Stop Depression Now: SAM-e: The Breakthrough Supplement that Works as Well as Prescription Drugs

"When I first took Sam-e, I noticed great results. I gained much more engery and my spirit was so high! However, my body adjusted and after several weeks, it does not work as well. The book was helpful, however, I have found that other things work as well or better than Sam-e at a lower cost. "
~ Written on 2007-07-04

"The authors of this book claim that Sam-E is a supplement that has no side effects. I have never had any manic episodes in the past; however, within just a few days, my head felt like it was going to explode.

Mania is not a temporary condition that goes away once you stop taking the pill. Sure, my mood was normal a few days later, but studies have shown that the condition causes permanent cognitive dysfunction. My work performance has deteriorated to the degree that I will probably never be able to follow through with all the plans that I had prior to taking this supplement.

One might be able to argue that the supplement just revealed an underlying bipolar disorder, and we'll never know whether that is the case or not. What is relatively certain is that I might have lived at least a few more months normally before having this episode, had I not taken Sam-E. I would give anything to be able to think again.

Look up the research that shows that Sam-E causes mania in a significant proportion of unipolar depression patients and consider your options carefully before taking a risk on this supplement."
~ Written on 2006-10-25

"I found this to be an excellent book about clinical depression and the options for its treatment. Different brain chemistries require different approaches to relieve chronic depression. The important thing is to keep trying until you find what works for your unique brain chemistry. SAM-e works for me, and I am grateful that an MD, psychiatrist wrote this book and helped me to find the SAM-e option. Yes, life is good after depression is in remission!"
~ Written on 2006-09-16

"The book is good. It help to explain how to use SAM-e. It is SAM-e that is the miracle worker!
For those who have lived with depression, SAM-e is a real spiritual lift. Never knew life could be like this!
No, the problems do not change or go away. But your ability to deal with them improves. And if you add some good self-help books and therapy, life can really be worth living. And worth fixing what is wrong in your life, too!
If you know some one who is depressed, get this book and read it! It will enable you to be more helpful. But don't be pushy or play therapist.
Just help your friend get the help they deserve and need.
God bless!"
~ Written on 2002-11-20

"I tried SAM-e over a four month period (September-December 2001)and found it to be somewhat, but not completely effective in relieving my anxiety and depression. At first, for a few weeks at least, I felt that SAM-e was giving me a moderate antidepressant-type relief for the constant tension I seem to carry around in my body. However, after this time, I either adjusted to SAM-e or its effects became less noticable to me and I started to feel like it was not working. I had that same feeling each time I stopped and started SAM-e over the four month period. For me, SAM-e is more effective than St. John's wort, kava, and Omega-3s, though I'm not sure how it compares to 5-HTP, as my experience has been mixed with that stuff. However, SAM-e has not been as powerful and effective on me as SSRIs in its antidepressant effect. But, SAM-e appears to have no SSRI-like side effects, which is certainly pleasant. And, according to Brown and others, SAM-e may even have some health benefits. In terms of Richard Brown's book, I found it to be OK, nothing special, nothing I haven't read (or tried) before about/for treating depression. He briefly discusses SSRIs, MAO inhibitors, tricyclics, St. John's wort, cognitive behavioral techniques, diet, essential fatty acids, exercise, yoga, and meditation. These things are all helpful, but are presented in greater detail in other books. And, in light of my experience with SAM-e, maybe Stop Depression Now is tad bit over-optimistic about this stuff as a miracle drug. Also, I still didn't feel like the studies Brown quotes in this book were large enough or done on a long-term enough scale to know if SAM-e is truly safe or not. It sounds good and Brown is convincing, but my experience with SAM-e has so far told me otherwise."
~ Written on 2001-10-22