It is widely known that on average, SAM-e takes less than half the time of all other antidepressants to begin working. Most people begin noticing the effects of SAM-e within one week. For some people it takes only a few days to see improvement, for some it can take up to two weeks. Compare this to prescription drugs, which often take 4-6 weeks before the patient even begins to see improvement. For arthritis, SAM-e seems to work as well and as fast as the best prescription drugs.
Side effects are extremely rare.
If you experience these side effects with SAM-e, you should try taking it with food. For most SAM-e users, these side effects pass within a week or two, even at higher doses. There is no toxicity associated with SAM-e. Even at massive doses, the worst side effect seen was diarrhea. SAM-e is none of the above.