Table 1.
Efficacy of SAMe in depression, as evidenced from clinical trials.
| Mental Condition | Study Design | Intervention | Main Findings | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MDD, with mild to moderate depression symptoms | Double-blind RCT. A total of 49 patients with no concurrent antidepressant therapy were recruited in the trial. |
SAMe (800 mg) or placebo for 8 weeks. | Modest improvement of depressive symptoms in both SAMe and placebo groups. Increased folate concentrations in SAMe treated patients, correlated with improvement in symptoms. No change in one-carbon cycle biomarkers, BDNF, and SNPs. |
[32] |
| Mild to moderate depression | Randomized observational controlled trial. A total of 46 subjects were enrolled in the trial. |
SAMe (800 mg/day) (n = 23) or SAMe (750 mg/day + betaine 375 mg/day) (n = 23) for 90 days. | Improvement of depressive symptoms in both groups. Combination of SAMe and betaine demonstrated more effectiveness in the remission of symptoms, with mild to moderate depression. | [33] |
| MDD and cognitive deficits | Double-blind RCT. A total of 46 SRI nonresponders with MDD were selected. |
Adjunctive SAMe (800 mg/day) or placebo for 6 weeks. | Significant improvement in memory-related cognitive symptoms. | [34] |
| MDD | Double-blind RCT. A total of 189 patients were recruited in the study for comparative analysis of SAMe and escitalopram. |
SAMe (1600–3200 mg/day), escitalopram (10–20 mg/day), or placebo for 12 weeks. | No significant differences were noted in remission rates with SAMe and escitalopram. SAMe was more tolerable, with mild to moderate GI side effects. |
[35] |
| MDD | Double-blind RCT. A total of 144 patients were recruited in the study for comparative analysis of SAMe and escitalopram. |
SAMe (1600–3200 mg/day), escitalopram (10–20 mg/day), or placebo for 12 weeks. | SAMe was slightly more efficacious than escitalopram. The remission rates were 34% for SAMe, 23% for escitalopram, and 6% for placebo. |
[36] |
| MDD | Double-blind RCT. A total of 73 SRI nonresponders (age: 18–80 years) were selected for the study. |
Adjunctive oral SAMe with a target dose of 1600 mg/day or placebo for 6 weeks. | Responsive and remission rates with adjunctive SAMe were 36.1% and 25.8%, respectively, as compared with placebo (17.6% and 11. 7%). | [42] |
| Depression in patients with PD | Open-label clinical trial. A total of 13 patients were enrolled in the study. |
SAMe (800–3600 mg/day). | A total of 11 patients completed the study, and 2 prematurely terminated because of increased anxiety. A total of 10 patients demonstrated at least 50% improvement on the HDRS-17 scale. |
[37] |
| Antidepressants induced sexual dysfunction | Double-blind RCT. A total of 73 patients (age: 18–80 years) were randomized in two treatment groups (SAMe or placebo). |
Augmentation of SSRI/SNRI with SAMe (800 mg/day) or placebo for 6 weeks. | Significant improvement in arousal and erectile dysfunctions in SAMe-augmented men at endpoint as compared with placebo-treated patients. | [39] |
Major depressive disorders (MDDs), randomized clinical trial (RCT), S-adenosyl methionine (SAMe), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-17).