NAC vs SAM-E for mood
Short answer: For mood, more users report improvement with SAM-E — 92% of 114 reports, versus 65% of 323 for NAC.
NAC has 387 meta-analyses and 767 randomized trials on PubMed; SAM-E has 3 and 1.
Based on 2,058 reports about NAC and 284 about SAM-E. Not medical advice.
| NAC Supplement | SAM-E Supplement | |
|---|---|---|
| Users say it helped | 54%helped947 reports · high confidence | 63%helped131 reports · high confidence |
| Verdict | Mixed | Mostly positive |
| Research | AResearch: Strong | BResearch: Moderate |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | 387 / 767 | 3 / 1 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Mood % reporting improvement | 65% (323) | 92% (114) |
| Anxiety % reporting improvement | 90% (301) | 67% (21) |
| Focus % reporting improvement | 81% (170) | 100% (13) |
| Energy % reporting improvement | 73% (91) | 87% (23) |
| Sleep % reporting improvement | 71% (48) | 33% (3) |
| Common side effects | anhedonia, stomach issues, depression, emotional blunting | insomnia, jitteriness, stomach issues, anxiety |
| Typical dose reported | 600 mg | 200-400 mg / daily |
Taken together, these preliminary findings suggest that dietetic approaches might be included as part of BD treatment. Also considering the high risk of metabolic disorders in individuals with BD, they should be encouraged to choose healthy dietary lifestyles, including daily intake of fruits, vegetables, seafood and whole grains.
Nutr Neurosci, 2023 ↗“NAC has helped me stay calm and reduce anxiety as well as gives me loads of energy if I am sleep deprived.”
Our results showed that robotic surgery contributed positively to some perioperative outcomes but longer operative times remained a shortcoming. Better quality evidence is needed to guide surgical decision making regarding the precise clinical targets of this innovation in the next generation of its use.
Surg Endosc, 2016 ↗“I also take SAM-e in the morning (200mg or 400mg per day depending on how I'm feeling) for my general depression/anxiety.”
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Percentages come from first-hand user reports and are not clinical outcomes. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. How we rate