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jamesmarks
Contributor

SAME e for depression - anyone else trying it?

Both my son and myself have been tring SAM e  for depression - its a 'natural' substance and has a lot of research behind it supporting its use with depression. I initially found it good - it seemed to stop the 'down swings' in mood. Then i seemed to get more anxious so i have stopped. My son doesnt seem to have noticed any difference. Has anyone here any experiences with it?

10 REPLIES 10

Re: SAME e for depression - anyone else trying it?

Hi @jamesmarks 

 

Natural supplements such as SAMe can be beneficial in the assist with mental health.

It's still important to work with your health care professional when using natural supplements as part of your treatment. There are alot of variables that impact how the  medication or supplement affects an individual, as you have already found out with your son.

Some of the  variables can include

- other medications you have taken in the past or currently taking

- your age

- your medical history

etc

 

There is another discussion currently taking place on the forums about natural & organic theapies, which you can find here

Nik

Re: SAME e for depression - anyone else trying it?

thanks but who are these so called "health care professionals" . I have found that my own research often makes me more knowledgeable than your average gp etc. Who would know indepth info about SAM e? not a naturopath for sure

Re: SAME e for depression - anyone else trying it?

Hi Jamesmarks,

 

It's great that you're doing research, making informed decisions is important. This is why speaking to a health professional could be beneficial. As Nik Nik mentioned there's so many other factors that lead to different reactions, everyone is so unique so finding someone who do an assessment of your health and give you tailored advice could help.

Yes, a naturopath may be able to provide you with some information, they are trained professionals in health science, but as with all 'clincians' check their qualifications and see if they are registered with a professional body if you're in doubt about the level of advice they can give. 

CB

Re: SAME e for depression - anyone else trying it?

sorry, but re 'finding someone who do an assessment of your health and give you tailored advice could help.' ... this is much touted advice but has little substance - I live inner west sydney..so WHO should i see??

a GP? - forget it they know next to nothing other than referring or prescribing SSRI's
a naturopath...how the heck do you find a knowledgeable one in mental health
- a pschiatrist - ditto

Im earning about $200 a week - if i run around 'trying' different people i'll be bankrupt soon. Bandying around terms like healtcare professionals etc helps no one. sorry if i sound frustrated - i am!

Re: SAME e for depression - anyone else trying it?

Hi James,

Welcome to the forum!

I understand your frustration. It is easy (maybe even necessary?) to give formulaic advice about what to do in this situation, unfortunately following it can be almost impossible. Sadly many healthcare professionals don't tailor things to you or your circumstances, they do the drug company one-size-fits-all routine "here take this pill". One of the joys of having most of our gp's post graduation training provided by the pharmaceutical industry. 😞  (sorry the insert emotion button has grown a bug, it's completely blank!)

Those who do work at finding a good fit for individuals are like needles in a haystack. But don't let that stop you asking around and looking. If you persist long enough you are likely to find a good one (IMHE). This can be a tedious and costly business though as you say. In the meantime your determination to research and educate yourself is commendable. A starting point for a good gp might be finding one who is prepared to listen to your expertise on yourself.

I'm so sorry I can't help with info on SAMe as I've never heard of it before. My own favourite medication is peace and quiet. Good luck and take care. "See" you around.

Kind regards,

Kristin

Re: SAME e for depression - anyone else trying it?

Hi @jamesmarks 

Apologies - I didn't see your response until tonight.

Sorry if my response frustrated you. I totally understand why. My main priority in my response to was flag that different meds and dosages impact people in very different ways.

I don't know your circumstances, though it sounds like you haven't found a health care professional that you connect with. It can be a long and costly journey.

Another option is this calling NPS Medicine Wise. They run Medicines Line (1300 633 424) . The following is from their website:

"We collaborate with healthdirect Australia to deliver Medicines Line, a telephone service providing consumers with information on prescription, over-the-counter and complementary (herbal, ‘natural’, vitamin and mineral) medicines.

When you call 1300 MEDICINE, you will speak with an experienced registered nurse. Your question may be answered on the spot, or you may be referred to your GP or pharmacist, or to another health professional. If you have a complex enquiry, you may be put through to an NPS pharmacist."

I haven't used them before or heard much feedback about them, but they are funded by the Government (but independant) and look to be a trustworthy organisation. Maybe have a look around their site first, before calling. You can find them here

If you call them, please let us know how it goes.

 

Re: SAME e for depression - anyone else trying it?

Jamesmark,

I agree with you 100% that the knowledge that is known by some patients due to their research often greatly exceeds the knowledge of some doctors in this country including ones that are supposed to be specialists purely because these Specialists "get comfortable" and do not keep up to date reading the latest research articles in journals.
Some of these so called Specialists can become very angry and their ego feel threatened when patients appear to know more than them.
Instead,they should put their insecurities and ego's aside and work with their and their patients knowledge to come to the best medical outcome for the patient.
It's unfortunate that the knowledge that some patients have is not lauded and unrecognised,even on patient forums such as this.
Many people still have an paternalistic mindset that people should only try something with a doctors "permission" .
This is not treating people like capable adults and it also doesn't recognise reality-ie that most Gp's and Psychiatrists no next to nothing regarding Natural Medicine.

That said,it also needs to be recognised that many people don't have the level of clear thinking or education and internal capabilities that you have,that's why people caution them to try these things with a doctors "supervision" because they don't understand that some people shouldn't take certain medications or that some of these shouldn't be taken together with Antidepressants because it could cause Serotonin syndrome ,some natural stuff shouldn't be taken by people with Bipolar etc,some herbs are untested regarding side effects...

Re:SAM e,I have tried it and all noticed no effects like your son,I did notice a mood enhancing effect with 5htp though.

Re: SAME e for depression - anyone else trying it?

Hi @jamesmarks 

 

Just checking in. Curious to know if you used the organisation I suggested.

Hopefully if so, it was helpful!

 

Hope you're well!

 

Nik

Re: SAME e for depression - anyone else trying it?

The smiley face shouldn't be there....
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