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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by disney4 on October 7, 2002, at 15:24:34
I have just started on Sam-e, and find it makes me tired. I am going to try taking more B vitamins with it, but does anyone else have anything to share about how it worked.
Posted by katz on October 7, 2002, at 19:02:28
In reply to Sam-E, posted by disney4 on October 7, 2002, at 15:24:34
Hi Disney! I addressed the tiredness issue in one of your above posts. Actually, I posted something about this last week also. I have been taking the Nature's RX brand of S-ame that includes the B vitamins and have been extremely sleepy on it. Actually, I feel like I have been taking large doses of melatonin instead of SAM-e. I'm sleeping around the clock. I stopped taking it for a couple of days and started to wake up a little. But, the positive stuff I heard about Sam-e was so impressive that I decided to continue it to see if it would eventually work. I changed the brand to Sundown which is also supposed to be a good brand. I now take it at night so I'm not so sleepy during the day. It doesn't seem to be doing very much in a positive direction. I'm still hoping for that big "energy boost"! HA!!!
I would really love to hear some stories related to this issue and any thoughts on what could be causing this atypical reaction to S-ame. I know that some of it is converted to melatonin. Could it be that I am converting the majority of it to melatonin. If so, why?
Posted by Bill L on October 8, 2002, at 9:12:22
In reply to Re: Sam-E » disney4, posted by katz on October 7, 2002, at 19:02:28
Nature's Rx brand of SAM-e (kickstart) does not contain SAM-e. Nature's RX was subject to a lawsuit for false advertising 2 years a go when independent labs found that their "SAM-e" contained no traceable amounts of SAM-e.
I personally tried the Nature's Rx brand for a while and did not get satisfactory results for anxiety or depression.
Nature Made, on the other hand, does contain SAM-e. I took 400 mg and did not get significant results. The people who do get results need to take between 1200 and 1600 mg per day. It's extremely expensive and not covered by insurance. I am much happier with Celexa (now Lexapro) than I was with SAM-e. But as I mentioned, I did not go up to the required 1600 mg dose of SAM-e.
Most people who are helped by SAM-e take it along with a prescription antidepressant.
> Hi Disney! I addressed the tiredness issue in one of your above posts. Actually, I posted something about this last week also. I have been taking the Nature's RX brand of S-ame that includes the B vitamins and have been extremely sleepy on it. Actually, I feel like I have been taking large doses of melatonin instead of SAM-e. I'm sleeping around the clock. I stopped taking it for a couple of days and started to wake up a little. But, the positive stuff I heard about Sam-e was so impressive that I decided to continue it to see if it would eventually work. I changed the brand to Sundown which is also supposed to be a good brand. I now take it at night so I'm not so sleepy during the day. It doesn't seem to be doing very much in a positive direction. I'm still hoping for that big "energy boost"! HA!!!
>
> I would really love to hear some stories related to this issue and any thoughts on what could be causing this atypical reaction to S-ame. I know that some of it is converted to melatonin. Could it be that I am converting the majority of it to melatonin. If so, why?
Posted by katz on October 8, 2002, at 17:00:45
In reply to SAM-e lawsuit, posted by Bill L on October 8, 2002, at 9:12:22
Hi Bill! That's very interesting. Thank you for that information. Maybe instead of Sam-e they were putting melatonin in it! I sure felt like I was on massive doses of melatonin! I have stopped the Nature's RX and have been taking the Sundown brand ( I got it at an unbelievable price on ebay). I have not experienced the overwhelming sleepiness that I did on Nature's RX. I've been taking Sundown for about 4 days now and think I am beginning to feel my mood begin to brighten. I have not experinced any great surge in energy however. I am going to up my dose from 800 to 1600 and see what happens. For some reason, nothing seems to give my energy, not even stimulants, i.e. ritalin, dexadrine, adderall. I am desperate to find something that will give me the energy to function normally.
Posted by disney4 on October 9, 2002, at 13:15:34
In reply to Re: SAM-e lawsuit » Bill L , posted by katz on October 8, 2002, at 17:00:45
> Hi Bill! That's very interesting. Thank you for that information. Maybe instead of Sam-e they were putting melatonin in it! I sure felt like I was on massive doses of melatonin! I have stopped the Nature's RX and have been taking the Sundown brand ( I got it at an unbelievable price on ebay). I have not experienced the overwhelming sleepiness that I did on Nature's RX. I've been taking Sundown for about 4 days now and think I am beginning to feel my mood begin to brighten. I have not experinced any great surge in energy however. I am going to up my dose from 800 to 1600 and see what happens. For some reason, nothing seems to give my energy, not even stimulants, i.e. ritalin, dexadrine, adderall. I am desperate to find something that will give me the energy to function normally.
>
>Hi Katz and Bill,
Thanx for the info. Have you ever tried provigil (modafinil) for energy. It is a narcolepsy medication, but has a better safety and side effect profile than traditional stimulants. They also use it to push AD's. I had to discontinue it, because it got me too wired. Maybe it would be good in combination with a calming AD.
I am going to stick with the Sam-E for a while, because it seems to be improving my mood at 200-400 mg's. I am alternating between 200 and 400 mgs in the AM. I have tried almost all the newer AD's out there, and get every side effect, even at low doses. I don't think I will need the high dose of Sam-E to get results. At this point I have nothing to lose, other than money. I saw the 80 count Natures Made Sam-e at Sam's Club for $39.50, but I will have to renew my membership to get it. I have enough for the next few days, and I may stop altogether for a few days to see if I notice depression creeping back in, so I can make a good decision. I take mood stabilizing meds too, so I can't get too down.
This is the end of the thread.
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