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A substantial amount of evidence suggests that SAMe can be an effective treatment for osteoarthritis, the "wear and tear" type of arthritis that many people develop as they get older.1
There have been no reported deaths from overdose of SAM-e. Side effects can include headache, nausea, anxiety, insomnia, dry mouth, reduced appetite, sweating, and dizziness.
Some people develop mild stomach distress if they start full dosages of SAMe at once. To get around this, start with a lower dosage and work up to the full dosage gradually.
SAM-e should not be taken with MAOIs.
The body makes all the SAMe it needs, so there is no dietary requirement. However, deficiencies in methionine, folate, or vitamin B12 can reduce SAMe levels. SAMe is not found in appreciable quantities in foods, so it must be taken as a supplement. (It may also help to consume adequate amounts of methionine, folate, and/or vit B12 to also help with maintaining adequate levels of SAMe.)
It's been suggested that the supplement trimethylglycine (TMG) might indirectly increase SAMe levels and provide similar benefits, but this effect has not been proven.
A typical full dosage of SAMe is 400 mg taken 3 to 4 times per day. If this dosage works, take it for a few weeks and then try reducing the dosage. As little as 200 mg twice daily may suffice to keep you feeling better once the full dosage has "broken through" the symptoms.
However, some people develop mild stomach distress if they start full dosages of SAMe at once. To get around this, you may need to start low and work up to the full dosage gradually.
Recently, SAMe has come on the US market at a recommended dosage of 200 mg twice daily. This dosage labeling makes SAMe appear more affordable (if you're only taking 400 mg per day, you'll spend only about a third or a fourth of what you'd pay for the proper dosage), but it is unlikely that SAMe will actually work when taken at such a low dosage.
The body makes all the SAMe it needs, so there is no dietary requirement. However, deficiencies in methionine, folate, or vitamin B12 can reduce SAMe levels. SAMe is not found in appreciable quantities in foods, so it must be taken as a supplement. (It may also help to consume adequate amounts of methionine, folate, and/or vit B12 to also help with maintaining adequate levels of SAMe.)
It's been suggested that the supplement trimethylglycine (TMG) might indirectly increase SAMe levels and provide similar benefits, but this effect has not been proven.
A typical full dosage of SAMe is 400 mg taken 3 to 4 times per day. If this dosage works, take it for a few weeks and then try reducing the dosage. As little as 200 mg twice daily may suffice to keep you feeling better once the full dosage has "broken through" the symptoms.
However, some people develop mild stomach distress if they start full dosages of SAMe at once. To get around this, you may need to start low and work up to the full dosage gradually.
Recently, SAMe has come on the US market at a recommended dosage of 200 mg twice daily. This dosage labeling makes SAMe appear more affordable (if you're only taking 400 mg per day, you'll spend only about a third or a fourth of what you'd pay for the proper dosage), but it is unlikely that SAMe will actually work when taken at such a low dosage.
S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe), the abbreviation for which is SAMe (pronounced samm-ee), is a chemical structure whose name is derived from two materials: methionine, a sulfur-containing amino acid; and adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the body's main energy molecule.
SAMe is a natural substance produced by the body. It helps to produce mood-elevating brain chemicals, such as dopamine and serotonin. SAMe is an anti-inflammatory and pain reliever.1
SAMe was discovered in Italy in 1952. It was first investigated as a treatment for depression, but along the way it was accidentally noted to improve arthritis symptoms—a kind of positive side effect.
Unfortunately, SAMe is an extraordinarily expensive supplement at present. Full dosages can easily cost more than $200 per month.
A substantial body of scientific evidence indicates that S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) can relieve symptoms of arthritis.50 Numerous double-blind studies involving more than a thousand participants in total suggest that it is approximately as effective for this purpose as standard anti-inflammatory drugs. However, there is no meaningful evidence that SAMe slows the progression of the disease.
One of the best double-blind studies enrolled 732 patients and followed them for 4 weeks.51 Over this period, 235 of the participants received 1,200 mg of SAMe per day, while a similar number took either placebo or 750 mg daily of the standard drug naproxen. The majority of these patients had experienced moderate symptoms of osteoarthritis of either the knee or of the hip for an average of 6 years.
The results indicate that SAMe provided as much pain-relieving effect as naproxen and that both treatments were significantly better than placebo. However, differences did exist between the two treatments. Naproxen worked more quickly, producing readily apparent benefits at the 2-week follow-up, whereas the full effect of SAMe was not apparent until 4 weeks. By the end of the study, both treatments were producing the same level of benefit.
In a double-blind study that compared SAMe against the new anti-inflammatory drug Celebrex (celecoxib), once more, the drug worked faster than the supplement, but in time both were providing equal benefits.123
Evidence regarding slowing the progression of arthritis is, at present, limited to studies involving animals rather than people.52,53 Also, in many cases, studies are funded by those producing the products being tested, so it is suspected that there can be a conflict of interest.
A substantial amount of evidence suggests that SAMe can be an effective treatment for osteoarthritis, the "wear and tear" type of arthritis that many people develop as they get older.1
S-ademosylmathionine (SAM-e) is an essential amino acid that is needed to maintain healthy neurotransmitter processes in the brain. In certain parts of Europe, such as Italy, SAM-e is a more popular treatment for depression than pharmaceutical medications.
Find other natural remedies for depression
S-ademosylmathionine (SAM-e) is an essential amino acid that is needed to maintain healthy neurotransmitter processes in the brain. In certain parts of Europe, such as Italy, SAM-e is a more popular treatment for depression than pharmaceutical medications.
Find other natural remedies for depression
1 Bottiglieri, T & Bottiglieri ,K.H.T. (2009). S-adenosylmethionine levels in psychiatric and neurological disorders: a review. Acta Nerologica Scandinavica. (89)S154.
2 Shannon, S. (2002). Handbook of Complementary and Alternative Therapies in Mental Health. San Diego: Academic Press.
There have been no reported deaths from overdose of SAM-e. Side effects can include headache, nausea, anxiety, insomnia, dry mouth, reduced appetite, sweating, and dizziness.
Some people develop mild stomach distress if they start full dosages of SAMe at once. To get around this, start with a lower dosage and work up to the full dosage gradually.
SAM-e should not be taken with MAOIs.
The normal dosage for SAM-e is 1600-3600 mg per day. It is recommended to separate the daily dosage into 2-4 doses of 400 mg each. Its recommended that SAM-e is taken 30 minutes before eating2.
Studies show that undermethylation is highly correlated with depression. The brain needs SAM-e to activate 35 different types of methylation in the brain1.
S-ademosylmathionine (SAM-e) is an essential amino acid that is needed to maintain healthy neurotransmitter processes in the brain. In certain parts of Europe, such as Italy, SAM-e is a more popular treatment for depression than pharmaceutical medications.
Find other natural remedies for depression
SAM-e works by enabling the production of glutathione, which is a critical antioxidant that protects the body against free radical damage. More importantly, it is a crucial regulator of methylation in the brain1.
