Q: Can SAM-e be the cause of chest pain and elevated blood pressure or could this be anxiety?
Although extremely safe and typically well tolerated, there have been rare reports of SAM-e causing elevated anxiety in people with depression. Chest pain and elevated blood pressure are not reported side effects of SAM-e. Chest pain and elevated blood pressure could indicate a serious medical condition. If someone has experienced an episode of chest pain and elevated blood pressure, they should discuss this with their physician and not presume it to be anxiety or a side effect of SAM-e.
Adam Perlman, MD, MPH