SAMe...placebo or not? (reviews, surgery, research, natural)

[Autumn_sweater]

Hey there!

I started taking SAMe 7 days ago. 400 mg/day. Morning, empty stomach, wait 30 minutes until I eat.
I don't notice any improvement at all, nor in my mood or in my joint discomfort. I feel more tired and hopeless than usual.

I'm wondering if this actually works or its just another placebo. Do you guys have any experience with SAMe? I read such wonderful things, I even read scientific research on this. Pissed off isn't working for me. Regular SSRI's don't work either.


Thoughts?

[jaminhealth]

I tried SAMe way back when it first hit the U.S. market. Back then I took 200mg daily as I recall and maybe I took it for a couple months, just don't remember...but it didn't help me.

Then about 2 yrs ago a friend was taking it, much higher daily dose of 800mg daily and so I started on that dose and again nothing. My friend was feeling a lot of stomach upset and one day driving with her she had to pull over and throw up.... We're both off it for good.

I don't know if anyone does good on SAMe. Seems like some do from reviews.

I live with bodywide OA and take enough joint supps to joke a horse and manage otherwise with what I've worked on and still do. My body is so much messed up since hip replacement in 2010 and advanced aging. The surgery has left me with complications that I now live with.

My favorite supplement is grape seed extract and I talk about it a lot. It does help with energy as it thins and cleans our blood....reduces free radical damage. I've been taking it for 21 yrs this year.

[ellenrr]

I first tried SAM-e maybe 20 years ago, I was suffering from serious depression.
For me it worked.
I took 800 -1200 mg. a day for a few days.
It worked quickly.

Over the last 20 years I would take it when I felt depressed and it always worked.
Now I don't get depressed, but I still keep it around "in case".

The only side effect I had, was if I took too much, I felt kinda "speedy", so I would reduce the dose.

Two Important things:
first, obviously we're all different, so what works for me may not work for others.

2nd *** where you get your SAM-e is very important.
A brand can claim to be 400 mg but not have 400 mg available, depending on how it is manufactured.
The brands I like are :
NatureMade, Doctor's Source.
I would bet that any reputable company's sam-e would be good - but you have to research it.
ie don't buy a brand you never heard of.
I would only buy from a reputable vitamin company such as Herbs Inc.

Also- just to add- when I regularly practice yoga, or meditate, I am depression free and my stress level is MUCH lower.
Not everybody has the discipline for such practice, but I would recommend to anyone who is stressed, anxious, depressed to try a practice such as yoga, Qi gong, Tai chi, meditation -- whatever.
Perhaps would not work for everyone, but -
at least it will not harm you like psychoactive drugs will. And every single study shows that SSRI's are no more effective than placebos.

However you choose to address it, I wish you the best.

I suffered from depression (sometimes suicidal) for most of my adult life. (I'm 68)
If I stop meditating, it returns.
So I can empathize with you.

Originally Posted by Autumn_sweater

Hey there!

I started taking SAMe 7 days ago. 400 mg/day. Morning, empty stomach, wait 30 minutes until I eat.
I don't notice any improvement at all, nor in my mood or in my joint discomfort. I feel more tired and hopeless than usual.

I'm wondering if this actually works or its just another placebo. Do you guys have any experience with SAMe? I read such wonderful things, I even read scientific research on this. Pissed off isn't working for me. Regular SSRI's don't work either.


Thoughts?

[jaminhealth]

Good to hear SAMe worked for you .. getting thyroid supported and then Vit D finally brought me out of a 10 yr depression...thinking back what a JOURNEY that was. Doctors telling me my thyroid was fine. I don't get low feelings now, but after hip surgery and with so many issues from it, I was finding myself in a dark place....grrrrrrrrr That dark place is gone and I'm not sure what did it as I take a lot of supps.

[stepka]

I read about it in The Mood Cure and she said it doesn't work for everyone, but for those it helps it really helps.

[ellenrr]

glad you found a solution.

re your thyroid and your doctors-
in this book,
Feeling, Fat Fuzzy and Frazzled,
Hormonal Balance | Energy Glands | Energy Imbalance | Thyroid Problems | Feeling Fat, Fuzzy, or Frazzled?

The authors talk about how important it is to have the right balance in our hormonal systems, and also to have the right balance between the various hormones.
It really makes sense to me, and based on peoples' experiences (such as yours) doctors don't understand this.
They think if we are in the broad range we are OK. But I know many people whom a natural practitioner put on thyroid supplements, after their doc said they were OK, and they felt much better.

sometime we are our own best healers.

Originally Posted by jaminhealth

Good to hear SAMe worked for you .. getting thyroid supported and then Vit D finally brought me out of a 10 yr depression...thinking back what a JOURNEY that was. Doctors telling me my thyroid was fine. I don't get low feelings now, but after hip surgery and with so many issues from it, I was finding myself in a dark place....grrrrrrrrr That dark place is gone and I'm not sure what did it as I take a lot of supps.

[jaminhealth]

Adrenals and hormones need to be addressed too for it all to work. Before thyroid labs, MD's went by symptoms and gave patients theraputic doses of desiccated thyroid and then went from that point .. today people are numbers...My D.O. back in 2002, called in for Armour no labs and within 4 days that long depression lifted. He knew so much more than what goes on today...it's the numbers and money. So many taking synthetic thyroid and still not optimal...many never get doses changed and many do not convert the T4 to T3...with desiccated we get both T4 and T3...so upside down today. wheeeeeeew...