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Re: SAM-e and BP II » Cindylou

Posted by Ron Hill on April 9, 2002, at 14:11:35

In reply to Re: SAMe? » Ron Hill, posted by Cindylou on April 8, 2002, at 20:10:44

>I remember seeing a long thread where you discuss your success with SAM-e, but if you don't mind I'll still throw out some questions to you ...

> 1. what is your diagnosis?

Hi Cindylou. My dx is BP II.

> 2. are you on other meds?

600 mg/day Lithobid and 200 mg/day SAM-e.

> 3. did SAM-e have side effects for you?

Slight nausea at times.

> 4. have you tried the Omega 3 fatty acids? My pdoc just mentioned that to me as a possible option, but neither one of us have much info. on it. I remember seeing a thread about that, too -- I'll have to get busy researching those posts!

I take salmon oil capsules and flax seed oil capsules and I try to eat a diet high in omega-3 Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFA's). For me, omega-3 PUFA supplementation provides a slightly beneficial mood stabilizing effect, but nothing profound. By contrast, I take 500 mg/day of phosphatidylserine (PS) complex (containing 100 mg of PS) and the mood stabilizing effect of PS is, for me, much more profound than that of omega-3 PUFA's. Unfortunately, PS is expensive (about one dollar per 500 mg capsule).

As an aside, I am convinced that phospholipids play a central role in cell membrane plasticity and, as a result, contribute to improved mental health. IMHO, SAM-e's beneficial effects are partially attributable to SAM-e acting as a methyl donor in the synthesis of phospholipids. While, I believe that the primary reason for the effectiveness of SAM-e is that it serves as a methyl donor in the synthesis of neurotransmitters, I think that the phospholipids aspect is important as well. Click the link below if you care to read an article related to this topic.

http://www.immunesupport.com/news/SAMe2txt.htm

> I was able to post a quick question to Dr. Kramer while I as away about SAM-e, and he said he wouldn't recommend it for bipolar -- I was recently diagnosed as BPII (however, I'm a bit skeptical about that diagnosis. Depression, definitely. Anxiety, definitely. Bipolar? I don't know.)

I have been following your posts for about the last month or so and, therefore, I am familiar with what you wrote to Dr. K and his response. I wanted to respond to his post to you, but I decided that Dr. K was already too busy and that he did not need another input from me. I disagree with Dr. K's post to you in so much as I believe SAM-e is safe for bipolars PROVIDED the patient is taking an adequate dose of a mood stabilizer and is under the care of a good pdoc.

As I've read your posts over the past month, I have always thought that you would be a good candidate for a SAM-e trial. However, as I see in a thread below, you are discontinuing your mood stabilizer (Lamictial) during pregnancy. If in fact you are bipolar, then I would not recommend that you take SAM-e without a mood stabilizer (MS) fully in place because it may induce mania (or hypomania). At the same time, feeding a BP patient an AD (a TCA in your case) without a MS in place can also induce mania (or hypomania). Is the pdoc that gave you the BP dx the same pdoc prescribing the TCA in the absence of a MS? If so, I'd have real concerns regarding the pdoc.

If I were you, the first thing I would do is find out if the BP II dx is accurate. See another pdoc and get a second opinion. Also, as a screening tool, you might take the following online diagnostic test. It cost ten bucks, but I think it is worth the small fee. If you can, have your husband (or a very close friend) sit next to you while you take the test to provide an objective opinion of your answers.

http://www.mentalhealth.com/fr71.html

-- Ron


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poster:Ron Hill thread:99337
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