Posted by me so tiny on December 10, 2002, at 4:05:03
In reply to Re: SAM-e: I LOVE SAM-E!!!!!!!!, posted by Angel1 on December 3, 2002, at 6:00:41
> I have only been taking it
> for about 2 weeks so I'm still experimenting with different
> dosages.I know SAM-E is supposed to work more quickly than most ADs, but I would urge caution. Every time I start a new antidepressant, there's all sorts of effects, usually some initial euphoria, maybe down for a while, insomnia, stomach, agitation, muscle soreness, all sorts of stuff, mostly in the first week but dragging on for a few weeks after.
After about a month, the actual drug itself kicks in and I feel the real effects. All that other stuff is placebo effect and depends on all sorts of variables, mostly what I think the drug is supposed to do, mixed in with various fears, anxieties and stuff. (One med tech told me to stop reading about the side effects of a drug before taking it, otherwise i'll just make them all happen.)
Also, my body and my mood changes all by themselves all the time; insomnia goes up or down, hangover, disappointment or elation because of this or that. If I'm thinking of the drug, I blame it on the drug. Otherwise I just say I'm bummed or hung over or happy or whatever.
OK so maybe sam-e kicks in after a week. I'm still not going to believe any effects until the one-month mark and stuff has settled down a bit.
No kidding - I saw a drug where they were bragging about their double blind test. The people taking the drug got cured 75% of the time, whereas the placebo group only got cured 50% of the time. Yeah - 50% of the placebo group got fooled into curing themselves all in their heads. This was a stomach medicine; it's even easier to imagine symptoms from antidepressants.
Yet another reason to do all this in consultation with a real pdoc. You think it's expensive, but not nearly as expensive as goofing around with the wrong drugs for a year of your life.
poster:me so tiny
thread:128615
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021210/msgs/131216.html