SAM-e: Methylating Agent Stops Depression, HIV

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Sun, 11 Jun 2006 16:54:14 +0200

" Sepp Hasslberger " <sepp

Health Supreme Update: SAM-e: Methylating Agent Stops

Depression, HIV

 

 

 

http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2006/06/11/same_methylating_agent_stops_dep\

ression_hiv.htm

 

 

 

 

--

 

 

SAM-e: Methylating Agent Stops Depression, HIV

 

 

 

2006.06.11 16:34:53

 

 

SAM-e: Methylating Agent Stops Depression, HIV

 

 

In two recent articles based on research done by Cal Crilly,

methylation of the DNA is indicated as a mechanism that controls the

expression of what we call " retrovirus " particles. These are parts of

the human DNA that are mobile and that often have benign functions in

our body processes. See AIDS - Retrovirus Expression Regulated by

Methylation? and Why Retroviruses Appear in AIDS, Cancer and

Autoimmune Diseases.

 

The retrovirus that is said to cause AIDS, HIV, is not an

exception. It apparently gets expressed in greater quantities when

there is a lack of DNA methylation.

 

A substance called S Adenosylmethionine (SAM-e) aids in the

process of methylation, not only of the DNA but of proteins and cell

membranes as well. SAM-e is effective for depression and while the

following article concentrates on this aspect, the fact that the

substance promotes methylation as a general mechanism and its

promotion of glutathione production, would seem to make it useful for

a whole number of different health problems, including AIDS.

 

 

glutathione.jpg

 

Glutathione - Image credit: Molecular Expressions

 

 

" There is nothing more fundamental to human life than DNA.

It's the genetic " software " which runs the cells and contains the

genetic code for every living thing. When SAM-e reacts with DNA by

donating a methyl group, it allows our genes to spring into action.

It's like hitting the " on " switch on a computer; DNA methylation is

the operating system of the body, helping it to regulate important

processes such as cellular growth and repair, production of immune

cells to fight disease, wound healing, and reproduction. The

undermethylation of DNA is believed to be a causal factor in cancer,

because it could hamper the body's ability to repair damaged cells

before they turn cancerous. "

 

The article that contains the information is a chapter from a book

titled Stop Depression Now: SAM-e: The Breakthrough Supplement that

Works as Well as Prescription Drugs, by Richard Brown, M.D., Teodoro

Bottiglieri, Ph.D.

 

Seeing what fundamental importance this substance has in many life

processes and considering the great number of different " opportunistic

illnesses " associated with AIDS, perhaps it would be time to look at

this in more detail and include SAM-e in studies designed to find a

cure for AIDS that also increases quality of life.

 

Actually, according to Medline, several studies have been done

involving S Adenosylmethionine and HIV. But then - it is not one of

your patentable molecules that a pharmaceutical manufacturer can

convert into an insane income stream. So don't get up your hopes up

too high...

 

- - -

 

The SAM-e Story: Stop Depression Now

 

(original found here)

 

The SAM-e Story

 

A chapter from the book Stop Depression Now, by Richard Brown,

M.D., Teodoro Bottiglieri, Ph.D., and Carol Colman, published by

Putnam Sons 1999.

 

When people start taking SAM-e for the first time, two things

usually happen. Within days, their mood begins to lift and they have

an increased sense of wellbeing. But that's not all. They also report

something quite unique to SAM-e. They consistently say that they

actually feel more energetic and healthier. That's quite a change from

what you generally hear from a patient starting an antidepressant.

 

Unlike other antidepressants, SAM-e is made from substances

normally found in the human body—methionine and adenosine triphosphate

(or ATP). Methionine is an essential amino acid, a building block of

protein. Found in high-protein foods such as meat and fish, methionine

is also made in small amounts by our cells, but not in enough quantity

to meet the body's needs.

 

Good nutrition is key to maintaining adequate methionine levels.

Here's why. Two key B vitamins, B12 and folic acid, are required for

the production of methionine. In fact, a deficiency in either one of

these vitamins can result in depression and problems in mental

function, especially among older people. Much of Terry's research has

centered on the role of these B vitamins in depression in general and

in the production of SAM-e in particular. As we will explain later,

the two are inextricably linked, and the SAM-e story cannot be told

without including these vitamins.

 

ATP is a high-powered fuel that is produced by the cells to

provide energy to run the body. It is present in almost every cell and

provides the juice to run all of the body's machinery. There is plenty

of it to go around.

 

The product of this marriage of methionine and ATP is SAM-e, a

molecule essential to many aspects of human health. But SAM-e levels

are not evenly distributed among all humans. Blood levels of SAM-e are

seven times higher in children than in adults. Men have slightly

higher levels of SAM-e than women do, probably because a considerable

amount of SAM-e is produced and consumed in muscle tissue, which is

more abundant in men. Levels of SAM-e are notably lower among

depressed people of any age.

 

SAM-e deficiencies are also common in people with neurological

problems such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and HIV

complications that can lead to dementia. Terry, who, as noted in

Chapter 1, did his Ph.D. on SAM-e in 1982, was one of the first

scientists to study this remarkable molecule in connection with the

central nervous system and, more specifically, its role in regulating

mood and mental function. Recently, Terry discovered that levels of

SAM-e are lower in the cerebrospinal fluid of people with neurological

complications like depression due to severe vitamin B12 or folate

deficiency. Low levels of SAM-e in cerebrospinal fluid, as we have

seen, indicates an inadequate amount in the brain. Clearly, these are

compelling reasons not to let your SAM-e levels fall below normal.

 

SAM-e Turns On Key Reactions

 

SAM-e's key role in a process called the methylation cycle makes

it absolutely essential for human health. Methylation, a term for a

basic yet critical chemical reaction in the body, is the passing of

what is known in chemistry as a methyl group - one carbon and three

hydrogen atoms - from one molecule to another. Methylation is as vital

to human life as breathing. It is an " on-off `switch that activates

more than a hundred different processes in the body, from producing

important neurotransmitters that allow brain cells to communicate, to

preserving bone health, to protecting against heart disease.

Methylation activity declines as we age, resulting in a slowdown of

these vital activities, which many scientists suspect may contribute

to the aging process as well as to the onset of many diseases. There

is also compelling evidence that a slowdown in methylation or a

genetic tendency to undermethylate may be a key factor in depression

for many. There are different kinds of SAMe/methylation reactions that

trigger biological responses throughout the body. These reactions are

the " greatest hits " of metabolism. They are what make us alive. When

you review the list below, you will see why SAM-e is so fundamental to

life that we could not exist without it.

 

DNA METHYLATION. There is nothing more fundamental to human life

than DNA. It's the genetic " software " which runs the cells and

contains the genetic code for every living thing. When SAM-e reacts

with DNA by donating a methyl group, it allows our genes to spring

into action. It's like hitting the " on " switch on a computer; DNA

methylation is the operating system of the body, helping it to

regulate important processes such as cellular growth and repair,

production of immune cells to fight disease, wound healing, and

reproduction. The undermethylation of DNA is believed to be a causal

factor in cancer, because it could hamper the body's ability to repair

damaged cells before they turn cancerous.

 

PROTEIN METHYLATION. Proteins form the basic structures of many

key components of the human body, including muscles, tissues, organs,

and even hormones. The methylation of protein is critical for cell

growth and repair. Sluggish protein methylation can trigger a downward

spiral that can have a devastating impact on the body and mind,

leading to deterioration of key organ systems, including the heart and

brain. Protein methylation undoubtedly plays a major role in the onset

of depression. It is involved in the activation of receptors, special

sites on cell membranes which bind with other molecules to stimulate a

response-in other words, the body's basic communication system. As

discussed in the last chapter, this is especially true of the brain,

where sluggish protein metabolism can pitch someone into depression.

Studies show that SAMe supplementation can stimulate protein

methylation, which not only boosts levels of the key neurotransmitters

but increases the number of receptors.

 

PHOSPHOLIPID METHYLATION. Cell membranes are composed of fatlike

substances called phospholipids. In order to get into the cell,

substances must first pass through the cell membrane. As we age, cell

membranes can become rigid, making it difficult for vital substances

to move in and out. SAM-e is important for phospholipid methylation,

which helps maintain the flexibility of the cell membrane, keeping it

more youthful. Through methylation, SAM-e also boosts the production

of phosphatidylserine, a phospholipid important for both mood and memory.

 

Its role in the methylation cycle places SAM-e at the heart of

many lifesaving functions. But the SAM-e story doesn't stop here.

SAM-e is also essential for another critical process, called

trans-sulfuration, which produces a key chemical, glutathione.

 

SAM-e Boosts Glutathione

 

Many of you have heard of antioxidants, a group of compounds

produced by the body and also found in many different foods, primarily

fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. Some well-known

vitamins like C, E, and beta carotene are, in fact, antioxidants. As

noted in Chapter 1, antioxidants protect us from damage caused by

highly reactive compounds called free radicals. The human body

requires oxygen for its basic chemical functioning, for metabolism,

for energy. Everything we do requires energy, both conscious

activities like walking and automatic body functions like our

heartbeat and breathing. Oxygen is the fuel that drives energy

production and makes life possible, but it leaves behind a potentially

dangerous by-product - the unstable oxygen molecules called free

radicals. Free radicals are fine up to a point - in fact, without

them, we couldn't live. If allowed to accumulate, however, they can

cause a great deal of mischief. They can attack DNA, possibly

initiating cancer. They can attack fat molecules in the blood, causing

them to oxidize and form plaque, thereby clogging the arteries. They

can target cells in key areas of the brain and may be a factor in

brain aging.

 

The body has a defense system that controls free radicals, and

glutathione - known as the " master antioxidant " - is at its heart. You

cannot obtain glutathione through diet; it must be produced by the

cells. So crucial is it to the body that living a long, healthy life

requires making a constant supply. Below is a review of just a few of

the lifesaving functions that glutathione performs in the body. It

could not perform any of these tasks without SAM-e.

 

DETOXIFIES THE LIVER. There is a huge amount of glutathione in the

liver, which also contains the body's heaviest concentration of SAM-e.

The liver has many crucial jobs, including the production of bile, but

its most important role is the detoxification of drugs (including the

tricyclic antidepressants), alcohol, and poisons that are ingested in

food, such as insecticides, or produced by the body through normal

metabolism. When glutathione encounters toxic compounds in the liver,

it attaches itself to them, making them more water-soluble. This

allows the toxins to be flushed out through the kidneys. Liver damage

occurs when the liver is so overwhelmed by toxins that it cannot

produce enough cleansing glutathione. As I will discuss in Chapter 11

( " Getting Healthy with SAM-e " ), SAMe has been used as an effective

treatment for liver disease, especially alcohol-induced liver damage.

 

PROTECTS DNA. Glutathione protects DNA from damage by free

radicals, which can contribute to diseases such as cancer and

premature aging.

 

BOOSTS THE IMMUNE SYSTEM. Glutathione is also important for a

well-functioning immune system, the body's defense against disease.

Interestingly, several studies have documented a link between

depression and weakened immune function. Although it has never been

studied, the decline in immunity seen in depression could be related

to a scarcity of glutathione caused by a deficiency in SAM-e.

 

REDUCES INFLAMMATION. Another vital function of glutathione is the

role it plays in the reduction of inflammation, which is the primary

cause of discomfort in osteoarthritis, a condition caused by the

wearing down of the cartilage (the protective covering on bones). As

noted, SAM-e is also a highly effective treatment for osteoarthritis,

which could be due in part to its glutathione-boosting effect. (For

more information on SAM-e and arthritis, see Chapter 11, " Getting

Healthy with SAM-e. " )

 

Without SAM-e, the body could not make adequate amounts of

glutathione. In the process called transsulfuration, SAM-e helps

produce the precursor to glutathione, the amino acid cysteine.

Cysteine combines with two other amino acids, glutamic acid and

glycine, to form the precious glutathione. Although glutathione is

sold as a supplement, there is controversy about whether it can be

used by the body in that form. Many scientists believe it breaks down

in the stomach before it can reach the bloodstream. Therefore, one of

the few effective ways to boost glutathione is to take supplemental SAM-e.

 

In addition to its ability to boost glutathione, SAM-e is also

essential for the production of another type of compound found in the

body called polyamines. The polyamines spermidine and spermine are

involved in cell growth and cell differentiation. They also have an

antiinflammatory effect.

 

Although SAM-e performs hundreds of roles in the body, its ability

to boost glutathionine is one of its most important. But there is

still more to report on the incredible SAM-e story.

 

The SAM-e/Homocysteine Connection

 

Recently, an amino acid called homocysteine has gained notoriety

as a recognized risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and even some

forms of cancer. What isn't widely known is SAM-e's key role in

helping to control homocysteine.

 

Homocysteine is produced by every cell in the body as a normal

part of the methylation cycle. Like free radicals, homocysteine can

actually be useful in small amounts, but if allowed to accumulate, it

can be terribly dangerous. Folic acid and Vitamin B12 can reduce

homocysteine by converting it to methionine, the building block of

SAM-e. SAM-e, in turn, helps remove homocysteine by increasing the

activity of an enzyme (cystathione-beta-synthetase) that converts this

potentially harmful amino acid into the beneficial glutathione.

 

Here's another reason to keep your SAM-e levels high. Low SAM-e

levels often go hand in hand with high homocysteine. Even slightly

elevated levels of homocysteine are believed to increase the risk of

heart disease and other problems:

 

• Homocysteine is toxic to the endothelial cells that line

blood vessels. Damaged endothelial cells may lead to the formation of

plaque in the arteries, causing heart attack and stroke.

 

• Homocysteine may increase the risk of blood clots.

 

• The Stroke Prevention in Young Women Study revealed that

young women with levels of homocysteine in the top tenth percentile

had nearly triple the risk of stroke-a risk comparable to that of

smoking a pack of cigarettes daily.

 

High levels of homocysteine and a low intake of B vitamins are now

believed to be risk factors in several other diseases, including

reproductive cancers in women and cancers of the colon. More recently,

they have been shown to be risk factors for Alzheimer's dementia.

 

There is also a link between high levels of homocysteine, low

levels of SAM-e, and depression. Terry's research found low levels of

folate and SAM-e in the red blood cells and spinal fluid of depressed

patients. This was associated with high levels of serum homocysteine.

Terry suspects that elevated levels of homocysteine as well as the

deficiencies in these key B vitamins may hamper methylation, which

could explain their destructive effects on the body and mind.

 

The homocysteine connection in both heart disease and depression

raises some intriguing questions. As noted in Chapter 2, people with

depression are at greater risk of developing heart disease, just as

people who have heart disease are at risk for depression. In fact,

about twenty percent of all heart patients receive a diagnosis of

major depression, and as many as one third will have a major

depression within one year after their heart attacks. Until recently,

the depression associated with heart disease has been dismissed as

that which often accompanies any chronic illness. After all, being

sick is very stressful and stress is a key trigger for depression;

chronic illness is hardly a happy event. However, recent studies show

that about half of all patients with heart attacks have had bouts of

depression prior to the onset of heart disease. Could treating your

depression early in life by taking SAM-e prevent heart disease from

striking down the road? Although this question has never been studied,

we believe it is possible that early intervention could make a difference.

 

This complicated set of chemical reactions means that SAM-e works

on many different systems of the body. As a result, it has been used

as a treatment for many different and seemingly unrelated medical

problems, including osteoarthritis, liver disease, and fibromyalgia.

 

SAM-e may help protect the brain against age related destruction

of the cells responsible for mood, memory, and learning. As Terry

noted in a recent study published in Nutrition Reviews (Vol. 54, No.

12), SAM-e has been shown to be reduced in the cerebrospinal fluid of

patients with Alzheimer's dementia, which suggests that methylation in

the brain may be important for some forms of dementia. Currently, I am

investigating the use of SAM-e as a treatment for Parkinson's disease.

(For more information, see Chapter 11, " Getting Healthy with SAM-e " .)

 

The fact that SAM-e is involved in so many different life

processes has made it the subject of intense scientific scrutiny. In

fact, as noted in Chapter 1, SAM-e has been the subject of thousands

of scientific studies, making it the only natural substance to have

been so thoroughly researched in both Europe and the United States. In

addition to numerous laboratory studies exploring the biochemistry of

SAM-e, there have been thirty-nine published clinical studies on the

use of SAM-e to control depression. While thirty-nine clinical studies

may not seem like a lot, it's actually more than most prescription

drugs can boast when they go on the market!

 

• Close to 1,400 patients have participated in carefully

controlled clinical trials on depression alone.

 

• In several studies directly comparing SAM-e to standard

tricyclic medications, SAM-e did as well as or better than these

drugs, without the side effects.

 

• Most of these studies involved severely depressed patients

who often did not respond to other antidepressants, but nevertheless

did surprisingly well on SAM-e.

 

• SAM-e has an excellent safety record. It has undergone

rigorous testing and is approved as a prescription drug in Italy,

Germany, Spain, and Russia.

 

But what about in the real world? Well, there are hundreds of

thousands of patients around the world taking SAM-e for depression. As

you know, it outsells Prozac in Italy. SAM-e's worldwide reputation is

excellent, and I have had amazing results with hundreds of patients

taking it in my practice.

 

SAM-e's remarkable antidepressant properties were discovered

somewhat serendipitously. Although SAM-e was first identified in 1953,

it was not until 1973 that researchers tested it as a treatment for

schizophrenia, a disease many believe stems from a glitch in the

methylation cycle. While SAM-e did not help to control the symptoms of

schizophrenia, researchers were intrigued by one interesting finding.

Unexpectedly, the schizophrenic patients treated with SAM-e became

less depressed. Since then, scores of studies have investigated

SAM-e's role as an antidepressant, and the results have been quite

extraordinary.

 

We're not entirely sure yet how it works, but we do know this:

Long-term treatment with SAM-e in animals has been shown to increase

brain concentrations of norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin.

Studies in humans have shown similar results. In one study reported in

the journal The Lancet, Terry showed that depressed patients treated

with SAM-e over a fourteen day period had a significant increase in

cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of a key metabolite that is used as

a marker for serotonin levels in the brain. Other researchers have

also found that when depressed people are treated with SAM-e, their

cerebrospinal fluid levels of the marker for dopamine increase too.

The exact way in which SAMe does this remains unclear, but an increase

in these two markers is often associated with antidepressant effect.

 

Study after study has confirmed that SAM-e excels when tested

against a placebo, an important way to test the efficacy of any

antidepressant. You may wonder why it is considered important that a

drug outperform a placebo, or sugar pill. It may surprise you to learn

that at least thirty percent of the effect of any antidepressant - for

the first few weeks - is attributed to the so-called placebo effect.

In other words, if you believe that a drug will work, it will. Even

though the placebo effect wears off within a few weeks, it does

underscore the power the mind can hold over the body. Therefore, in

order to be certain that a drug and not the placebo effect has brought

about a good response, the drug must consistently outperform a placebo

by a substantial margin. When matched against a placebo, SAM-e wins

hands down.

 

SAM-e not only outperforms a placebo but can hold its own among

other antidepressants. Numerous studies have confirmed that when

tested against several of the tricyclic antidepressants, SAM-e does as

well, or nearly as well, with virtually no side effects. Also, since

with SAM-e few patients drop out because of side effects or delay in

onset of action, more people have a chance to respond to it.

 

Here are some of the research highlights that have advanced our

understanding of SAM-e. We've only chosen a few of the many that have

been done. (For a more complete list of studies, see the bibliography

on page 245.)

 

THE FIRST SUCCESS. The first double-blind, placebo controlled

study of SAM-e was conducted in 1973 in Verona, Italy. (Neither the

researcher nor the patients knew who was taking SAM-e and who was

taking the placebo.) Such double-blind, placebo-controlled studies are

the gold standard of medical research. The study involved thirty

depressed patients ill enough to be in psychiatric hospitals. Twenty

of them were given SAM-e for up to fifteen days; the remainder were

given a placebo. Based on the Hamilton Rating Scale, the most

respected professional index of depression, researchers reported that

one hundred percent of the patients, every single one of them - showed

improvement in depressed mood while taking SAM-e. Only thirty percent

of patients taking the placebo improved. In the researchers' own

words, " SAM-e acts favorably and significantly on specific depressive

symptoms (depressed mood, work, and interests; suicidal tendencies)

which, in a high percentage of patients, were greatly improved. " In

particular, researchers marveled over how fast SAM-e worked.

 

" The rapid action of the drug should be stressed since in some

cases almost all of the symptoms had disappeared after 4 days of

treatment, and in general, after 6 or 7 days ... No untoward side

effects were observed in the patients to whom SAM-e was administered. "

(Journal of Psychiatry Research, 1976, Vol. 13.)

 

SAM-E WINS OVER ANOTHER ANTIDEPRESSANT. Researchers from the

University of California's Irvine Medical Center studied eighteen

patients suffering from major depression. Nine of the patients were

given a two week course of imipramine, a widely used tricyclic

antidepressant. The other nine were given SAM-e for the same length of

time. By the end of the fourteenth day, fully two-thirds of the SAM-e

patients had shown a significant improvement in depressive symptoms.

Only twenty-two percent of the imipramine patients had the same

relief. " It appears, " concluded the researchers, " that

S-adenosylmethionine is a rapid and effective treatment for major

depression and has few side effects. " Noting that SAM-e worked faster

than imipramine, the researchers added, " This characteristic of the

drug may be a considerable advantage, considering the known risk of

suicide during the early phase of treatment with tricyclic

antidepressants. " In other words, because it works so quickly, in some

cases SAM-e could make the difference between life and death.

(American Journal of Psychiatry, " SAdenosylmethionine Treatment of

Depression: A Controlled Clinical Trial, " September 1988, 145:9.)

 

SAM-E AT MASS GENERAL. Researchers at Harvard University's

affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital studied the effect of SAM-e

on twenty patients, nine of whom had been classified as

treatment-resistant because they did not improve on other

antidepressants. The patients were given oral doses of SAM-e for up to

six weeks. Researchers noted, " The group as a whole significantly

improved with oral SAM-e. " Of the eleven patients who were not

treatment-resistant, seven showed a full antidepressant response on

the Hamilton Rating Scale (an improvement of fifty percent or better).

Two others showed major improvement but did not achieve a full

response. Even more surprising, two of the nine treatment-resistant

patients showed a full antidepressant response. Considering that very

little works with treatment-resistant patients-people for whom

standard antidepressants have been ineffective, this is an excellent

result. What makes SAM-e's performance even more significant is the

fact that not one patient dropped out of the study because of side

effects. (Acta Psychiatry Scandanavica, " The Antidepressant Potential

of Oral S-Adenosyl-lMethionine, " 1990:81, 432-36.)

 

MAJOR STUDY'S EXCELLENT RESULTS. A major multicenter study

evaluated SAM-e in 195 outpatients in Italy. The subjects were given

daily 400mg injections of SAM-e for fifteen days. At the end of the

study, 163 patients were evaluated (the rest were excluded either for

lack of compliance or because it was determined that they did not meet

the criteria to participate in the study in the first place). The

senior researcher, Dr. Maurizio Fava of the Depression Research Center

of Harvard's Massachusetts General Hospital, and his Italian

co-researchers reported that depressive symptoms were significantly

reduced after seven days for more than half of the patients who

completed the study. In fact, ninety patients showed more than a fifty

percent improvement on standard assessment tests. This is considered

an excellent result. No severe side effects were reported, an

encouraging and unusual finding for such a large study involving an

antidepressant. (Journal of Psychiatry Research, 1995:56, 295-97.)

 

DESIPRAMINE OUTPERFORMED BY SAM-E! In 1994, a research team headed

by Kate M. Bell at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center

compared SAM-e with desipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant.

Twenty-six patients were involved in a double-blind study comparing

oral SAM-e with oral desipramine. At the end of four weeks, sixty-two

percent of the patients taking SAM-e and fifty percent of the patients

taking desipramine showed significant improvement.

 

The researchers also investigated whether there was a correlation

between blood levels of SAM-e and mood. One interesting finding:

Regardless of which drug they took, patients showing a fifty percent

improvement or better in the Hamilton Rating Scale score-which is

considered a full response, an excellent result-had a significant

increase in blood plasma levels of SAM-e. As the researchers noted,

" We found a significant relationship between change in plasma SAM-e

concentration and clinical improvement.... In summary, the significant

correlation between plasma SAM-e levels and the degrees of clinical

improvement regardless of the type of treatment suggests that SAM-e

might play an important role in regulating mood. "

 

THE CHRONICALLY ILL HELPED BY SAM-E. As noted earlier, depression

and illness often go hand in hand. But many people who are ill cannot

tolerate antidepressants, or may experience particularly bad side

effects from drug interactions. As the researchers in this study

noted, in some cases, as with some forms of heart disease,

antidepressants may make the chronic illness worse. " The 20

cardiovascular patients in our study were regarded as high-risk

subjects because developing depression may cause suicidal ideation

with further deterioration of quality of life. Tricyclics and

monoamine oxidase ... inhibitors may be detrimental to cardiac

patients because of their toxic cardiovascular side effects. " It's a

catch-22: Treating severe depression may not only hurt the quality of

life but also be life-threatening, yet treating with standard

antidepressants may bring about the same result. For these people,

SAM-e may be the treatment of choice. Forty-eight patients with major

depression and concurrent serious illnesses were given up to 800 mg of

SAM-e daily. The results as described by the researchers were

excellent: " Response of patients treated with SAM-e was quite rapid

and many were still improving at the end of the 28-day trial. " As

noted, patients not only improved quickly on SAM-e, but did not

experience any untoward side effects that could worsen their

preexisting medical problems. (Current Therapeutic Research, June

1994, Vol. 5 5, No. 6.)

 

A MAJOR REVIEW OF THE STUDIES. A metaanalysis, a major review of

the published clinical studies on SAM-e, published in Acta

Scandinavica Neurologica in 1994 assessed the efficacy of SAM-e in the

treatment of depression. What makes this study so important is that

all of the clinical trials of SAM-e published between 1973 and 1992

were analyzed. In eleven studies, SAM-e was tested against a placebo.

In fourteen studies, SAM-e was tested against a standard prescription

antidepressant. In another thirteen studies known as open studies,

SAM-e was given to depressed patients without testing it against

either a placebo or an antidepressant. The patients were monitored to

assess improvement. In every study involving placebos, SAM-e was found

to be more effective than the placebo. In fact, the author of the

study notes that SAM-e does better on the placebo test than most other

prescription antidepressants! In every study involving prescription

drugs, SAM-e was found to be as effective as tricyclic

antidepressants. In the open studies, patients also showed significant

improvement. The review study concluded, " In summary, this

meta-analysis shows that the efficacy of SAM-e in treating depressive

syndromes and disorders is superior to that of placebo and is

comparable to that of standard tricyclic antidepressants. Since SAM-e

is a naturally occurring compound with relatively few side-effects,

its antidepressant effect makes it a potentially important tool in the

armamentarium of the modern psychopharmacologist. "

 

TWO MULTICENTER STUDIES. In a 1997 review article published in

Expert Opinion in Investigational Drugs, Terry outlined SAM-e's

potential as a treatment for psychiatric and neurological disorders.

He reported on two as yet unpublished clinical trials on SAM-e

conducted at several research centers in Europe involving 197 severely

depressed patients (based on the Hamilton Rating Scale). In the first

study, involving seventy-five patients, SAM-e was tested against a

placebo. Both compounds were given intravenously. Patients taking

SAM-e had an average improvement rate of 40.8 percent compared to

patients taking the placebo, who improved by only 27.6 percent.

Considering how severely ill these patients were, this is an excellent

result.

 

In the second study, SAM-e went head-to-head with clomipramine,

perhaps the strongest drug in the antidepressant arsenal. Although

clomipramine is highly effective, recovery often comes at the cost of

terrible side effects. In fact, many patients simply won't stay on the

drug. In the trial, 122 patients were given either SAM-e or

clomipramine intravenously for three weeks. Patients taking SAM-e had

an average improvement rate of 36.5 percent compared to 48.8 percent

for the patients on clomipramine Even though SAM-e did not outperform

clomipramine it did bring about a major improvement in these severely

depressed patients, and it achieved this good result with virtually no

side effects. As Terry noted in his review, " The drug related adverse

events and dropouts for adverse events were significantly lower in

SAM-e than in clomipramine. " In other words, many patients did not

continue to take clomipramine because they could not tolerate the side

effects. If the dropouts had been factored into the final result as

nonresponders, clomipramine would not have fared as well.

 

From these studies, it's apparent that although SAM-e may be a

powerful antidepressant, it works gently in the body. SAM-e can hold

its own among even the strongest of the prescription drugs, yet it

does not have any of the onerous side effects...

 

 

The preceeding was one chapter from the book, Stop Depression Now,

by R.Brown, M.D., T. Bottiglieri, Ph.D., and C. Colman, Putnam Sons, 1999.

 

 

 

posted by Sepp Hasslberger on Sunday June 11 2006

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The individual is supreme and finds its way through intuition.

 

Sepp Hasslberger

 

 

Critical perspective on Health: http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/

 

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