Willner Window Radio Show - SAMe for Depression

[Guest guest]

" The Willner Window " Radio Show

Sunday, from 2 pm to 4 pm, on WOR (710 AM)

and on the internet at: www.wor710.com

 

 

 

http://www.willner.com/radio_04-04-04.aspx?id=38

 

The following is an excerpt from The Willner Window radio program,

originally broadcast on January 16, 2005.

 

Sam: Good afternoon everyone, this is .... Welcome to The Willner

Window. For those of you who might be first-time listeners, the

focus of this show is nutritional supplements–vitamins, herbs,

homeopathic remedies–and their proper usage. With me this afternoon

is . .

 

According to a study in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology,

people taking antidepressant medications who continue to suffer from

the symptoms of depression can benefit from the dietary supplement S-

adenosyl-L-methionine or, as we know it, SAMe.

 

Don: Depression is a mental health disorder characterized by

unhappy, hopeless feelings. Symptoms include an unrelenting

depressed mood, loss of interest in activities, body weight loss or

gain, insomnia or excessive sleeping, fatigue or loss of energy,

feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt, and inability to

concentrate. Thoughts of suicide are a sign of severe depression.

 

Antidepressant medications are used to treat chronic and severe

depression. These medications usually work by increasing levels of

certain neurotransmitters, serotonin or

norepinephrine, . . .chemical messengers that calm or excite the

nervous system and improve mood. Some of these medications can cause

serious and uncomfortable side effects, including sexual dysfunction.

 

Sam: SAMe is a chemical produced in the body from the amino acid

methionine. SAMe appears to raise levels of dopamine, a

neurotransmitter that helps to regulate moods.

 

Most, though not all, controlled trials have found that

supplementing with SAMe can be an effective treatment for

depression. Results from two studies suggest that SAMe might speed

up the response to antidepressant medications in some depressed

people.

 

Don: In other words, we are talking about people who are already

taking antidepressant medications?

 

Sam: That's right, Don. Twenty-three people with depression

participated in the current study. All had been taking serotonin-

enhancing antidepressants for at least four weeks but were still

suffering from depressive symptoms when they entered the study.

 

The participants added 400 mg of SAMe two times per day at the

beginning of the study. After two weeks, the amount of SAMe was

increased to 800 mg two times per day for an additional four weeks.

Symptoms were evaluated weekly for the first four weeks and at six

weeks.

 

Several rating scales were used to analyze depressive symptoms and

all showed significant improvement at the end of the study compared

with the beginning. Sexual function scores also improved

significantly from the beginning to the end of the study.

 

The results of this study suggest that SAMe might be helpful in

people with depression who do not respond to treatment with

antidepressant medication.

 

Don: It is possible, however, that some of the participants in this

study merely had a delayed response to their initial antidepressant

medication. Placebo-controlled trials are therefore needed before

positive recommendations can be made.

 

Sam: Which, of course, brings us back to the same choice we always

talk about. Even though absolute, unequivocal proof may not yet be

at hand, there is good reason to think that SAMe can help alleviate

the symptoms of depression and improve mood. That's the upside.

 

It's not toxic, or dangerous, so there is little downside.

 

Even better, there are other benefits associated with SAMe. It is

indicated for people with liver disease, osteoarthritis, and

fibromyalgia, among other problems.

 

So here is another case where a nutritional supplement is actually

recommended for use with a drug. You know about CoQ10 and statin

drugs. Now, we can say the same thing about SAMe–it may actually be

indicated as an adjunct to those taking tricyclic antidepressants,

like Elavil or Imipramine, in that it improves the clinical response

to the drug.

 

Don: Actually, CoQ10 may be indicated in this instance as well,

because some of these antidepressant drugs have been shown to

interfere with enzymes that work with CoQ10 for proper heart

function.

 

So some practitioners recommend taking 30 to 100 mg of CoQ10 daily

when taking tricyclic antidepressants.

 

For more information on this, you can access HealthNotes via the

Willner Chemists web site. . .