What is SAM-E and is it an alternative treatment for depression?
Symptoms of depression include: • Persistent feelings of sadness or emptiness. • Feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, guilt, and worthlessness. • Loss of interest in pleasurable activities, including sex. • Sleep disturbances. • Fatigue. • Loss of energy or enthusiasm. • Difficulty in concentrating or making decisions. • Ongoing physical symptoms, such as headaches or digestive disorders, that don’t respond to treatment. • Crying, tearfulness. • Poor appetite with weight loss, or overeating and weight gain. S-adenosylmethionine (SAM-E) is an amino acid that is used in the treatment of many conditions including depression, liver disease, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, schizophrenia, migraine headaches, and to increase bile flow. Other names for SAM-E include: S-Adensyl Methionine, L-Methionine, Adomet, and Ademethionine. Over 150,000 Americans and many thousands of Europeans use SAM-E supplements regularly. SAM-E was discovered in Italy about 5 decades ago (Cantoni, 1952). However, th
