Posted by Ron Hill on March 7, 2002, at 12:58:51
In reply to Re: Does Sam-e come in 100mg tabs?Lizzy G. » colin wallace, posted by lizzyg on March 7, 2002, at 7:30:57
Lizzy,
>Are you working with your doctors on using this medication?
My pdoc told me to take it.
>My GP (family doctor) practice is supremely uninformed/uninterested in depression, so I'm going it alone, and would appreciate your input.
Why not see a pdoc instead of the GP?
>I'm only on my fourth day (starting at 200mg in the morning), and haven't felt any benefits yet. But - on the upside - no major side effects: slight nausea, headache and dry mouth, and a bit 'out of kilter' with thought and concentration as with any AD.
I hope SAM-e works for you, it sure does for me. Stay with it. I had simillar side effects initially, but they subsided, for the most part, after finding the correct dose. I still get slight nausea and/or vertigo if I take it on an empty stomach. Therefore, I often take a small portion of food with the SAM-e. The small amount of food does not seem to adversely alter the effectiveness of the SAM-e. Lizzy, please continue to post regarding the effectiveness/ineffectiveness of this SAM-e trial.
>I'm just taking a high dose vitamin B complex as well; do you recommend anything else?
Remember, it is very important to take adequate amounts of B-6, B-12, and folate to prevent the build up of homocystiene. I'm sure your B-complex is adequate to supply the B-6 and folate. However, most people do not absorb B-12 effectively when taken orally. In other words, a very high percentage of the B-12 in your B-complex vitamin probably ends up in your urine. Therefore, it is important to take B-12 sublingually (under the tonge) so that the B-12 can be routed directly to your bloodstream. I take 1000 mcg of the bioactive form of B-12 (methylcobalamin) in a sublingual tablet daily. Buy some. It is important.
>Have you tried EPA (fish oil) capsules as there seems to be some scientific validity for these?
Yes, omega-3 essential fatty acids (salmon oil) is beneficial to me as a bipolar patient. For me the fish oil acts like a mood stablizer, whereas, the SAM-e acts as an antidepressant
> Would appreciate any other tips.Keep in mind that SAM-e can induce mania in bipolar patients without a mood stablizer. Nothing I've read of your posts state that you have a bipolar dx. However, I list the counterindication for completeness.
-- Ron
poster:Ron Hill
thread:95968
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020307/msgs/96896.html