Posted by honeybee on February 19, 2006, at 14:15:59
In reply to Re: Parnate and sa--SAMe combination, posted by Ilene on February 18, 2006, at 20:16:08
Ilene,
I'm a newbie, as well, and I don't have much in the way of expertise or understanding of it, so we can both hope that others like Larry Hoover, Blueberry, Linkadge, etc. decide to weigh in. (Pretty please?) Fromwhat I understand, SAM-e is a substance produced by the liver and a key player in the methylation process. Ultimately, this means that SAM-e helps rev up protein and phosolipid metabolism, supposedly (one would help) helping to boost levels of neurotransmitters. SAM-e should be taken with the B-vitamins (specifically B12 and Folic Acid, if I remember correctly) and I've read somewhere else called TMG, which is also a player in methylation and helps SAM-e along. What I've learned I've learned from scavenging the web, my library's electronic digital (online) archives, and throwing a fit at my pdoc's office to get me off of cymbalta (which, despite my gripes, worked just fine for me). I've been on it for a couple of weeks and it's tough to tell.
Tought to tell, you say? Well, I'm on a really low dose (don't ask me why my pdoc started me at the substarting dose, I don't understand it myself), and now I'm on the starting dose. It can be a super expensive route to take for supplementation, but the upside is that it seems to be enabling/helping along your body's regular processes. I envision it as going with the stream's flow as opposed to diverting the stream entirely. Okay, neither of those metaphors really work. At any rate, I might recommend your looking into Fish Oil supplementation in addition to SAM-e. You can find lots more info about the Fish Oil in these chats. Although I haven't noticed much of a difference in particular on the fish oil, I *can* say that in the span of time since I've been taking it--a couple of months--it, combined with acupuncutre, some good multivitamins, and some herbs from my acupuncturist, I'm in a much better place and more functional than I was two months ago, when I felt like I wanted to die. Plus, the fish oil is healthy for you in general.
One thing that lots of people seem to talk about, with the SAM-e is that it can be activating. Best to take it in the AM. Also, there's a book out there on it (Stop Depression Now, by Richard Brown), but I wouldn't really recommend it. You'll find much more extensive information about it on the web.
hb
poster:honeybee
thread:609733
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20060130/msgs/611108.html