SAMe -- the Yogi's antidepressant?

[david_obsidian]

SAMe – the Yogi’s antidepressant?
Following Paul’s question, I thought I should mention SAMe (pronounced, I think, Sam - e), which is a naturally-occurring substance effective in treating depression. I have used it in the past and found it very effective.
It is a naturally occurring substance in all life-forms, so I believe nearly everything you have eaten (unless refined away) has SAMEe in it.
Its full name is S-Adenosyl-L-Methionine.
It can be considered a supplement rather than a medication. In contrast with ‘medications’, it usually has few side-effects. (I don’t know if there are any adverse effects to SAMe apart from allergic reactions to it. ) It’s well studied, and, according to my reading of the analysis given here (which is actually a summary and meta-analysis of many other experiments), seems to be statistically as good as ‘conventional’ antidepressants (am I reading this right?).
http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/epcsums/samesum.htm

“Compared to placebo, treatment with SAMe was associated with an improvement of approximately 6 points in the score of the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression measured at 3 weeks (95 percent CI [2.2, 9.0]). This degree of improvement is statistically as well as clinically significant and is equivalent to a partial response to treatment. Too few studies were available for which a risk ratio could be calculated for either a 25 percent or 50 percent improvement in the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. Therefore a pooled analysis could not be done, but the results generally favored SAMe compared to placebo.
Compared to treatment with conventional antidepressant pharmacology, treatment with SAMe was not associated with a statistically significant difference in outcomes (risk ratios for a 25 and for a 50 percent decrease in the Hamilton Rating score for depression were 0.99 and 0.93, respectively; effect size for the Hamilton Rating score for depression measured continuously was 0.08 (95 percent CI [-0.17, -0.32])).”

Interestingly, it also helps with osteoarthritis and certain liver problems.
It’s common in pharmacies now in the US, but can be acquired more cheaply through reputable mail-order vitamin websites such as
www.vitaminshoppe.com
-David

[Manipura]

5HTP is also a good one - stronger than sam-e from what I’ve read. Boosts seratonin. People who take it regularly say that it has made a huge difference in their mild depressions. It’s not cheap, but neither is depression.
m

[david_obsidian]

Thanks Meg, it’s good to know about others, and exciting if this one is even better. This one you mention is also a precursor to seratonin, just like SAMe, and from my reading, naturally occurring in the body.
naturally occurring in the body
= cannot be patented
= will not be promoted by drug companies
= your doctor may be the last person to hear about it !!

@meg

5HTP is also a good one - stronger than sam-e from what I’ve read. Boosts seratonin. People who take it regularly say that it has made a huge difference in their mild depressions. It’s not cheap, but neither is depression.
m

[Ute]

I just want to throw in that like some other anti-depressants, SAMe is not recommended for bi-polar depression.
Take care,
Ute

[sean (Sean Omlor)]

I’ve had excellent success with Tyrosine in the morning and 5HTP before bed. Takes care of both sides of the biochemical anxiety/depression coin for me.
Sean.

[AYPforum]

Moderator note: Topic moved for better placement

[Jack]

If you want to spend less or cannot find SAMe, try to find TMG (forget the full name, trimethyl something, glutamate perhaps)
It is the precursor to SAMe, and is a fair bit cheaper. You’ll need about twice as much TMG as you would SAMe.

[snake (Chris)]

St John’s wort also works on depression and serotonin levels but takes about 6 weeks before improvement and have to be carefull using it with some prescription drugs