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last week, i saw my neuro, and asked him about SAM-e; he said he had heard a lot of good things about it. I asked him if it would be OK for me to take it. He said, "OK, and let me know what you think of it." I am currently on sinemet 25/100, 3 times before a meal. Just lately, a fellow staff member who is very much into the Vitamin B family asked me if I was taking Vitamin B...I said, No. I got curious, and did some reading, and found that B6 and B12 was good for the nervous system [excerpt below]...and I proceeded to click on the link SAM-e. To make a long story short, when I receive my shipment of SAM-e 400mg tomorrow or early next week, I going to include that as part of my regimen, along with the Vitamin B6 and B12. if any of you has tried this, i'd like to know from your own personal experience what the results have been. What Will B Complex Do For Me? You probably didn't know that the most common nutritional deficiency in the world is folic acid deficiency, which is characterized by low mood, and can lead to neural tube defects in the developing, unborn child. Deficiency in either vitamins B-12 or B-6 can also bring about low mood, and often mask folic acid deficiency (which is why it is so important to take a supplement that is a complete B-complex). In fact, folate supplementation, which in large doses requires a doctor's prescription, is a long standing treatment in some cases of depression. B vitamins are not stored well in the body and are depleted rapidly in dieters, and caffeine and alcohol users. The B-complex is used throughout the body in methylation reactions and is particularly effective against low mood, moodiness, muscular weakness and fatigue when combined with s-adenosyl methionine (see our SAM-e page for more on methylation reactions and SAM-e). What Is S-Adenosyl Methionine / SAM-e? S-Adenosyl Methionine (SAM or SAM-e; pronounced "sammy") is an amino acid. SAM-e was discovered in 1952 in Italy, where it is manufactured. Until recently, it was exceedingly expensive to produce, and therefore unavailable to the public, although it is fairly well studied. It is manufactured in the brain from another amino acid, methionine. SAM-e is the most active methyl-donor in your body, meaning it donates methyl groups to other chemical compounds in your body including neurotransmitters, changing them into other compounds. SAM-e is then "recycled" through an ongoing re-methylation process - more on this below. SAM-e Improves Mood Fast! The brain of a healthy person manufactures all the S-Adenosyl Methionine it needs from methionine, but S-Adenosyl Methionine production is impaired in people who are depressed.1 Supplementation with SAM-e increases levels of serotonin, dopamine and phosphatides, and improves serotonin and dopamine receptor site binding.2 Interestingly, treatment with antidepressant drugs that results in improved mood (as determined by a 50% improvement in the Hamilton Depression Inventory) usually also results in increased levels of SAM-e, regardless of the drug used.3 Perhaps the most striking aspect of supplementation with SAM-e, is its rapid onset of action. SAM-e has fewer side effects and has a more rapid onset of action than tricyclics.1 1 Murray, MT, Natural Alternatives to Prozac. Quill. New York. p174-5,1996. 2 Baldessarini, RJ, Neuropharmacology of S-Adenosyl Methionine. Am J Med. 83:95-103, 1983. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn