SAM-E for depression??

[grumpygirl]

Hi Everyone- Has anyone here had any experience using SAM-E for depression? I know the supplement is advertised as being helpful with depression but I have never known anyone personally who has used it. Do any of you have any info. on this supplement?? I have used Prozac in the past and do not want to go back on it since it had many side effects for me but I could use a little "something" to help with some depression issues. Any help would be appreciated. THANKS!!!

[sleepydoll]

I personally have never used Sam-E...but you can review this topic in the following discussion forum:

http://www.depressionblog.com/archives/000050.shtml

I'm also adding the following thread that might be of some help in seeing how Sam-E basically works...

http://www.healingdaily.com/conditions/sam-e-1.htm

I hope this will help in seeing things a bit clearer.
Good luck to you!
D.

[SleepyT]

Bumping this topic because I, too, would like to know if SAM-e has helped anyone with mild depression.....

T.

[Julie]

Every single thing I've ever heard about it is that it is snake oil, a waste of money and you'd be at least as likely to benefit (if your depression is mild and short) by using St. John's Wort. But if you think you might have SAD (seasonal affective disorder caused to shorter days of light) then you need to investigate treatment for that (special light boxes, etc.).

[sleeplessinaz]

Hi there--I have tried it and it was a waste of good money!! It does nothing for depression --or for anything else for that matter. Please don't spend money on it --it is worthless. It is all a money making scheme. What works for me? Lexapro---10 mgs in the mornings and I am good to go~

It is a script but it evens out your moods and lets your sleep better at night -well at least it does that for me. My husband got on it too after I did and keep saying how much better I felt being on it. Ask for a month sample pak at your dr. so you don't have to buy any until you know it is gonna work. Hope this helps,
Carrie

[SleepyT]

Every single thing I've ever heard about it is that it is snake oil, a waste of money and you'd be at least as likely to benefit (if your depression is mild and short) by using St. John's Wort. But if you think you might have SAD (seasonal affective disorder caused to shorter days of light) then you need to investigate treatment for that (special light boxes, etc.).

No, it's not SAD...not sure where it came from. Got it at the onset of sleep apnea and was hoping CPAP would kick it out as it corrected everything else...but it didn't. Could also be because of menopause. Guess it doesn't matter where it came from...I just can't wait for it to disappear on its own anymore.

Hi there--I have tried it and it was a waste of good money!! It does nothing for depression --or for anything else for that matter. Please don't spend money on it --it is worthless. It is all a money making scheme. What works for me? Lexapro---10 mgs in the mornings and I am good to go~

It is a script but it evens out your moods and lets your sleep better at night -well at least it does that for me. My husband got on it too after I did and keep saying how much better I felt being on it. Ask for a month sample pak at your dr. so you don't have to buy any until you know it is gonna work. Hope this helps,
Carrie

I will file this away in my mind...Lexapro. Thanks for the response.

[Stormynights]

I suffered severe depression for many years. I found my own cure. It wasn't easy but it worked over time. Start a list of things you are thankful for. At first my list was very short. I was alive and not in a mental hospital. Every time I had a bad thought jump in my head I replaced it with a blessing (something I was thankful for). I progressed to making it 3 good thoughts for every bad one. This is not easy for a depressed person to do. It is easy to dwell on your problems but that is what gets you in trouble. We all have blessings we just need to count them and keep them dominating our thoughts.

[SleepyT]

I suffered severe depression for many years. I found my own cure. It wasn't easy but it worked over time. Start a list of things you are thankful for. At first my list was very short. I was alive and not in a mental hospital. Every time I had a bad thought jump in my head I replaced it with a blessing (something I was thankful for). I progressed to making it 3 good thoughts for every bad one. This is not easy for a depressed person to do. It is easy to dwell on your problems but that is what gets you in trouble. We all have blessings we just need to count them and keep them dominating our thoughts.

excellent point! thank you!

[Laurie1041]

Check out Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Studies show that it is more effective than anti-depressants in the treatment of mild to moderate depression.

http://www.nacbt.org/whatiscbt.htm

There is a recommended list of books that you may find very helpful. All the best,
Laurie

[Stormynights]

Check out Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Studies show that it is more effective than anti-depressants in the treatment of mild to moderate depression.

http://www.nacbt.org/whatiscbt.htm

There is a recommended list of books that you may find very helpful. All the best,
Laurie

I didn't know a thing about this. I was dying with severe depression. My friends were trying to be supportive by being very sympathetic. Sympathy was killing me. I didn't need to hear that they didn't know how I cold stand to go on. I needed someone to tell me that I could make it. I needed compassion (you can do this). I had to do this on my own. Depression is a killer. You can't always change your circumstances but you can change your thoughts. This is the first step toward healing.

[SleepyT]

Check out Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Studies show that it is more effective than anti-depressants in the treatment of mild to moderate depression.

http://www.nacbt.org/whatiscbt.htm

There is a recommended list of books that you may find very helpful. All the best,
Laurie

Thanks, Laurie. Good find!

[msradar65]

I have never tried SAM-E myself. I have something called PMDD. Its a long name for horrible PMS. I take Prozac and it works wonders. I am also peri-menopausal too. Within a few weeks the mood swings, anxiety and temp flares were gone. I feel much better. The cramps and heavy bleeding even went away. My doc said to stay on it until I am pass menopause. Its also a cheap treatment too...generic 20 mg for 90 days is like $10-12 on Walmart or one of the drugstore generic discount programs.

https://health.google.com/health/ref/Pr ... c+disorder

[chunkyfrog]

--There are CHEMICALS to help depression? Whaddayaknow!
Why didn't somebody ever tell ME?
I always kept getting the useless,"cheer up." "don't be so negative." and other such useless crap.
I finally feel better--largely because of CPAP, but also because I PRETENDED I felt better to the extent I began to believe it.
This may sound weird, but if I visualize stuff; it becomes more plausible.
I only feel safe saying this because, to the best of my knowledge, they don't make a strait jacket in my size.

[Laurie1041]

--There are CHEMICALS to help depression? Whaddayaknow!
Why didn't somebody ever tell ME?
I always kept getting the useless,"cheer up." "don't be so negative." and other such useless crap.
I finally feel better--largely because of CPAP, but also because I PRETENDED I felt better to the extent I began to believe it.
This may sound weird, but if I visualize stuff; it becomes more plausible.
I only feel safe saying this because, to the best of my knowledge, they don't make a strait jacket in my size.

Chunkyfrog,

Did you know that you were actually engaging yourself in a form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)? You use the word "pretend" to describe a means in which you changed your thinking! Your statement of being able to believe in something through visualization has been demonstrated scientifically. Some people are "visual"(imagining or reading) , some are "auditory" (hearing/listening), while others are "tactile" (hands on/touch). This simply means that we all use our senses differently in order to learn new concepts, ideas, and problem-solving.

One last comment, I agree with you wholeheartedly regarding well-intentioned people who use platitudes in order to help a person "cheer up". Laurie

WORST things to say to someone who is depressed

Some people trivialize depression (often unintentionally) by dropping a platitude on a depressed person as if that is the one thing they needed to hear. While some of these thoughts have been helpful to some people (for example, some find that praying is very helpful), the context in which they are often said mitigates any intended benefit to the hearer. Platitudes don't get a person to "snap out of it"! It makes a depressed person feel worse!

0. "What's your problem?"

1. "Will you stop that constant whining? What makes you think that anyone cares?"

2. "Have you gotten tired yet of all this me-me-me stuff?"

3. "You just need to give yourself a kick in the rear."

4. "But it's all in your mind."

5. "I thought you were stronger than that."

6. "No one ever said life was fair."

7. "As you get stronger you won't have to wallow in it as much."

8. "Pull yourself up by your bootstraps."

9. "Do you feel better now?" (Usually said following a five minute conversation in which the speaker has asked me "what's wrong?" and "would you like to talk about it?" with the best of intentions, but absolutely no understanding of depression as anything but an irrational sadness.)

10. "Why don't you just grow up?"

11. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself."

12. "There are a lot of people worse off than you."

13. "You have it so good, why aren't you happy?"

14. "It's a beautiful day!"

15. "You have so many things to be thankful for, why are you depressed?"

16. "What do you have to be depressed about."

17. "Happiness is a choice."

18. "You think you've got problems..."

19. "Well at least it's not that bad."

20. "Maybe you should take vitamins for your stress."

21. "There is always somebody worse off than you are."

22. "Lighten up!"

23. "You should get off all those pills."

24. "You are what you think."

25. "Cheer up!"

26. "You're always feeling sorry for yourself."

27. "Why can't you just be normal?"

28. "Things aren't *that* bad, are they?"

29. "Have you been praying/reading the Bible?"

30. "You need to get out more."

31. "We have to get together some time." [Yeah, right!]

32. "Get a grip!"

33. "Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."

34. "Take a hot bath. That's what I always do when I'm upset."

35. "Well, everyone gets depressed sometimes."

36. "Get a job!"

37. "Smile and the world smiles with you, cry and you cry alone."

38. "You don't look depressed!"

39. "You're so selfish!"

40. "You never think of anyone but yourself." Retrieved November 15, 2010 http://www.healthyplace.com/bipolar-dis ... enu-id-67/

[Chaos-Jones]

Sam-E did not for me too.

The one thing that did work for me was a therapy call Ego State Therapy. It only took one session under hypnosis and i was off medication and living life again. Some information can be found here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ego-state_therapy

K