctors there mocked me:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-Adenosyl_methionine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin_syndrome

I ma still suffering for the side effects that I believed are due to Sam-e.

Here is my first email to the place I bought Sam-e form:
Begin forwarded message:

From: Adint-Weeks Marta
Date: February 26, 2009 9:18:30 AM PST
To: custserv@puritan.com
Subject: Order #2074041

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 been on SSRI's for depression for years. After awhile each type seems to stop working and my DR. switches to another. Sometimes I simply feel that my entire body including my brain is toxic from perhaps the build-up of various chemicals. Anyway, with my Dr.'s approval I started taking SAM-e in conjunction with my antidepressant which I felt had stopped working to a great extent.I also suffer quite a bit from osteoarthritis. After taking the SAM-e for several weeks I noticed no real change in my depression, however, My arthritis was significantly improved.It was great to be pain free from the more or less constant pain that I am in but unfortunately the SAM-e caused me to feel very anxious, and fearful. Also, I my mind and brain became totally muddled. I couldn't remember anything, and simply couldn't think straight at all. So no more SAM-e for me. I would rather be in pain and have my mind working even though somewhat depressed,than be pain free but anxious, fearful and totally unable to function mentally. Too bad they can't isolate or purify whatever helps the arthritis from what is supposed to help the depression but then it may just be overall bad side effects for both.

I think what most people fail to realize is SAM-e is also a detox-ant.I think a lot of people in today's world have heavy-metals at some level.I would suggest having some tests for metals done before taking this product.Hope this helps someone.

I've only been taking SAM-e 400 mg. for about 2-3 weeks.It was my first time taking it.The first week was fine.Then,going on the second week I noticed the stomach pain and nausea.It would last and last.I only took it once a day.So odd.Then,I started eating with it.I felt fine.Then,later on in the evening...the stomach cramps,nausea,bloating,feeling like I was having major gas in my guts.This lasted all night last night.I am not taking anymore.My younger brother just loves it though.It works for him.I guess some people are more sensitive to it than others.How long do these side effects persist after stopping them...does anyone know?

If you take to much SAME-e you get bad effects also it takes it a good while to start working (not the smae day you start taking it)I started low to get my system use to it then built up. I no longer have the bad symptoms. But it will not help everyone, as Zoloft or any others will not help everyone.

Hello all.

I have read many of your replies regarding SAMe. I too had similar experiences. The first day or two I would feel great but then after that I would get too manic, anxious, hard to sleep, etc.

I have spent many hours researching natural ways to improve mood. I am now using TMG and taurine with great results and encourage everyone to try them. This is the best I have felt in years.

ANYTIME THERE IS ANY POTENTIAL EFFECT OF A NEW SUBSTANCE...simply eat or drink grapefruit and it neutralizes the effects....I am a high energy...non-depressive...person...and sam e is just an experiment...but nothing can hurt ...long as you dilute or flush it out...dandelion & watermellon cleans out all your organs...keep them stocked (orange juice/ vit c ) are anti-toxins as well (bread & potatoes absorb for u)
Z

Hi, i have been using SAM.e for my depression for 6 months but i,m noticing thinnning and hair loss. Anyone had this side effect also? Thanks

major problem with swollen ankles and feet, does SAMe have this side effect on anyone?

Its so weird, everyone says that sam-e gave them energy i feel quite the opposite. No energy, just foggy and drowsy. No other side effects and no lift of depression. i think i will stop using it because it causes me to just want to lounge around and eat.... this is not helpful

This is a great blog. I started taking SAMe about 9 days ago for my liver actually and was surprised to find it in the "Mood Enhancement" section of the health food store.I have always been a somewhat depressed person but always refused to take all the overhyped garbage antidepressents on the market. The one time I tried one I always woke up angry every morning.That was sick. Anyway, this stuff is great for me. I don't know yet if its actually doing anything for my Liver but my head loves it. Only problems I've experienced seem to be 400 mg per day seems to be too much for me. I'm getting a little blood in the stool and feel a bit nervous and feverish. Think I'll drop the dose to 200 mg a day and I think that will be about right. I like the "racy" feeling though.

I started taking SAM-e about 3 weeks ago now. I'm 6'3" 230 LBS and started taking 1000mg. I noticed it's effects about 2 hours later. Instantly felt happier, calmer, less anxious/nervous. It is great so far! I had some stomach aches a day later. Took 1000mg for about 3 more days. I decided to lower the dosage to 800mg. It seems like 800mg was key for me. Now that I think about it I had some confusion at first but it went away. Also, when my wife drives it freaks me out ( not sure if that's due to sam=e or not ).My head has felt a little lighter as well. My stool has been harder than usual also. not sure if that's a typical issue with taking pills or not. I hardly ever take pills, not even for headaches. I'll let you guys know if there's any updates

I am over weight, have ostioarthritis, fibrmyalgia. I take trametol, water pills for high blood pressure and am also taking progestrone. I have a lot of pain and can hardly walk. I really don't know if I should try sam-e. I was on celebrex a couple of years ago, but had to stop taking it because my blood pressure was too high. Any suggestions out there. Thanks

Can Sam e cause shortness of breathe?

I am currently 7 weeks pregnant. I stoppe dtaking my celexa because I took it during my third preganacy and my son was born with a congenital heart defect becaus of it. I am severly depressed now and having a hard time functioning. I have 3 other children to take care of so am thinking about taking sam e to help. any thoughts or suggestions?

I have been taking Sam-e for about a week now, and feel amazing. Depression lifted dramatically on the 4th day, and aches and pains, and daily headache are gone. I'm sleeping fine. I do feel energized, but I also have a CFS diagnosis, and so I am happy to have more energy to face the day. I also am finding that my concentration is greatly improved... I am being followed by a naturopath and a psychiatrist, as I cannot tolerate pharmaceutical drugs.... So far, so good, and I guess I'm cautiously optimistic that this will help me regain a level of functioning that I have not had for years now.

I have tried breaking a 200 Mg tab in halves or quarters to avoid the anxiety. I would usually experiences pretty good day, feel calm and focused and get a lot done...but I started having bouts of nausea and vomiting. It would always occur on the days that I took Sam-E. Has anyone else had this happen? I am usually pretty healthy physically

Hello Everyone. I almost feel bad posting my comments to this site as most of you are posting about bad side affects from Sam-e. However, I feel it necessary to share with everyone my experience using this product in hopes of encouraging those considering its use to remain 'open minded' because there are so many things to consider when considering use of this supplement. While doing my research and hearing so many differing views about Sam-e I knew that I had to keep a few things in mind when reading all the reviews. (1)There are many companies marketing/manufacturing this product and many of them are selling a inferior product. Thus you must be careful of the BRAND as they are not all made the same and some products will cause bad side affects. (2)some people are mixing other medications/drugs with this supplement that may not be compatible. (3). Some are mixing alcohol with this supplement. That's a no-no. others are taking waaaay too much of the supplement while others simply cannot take the product because it just isn't right for their body.

I suffer from 'chronic' bouts of mild depression mainly situational, which would result in me wanting to sleep all the time. I had no energy, and basically didn't feel like doing much of anything. etc.etc.. Ive been dealing with these symptoms on and off for a long time with no real relief from any medicine.

After hearing about this supplement I did my research and decided to try it about 2 months ago. I purchased the NATURE MADE Sam-e product and I take a 200mg tablet per day. That's it. The first week, I noticed a calm state of mind and I was impressed but cautious still.. I wanted to wait a bit longer..Two weeks into it, and I noticed that I actually looked forward to getting up in the mornings EARLY! My mind was a lot clearer and I felt more balanced mentally and emotionally...I WAS HOOKED! I kept taking the product without increasing the dosage for another two weeks and let me tell you all.... I am feeling so much better these days! so much so that I am now enthusiastic again, I'm motivated again, and I'm feeling good on the inside and so I look good on the outside again. (meaning I'm putting on my make-up, fixing my hair, dressing like the business woman I am...whereas before I just didn't feel like doing it and went out looking rather homely...Depression is a beast and will rob you of everything!-FIGHT BACK!

Anyway, I am sooooooo stoked on this supplement that I got up from my bed tonight just to find a site to write my review because I want someone, anyone, who is searching for help to see it and give it a try and hopefully be helped. This product IS WHAT IT CLAIMS TO BE! IT DOES WORK! I AM LIVING PROOF OF IT! It took about 2-3 weeks before I noticed the BIG DIFFERENCE! - I have been set free folks! that's all I can say...and I'm hoping to see more of you feel the same.

I am feeling very disappointed today. After taking 50mg Sam-e for 10 days I have to go off it because of insomnia. The disappointing part is Sam-e was lifting the depression but I was feeling like a less depressed slug. All night long I could feel my brain struggling to sleep against struggling to stay awake. The brain fog during the day was intense.

Ive been taking Sam-e now for a few months
And thank god that I did because I'm feeling a lot better
Than before sleeping 15 hrs a day and feeling bad.
Now I sleep 6.hrs a day and are much more focused
And happier and my knots in my back have gone away
Thank god I thought I was really gone there for a bit
But now I'm much better and iveheard of you see a
Natrupath you can get a pharmesutical version of Sam-e
Which is even more stronger!!!
So I give it 10/10 a f Is heaps better than crap
Like aropax cymbalta and crap like that which destroys your bowel and liver and causes cancer!
So go for the Sam- e Any day :-)))

I am a 59 year old male. I weigh 270 pounds. My joints were aching all the time and I am on Welbutrin for clinical depression. I had no energy. After studying the wikipedia article on SAM-e I began taking 400 mgs in the morning and 400mgs in the late afternoon. It took 3 weeks but my mood brightened and my energy levels increased. My joints hurt a lot less. I am also taking a strong B-complex vitamin as the literature says to do. I am going to continue taking the SAM-e.

Well I'm ADD took Adderall which bugs my stomach
2 weeks after Sam-E I stopped Adderall since Sam-E is way more pleasant of an up. For me this stuff is amazing, great mood, no piss and vinegar as with Adderall, Sex drive way improved and as advertised a much better friendlier mood. No real side affects yet for me after 3 weeks. I love this stuff I feel great and young, I'm 55. Maybe the people who love it are ADD since I can drink 4 cups of espresso and just feel normal.
Sam-E doesn't get me buzzed, just happy.

Hello:

I started taking sam-e 1 month ago and the first
3-weeks felt energized ,calm more energy
after a long day, I'm a esthetician-make-up
artist so I have to deal with the public on a hands on approach. The side effects started 8 days
ago intense headache ,nausea vomiting ,heart
papiltations, fatique all day morning sickness and I'm not pregnant body aches I felt scared I
am a healthy individual .I put the pieces together
and realized that this pill caused all the above
symptoms plus bizarre nightmares worse then a
Steven Kings movie. I stoped taking sam-e 5 days
ago but the withdraw was worst 4-day 5 DAY VOMITED
NAUSEA had tsken prior 1 pill morning 400 before
side effects appeared. curious how long does it
take to get the sam-e out of system?

Sherry

Some of you need to try thompsons mood manager, its not a straight sam-e product but has sam-e in it, it has vit b12 and other things that help regulate. Its amazing and no side effects for me.

I'm taking Sam-e 400mg a day.I came off 25 mg of Zoloft three weeks ago.I took Zoloft for my irritable bowel syndrome which give me cramps,
spasms ,anxiety and depression.I found out that while taking 25mg of Zoloft my heart rate was in the 195BPm to 205 BPM when I was running.I cut
the Zoloft and my heart rate went to normal range
165 to 175BPM.What a difference,but my irritable
bowel syndrome came with cramps spasms and severe depression.I wonder if Sam-e will do they job for me.I do take some klonpin at night 0.5 mg and Digex NF for spasms and cramps.I wonder if I take
in the morning Sam-e 400 mg and at night klonopin
0.5 ,is it ok?I only take digex nf only when my irritable bowel cranks up.I started on 800mg of Sam-e second day and I felt like awake or a little
bit panic not much.Any Suggestion will be appreciated.I think 800mg of Sam-e is to much,because I also take 4000mg of oil fish.

I started taking Sam-e one week ago. I was taking 800 mgs a day. I had a vague sense of a higher level of well being but also a vague sense of nausea. Last night at 2 in the morning I woke up with the worst nausea and stomach cramping of my life. It's 12 hours later and I still feel sick, sick, sick. I couldn't imagine continuing taking this based on how I have felt the last 12 hours.

I have had great results with SAM-e and wonder how others have done.

I take Jarrow 200 for light depression and it works really well. I had very strange nightmares and trouble sleeping for the first week or two. It also make me hyper sometimes. I think this builds in your system. When I am feeling that manic sensation I simply cut back to half a tablet per day or one every other day. I tried switching to a different brand that offered a 100 pill, but it did not work and after a few wells, when the Jarrow had completely worn off, I was back to the sadness. I believe that Sam e really works, it's too bad that doctors don't prescribe and monitor it here. You are on your own to work out dosage!

My doctor was taking me off 10 mg. amitriptyline on April 11, getting completely off by May 12. In the meantime I started 400 mg. of SAM-e on April 13, 2 400 mg.a day (1/2 hr. before breakfast) for one week, then down to 1 400 mg.per day. I have now the side effects of nausea, anxiety (almost to the point of panic) gas with stomach ache. I decided to stop taking SAM-e so cut a 400 mg. in half to 200 yesterday a.m. I also have been having insomnia. Today I wasn't going to take any more but had the anxiety, etc., so took 200 mg. again today. Can anyone tell me how to get off of this gradually, as I feel you can't just stop taking it, as it seems to act like any other drug withdrawal. Thanks for any help.

I just read a number of these comments, ending with the one from Spoiled on Feb. 16,2012. I have to agree with that one! I have been taking SAM-e for years now, since whenever Newsweek put it on its cover. I take Nature Made, 400 mg a day. It may have caused some side effects, but they are insignificant compared to the excruciating depression I used to have over many years. I do not have nightmares, but I do often suffer sleeplessness; I don't blame the SAM-e for it, though. Maybe it has contributed to weight gain, I hadn't thought of that, but I am not sure if I have gained weight from that or from aging (I am 70).

I would like to suggest, responding to some of the comments, that you take no more than 400mg a day, that you never take it at night because it is indeed a sort of an upper, and will keep you awake, and that you therefore take it in the morning. Eat something within an hour or so later, so that it will not make you nauseous. I take SAM-e first thing along with my quinipril for bp, and then I have coffee and write in my journal. When the pill has had time to melt, I eat breakfast.
I theorize that people who take it at night are not only sleepless but also nauseous in the morning because they have no food for many hours after taking the SAM-e; avoid that.
Contrary to one person saying it is a "no no" to drink alcohol with SAM-e, I have never heard that or seen it in print anywhere else. Furthermore, when I first found out about SAM-e, I read that it is given in either Germany or Italy to help liver function, and I believe it is that capability of the medicine that causes almost no after effects from drinking wine for me. (I don't drink whiskeys, so I can't say whether it would help with avoiding hangovers for heavy drinkers.) There is always someone telling you not to have your wine with dinner when on this or that meds, just because they are against all alcohol, I believe. Ignore that unless you have serious issues (obviously).

I've tried Sam-e and I have to say that it's powerful. It does enhances mood and can very addictive. It took me 2 weeks after I could withdrawal from it. If you suffer from sever depression then you might need since it has fewer side effect than antidepressant medications. I would recommend starting with 100 mg and work your way up to 200mg. Lower dosage is recommended to avoid side effects. Currently, I've replaced Sam-e with the following supplements:

1. Fish oil. Nature's made is the best. two soft gels in the morning and two at night with meals

2.) Cq10, 100 mg
3.) B-50 complex
4.) 1000 mcg of vit b-12
5.) multivitamin
6.) Vitamin E 200 mg
7.) exercise whatever form weather swimming or running. Swimming is really good. Easy on joints and has tremendous results on mood.

Other supplements that I heard of but did not try:

1.) Saint john's wort's (don't combine with Sam-e)
2.) vitamin D
3.) 5HTP (don't combine with Sam-e)

All these are really good. Esp the Fish Oil. I can feel bad mood coming back once I run out. These supplements are really good and no side effects at all. It takes about a month to see really good results. These supplements are not recommended if you're already taking anti depressants esp. when taking with Sam-e or 5HTP since it can cause serotonin syndrome.

I am suddenly having bad stomach aches and digestive problems in general - very disturbing. I am going to cut out the SAMe I have been taking daily (200 mg). I seem to be sensitive to just about any man-made compounds/supplements/medicines, even at low doses. I do not represent any pharmaceuticals company. However, I am shocked by the people here who negate the comments of those who have had difficult experiences with SAMe. We are all different, and our bodies have differing responses. What works for some does not work for everyone, and where drugs/supplements/medicines are concerned, I feel that we should let each other know about harmful side effects that could hurt some of us. We need to keep each other informed. Thanks for this forum.

Sam-e 200mg made me really ill after only 3 days of taking it for depression and some anxiety.

Was using the Jarrow brand. I experienced extreme anxiety, racing thoughts, insommnia, feeling very awake and 'wired' but not in a pleasant way, stomach cramps and gas. Tried cutting the pills to 50mg doses but same reaction so after day 3 gave up with this product.

Ended up throwing the box in the bin.

I was interested in learning about the B-12 and/or B complex vitamins to be combined with
Sam-e re prevention of homocysteine build up.
I've had good success with Sam-e in battling SAD.
In addition my mother who has dementia is taking it with good results in that if she is off Sam-e she becomes very depressed. In fact my brother is also taking Sam-e with good results. It appears that its positive effects vs depression are evident throughout our family. I was surprised at some of the negative posts on this blog.

supposing a baby fed on SMA gets constipation and looses appetite what best advise will give me to solve problem so that my baby puts back on weight and regains the energy.
thank

It took 6 days for the SAM-E to kick in. Otherwise, i felt this was doing me no good up till the 6th day. Wow, i played golf yesterday and felt relaxed and confident. Beat my arch rivals- club champ and other. My family tree has history of mental illness and really not sure what route to take. I kinda thought it was normal to feel depressed but hide it. Anyhow, i hope SAM-E works because im tired of faking it through life. Happy Holidays to all with many blessings. G

I have been taking SAM-e since early january 2013. I actualy felt better when starting SAM-e I read the box directions. seggested use: start taking 1 tablet per day. You have to take it on an empty stomach at least 30 mins before you eat something. Benefits are most likely evident after 7 to 14 days taking this medicine. So far I have not felt better. I am calm and feel great. No I dont feel anything that you are all feeling. and maybe the reason why people are feeling tired is because this med is for the morning and not mid day or towards bed. Its a mood supporter, not a sleep aid.

I took Sam-E 400 made by Jarrow for 6 weeks. I was taking 1 pill and then upped to two pills and it still didn't seem to do anything. I raised my dose to 3 pills and was getting headaches often, but didn't connect the two. Then more symptoms arrived and I thought I had the stomach flu for an entire week, but just realized it was the Sam-E causing extreme gas, belching, stomach ache, bad headache, shakiness and diarrhea. I cannot continue on this because the side affects are worse than the depression! My dose of 1200mg was less than the max dose of 1600mg, but be aware that side affects are very real.

I really think it depends on the brand you take . I took Sam E years ago with no side effects (can't remember the brand). This time tried Herbs of Gold brand and I started feeling terrible. Not manic or grumpy, just the most awful, painful heartburn, nausea etc. It was so bad one night I thought I was having a heart attack. I stopped taking it two days ago but still feel pretty bad, I hope it doesn't take too long to get back to normal.

looking for SAM-e without mannitol, because of what that does to my stomach. if anyone is familiar with such a product, i would deeply appreciate a reference. many thanks.

I've been taking 400mg of SAM E for years. I started taking it after years of taking Paxil, which really has some nasty side effects. Sam E has helped tremendously to alleviate my depression. However, in the past year or so I started noticing some issues after buying a new box of the CVS brand. They'd changed the packaging but I'd not considered they might have changed the formula. within a week I was feeling very intense, physical anxiety. The sleep problems I'd had for years noticeably intensified. I went through the two boxes I'd bought, and when I'd finished, took a break from Sam E for the first time in years. What I found was the many joint/soft tissue pains I've had all came back in full force, but my anxiety and sleep issues improved a great deal.
I went back to another brand i'd used and found my pain disappeared within days (really a shock to me, as I hadn't been taking the Sam E for the pains and didn't know it even had an effect on them).
Now, months later, I ran out and ordered some online, deciding to take a few days off and see what the effects would be. The day after my last dose, I slept better than I had in weeks. The past three nights I slept through the night with very little sedatives (very unusual for me). My anxiety level has reduced. BUT my pain is returning AND (the reason I ended up on this site), I started feeling like I was sick- spacy, headache that's lasted 24 hours, exhausted, nauseated. It occurred to me that when I was tapering off Paxil, I also experienced flu-like symptoms. I don't know if it's Sam E withdrawal or not. My Sam E arrived in the mail today, and I took 200mg. If my flu-like symptoms resolve today, I'm going to assume it's Sam E related.
It really has helped me tremendously in the past. I think it may be time for me to cut it down to 200mg a day and see if it's enough to ward off the depression while allowing better sleep.
A note to people with any type of major depression related to serotonin- I've found taking Sam E with ANYTHING else that can affect serotonin can have a big affect on my anxiety level. This includes Trazodone (I take it for sleep), Melatonin, any kind of hormone, etc. AND if you have sleep problems, be aware that B vitamins can cause sleeplessness. I was taking a supplement that had B vitamins at night for a short time and found myself taking more and more sleep meds to try and sleep before I realized it was the B vitamins keeping me up. Remember that B vitamins are sometimes sold as natural energy supplements.
Good luck everyone!

Hi I have been taking Sam- e for 12 years for depression and anxiety and it gave me my life back. Recently I was skipping days when taking it and I think it triggered depression and anxiety again so I started on it regular again but it didn't work so I took a higher dose 600 and made anxiety worse then I tried 800 even worse so I went back to 200 twice a day and felt a little better but I still have anxiety and now these speedy feelings.I am taking a b complex as well and was wondering if anyone had any reccomondations. I hate to stop something that helped so perfectly for so long. Anything to help speedy feelings besides cal- mag. Am I readjusting to sam- e again? Like first time? Or can it just stop working? I thought if you were methylated it helps can you become over methylated from taking for too long?
Thanks

I take a 400 mg tablet and cut it into thirds and take one slice every other day. It helps me sleep at night (I take it at night because it makes me super sleepy!). I am sleeping soundly for the first time in years, however, my extremities shake a little and my heart feels like it is beating too fast sometimes. Also, when I feel anxious, I breath into the anxiety (taking a deep breath) and it calms down. But I do feel anxious, if that makes any sense at all. Anyone else feel this way? I feel like I can handle the side effects just so I can sleep. One last thing, I am snippy more that usual, but I really make an effort to not be a jerk. I have kids, so I make an extra effort around them. I have a loving relationship with my kids that does not involve yelling, so I will stop this if I start to yell when they are around.

Hello yes sam-e will over stimulate mania if you have depression from bipolar disorder or border line personality disorder aka bp II check with a psychologist before you try to treat your self to be properly diagnose and if you know you have one of this monitor you self Well and try to get something for the anxiety as Well also if you get irritability from it it's a sign that you are taking too much not too little please do more research before trying to treat your self I have border line personality disorder and take it but I don't take it every day I also take a few of other stuff to help the other symptoms of my disorder because the is no medical drug or natural remedy alone that helps all the symptoms so please try to get your self diagnose before you try natural remedies

And you can also change your diet to help this symptoms like taking omega rich food for anxiety and to help sleep tart cherries or Cherry juice has natural melatonin, anxiety can also be trigered by low blood sugar levels so fruits or complex carbs will help on moments like that

So happy to find this site. Been taking 200 mg same and upped to 400 mg last couple of weeks. Very anxious, depressed, no appetite...today i added L-Trosine and i'm feeling aweful. Jittery, ears ringing, can't eat or drink water..just feel off the chart horrible. I'm stopping it today!!

I started taking sam e to help my mood. I started with 200mg for a week and then went up to 400mg. after a week of being 400mg i developed a serious anxiety, had to come back home from work. it s to the point a get a tingling sensation in my feet.... never again sam e...

I just started taking Sam E and already the side effects are more than I can take. It has also caused for me irregular heart beats and jitters. This is not for me. I already have trouble with insomnia and this only makes it worse. It is like I can't turn myself off. It was worth a try but unfortunately not what I should be taking.

I've been taking Sam e for about 10 days. Almost immediately felt a big difference in my mood. I'm feeling young and fresh too as a result. It's remarkable. I feel like I did 40 yrs ago when I was 20....

I've been taking half of a 400 mg Sam e capsule twice a day. But suddenly, over the last three days, I found myself waking up in the morning from extremely nasty nightmare dreams that encapsulate and concentrate my current fears.

I already take B 12, B complex, folic acid and omega 3. My plan now is to cut the dose down to 200mg a day, taken in the morning, and hope this gets rid of the nightmares.

If that doesn't work I'll try 100 mg a day by cutting the capsules in 4.

Before taking Sam e I was taking 5HTP which definitely had some effect on improving my very low mood but nothing like as good as Same e. It's for this reason it seems worth experimenting with the dosage of it. Fingers crossed!

Hope this adds something to the information.

I started Sam-E to see if it would help my osteopenia and arthritis. I have taken it now for about 2 months. To my delight it suppressed my appetite and I have lost 10 lbs. My thoughts are clearer. But, my sleep is affected and although I can fall asleep easily I am also wakened easily and feel like staying up which leads me to not sleeping a full nights sleep. I discovered that my blood pressure has risen also. My normal pressure is 110/70 and lately it is 132/80. I have decided to quit taking Sam-E to see if my BP returns to its former levels. Also I do have occasional stomach pain and gas, very occasionally, a headache, but not bad.

DO NOT TAKE BRANDS W/ "MANNITOL" BECAUSE IT CAUSES STOMACH ACHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I got horrible stomach cramps but then did a lot of research and found a brand on Amazon called "Natrol" that doesn't have "mannitol" and I'm fine. 200 mg every morning on an empty stomach works for me. I also take it w/ a vit. B complex. Hope this helps!
http://www.amazon.com/Natrol-Sam-E-S-Adenosyl-L-Methionine-200Mg/dp/B005GZPZ6I/

I fell so dippressed for my hight.my hight only 5 feet and i am a adult person.sometimes i think that i die myself.i have no enjoy in my life .i am a alone person .please help me please

For anyone who is getting stomach pains from the Sam-e, there's a brand called Natrol which doesn't cause those effects. You can buy it on drugstore.com.

My problem is I am on a lot of medication for depression, anxiety, nerve pain and stimulants and when I take the Same-e I get off balance.I don't know if it's the combination or just the Sam-e. I'd be interested to know if anyone else has this problem.

I was really excited to find this product because I prefer natural medicine but I've been taking SAMe for a week now and feel like my depression has been worse. My anxiety has been suppressed a little but I became so depressed after the second day of taking it. I'm wondering if it's "fixing" My hormones? I'm going to finish the box to see if it improves over time but so far I'm disappointed. :(

I recently started using 800 mg per day (~3 weeks) and have had no adverse side effects. I tried various supplements to address my mild depression symptoms (e.g. Vitamin D) but this is the only one which has actually made a difference.

I've been taking 200 mg Sam-e for at least a year. In the beginning I had bad stomach problems, but then someone told me to take Natrol Same (Drugstore.com) and that stopped. I am on other drugs; antidepressants, klonopin, and dextroamphetamine to name a few. My problem is I'm off balance and I think it's the Same because I never had this before. I can be walking straight and then suddenly fall into a wall. Has anyone else experienced this kind of reaction? Please email me if you have.

Go to 23andme.com. Order your saliva kit. When you start receiving emails telling you your results are ready, go to www.geneticgenie.net and click thru to your results on 23andme. Save as PDF. READ!

If you are getting anxiety or other negative reactions to SAMe, you likely have a CBS mutation and your ammonia and taurine may be high. Detox for 6 weeks with daily supps of charcoal and molybdenum prior to trying SAMe again.

Some bi-polar individuals cannot take SAMe. Don't take SAMe along with any other SSRI.

LEARN ABOUT YOUR METHYLATION CYCLE AND HOW YOUR MUTATIONS ARE AFFECTING YOUR HEALTH.

Find a holistic practitioner who knows and understands Methylation. KEY!

Put your 23andme results into www.heartfixer.com, www.promethease.com for a plethora of additional information.

I was going to a period of mild depression and insomnia and someone recommended to me to take SAMe. I have never liked to take medications. When I read that is something that the body produce naturally I decided to give it a try.

I have been taking 200mg of SAMe for the past two weeks. My experience hasn't been good at all except for the first few days. The insomnia has been getting worst, I have not libido at all and and too much anxiety . At night I feel so much energy I can't relax enough to be able to sleep.

Started sam-e a month ago... just now made the connection that it makes me tired during the day, whether I take the 200 mg in the morning or before retiring at night. I have never been a nap person, for 40 years prided myself on NOT taking naps (unless I was sick of course)and suddenly I wanted to nap almost every day; I would sit on the couch to read my mail and within minutes be asleep... today I just realized that is the only thing I'm doing differently, is taking SAM-e, so that has to be the reason. I wont' take it anymore. I looked up side effects and found your blog. Thanks. Good luck. I think I will go back to trying St. John's Wort, the liquid from Herb-Pharm... over the years, that is one product I know does lift my mood. I tried other pill forms of SJW and not as effective.

I started taking SAMe about month ago...for stress,depression,menopausal & moods....etc...I felt better right away ! Felt happy again ....miracle! Only taking 200mg....but just recently starting having the bloating,has and upset stomach in afternoon ,evenings....I have tried many things and have never had such good results....I am 54 yrs and really don't want stop totally but also hate just his nausea feeling ....also read the B12 post...maybe 1/2 the SAMe....and supplement with B12....any thoughts? Thanks

can you put on weight from sam 3

I believe Sam-E works great, however the dosage is tricky especially at first. If you take too much right off the bat and jump too 400mg, it can and possibly will worsen your depression. I know that from experience. I would recommend taking 200mg for a while before upping the dosage, also on a empty stomach in the morning with a B-Vitamin Complex. B Vitamins are critical with it too make it working right. Don't buy it in 400mg tablets ever, you may want to adjust the dosage and you can't cut those pills.

I had been depressed for eleven years after taking Olanzapine 5mg daily. Out of desperation to try something like an antidepressant I discover SAM_e. This was nothing short of a miracle for me. within days All my symptoms
just melted away. With my new found energy
I started a wheat/gluten free diet and my life has changed. I feel like a new man !
If you have side effects change to a brand that doesn't contain Manitol (stomach ache)
and reduce the dosage.

A MIRACLE CURE !

Howard Kelly

I started taking SAM-E about 20 days ago. I started at 200mgs of Source Naturals brand. It was hard to notice any changes at first because I traveled to Europe for close to 14 days and the jet lag got to me.

Upon catching up on my sleep I started noticing more energy, more positive thoughts, general improvement in my overall mood, motivation increasing, and I am not experiencing the insomnia. In fact I've actually started to have dreams, sometimes strange (LOL), but not like the ones I've experienced in the past.(I am a Veteran)

I feel better than I have in years! Upon noticing the upbeat mood I increased to 400mgs daily. I then started having the palpitations that most everyone is experiencing. Today,(9/21) I've backed down to 1, 200mg tablet per day hoping that will help with the palpitations. Otherwise maybe I'll try 1 tablet every other day. So far it's been great for me and I will continue to take.

Wow, I'm surprised that so many of you are feeling anxiety & nausea.....I'm 50 and have been taking 400 mg. every morning for a couple years now. I don't seem to have any side effects, but I think it is helping with my depression. I also have a lot of pain in my hip joints that I take it for, not sure if it's helping with that or not but it's worth a try. Wish I did get the energy that some of you talk about!

Sam-e was a great alternative to meds, but since Im Bipolar, I know mania is a side effect. I take it two weeks, than stop two weeks, to avoid build up. I do not recommend anyone to take it daily, long term. Also works better for me 30 min before any meal, to be absorbed by digestive system, not the liver.

I've been taking Sam-e for nearly 6 mos. this stuff has changed me for the better.. I see a lot of you here has had an adverse effect and I wonder why? What other habits, or ??? that makes it a much different experience.
I'm filled with optimism and joy now- not like Sponge Bob square pants, but almost. Basically I just feel leveled out completely. If it's of any help, I back up my daily dosage of 400mg's (Jarrow) with a file filled of liquid b-12 and every other day take the dissolvable b-12's with folic acid.
The only time I noticed a somewhat bad experience with Sam-e is when I had an alcoholic beverage, I rarely ever drink alcohol, maybe that is key, idk.

STAY AWAY from SAMe, I was prescribed this on the 11th November and took for a total of 18 days. Prior to this I was walking daily, after about three days I went to go for a walk, could only manage to go around the block and thought I would not be coming home. My body seriously went down hill, felt like I was going to die, people telling me I look seriously ill. Symptoms, low energy, gas, fatigue, feeling of weakness, burning sensation under my skin, liver enzymes very high, crawling under the skin, extra bowel motions, poor concentration, feeling of going crazy, disturbed sleep. I have now been off for 8 days and last night I had my first night of full sleep 8 1/2 hours. I have been experiencing withdrawal effects from this...being very snappy,wanting to scream at times, wondering how long this is going to take to get out of my system. Can not believe that SAMe can cause so much distruction to a persons body and life. Thanks so to everyone for their reviews as if I had not read I more than likely would still be wondering what is happening to me. I am thinking very positive that I will get my body back.

I take xanax can I take Sam-e too

Not long ago I started researching ways to help my autistic grandson with some of his symptoms, after traditional nutritional supplementation failed to produce any positive results, so I took him to a ND and she introduced me to the great big world of biochemistry. This has been nothing short of life altering.
In all my years I never came close to fully understanding the inner workings of the human body, including it's biochemical workings. And it wasn't until she introduced me to some of these concepts that I had any idea of just how important this information would become in my life.
The reason I bring this up here on this forum is that SAMe is a part of many living organism's biochemistry, first and foremost. And it is really helpful to at least have some inkling of it's function and purpose in the human body as well as some of the many other related biochemical functions in the body, such as neurotransmitters, HPA functions, different metabolic cycles and systems, ect. If you do some research and learn about how your body works, and then invest in a few labs that show what YOUR biochemical status is, including imbalances and deficiencies, you will be AMAZED at how well you can heal yourself. But if you are simply grasping at straws, trying any number of various remedies, without first knowing what YOUR imbalances are, you are in for a long and frustrating journey. I say this because its exactly what I went through for a number of years, desperately trying all sorts of different herbs, vitamins, etc. It wasn't until I got my labs done (the first two are probably the most important--Organic Acids Test, Amino Acids Test, full physical work-up for vitamin D, thyroid, etc.) that I discovered what was actually happening in my body. Since then I've been working to correct my actual imbalances. Now, having said that, its STILL complex, and there will still be some trial and error, but at least its not a complete stab in the dark.
Now back to SAMe. When I first got my labs done they showed, among other things, low seritonin, but I was also severely undermethylated, with deficiencies in B6, B12, methyl folate, magnesium, and few other things. So when I tried SAMe I got severe anxiety, with heart palpitations, terrible restlessness, etc. When I told my ND about it she said it was because SAMe is a methyl donor and without my methylation cycle being adequately functional, I couldn't process the SAMe. So I worked at restoring my stores of B6, B12, folate, etc. for a couple months and the next time I tried SAMe, at and extremely low dose, about 15mg twice daily, it works beautifully. Nothing over the moon or anything, just a slight calm, clear mind and upbeat mood. But I have to be careful because I have high homecystiene so I have to watch to not to overdo the SAMe. I also read about the need to take NAC and carnitine with the SAMe as well, so I take low doses of those too.
Another thing to keep in mind is that if/when your imbalances are corrected you may not need the same level of supplementation as before. It's kind of an ever changing process which follows the ever changing biochemical status of the individual.
Even though there is a lot to this stuff, it's absolutely doable. So arm yourself with knowledge. I encourage anyone reading this to find out what is going on inside your body and then do a ton of research on what all of your biochemical markers mean. It will do you so much more good than throwing every conceivable treatment option (which likely aren't right for your specific biochemical needs) at your symptoms.
Just my quick two cents.

I tried Sam-e for just under 3 weeks. Started at 200 and didnt seem to notice difference. Did a couple of days at 400. Maybe placebo, maybe it actually worked. NOt sure. Went to 600 one day and I felt like I was on the verge of a panic attack: throwing up feeling, anxiety so high that I felt like taking off and going home from work with or without leave approval. Just wanted to run and crawl into bed. No appetite because of anxiety. Cut back to 200 for this past week and very weepy and still anxious. Not interested in anything but sleep to escape. Today I didnt take one. Had my cup of coffee(which I had cut out for weeks to see if that would help), and actually had a good day. Maybe coincidence? not sure, but I am now a bit nervouse about SAm-e.

I have been perscribed 400 mg SAM-e twice a day by my doctor, been having lots of issues and we had my methylation pathway figured out with 23andMe.com, and GeneticGenie.com, anyway, I have been soooo noticing a huge improvement, EXCEPT now I've had horrible stomach pains! After reading (I do have tummy issues) it's probable its caused by the Mannitol, I found 1 brand that didn't have it (really only one?!?), we we'll see how that goes. Unfortunately thats $11 for 5 days! Yikes. Well, this isn't forever and it was really helping!

I only took sam-e for a week and found to experience nervous jitters. I found taking theanine more helpful with no side effects

I'm 14, and started taking SAMe about 2 weeks ago for depression and anxiety. Starting out, I would take my 400mg pill in the morning, have an emotional high during the day, and then crash in the evening, making me feel drained of energy and feeling emotionally worse than before.
In the past week or so, I have been feeling more depressed than ever, and have been experiencing suicidal thoughts, nearly as intense as they were prior to taking the supplement. It seems to be having no effect on me whatsoever.
Advice?

Is SAMe safe to take when you are on SNRI type anti-depressant. I have been taking Pristiq (desvenlafaxine)? My prescription medicine is not working as previously and I want to try and wean myself of it . Is SAMe a safe alternative ?

Stop seeing Primary Care Physicians for depression; start seeing Naturopathic Doctors instead. Better yet, have your dna/plasma/urine tested for amino acid deficiencies related to depression.

For all of you having bad side effects:
I never took Sam-e, but I suffer from the SEROTONIN SYNDROME. Every anti-depressant, even the lowest possible dose, causes terrible side effects. All foods containing a lot of triptophan cause stomach problems, diarrhea, weakness,cramps... (egg whites, chia seeds,sesame, spirulina, sunflower seeds, mozzarella cheese...) Look into it.

I agree with Aileena, on here... (Oct. 2015) post. I am not sure if I'm bipolar (no one has ever been able to figure out what I am), but I do know that SAM-e effects builds up in one's body. I have found that I have all those symptoms of IBS, etc, when I DON'T take SAM-e! But on the other hand, if I take too much of it or too often, I am very manic. So what I do, is to take it as needed- Sometimes once a week, sometimes once a month-- just 100 mg. of the Yarrow brand, cut in half, with food. That seems to do it for me, and all my aches and pains (and depression) go away. I maybe get a tad hypo-manic, but not too badly. Sometimes it gives me insomnia, other times, it makes me drowsy! It's all about balance, folks. As for the B vitamins and folic acid, if you have an energy drink like Ensure or Atkins on hand, all those vitamins are in there. I have found it often beneficial to take SAM-e with half of one of those drinks. I am an elderly 67 yr. old female, on other meds; also, sensitive to other drugs.

Some tips if you're new to SAM-e:

Don't ever take any SAM-e containing Mannitol. This is a sugar alcohol that may cause digestive upset. Look for brands that don't have any, which you can find on Amazon. I have no idea why so many brands contain Mannitol.

SAM-e is a powerful anti-depressant, pain killer, and it boosts your neurotransmitters. Don't take too much, or you could become very anxious.

The available dosages are *way* too high for many people. Cut the pills in half, in quarters, or even into 1/8's. 400mg is a huge dose for many people. Even 50mg can be very effective. If you're just starting out, always start with a low dose and work upwards over time to find the "optimal" dose.

If you take too much SAM-e, your gut serotonin levels will sky rocket and cause intense nausea. This is a sign that you've taken *way* too much SAM-e. Just wait it out and cut back the dose.

If suffering from severe gut dysbiosis, SAM-e can be used to assist the liver to clear the gut of toxins while you are treating the overgrowth with antibiotics. The more SAM-e you need, the worse the dysbiosis. Up to 1800mg/day is not unheard of in these situations.

One "antidote" to taking too much SAM-e is alcohol.

Be sure to take methyl B-12 and Folic Acid when taking SAM-e.

I've been taking SAM-e 400mg for about two weeks and at first it was fine-ish I only had bloating and gas when I took it once every other day, in the first week. Now I'm at once a day and after the third day I've been nauseous and vomiting, my skin is itchy and feels like I got ants crawling on me when I turn into bed. It's the fourth day and I'm still a bit nauseous when I'm outside or smoking or eating (it's summer and about 120°) tomorrow will be the 5th day, should I slip a day or keep at it???

i have been taking Sam-e 800 daily. Has anyone had bitter taste in mouth or tongue?

I have been taking Sam-e for about five days. I started taking it because I have had bad reactions to four different anti-depression/anxiety meds. Zoloft made me feel extremely dizzy, Wellbutrin increased my migraines, and Cymbalta made my kidneys and stomach feel like they were going to explode. So I looked for a natural alternative. I took 200mg the first day and woke up with terrible bed spins and was dizzy, but it was ok after an hour or so, so I upped my dosage to 400mg as I am really needing relief from my symtpoms after trying all those meds! I have been severely dizzy and it lasted all day, I had fitfull sleep and have woken up with terrible bed spins, and dizziness each morning. I am so bummed because Sam-e looked to be so promising:(. Has any one experienced this and kept going? Will the dizziness decrease?

Try ginko B for anxiety. Be very careful sone of these herbs can trigger mania. Especially if your in menapause and already have mood swings. I can't take Sam -e it's very harsh on the stomach.

Oh my god I am so glad that I found this!! SAM-e was awesome for a few days, totally high and feeling great at 200MG x 2 per day, then went up to 400MG x 2 per day (as I read this was OK for depression!) but I have been wondering why I can now barely eat, stomach feels so small, serious anxiety, panic attacks and confusion over what should be simple decisions, unable to focus. I just thought my emotional distress was at an all time high, but I can now see the SAM-e is not working for me - I should have known, I am super sensitive to supplements. I will stick on the naturopath liquid adrenal herbs. Thankyou all for your contributions.

I am so thankful I started using SAM-e! I actually took it for something completely unrelated a week before my Dr appt to ask for an antidepressant. Thank goodness I did! I feel like me again. No waking up with anxiety every morning, I actually have energy again, no depressing thoughts, I can actually focus, I feel like I can tackle life again. And this was all in a matter of 3 days on it!

Only side effects so far are mild stomach upset after I take it if I don't eat anything for a bit (you are supposed to take it on an empty stomach though, I try to eat within half an hour to avoid this now), and when I first started taking it I felt like I had a little too much caffeine or something. I no longer have those side effects and I'm up to 600mg a day (3 different 200mg doses throughout the day though).

I would also recommend starting at a very low dose though (cut a 200mg in half) because it can make you feel almost ready to go, like you had too much coffee if you have too much. I can see why some people experienced anxiety from this. Start small and see how your body reacts, slowly up your dose to the recommended for depression and anxiety.

Side note, they say NOT to take it unless supervised by a doc if you are already on an antidepressant.

I started taking the Nature Made brand of Sam-e 400mg around summertime when I was feeling sad and stressed from work. I felt my mood lift almost immediately and was so happy that it was working that I upped the dose a few months in to 800mg in the morning. What a mistake! Sleep disturbances, tingling in limbs, anxiety and shakiness that I had a little bit when on the 400mg got even worse. I decided to quit cold turkey and replace with b12 after a few too many sleepless nights. I should have tapered off but I just wanted to be done with it. Big mistake. The first week I felt fine but I'm now going into my third week without Sam-e and definitely feel the withdrawal symptoms. My sleep is pretty disturbed, I feel spacey and shakey. I'm upset to be going through this but I will keep moving forward and try to get through this the best I can.

Please use caution when upping your dose. And know that there are definitely withdrawal side effects that can happen in some people. I'm glad I found this site so I know I'm not alone. I see the light at the end of the tunnel and it helps me stay a little more calm to know that it's not in my head and that it's just the supplement getting out of my system.

I have taken Sam-E for a while now and it works great! The dosage on this can be tricky, but I take the GNC brand, 2 200mg first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. I wouldn't recommend the 400mg supplement, it is doesn't work well. If you start taking this supplement, my recommendation would be to start slowly with 200mg and work your way up. Taking a B-Vitamin supplement every morning with it is crucial, don't overdo the b-vitamins, but get a good supplement.

Sam-e worked for the first 3 weeks as I was coming off opiates - then everything backfired. I lost interest in everything * Gaming " as well! Yes, you heard right - I lost interest in the simple things that millions love.

So I self examined myself to see the root problem and it was not easy. I had so much going on that the solution took time.

I questioned why my mind was bored of everything and could not even concentrate on gaming or movies. Once I stopped taking sam-e for 3 days I found myself wanting to enjoy things like gaming, or writing music.

Now all I do for depression is drink 2 gallons of water a day, weight train 6 days a week and cardio H.I.T 3 times a week. This has done wonders for my depression.

As for stressful reactions I use CBD and Kratom from time to time. Much better experiences with that medication.

Also wanted to point out that Sam-e is found in proteins and I wonder if 1200 or even 400mG of sam-e was an overdosing amount, that caused my problems. Taking up to 250 grams of proteins a day.

My naturopath prescribed Sam-E, folate and B12 after being tested for methylation detoxification. Although I don't suffer from depression, my energy level is often low. I originally took 400 mg of Sam-E. It takes about a week to get into your system, and by the end of the week I felt jittery. She then prescribed 200 mg, and it was better, but I felt just a little off. I did some research, and found Cellfood Sam-e liquid, which allows me to adjust my own dose. Love it. It says to take 10 drops two times per day. I take 7 to 8 drops in the morning, and that is the perfect amount to balance a good energy level and the jitters, and it doesn't interrupt my sleep (unless I take it later in the day).

I fixed my 35-year depression with Learned Optimism (a branch of cognitive therapy).

But I took one 200mg SAMe pill recently as I'd read it clears histamine, with which I was having problems.

I'm glad I stopped after 1 pill, as the symptoms - similar to many of those below - were most unpleasant.

I guess I am the lone ranger cause SAM e helps me with joint pain and depression. I cannot take antidepressants because they give me the same feeling most of you were describing from SAM e. It does wonders for me and if I stop taking it I am back to my pain level 7 or 8 and depressed , badly at times. I'm sure the bumming out is related to the pain I have been fighting chronic pain for 50 years. I'm now 60.

Greetings from Brazil.I have terrible drepression and anxiety , I´m 46 now and started to take " normal" ( from large labs) anti depressant since I was 24.Tried all " kind" of then , now I´m using 200mg of Pristiq , 400mg of Queatiapine , 4mg of Risperidone and - I,m serios - 20 mg of Clonazepan ( Rivotril in Brazil).So , I have to find other way to control that diseases or I´ll gona die using this dosages.
Read a lot of good stuff in the " testimonials" in this great blog.Felt curious that some people said that is possible to do " tests" to know howmuch serotonine or noradrenaline , etc , my body produces and find the deficience ( what is produce low or high quantities)to know the rigth treatement for me.
Where can I do tests?What kind of tests is that ones?More then 20 years using strong drugs and the phyquiaties never said me to do tests?

Well , thanks for your comments , helped a lot , I was about to try SAM and will not.
Sorry for the terrible english.
Peace and hope for everybody.

I thought I was going to die on this stuff. I took 400mg and thought this was the regular dose because it's a capsule. It made my heart race and I got dizzy. Panicked. I just looked on here to see if others had the same situation happen. I'm still having panic and waiting for this to wear off.