| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
proustme
Joined: 13 Jun 2009
Location: Nowon-gu
|
 Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 7:14 pm Post subject: Depression and SAM-e supplements |
 |
|
I have dysthymia, a form of clinical depression. Dysthymia is not bi-polar disorder or mania. I get along decently in life and cope pretty well. I've been here in Korea for 2 years. I work out, eat right, but still suffer with depression in a real, palpable, unquiet way. There is a wicked river of depression in my family. My grandfather committed suicide and my mother suffers from depression as well.
Is anyone with dysthymia or depression familiar with SAM-e supplements, which are said to help those coping with depression, or other natural medicine supplements?
Here is what author Andrew Solomon says about depression and SAM-e in his book The Noonday Demon:
| Quote: |
| Grief is depression in proportion to circumstance; depression is grief out of proportion to circumstance. |
| Quote: |
| While Saint-John's-wort has been a psychological panacea in northern Europe, SAMe has been the most popular treatment in southern Europe, with a particularly large following in Italy. Like Saint-John's-wort, it is unregulated, available from health food stores as a small white pill. SAMe does not come from a cheerful flower, as Saint-John's-wort does, but rather is found in the human body. The level of SAMe in individuals varies with age and gender. SAMe occurs all over the body and enables many chemical functions. Though depressed people do not have low levels of SAMe, studies of the substance's efficacy as an anti-depressant have been encouraging. SAMe consistently beats placebos in the alleviation of depressive symptoms, and it seems to be at least as effective as the tricyclic antidepressants to which it has been compared. Many of the studies of the drug, however, were not well structured, and their results may not be entirely reliable. SAMe does not have a long catalog of side effects, but it can trigger mania in patients with bipolar disorder. No one seems to have any concrete idea what SAMe's mode of action is. It may be implicated in the metabolism of neurotransmitters; long-term use of SAMe in animals increases their brain neurotransmitters. levels. It appears to enhance dopamine and serotonin in particular. A deficiency of SAMe may be linked to poor methylation, which would subject the body in general to stress. The elderly tend to have low levels of SAMe, and some researchers have proposed that this deficiency is linked to the lowered function of the aging brain. Many explanations for SAMe's apparent effectiveness have been proposed, with virtually no evidence to support any of them. |
(There may be errors in the quote above because I typed it out by hand while looking at the page in this 569-page book on depression)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-Adenosyl_methionine |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
MollyBloom
Joined: 21 Jul 2006
Location: James Joyce's pants
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
proustme
Joined: 13 Jun 2009
Location: Nowon-gu
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
proustme
Joined: 13 Jun 2009
Location: Nowon-gu
|
| Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 6:45 pm Post subject: |
|
|
So I tried SAM-E supplements, but they only made me sleepy. Perhaps others might have more success.  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Adventurer
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
|
| Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 7:57 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| proustme wrote: |
| So I tried SAM-E supplements, but they only made me sleepy. Perhaps others might have more success. |
Well, if you have depression, you could order certain amino acids to help with that. I can make some recommendations based on my research.
GABA is one. That's often helpful for folks, and there is this other supplement called L-Theanine, which derives from a compound in green tea. The Japanese use it. I am not familiar with the type of depression you are talking about, but with the right substances (I don't mean drugs), you can feel just fine. Just get months worth of L-Theanine and perhaps GABA. Also, avoid alcohol and get enough water, vegetables and fruits.
Anyway, look up what I mentioned.... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
proustme
Joined: 13 Jun 2009
Location: Nowon-gu
|
| Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 8:06 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Thanks for your suggestions. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
beercanman
Joined: 16 May 2009
|
| Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 8:34 am Post subject: |
|
|
I've never heard of SAM-e supplements. I guess I might read a bit.
Good luck. Been through tons of that crap. Not dysthymia. Hard to grasp that is even a real thing. How well they diagnose! But something clinical I guess anyway. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Adventurer
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
|
| Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 12:42 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| proustme wrote: |
| Thanks for your suggestions. |
There are many supplements one can order from the US to help combat stress or depression. I would just suggest ordering several months worth of supply, so that you won't run out. L-Theanine is good. I also know you should read about L-Tyrosine and GABA as I mentioned before. Those are all good. You can get them off the internet on ebay. Also,
drinking a tea called Yerba Mate in high doses is good for the mood.
Why? I think it's because it has high doses of natural magnesium.
You could actually get it in Korea off the internet. I got one pound of it, and I ordered the bombilla (metal straw off the internet). So, take certain supplements adn get a good supply of them. Do your research on them. For example, if you get L-Theanine you might need to take 2 or 3 pills depending on the severity of your stress/depression, so it would make sense to get several of those things.
Make sure to get exercise, stock up on fruits that last a while like lemons and fruits. Drink plenty of water, avoid alcohol. Depression of some sort is very common.
You are also away from home. Make sure you hang out with friends or do something in nature. Nature is a good tonic for things.
Feel free to PM me to ask questions.... I am not a doctor or anything, though. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
