SAMe: A promising new supplement
SAMe (S-Adenosylmethionine) was discovered in
the early 1950s and has been found to be useful in the treatment
of depression, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, migraines, and liver
disease. Most of the early work on SAMe was done in Europe and
involved the use of intravenous or intramuscular injections of
stable forms of the compound. SAMe occurs naturally in the body,
particularly in the brain and liver, and its synthesis depends on
an adequate supply of folic acid and vitamin B12. It is now
available in North America as an enteric-coated oral supplement
and several studies have been done to evaluate its effectiveness.
Oral supplementation with initial doses up to 1600 mg/day has been
found to ease depression and is more effective than a placebo and
similar in effect to moderate doses of tricyclic antidepressants.
Clinical trials evaluating SAMe in osteoarthritis therapy conclude
that oral supplementation with 400-1600 mg/day improve symptoms in
as little as two weeks. In double-blind studies SAMe was found to
be comparable in its beneficial effects to naproxen (750 mg/day),
piroxicam (20 mg/day), indomethacin (150 mg/day), and ibuprofen
(1200 mg/day). A six-week trial involving 44 fibromyalgia
patients found that 800 mg/day of SAMe improved pain, mood, and
morning stiffness. It has also been found beneficial in the
treatment of chronic liver disorders and intravenous infusions of
the compound have been found useful in preventing migraine
headaches. SAMe is non-toxic, has no known drug interactions, and
is generally well tolerated. Its safety in children and during
pregnancy has not been established. There have been a few
reported cases of manic reactions in patients with bipolar
disorder possibly involving SAMe so it is not recommended for this
condition nor for self-diagnosed depression.
Chavez, Mary. SAMe: S-Adenosylmethionine. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy,
Vol. 57, January 1, 2000, pp. 119-23 |